The Priesthood of Mechizedek
Session 17 – August 25, 2020 – Men’s Morning Hebrews Haverim
Our Men’s Haverim group is reading through and discussing the book of Hebrews during the months of August and September. For more information, see this blog post.
1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:1-3 New International Version
Summary:
- Melchizedek, from Genesis 14:18-20, was a priest who blessed Abraham after he rescued Lot, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. Hebrews 5:10 and 6:20 mention that Jesus is a priest in the “order of Melchizedek”, which the author discusses later in Chapter 7.
- Melchizedek, king of Salem is “king of righteousness” and “king of peace”, and appears without genealogy, without beginning of day and without end of life – he is like Jesus in remaining a priest forever.
- The author then makes the point that Abraham gave him a tenth, and the law requires a tenth to be given to the Levites. Melchizedek received a tenth from Abraham, and Levi was still “in the body of his ancestor” Abraham, so one could say that Levi also offered a tenth to Melchizedek. Also, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and since the “lesser is blessed by the greater” (v. 7), this makes Melchizedek’s priesthood greater than that of Aaron and Levi.
Other thoughts:
- Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament, in a total of four verses. In Genesis 4:17-19, Abraham has just defeated the neighboring kings while rescuing Lot, and Melchizedek (our group affectionately nicknamed him “King Mel”… thanks Carl) greets Abraham with bread and wine, then Abraham gives him a tenth of the plunder. Just three verses, but rich in references to a savior who pursues and rescues the lost, an offering a communion of bread and wine and a tithe offering. We also see how Abraham, though a peaceful nomad, was prepared with trained fighting men to act, and how by acting he was given great blessings. Are we prepared to act when God calls so that we can receive His blessings?
- While it may be easy for us to not notice the somewhat obscure three verses in Genesis, the Hebrew author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, shows their great importance in understanding the superiority of Jesus. A lesson for us is to be diligent and carefully study the scriptures, even ones that at first appear to not make sense to us, or may not seem to fit without considering the larger context of the story of God and salvation in Jesus.
- Melchizedek was king of Salem, which means “shalom, or peace” and is called a king of righteousness. These are titles that are also applied to Jesus.
- Since the greater blesses the lesser, and the lesser offers a tithe to the greater, the author makes the argument that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. Also, Levi was yet to be born, as Abraham’s great-grandson, but would later have all of Israel bring a tithe of a tenth to his descendents as those designated to be priests.
- The author speaks where there is silence about Melchizedek: his lack of ancestry and no mention of his birth or death. He uses this to establish him as a “priest forever”, making him a shadow of Jesus, who Psalm 110:4 declares is of “the order of Melchizedek”. The Hebrew author tells us that Melchizedek “resembles” Jesus (Hebrews 7:10 NIV).
- Are you diligently studying the scriptures to fully understand Jesus and the blessing we have by acting out of obedience to him?