Hebrews 5:4 Commentary and Bible Study

The writer of this epistle is showing that Christ was a high priest who conformed to the pattern of all high priests, and so he finds another distinctive feature of the high priests of old: they did not appoint themselves. The office of priest was such an elevated responsibility that no man could take it on unless he had a calling from above. It must be God’s decision that he do it, for otherwise his sense of inadequacy would prevent him from functioning. He was being called to stand as a mediator between God and man and to represent God to man and man to God, and who was worthy to do such a thing? The benefit of God’s calling is that he who knows everything has decided that we should carry out this task for him. He knows the task he is calling us to do; he knows our weakness; he will provide strength to carry it out. But the presumptuous will run where no one has told them to go, and they will be exposed to difficulties that they are not equipped to cope with. No man dare take this honour to himself, for he needs the assurance that God is with him and will empower him to serve.In the case of those high priests who were appointed under the law, they were called to an office that they did not fully appreciate or understand at first. The meaning of so much that they did was hidden from those who lacked faith, and by no means every high priest had faith. Even those with faith understood the symbolic worship of the ceremonial law only in shadowy form. The office of high priest was to be fulfilled by Christ, and the token sacrifices offered up under the law were illustrative of the far greater and more effective sacrifices offered by Christ. But if they did not fully understand the significance of what they did, how could they assess their suitability for such a task?It is therefore God who commands Moses to take his brother, Aaron, and to appoint him as high priest (Exodus 28). He was to be given specially made garments symbolic of his honour and his responsibilities, and he was to serve as high priest until his death, while his sons served as priests (Exodus 29:9). After he died, Eleazer his son served as high priest in his place (Deuteronomy 10:6). It was God who chose the tribe of Levi and who chose Aaron and his descendants to be priests. So it was a great honour to be a high priest, to teach not only by your words but by your office. That, at least, is what the ancient high priest was supposed to do; very many of them were not worthy of their office, but it was an honour, to teach and to depict Christ in the very ceremonies, to represent him.