Hebrews 7:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Such is Paul's wisdom. He prepares in advance, and only then approaches what he intends to say. The human race is not quickly persuaded and requires much care, even more than plants. There one deals with the nature of bodies and earth, which yields to the hands of farmers.

Here one deals with free will, which undergoes frequent changes and chooses now one thing, now another, because it easily inclines to evil. Therefore we must constantly watch over ourselves, lest we fall asleep.

"He will not let your foot be moved," says the Psalmist, and again, "He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Ps 120:3-4). He did not say, "Do not be troubled," but, "He will not let." Therefore giving way depends on us, and not on anyone else.

If we wish to stand upright and unmoved, we shall not be thrown into confusion. This is what he expressed by the words cited.

What then? Does nothing depend on God? Everything depends on God, but not in such a way that our freedom is destroyed. If everything depends on God, you will say, why then blame us? For this reason I added, "not in such a way that our freedom is destroyed."

Everything here depends both on us and on Him. We must first choose the good. When we have chosen, then He gives His assistance. He does not anticipate our desire, lest our freedom be destroyed. But when we have chosen, then He gives us great help.

Why then, if this depends also on us, does Paul say, "So then it depends not on him who wills, nor on him who runs, but on God Who shows mercy" (Rom 9:16)? First, he does not present this as his own thought, but as a consequence from the preceding matter already expounded.

After saying, "It is written, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Rom 9:13, 15), he added, "So then it depends not on him who wills, nor on him who runs, but on God Who shows mercy."

Will you still say after this, "Why then does He blame?" Secondly, one may say this too. To the one to whom the greater part belongs, he ascribes the whole. Our task is to choose beforehand and to will. God's task is to bring it into effect and complete it.

Since the greater part belongs to God, the Apostle ascribes all to Him, speaking according to human custom. We do the same. For example, when we see a well-built house, we say, "This is all the work of the architect."

Yet not everything belongs to him, but also to the workers, the owner who supplied the material, and many others. But because the greater part of the work depended on him, we say that it is all his work. So it is here also.

In the same way, of a place where there are many people, we say, "Everyone is there." Where there are few, we say, "There is no one." So Paul also says here, "not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God Who shows mercy."

By these words he teaches two very important lessons. First, we must not exalt ourselves because of the good works we do. Second, when we do good works, we must ascribe their accomplishment to God.

However much you labor, he says, and however much you strive, do not count the good work as your own. If you had not received help from above, everything would have been in vain. If you succeed in your labors, it is plainly through help from above, though you yourself also labor and show desire.

He did not say that we labor in vain. He said that we labor in vain in such a case, if we count everything as our own and do not ascribe the greater part to God.

God was pleased neither to leave everything to Himself, lest it seem that He crowns us without cause, nor to entrust everything to us, lest we fall into pride. If, even when accomplishing the smaller part, we are so greatly puffed up, what would happen if we were the authors of everything?

God has done much to destroy pride in us. "And His hand will still be stretched out," says the prophet (Isa 5:25). How many passions has He allowed to master us, in order to destroy our arrogance? How many beasts has He set around us?

Truly, when someone says, "What is this? Why is this?" then he speaks against the will of God. God has set you amid such terrors, and you do not become humble-minded. But if you gain even a small success in anything, you are immediately lifted up in arrogance to heaven itself.

This is why changes and falls come very swiftly, and yet we are not instructed by them. This is why frequent and unexpected deaths occur, and yet we live as though immortal, as though we will never die.

We seize what belongs to others and give ourselves to covetousness, as though we will never give account. We build houses, as though we will remain here forever.

Neither the word of God, proclaimed to us daily, nor events themselves instruct us. There is no day, indeed no hour, in which funerals are not seen. Yet all is in vain. Nothing touches our insensibility.

From the misfortunes of others we cannot, or rather we do not wish to, become better. Only when we ourselves suffer are we contrite. As soon as God withdraws His hand, we again raise our own hand.

No one thinks of the things above. No one disdains earthly things. No one looks to heaven. As swine look downward, bent toward the belly and wallowing in mire, so many people remain insensible, defiling themselves with the most abominable filth.

Indeed, it is better to be smeared with foul mud than with sins. One smeared with mud can soon wash and become like someone who never fell into that filth. But one who falls into the pit of sin receives a defilement not washed away by water.

It requires much time, sincere repentance, tears, sobs, and lamentation far greater and stronger than that which occurs over the loss of those dearest to the heart.

Mud clings to us from outside, and therefore we quickly cleanse it. But the uncleanness of sin is born within, and therefore we destroy it and are cleansed with difficulty. "For out of the heart," says the Lord, "come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness" (Mt 15:19).

Therefore the prophet also says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps 50:12). And another says, "Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem" (Jer 4:14). Do you see that the doing of a good work depends both on us and on God?

Again, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8). Let us therefore strive to be pure as far as we can. Let us cleanse ourselves from sins.

How can one be cleansed? The prophet teaches this when he says, "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil" (Isa 1:16).

What does "from before My eyes" mean? Some seem blameless, but only before men. Before God they appear as painted tombs. Therefore God says, "Cleanse yourselves in such a way that I see you clean."

"Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Then come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow. If they are red like crimson, I will make them white as wool" (Isa 1:17-18).

Do you see that first we ourselves must cleanse ourselves, and only then God cleanses us? He first said, "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean," and then added, "I will make them white as wool."

Therefore no one among men, even those who have reached the utmost degree of evil, should despair. Even if, he says, you have acquired a habit and have even entered into the very nature of evil, do not fear.

For this reason He takes colors as His example. They are not easily removed, but enter almost into the very substance of things. Yet He says that He will turn them into the opposite condition.

He did not simply say, "I will wash," but, "I will make them white as snow" and "I will make them white as wool," in order to give us good hope. Therefore the power of repentance is great, if it makes us clean as snow and white as wool, even though sin had previously stained our souls.

Let us therefore strive to become clean. God commands us nothing difficult. "Defend," He says, "the orphan, plead for the widow." Do you see how often and how much God speaks about almsgiving and the defense of the wronged?

Let us then do these good works, and by the grace of God we shall attain the blessings to come. May we all be counted worthy of them in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here, finally, the Apostle sets before us the fourth superior feature of Melchizedek, specifically as a type of Christ. This is his independence from time and his abiding dignity, not only in his own days, with Abraham, but also in all later and distant times.

To depict this feature, according to the Apostle's earlier observation, Melchizedek is presented in Scripture as though without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life (Heb 7:3 above).

Here the Apostle again unfolds this feature of Melchizedek's transcendence of time in connection with the tithe he received, and in particular in application to Abraham's descendant Levi and his priesthood.

The Apostle's reasoning is as follows. Since Melchizedek is a priest who remains forever (Heb 7:3 above), and has testimony about himself that he lives (Heb 7:8 above), then at the very time when he received the tithe from Abraham, he received it as though from all Abraham's future descendants.

And so to speak, Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes in the person of Abraham. For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him (Heb 7:9-10).

Thus in this historical circumstance, seemingly simple and accidental, the God-inspired gaze of the Apostle Paul was shown the deliberate intention of the Lord God. He intended to prefigure the Levitical priests as tributaries of Melchizedek for all subsequent times.