⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Seminal—that’s how theologians describe what this passage is talking about, that ultimately the Levitical priesthood is inferior to Jesus—it is as though the Levites were there in person when Abraham gave a tenth of the war spoils to Melchizedek. Whether this refers obliquely to the genetic connection with their ancestor or that he just represented them as their federal head in his tithing action is a subject for debate. Either way, those who receive tithes (the Levites) from the people of Israel, were themselves considered to have given a tithe to Melchizedek, “so to speak.”

Let’s review some salient facts about the Levitical priesthood, which receives its name from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. His descendants, called the tribe of Levi (or Levites) were assigned by God to look after the details of the Jewish worship system. A smaller subsection of these were the priests, who were descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron. The Levites assisted the priest, looking after the practical details of the tabernacle during the Exodus wanderings and subsequently in the Promised Land. The priests handled the actual sacrifices the people brought, performing the ritual prescribed by God.

The Levites were supported through the offerings of the rest of the Israelites (e.g. Leviticus 5:13, 27:32). In particular, the people were to bring ten percent (from which the word “tithe” comes) of their agricultural produce for the Levites’ use. God, in His holiness, incorporated this into the worship of Israel. Financial support of these servants of God was not to be seen as payment for services rendered. They were giving to the Lord in an act of worship. Of that worship the Levite did benefit, to be sure. But it was a by-product of the people’s worship. We do well to reflect on this for our attitude in how we support those in fulltime ministry today. Our gifts must be seen as worship of the Lord, not as support for his workers. God uses what we give Him as an act of worship, to provide a livelihood for vocational Christian workers. This is an act of worship on our part, first and foremost.

We continue to see that Jesus, as a priest like Melchizedek, is greater than the mere human priesthood of Israel. To the Jews that was almost blasphemous, given their pride and sense of exceptionalism. But that is precisely the point. Jesus is greater than their priesthood. To go back to the inferior priesthood or anything like it would ironically be treasonous to the truth of Jesus Christ!

Lord, I commit to being faithful to my priest,Your Son. Help me not fall back to a religion of rituals and human priests in place of the only priest, Jesus Christ.