High Priest



Prayer: The advent of our King,
             Our prayers must now employ,
       And we must hymns of welcome sing,
             In strains of holy joy.

       The everlasting Son,
       Incarnate deigns to be,
       Himself a servant’s form puts on,
       To set His servants free.

Read: Hebrews 7:23–27
http://www.esvbible.org/Hebrews 7:23-27

Think about It: In the Old Testament, the Father sets up an elaborate system of sacrifices and rituals that are performed by the priests in the Temple. These sacrifices point to the need for payment to be made for the sins of the people. The sacrifices happened daily and were surrounded by a large number of rules, regulations, and requirements that had to be met in order that God might be          appeased for the sins of man. But those sacrifices were only a temporary fix. The blood of an animal was never going to be enough to bring justice to a holy God.
     Between the establishment of this system and 70ad (Hebrews probably being written between 65-70ad) there were 83 men who served as the High Priest (as counted by Josephus, ancient historian). The office of High Priest disappeared in 70ad when the Temple was burned to the ground by the Romans, never to be rebuilt. The Jewish nation was devastated. But for the writer to the Hebrews, this is not a problem, for Christ has come and He now stands as the perfect and final High Priest for the rest of eternity. Jesus death on the cross acts at the final sacrifice for our sins. The old system is no longer necessary for God’s justice has been served and Jesus’ blood brings the holiness that God requires.
     As we celebrate this Christmas we cannot escape the fact that this Baby was born to die. Mary had a glimpse of that truth in the message from the angel reporting that she was pregnant and Joseph knew the Child was special and a miracle of God. Did they truly know what the future held for their Child? Most certainly not. But God moves them to obedient submission to His plan and His will and the future is secure for all who would believe.

Prayer:  Before the dawning day,
              Let sin’s dark deeds be gone,
        The sinful self be put away,
              The new self now put on.

             All glory to the Son,
             Who comes to set us free,
       With Father, Spirit, ever one,
             Through all eternity.
The Advent of Our King . . . LSB 331 – Public Domain

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