It was absolutely necessary for Christ to come and be the surety of the covenant, to pay the price of redemption for those whom God elected to save before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-14). God is a holy God, and He will "by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 34:7). Christ willingly undertook this task. He lived a life of perfect obedience to His Father, a life that we could never live. He bore our sins, "made sin and a curse for us," and paid the penalty that we deserved. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). God's wrath had to be satisfied, the penalty must be paid, and Christ did so on behalf of His people.

There are three offices of Christ that are spoken of in this chapter, and all three of them have significant importance. He is a: Prophet, Priest, and King. We need His office of prophet, since we are ignorant. We are separated from God, unable to work our way to God, so we need His Priestly office to reconcile us to God, to satisfy His wrath. And as King He rules over us, sanctifies us, and protects us while we are pilgrims passing through this world, traveling to our heavenly home.