Hebrews 7:23 Commentary and Bible Study

Here is yet another piece of reasoning. Don’t you see?, says the inspired author in effect, It should be obvious to you that the Levitical priests were not the true and effective priests, that they were not offering effective sacrifices; it should be obvious to you, because the Levitical priesthood was surrounded by and permeated by death. A priest lasted only so long. Most of the time they had to retire at fifty. No, churches do not go by the Old Testament in this matter – preachers retire far later than fifty – but the Levitical priests retired at fifty, and then in due course they died. So their entire priesthood was permeated by death. The priests descended from Aaron came to the end of their lives on earth, and in order for the priesthood to continue, a new priest had to be appointed, but one who again was mortal. New priests were allowed only from the descendants of Aaron. Everyone knew that they would last no longer than the duration of their earthly lives, and this very obviously showed the imperfection of the priesthood established by the law. No true priesthood could be subject to this disadvantage: that the priest kept dying and needing to be replaced. A priest who could not keep himself alive, when he was appointed to give life to those he represented, obviously lacked power. And so it was that the Levitical priests were only types of the true priest, and to stop anyone confusing the type with the reality, God built into them this deliberate weakness: that they died. Death kept saying, these are not the real priests; they are only the pictures. ‘Doesn’t that speak to you?’, the writer seems to say here. ‘You, Jewish people who are so fixated on the law and the Levitical priesthood: death is everywhere in it. That should be telling you it is not the authentic priesthood, the enduring priesthood. ‘