Paul tells us in Hebrews 5:4 that no man could take the authority of high priest to himself and sacrifice to God, unless he was appointed to that office. Indeed, only priests of the lineage of Aaron had the authority to offer God gifts and burnt offerings on an altar. In other words, God’s appointment was the great limiting factor of the priesthood, not the family of Aaron per se, nor the privilege of the first born before that (Numbers 3:12), but it was God’s appointment that allowed a man to perform the duties of a priest. This explains why Gideon the judge was able to offer sacrifices to God (Judges 6:24), why Samuel, the prophet, was able to do so (1Samuel 7:9) and Elijah (1Kings 18:30-38) etc.
Paul saw Jesus’ resurrection not only as God nullifying the judgment of men, but also his raising Jesus to an office higher than anyone on earth or in heaven (cf. Philippians 2:9-10). Notice that Paul used Psalm 2:7 not only to interpret God appointing Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 13:33-34), but also to the office of High Priest in accordance with Psalm 110:4 (Hebrews 5:5-6). Jesus used this very Psalm to show it pointed to the Messiah, whom David believed was greater than his own office as King of the Jews (Matthew 22:42-46; Mark 12:35-37). So, in the same Psalm we see that Jesus is not only the Messiah but also the High Priest, and proof of his appointment to both offices is found in Psalm 2:7, which points to Jesus’ resurrection as the event (cp. Acts 13:33), which proves that God gave Jesus a name above all names, whether in heaven or on earth (Philippians 2:9-10).
According to Hebrews 5:5 Jesus was begotten Today. That is, it concerns a specific day in history, which Paul earlier interpreted as the day of Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection is an event only God could have brought to pass (Acts 13:33-35). This is not speaking of Jesus’ eternal relationship with God as expressed in John 1:18. There Jesus is described as the only begotten Son of God. Rather this is speaking of Jesus being the first begotten (Revelation 1:5), which points to Jesus’ resurrection, in which event we also have a place when we embrace Jesus as our Savior (cf. Romans 8:29).
Paul claimed that Jesus was made our High Priest “after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:6). Actually, as we’ve already seen, Paul was quoting Psalm 110:4. The priesthood of Melchizedek was not the same as the priesthood of Aaron, so Jesus, not being a Levite, could not have been made a priest after the order (i.e. arrangement or rank – see Thayer’s Lexicon) of Aaron. Melchizedek was the Priest of the Most High God, according to Genesis 14:18, and not only so, but he was also King of Salem (i.e. the King of Peace). Abraham gave him tithes of all he possessed (Genesis 14:20). Later, Paul would use this very Scripture to show that the priesthood of Aaron was of a lower rank than that of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:4-5).
According to Paul, Jesus’ prayers were heard in that he feared (Hebrews 5:7). This doesn’t mean Jesus was afraid, but it does mean that he respected God enough to lay all his own hopes upon his Father’s integrity. Jesus totally trusted God with his fate and laid no demands upon him, as the ancient Israelites did when they rebelled (cf. Exodus 17:7). So, whether Paul is speaking of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, when he was afraid he would die before he was crucified (Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34), or when he hung on the cross and placed his Spirit into his Father’s hands (Luke 23:46), Jesus trusted in his Father’s integrity rather than tell God what needed to be done.
On the other hand, the prayers of ancient Israel were not heard, precisely because they wouldn’t believe God (Hebrews 3:19; Numbers 14:1-3). They demanded signs whenever they had problems, and whenever they called upon God to relieve them from their then present adverse circumstances (Exodus 17:7). They simply wouldn’t trust in the Lord’s integrity that he intended only good for them.
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