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NOVEMBER 11
would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood,
only they themselves would be delivered. have a commandment to receive tithes from
19 “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and the people according to the law, that is, from
pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off their brethren, though they have come from
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from it man and beast, even though Noah, the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy
Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the is not derived from them received tithes from
Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor Abraham and blessed him who had the prom-
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daughter; they would deliver only themselves ises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is
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by their righteousness.” blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive
21 For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is
more it shall be when I send My four severe witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who
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judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,
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famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his
off man and beast from it? Yet behold, there father when Melchizedek met him.
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shall be left in it a remnant who will be 11 Therefore, if perfection were through the
brought out, both sons and daughters; surely Levitical priesthood (for under it the people
they will come out to you, and you will see received the law), what further need was there
their ways and their doings. Then you will be that another priest should rise according to the
comforted concerning the disaster that I have order of Melchizedek, and not be called accord-
brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have ing to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
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brought upon it. And they will comfort you, being changed, of necessity there is also a
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when you see their ways and their doings; and change of the law. For He of whom these
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you shall know that I have done nothing without things are spoken belongs to another tribe,
cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord GOD. from which no man has officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from
Psalm 122:6–9
Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more
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“May they prosper who love you. evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there
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7 Peace be within your walls, arises another priest who has come, not
Prosperity within your palaces.” according to the law of a fleshly command-
8 For the sake of my brethren and ment, but according to the power of an end-
companions, less life. For He testifies:
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I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
9 “You are a priest forever
Because of the house of the LORD According to the order of
our God
I will seek your good. Melchizedek.”
18 For on the one hand there is an annulling
Proverbs 28:19
of the former commandment because of its
19 He who tills his land will have plenty weakness and unprofitableness, for the law
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of bread, made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there
But he who follows frivolity will have is the bringing in of a better hope, through
poverty enough! which we draw near to God.
20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest
Hebrews 7:1–28
without an oath (for they have become priests
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For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,
7 priest of the Most High God, who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter of the
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kings and blessed him, to whom also Abra-
ham gave a tenth part of all, first being trans- 7:19 the law made nothing perfect. The law
lated “king of righteousness,” and then also saved no one (Rom. 3:19,20); rather it cursed
king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” with- everyone (Gal.3:10–13).draw near to God.This
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out father, without mother, without genealogy, is the key phrase in this passage. Drawing near
having neither beginning of days nor end of to God is the essence of Christianity as com-
life, but made like the Son of God, remains a pared with the Levitical system,which kept peo-
priest continually. ple outside His presence.As believer priests,we
4 Now consider how great this man was, to are all to draw near to God—that is a character-
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a istic of the priesthood (Ex.19:22;Matt.27:51).
tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are
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