Melchizedek…who is this man mentioned in Hebrews 7, Psalm 110 and Genesis 14:18-20?
Listen: 130.2
Space forbids us from citing all of these references but let’s read the historical account of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” Now let’s look at the what the Spirit of God says of Melchizedek in Hebrews 7:1-7, “For this Melchizedek , king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life: but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their own brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.”
To be sure, Melchizedek was a mysterious person (mysterious to us, that is) who appeared briefly on the human stage of history and then disappeared. Was he really the Son of God who appeared in human form, as some have thought? I don’t believe the scriptures support that idea for Hebrews 7:3 states he was “made LIKE unto the Son of God.” He was NOT the Son of God, but God allowed this man, and the details of his life, to furnish us with a beautiful type, or picture, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s consider some of those details from the passage just cited from Hebrews 7.
First, in verse 1 we learn he was the KING of Salem (which is later called Jerusalem) and a Priest of the most high God. When Christ returns to this earth He will be the “King of kings” as recorded in Revelation 19:16. He will also be a “…priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” as seen in Psalm 110:4 and in Hebrews 7:17 and 21.
Secondly, in verse 2 he is called “King of RIGHTEOUSNESS” and “King of PEACE.” “Righteousness” and “peace” will characterize Christ’s coming kingdom, as we see in Psalm 72:7, “In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.”
Thirdly, in verse 3 it appears that he had no parents, or genealogy, or birth, or death, and that his priesthood was continual and endless. I used the word “appears,” for I have no doubt that this man was actually born to human parents and at some point died, but we don’t read of such things in his historical account in order for him to provide us with a “type” of the Son of God, who indeed had no beginning or end, and Who will indeed be a “priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Fourth, in verses 4-7 we see just how great this man was, for he received tithes from Abraham AND he blessed Abraham. Both acts bring out that he was BETTER than Abraham. In him receiving tithes from Abraham it proved also that his priesthood was BETTER than the priesthood of the sons of Levi, who were descendants of Abraham. The book of Hebrews teaches us that Christ is BETTER than angels in chapter 1, BETTER than Moses in chapter 3, BETTER than Aaron in chapter 5, and here in chapter 7 Christ’s priesthood is seen to be BETTER than the Levitical priesthood. Hebrews 7:6 reads, “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?” The priesthood under the Law was temporary because it failed to give man a righteous standing before God, but in Christ we have a continual priesthood that blesses man with righteousness on the principle of grace. All of this is beautifully illustrated for us in this enigmatic man named Melchizedek. (130.2) (DO)