Who Was Melchizedek & Why is He Important to Us?

Melchizedek there is no character in the Bible that is more mysterious than the person of Melchizedek when we first meet him he's living in the time of Abraham even the name itself Melchizedek carries with it in air of Mystery he makes a quiet entrance into the Canon of scripture who is he why is there much discussion about it he's mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments why our epic Story begins with a man called Abraham aside from Moses no Old Testament character is mentioned more in the New Testament than Abraham James refers to Abraham as God's friend James 2 23 a title used by no one else in Scripture Believers in all generations are called the children of Abraham Galatians 3 7. Abraham's importance and impact in Redemptive history are clearly seen in Scripture under the blessing of God Abraham was one who would Rouse the ever watchful eyes of insecure Kings in those days God had told Abram to leave his country in Kindred and go to a land he would show him Abram left her on with his nephew lot because of the massive increase in both Abram and lot's animals the pair decided it was best to separate after the separation lot relocated to Sodom it wasn't long before lot's location got him in trouble Genesis 14 provides a description of the tenuous ties that existed between kingdoms during the time of Abraham the Bible explains how the kings of shinar LSR Alam and goyam formed an Elias in order to battle the kingdoms of Sodom Gomorrah Atma zaboyam and Zoar these countries rebelled after being oppressed for 12 years after hearing news of kennerleomer's conquests the rebellious countries gathered in the valley of sadim to confront him the king of Sodom was one of the many who oppressed caterleomer during the conflicts that ensued Abraham's nephew lot who had been living in Sodom was captured a man who had been captured together with lot managed to escape and Report the situation to Abraham immediately Abraham amassed a force of 318 men and set off in pursuit of the adversary by the grace of God Abraham was able to win the battle against cater leomer's armies and reclaim the goods that his army had stolen as Abraham was making his way back through the valley of Shava after his victory over caterly Omer the king of Sodom came out to meet him there Melchizedek who was the ruler of Salem at the time was also there that day it is the very first time that we get contact with Melchizedek the true meaning of his name many of us are unfamiliar with how names operate in Hebrew in the Bible names in the Bible are not only descriptive they also carry Authority in them for example the name God gave to Adam meant of the Earth this described what Adam was produced from a name can sometimes relate to the nominee's role in a Biblical narrative as in the case of nabal a foolish man whose name means fool names in the Bible can represent human hopes Divine Revelations or are used to illustrate prophecies so what does the name Melchizedek mean the name Melchizedek has a significant meaning in Hebrews 7 2. Hebrews 7 2 New American Standard Bible to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils was first of all by the translation of his name king of righteousness and then also king of Salem which is king of peace it means king of righteousness or the king is righteous this name implies that the person with this name is just and fair in his dealings it is a fitting name for a ruler or leader who upholds Justice and righteousness in his kingdom we see the phrase he is first by translation of his name king of righteousness in other words the name Melchizedek was more than just a name it was also an accurate assessment of his character he is king of righteousness king of Salem according to Genesis 14 18 Melchizedek served as king over Salem at one point Genesis 14 18 New American Standard Bible and Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out Bread and Wine now he was a priest of God most high the Bible mentions Salem four times three of these references are in conjunction with Melchizedek as its king Psalm 76 1-2 is the only other place in the Bible that mentions the City of Salem Psalm 76 1-2 New American Standard Bible for the music director on stringed instruments a Psalm of Assaf a song God is known in Judah his name is great in Israel his Tabernacle is in Salem his Dwelling Place also is in Zion finally the book of second Kings chapter 14 verse 20 tells us that Jerusalem is the city of David therefore the city that we now call Jerusalem was originally called Salem before David finally took control of it and made it the capital of Israel Salem passed from a number of different rulers hands Melchizedek is used to explain the mysteries of Jesus just as Melchizedek is the king of Peace Jesus is also the king of peace in Isaiah's prophecy about the coming Messiah he says Isaiah 9 6. for to us a child shall be born to us a son shall be given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor Mighty God Everlasting father Prince of Peace note that peaceful doesn't mean easy Jesus never promised easy he only promised help Jesus as a priest many times in the Old Testament we see pictures of Jesus Melchizedek is a key individual that reveals a lot of truth about Jesus in the beginning there were no levitical priests there was the order of Melchizedek Bread and Wine the second piece of information about Melchizedek that can be discovered in Genesis 14 is that he presented Abraham with Bread and Wine Scholars of the Bible think that the valley of Shava also known as the Kings Valley was located close to the south of Jerusalem this is where Melchizedek first met Abraham Melchizedek refreshed Abraham's Warriors and created a good relationship with them by bringing Bread and Wine to Abraham this was the beginning of their relationship with Melchizedek Melchizedek as king of Salem was interested in becoming friends with the man who had defeated such a formidable Coalition in God's name priest of the most high God Genesis 14 18 tells us that he was a priest of God most high according to the holy scriptures there is only one God who was most high this title belonged to The God Who Abraham worshiped he alone rolled over all gods and was the one to whom all gods were to Bow their knees he was dominion over both the heavens and the Earth this title cannot properly be given to any other in the universe Melchizedek worshiped the god of Abraham the Bible does not provide any information about how Melchizedek first became acquainted with the god that Abraham served the Lord who was known throughout the Bible as the creator of Heaven and Earth is referred to as God most high or Lord most high on several occasions Psalm 57 2 says I cry out to God most high to God who fulfills his purpose for me the Hebrew words most often translated God most high or Elohim we describe objects of exaltation as being higher than we are higher in rank and title in Beauty in position or in intelligence even Authority is discussed in terms of height from top level management down to the common worker the priesthood that Melchizedek held came before the priesthood that Aaron and the Levites held Melchizedek blesses Abraham by God most high Genesis 14 19 and he blessed him and said Blessed Be Abram of God most high possessor of Heaven and Earth Genesis 14 20. New American Standard Bible and blessed be God most high who has handed over your enemies to you and he gave him a tenth of everything Melchizedek acknowledged in Genesis 14 20 that the most high God had given Abraham the capacity to defeat Abraham's foes to put it another way Abraham's victory was not due to the military prowess of Abraham's Army but rather to the favor of the most high God who fought on Abraham's behalf Melchizedek recognized that God most high was a personal God who cared for his people he was a mighty and Powerful God who owned both Heaven and Earth yet at the same time he reached out his hand to those who were a part of his family the order and mystery of Melchizedek is used to explain Jesus Psalm 110 is where we're introduced to Melchizedek for the second time in the Bible as David meditated on his dignity as a priest king it became a telescope turned on the Messiah and he looked forward to the perfect priest king the full reality of what David was only the shadow cast beforehand this Psalm appears to foretell the slaughter that will take place during the battle of Armageddon Psalm 110 4-6 Amplified Bible the Lord has sworn an oath and will not change his mind you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek the Lord is at your right hand he will crush kings in the day of his wrath he will execute judgment and overwhelming punishment among the Nations he will fill them with corpses he will crush their Chief men over a broad country according to the Book of Revelation the Biblical term Armageddon alludes to the decisive final Conflict that will take place in the future between God and the forces of evil as David writes his Psalm and reflects on the Victory and Revival God promised he assures his readers that what the Lord promised would undoubtedly come to pass he bases this on two essential facts first this was a promise that God had pledged to make and that he would not go back on his word second that the one who guaranteed the commitment was a priest's favor in accordance with the order of Melchizedek what is significant for us in this study is David's second reason for being assured of these promises of God that he was a priest Forever After the order of Melchizedek at this point in Israel's history the priesthood of Aaron from the Old Testament had already demonstrated that it was unable to bring about the kind of renewal that David had foretold they made sacrifices year after year yet the people of God were not changed God's people continued in their Rebellion against God in the 22nd chapter of Matthew Jesus posed a question to the Pharisees Jesus explained to the Pharisees that David had been inspired by the spirit to write psalm 110. when speaking under the inspiration of the spirit the psalmist makes the connection between Jesus and the Order of Melchizedek which was a different priesthood than the priesthood of Aaron additionally it was a priesthood that would do things that the priesthood of the Old Testament did not the man that had no beginning and no end the interesting insight into Melchizedek is that he has never given a beginning or an end take note of one last point from verse 4 of Psalm 110. David reveals to us that the Lord Jesus has been appointed as a priest Forever After the order of Melchizedek in other words his priesthood will never end in contrast to the aaronic priests whose service resulted in death in the end the Lord Jesus would not perish he would always intercede for us and assure us of forgiveness his priesthood is eternal as long as he intercedes for us and stands in the gap for us we will be secure through the inspiration of the spirit David proclaimed the blessing of God through a new priesthood this priesthood of Melchizedek was a priesthood that would continue Until the End of Time those who were hopelessly lost in their sins would receive spiritual healing through this priesthood and those who were crushed under the weight of their shame would find forgiveness it would bring life to those who were wasting away and Adorn them with the freshness of Youth the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to us that he is the one who brings to fruition the promise that God made to David he is the only one who can accomplish this goal in US as a priest eternally in the order of Melchizedek he will accomplish things the prophets of the Old Testament were never able to accomplish Melchizedek in the New Testament the first reference to Melchizedek in the New Testament is in Hebrews 5 1-10 this chapter draws comparisons between the priesthood of the Old Testament and the priesthood that the Lord Jesus holds now the author Begins by providing some background information about the priesthood in the Old Testament including its responsibilities and requirements Hebrews 5 1-3 Amplified Bible for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in things relating to God so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins he is able to deal gently with the spiritually ignorant and misguided since he is also subject to human weakness and because of this human weakness he is required to offer sacrifices for sins for himself as well as for the people in spite of the fact that the priests were also guilty of sinning they were responsible for atoning for the sins of the People by presenting gifts and making sacrifices in the Old Testament God delegated certain people to the function of priests and it was their responsibility to offer gifts and sacrifices on behalf of the people when they committed sin these men were weak and often fell into sin themselves despite the fact that they lacked Perfection God yet selected them to be his Representatives there was no end to the sacrifices these priests made they acknowledged their own inadequacies on a daily basis and they continued the never-ending cycle of offering animal sacrifices to atone for the transgressions of the people of God we read he can have compassion in an Ideal World the high priest would have been more than just a butcher who offered animals as sacrifices he also had compassion for those who were ignorant and when astray and ministered the atoning sacrifices with a loving heart for the people in this ideal the reason the high priest displayed such compassion was because he realized that he too is susceptible to weakness the high priest was selected from among the community of God's people but the people of God did not vote for it God chose him The Guiding premise here is that no one person can claim all of this honor for himself the position of high priest was not one to strive for or seek through political means it was a privilege that came from being born and as such it was bestowed by God it was an honor that no single person could ever claim for themselves Hebrews 5 4-6 New American Standard Bible and no one takes the honor for himself but receives it when he is called by God just as Aaron also was so too Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but it was he who said to him you are my son today I have fathered you just as he also says in another passage you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek in the same way that God appointed the priest of the Old Testament to that Duty so too did God appoint Jesus to that position it's easy to see why the priesthood of Jesus was difficult for early Jewish Christians to grasp Jesus was not from the lineage of Aaron just as Melchizedek was a mystery to many Jesus's resurrection demonstrated that he was not a priest like Aaron who had to atone for his own sin first Jesus was Vindicated as the Holy One of the father as a result of his resurrection Jesus was able to Bear the Wrath that Sinners deserved without falling into sin himself Hebrews 5 7-9 Amplified Bible in the days of his early life Jesus offered up both specific petitions and Urgent supplications for that which he needed with fervent crying in tears to the one who was always able to save him from death and he was heard because of his reverent submission toward God his sinlessness and his unfailing determination to the father's will although he was a son who had never been disobedient to the father he learned active special obedience through what he suffered and having been made perfect uniquely equipped and prepared as Savior and retaining his Integrity in opposition he became the source of Eternal salvation and eternal inheritance to all those who obey him Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek was able to empathize with our suffering the angers that Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane is evidence that he wrestled with the challenge of obedience but despite this his obedience was flawless because Jesus went through suffering on our behalf and then rose from the dead afterward he is uniquely qualified to be the author of our salvation there is no room for doubt regarding the high priesthood of Jesus Christ the priesthood that Jesus exercised was not the same as that of the Israelites it existed before the time of Israel and the law Melchizedek and not Aaron is the one to whom the lineage of Jesus his priesthood can be traced back the next reference to Melchizedek is in Hebrews 6 20. Hebrews 6 20. New American Standard Bible where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek a tith to Melchizedek Hebrews 7 provides us with the most information about Melchizedek than any other passage in the Bible the writer Narrows our Focus to a specific incident during Abraham and melchizedek's encounter Hebrews 7 1-4 New American Standard Bible for this Melchizedek king of Salem priest of the most high God who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils was first of all by the translation of his name king of righteousness and then also king of Salem which is king of peace without father without mother without genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like the Son of God he remains a priest perpetually now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the choicest spoils Abraham is considered to be the father of the Israelites the people of God held him in high regard because of his role in spite of this Abraham submitted to melchizedek's Authority and gave him a tenth of the plunder from the battle as great as Abraham was he bowed the knee to Melchizedek it was a mandate of the law that every Israelite donate 10 of all they earn as well as the crops and animals they cultivated to the Tabernacle or Temple as a tithe Leviticus 27 30. New American Standard Bible now all the tithe of the land of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree is the Lord's it is Holy to the Lord later on when the people of God wanted to have a monarch God communicated to them through Samuel what their kings would demand of them 1 Samuel 8 15-17 New American Standard Bible and he will take a tenth of your seed and your Vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants he will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work he will take a tenth of your flock and you yourselves will become his servants one tenth of the grain Vineyards and flocks went to the king as a result of this fact some interpreters have drawn the conclusion that Abraham acknowledged Melchizedek to be the legitimate ruler of Salem consider the words of the law of Moses as recorded in numbers 1821 New American Standard Bible to the sons of Levi behold I have given all the tithe in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service which they perform the service of the tent of meeting from Leviticus 18 we understand that the priest received a tenth of Israel's possessions the priests were able to carry out the work that God had commissioned them to accomplish thanks to the tithe possibly Abraham gave this tithe to Melchizedek as a priest by doing so he was able to express his gratitude to the Lord for the victory that he had bestowed upon him through the offering of his gift Melchizedek could have taken this Resource as both a king and a priest what is vital for us to note here is that Abraham recognized Melchizedek as the righteous King and priest of Salem Genesis chapter 14 provides us with an intriguing picture his genealogy we learn in verse 3 that Melchizedek was without father mother or genealogy having neither beginning of days nor end of life some assume from this that Melchizedek had no beginning or end in other words he was the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the days of Abraham as a priest of melchizedek's order he was part of a priesthood that could not be traced to any human origin it was a priesthood that God had instituted from the beginning of time itself in which would continue on forever in other words melchizedek's priesthood was in the heart of God from before the beginning of days God had a plan for the Lord Jesus to be high priest of this order reigning as king of righteousness in a city of peace you should also take note of the fact that Melchizedek resembled the Son of God in verse 3. this is a very significant point to make it demonstrates to us that he is a type of an even greater priest the Lord Jesus his city the city of Peace prophetically pictured the Lord Jesus's work that brought us peace Hebrews 7 5-9 New American Standard Bible and those indeed of the sons of Levi who received the priest's office have a commandment in the law to collect a tenth from the people that is from their countrymen although they are descendant from Abraham but the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises but without any dispute the Lesser person is blessed by the greater in this case mortal men received tithes but in that case one receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives on and so to speak through Abraham even Levi who received tithes has paid tithes Hebrews 7 10. New American Standard Bible for he was still in the loins of his forefather when Melchizedek met him Abraham demonstrated his acceptance of melchizedek's priesthood by presenting the tenth of all that he had to God it is clear from verses 9 and 10 that Abraham was a type of the future levitical priesthood that is about to be established Abraham in his capacity as a representation of the priesthood of Levi bow before Melchizedek who was a representative of the Lord Jesus Abraham also gave Melchizedek a tith there would eventually be two separate priesthoods one would be attended upon by regular Mortals The Other would be Eternal and involve a priest who did not have a beginning or an end to his existence the temporary priesthood would eventually give way to the Eternal priesthood and the high Priests of the order of Melchizedek would Reign forever ministering to the needs of his people a better priesthood Hebrews 7 11 New American Standard Bible so if Perfection was through the levitical priesthood for on the basis of it the people received the law what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be designated according to the order of Aaron we are unable to serve God and fulfill all of his criteria without making errors in our actions our words and our thoughts we frequently fall short of the ideal that he has set more significantly we were born in sin and as a result every single one of our Deeds is polluted with the rottenness of that sin these countless sacrifices did not resolve the problem of sin and our broken relationship with God temporary relief was experienced but the underlying problem was not addressed sin which is a fatal sickness would eventually be the cause of our death we required a more effective solution the levitical priesthood in the Old Testament was not successful in eradicating sin in restoring Humanity to a right relationship with God the solution would be found in the establishment of a fresh priesthood descended from melchizedek's order Hebrews 7 12-17 New American Standard Bible for when the priesthood is changed of necessity there takes place a change of law also for the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe from which no one has officiated at the altar for it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah a tribe with reference to which Moses said nothing concerning priests and this is clearer still if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life for it is attested of him you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek Hebrews 7 22 through 24. New American Standard Bible by the same extent Jesus also has become the guarantee of a better Covenant the former priests on the one hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by Death from continuing Jesus on the other hand because he continues forever holds his priesthood permanently therefore he is also able to save forever those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them we are able to experience complete and utter Victory so long as he continues to act as our priest throughout all eternity Jesus will be our guarantor of eternal life and forgiveness according to Hebrews he is able to save to the uttermost the word uttermost can be translated into English as complete total entire and forever Hebrews 7 26. New American Standard Bible for it was fitting for us to have such a high priest holy innocent undefiled separated from Sinners and exalted above the heavens the Lord Jesus does not need to make daily sacrifices for his sin since he is Flawless and therefore does not sin neither is he required to offer sacrifices in order to atone for the crimes of his people he offered himself up as a sacrifice just the once with that one act he put an end to all other acts of sacrificial giving Hebrews 7 27 New American Standard Bible who has no daily need like those High priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people because he did this once for all time when he offered up himself throughout all eternity Jesus will be our guarantor of eternal life and forgiveness the writer of the Hebrews tells us that he is able to save to the uttermost foreign

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Published: Tue Sep 26 2023