We now come to the nub of the argument. The Law could not make people perfect, ie it could not deal with the problem of sin. Instead it pointed the way to the solution. In a similar way Paul argued that the Law could not make anyone righteous, instead it highlighted the need for salvation.
The writer argues that if the Levitical priesthood (ie the priesthood of the Law) could make people perfect, then there would have been no need for another priesthood. Moreover, this other priesthood (Melchizedek) was mentioned before the Law came. This is similar to Abraham being counted as righteous by faith before the Law came. Salvation by faith and Jesus as high priest were principles established before the Law came. Sometimes we lazily think of Jesus being God's response to the failure of the Law. This is not so, the Law was never intended to be the means of salvation.
Furthermore, Jesus, the great high priest, was not from the tribe of Levi. This is further confirmation that the priesthood of the Law is dead. Just as Paul argued that the faith did away with the Law as a way of life, so Christ has done away with the Law as a priesthood.
Jesus was declared a priest because He rose from the dead. So the old way of the Law is discarded for it did not and could not work. We now have a better way, and this enables us to draw near to God.
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