Melchizedek
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2024 · 22 September 2024
Melchizedek is a type of Christ. Your heart will be enriched as we continue through Hebrews 7 and deal with the priesthood of Christ. Particularly are these first ten verses that we understand the character of Melchizedek. There’s much in the Scripture that comes under the category of typology. Whenever we talk about a type, we mean an Old Testament picture of Christ.
There are many pictures in the Old Testament of Christ. We call these types, and Christ is the fulfillment of that type. But as we come to Hebrews 7, we meet another Old Testament type. A lamb rates no comparison with the Lamb of God. Nor does a serpent of brass rate a relationship to Jesus Christ realistically. They are merely humble pictures meant to give us an illustration.
And at the same time Melchizedek in no way deserves an equality with Jesus Christ. But he does serve as an interesting picture of Christ, and we’re going to see that tonight. Hebrews 7 is really the main chapter in the book of Hebrews, because it tackles the key question which concerned the Jews, and that was the question of priesthood. Priests have a strange relationship to our society.
To the Jew, the priesthood was intrinsic to Judaism. The priests really were the ones who connected men with God. And the Latin word for priest means bridge builder. The priest was the one who built the bridge from man to God. To them religion was access to God. And since they couldn’t go directly to God, they had to go through a mediator, and the priests were the mediators.
Later on in Hebrews 9, it says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins.” Now, the priests couldn’t have direct access to God except through a sacrifice, because God had designed that sin would be paid for by a blood sacrifice. And so, the priest did all of the technicalities of the sacrifice and therefore was the link or the bridge between men and God.
But human priests were frail and sinful, and before they could ever offer sacrifices for anybody else, they had to offer sacrifices for themselves first. So God wants to prove to us that there’s a greater high priest than any Hebrew priest, one who doesn’t need to make atonement for His own sins. We need is a better priesthood and better sacrifice, and both of those are realized in Jesus Christ.
The concept of Melchizedek is an amazing insight into the fact that God wrote the Bible. In Genesis, we have three verses about Melchizedek. A thousand years later, we find Psalm 110:4 with a single verse about him. And God Himself swears to His Son that he will be a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. A thousand years passes by, and this verse explains Melchizedek.
And you can see that the divine mind of God, guides Melchizedek and Abraham through all of these thousands of years to come up with a perfect picture of Jesus Christ. They had no idea what was going to happen 2,000 years after them. The psalmist had no idea, and yet God knew exactly what He was doing with Melchizedek. That tells me the same God that wrote Hebrews also wrote Genesis.
Now, Melchizedek is the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Genesis 14:17 says he met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed Abraham. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. In Genesis 14, we get all the details leading up to this. There was the king of Sodom, and a king of the Elamites. And Abraham defeated those kings after they conquered them.
Now, before Abraham ran into the king of Sodom, he met this Melchizedek, who was the king of another area called Salem. And this person was not only the king, but he was the priest of the Most High God. And when he met Abraham, he blessed him. And then Abraham took of the spoils and paid it to Melchizedek. And then he fades away, and that’s all we ever hear.
Aaron’s priesthood was strictly for Judaism. Secondly, the priests were subject to the kings in some measure. Thirdly, Aaron’s priesthood offered no permanent righteousness and peace, only that continual sacrificing. It never established a permanent righteousness for a person nor permanent peace with God. That peace and that righteous was shattered every time they sinned.
Fourthly, Aaron’s priesthood was hereditary. If you were born in the right family, you were automatically a priest no matter what you were. Fifthly, it was a timed priesthood. They only existed in it from the age of about 25 to 50 years and then it was over. Now, this is important for us to understand because Melchizedek’s priesthood supersedes Aaron’s at every single point.
And we see the comparison with Melchizedek. First: Melchizedek’s priesthood was universal. It was not national. Notice verse 1, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings.” In relation to Israel, God took on the name of Jehovah. God’s name is I Am, which is YHWH in the Hebrew.
But no Jew would say the name of God. So, Jehovah’s not really the name of God; it’s only that name which Israel came up with in an effort not to say YHWH. Aaron’s priests were priests of Jehovah. That is they were related to God only in connection with Israel. But it does not say that Melchizedek was the priest of Jehovah; it says he was the priest of the Most High God.
Now, that reaches everywhere in heaven and earth. It is the universal name of God that includes Jew and Gentile. Far broader than the Jewish term Jehovah. So, whereas Aaron’s priesthood related just to Israel, Melchizedek’s was related to all people. Now, when the Holy Spirit says Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, this means that Jesus is the Messiah of the world.
Now, in the Jewish mind there had to be a historical reason for everything. And so, God chooses Melchizedek as His perfect foundation to teach this truth. And there is one, Jesus Christ that transcends Israel. Abraham understood this concept, because in Genesis 14:22, he said, “I have lifted up my hand to Jehovah, the “God Most High.” So, he understood that Christ was God of everything.
Today there are 15.7 million Jews in the world, and I heard one rabbi say, “We don’t want any more, either. We’re not interested in proselyting anybody.” They’re locked in to their system – not by the design of God, but by their own failure to be the witnesses God intended them to be. And so, their own Messiah is not even their own, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Aaron’s priesthood was subject to royalty, and Melchizedek was royalty. This is something totally foreign to the Aaronic priests and Levitical priests in Israel. There was never that combination. Israel’s priests were never king and priest. What a perfect blend that Jesus Christ should be that blend of priest and king so that He not only takes men to God, but He rules men for God.
The Jews always felt that God dwelt with them, and that God was exclusively theirs, and there could never be another priesthood, or another covenant. And so, when Christianity came along and says, “Here’s another covenant; here’s another priesthood,” they said, “No, it can’t be.” But the Holy Spirit says. “There was another priest, and there was another covenant before you existed.”
There was no permanent righteousness, and no permanent peace in Aaron’s priesthood. But Melchizedek’s priesthood was a priesthood of righteousness and peace. Notice verse 2, “First his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace.” Righteousness is holiness. And righteousness is demanded before you can ever be at peace with God.
When the righteousness of Christ is given to you by faith in Him, Christ’s righteousness becomes yours; you’re immediately at peace with God. He sees you covered by the blood of Christ. Every Jewish priest wanted to make a person righteous that he might be at peace with God, but they couldn’t do it. But here He says Melchizedek’s very name was righteousness, and his city was peace.
Now, Aaron’s priesthood was hereditary; Christ’s was personal. It had nothing to do with personal qualification. And did they ever preserve their pedigrees. Ezra 2:61 says, “And of the children of the priests sought their registration among those who were reckoned by genealogy.” In other words, if you couldn’t verify the genealogy of yourself and your wife, you were out of the priesthood.
Jesus Christ, in terms of His priesthood, didn’t even belong to the tribe of Levi. He belongs to Judah. And in terms of the Levitical priesthood, He had no right to be a priest. So He was a priest not after the order of Aaron, but Melchizedek who was chosen because of his quality. He has no recorded beginning nor ending so that he is the perfect illustration of Jesus Christ.
Now, a Jewish priest would begin at the time when he was 25. And for five years, he would serve the other priests. Then, when he hit 30, he could operate on his own. He would minister till he was 50, according to Numbers 8:25, and then it was over. But no such restriction is placed on Melchizedek. There is no record of Melchizedek’s death. He is chosen by God purely on his quality.
Aaron’s priesthood, as mentioned was limited. Melchizedek’s is eternal. I mean to say that there appears in the text no beginning and no end to it. Now, there is no record of the death of Melchizedek, he appears as always alive in the text, and therefore a picture of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 7 tells that Jesus Christ is such a High Priest. He’s the picture. Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.
It says in verse 3 that Melchizedek resembled the Son of God. Now watch; it does not say that the Son of God was made like Melchizedek. Who came first? The Son of God. Melchizedek was made like the Son of God. Jesus Christ was the original; Melchizedek was only the copy. Secondly, the superiorities are proven. And in this argument, which runs from verses 4 to 10, is basically a simple argument.
Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. Consider nobody’s better than Abraham. That shows the superiority of Melchizedek. Abraham gave him the top of the spoils. The Greeks had a custom after they won. They’d bring all the spoils and they’d dump them in a big pile, and the best was taken out of it and given to the gods. And that’s exactly what Abraham does to Melchizedek.
Consider how great Melchizedek must have been. Do you understand what it means to give Him the top of the heap? When the month comes, and you start to write your checks, what comes first? If Abraham gave the top of the heap to Melchizedek, what should we give to Jesus Christ? Verse 4, “Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him.”
Verse 5, “The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people, from their brothers and sisters though they have also descended from Abraham. But in the case of Abraham, there wasn’t a commandment. Abraham knew that he was a priest of the Most High God and gave him the respect he deserved as God’s priest.
Verse 6, “But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.” Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Verse 7, “Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior.” In other words, Melchizedek must have been greater than Abraham, because he blessed Abraham. God operated in Melchizedek’s life on the basis of personal qualification.
And in the church, He sets up in Ephesians 4:11, pastors and ruling elders. Now, in James 3:1, we are warned, “My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” God set certain people in the church to rule. We subject ourselves to those whom God has chosen, who in 1 Timothy 5:16-17, are worthy of double honor if they rule well.
Verse 8, “In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that He lives.” In other words, to be able to exact tithes in a dying kind of priesthood is one thing; how much greater is Melchizedek who had no death. And so, Jesus Christ is a Priest who is alive forever more. He is a greater priest because He’s a living priest; not a dying one.
Verse 9-10, “And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham. 10 for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.” In other words, the Holy Spirit kind of apologizes for the strangeness of the argument. When Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, it was as if the entire Levitical priesthood had acknowledged his superiority.
So, Christ is a priest of a better priesthood, universal, royal, bringing about righteousness and peace, personal and eternal. And because of that, let the Spirit penetrate your heart with them. You’ve heard them before, but “Seeing then that we have a Great High Priest, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Let’s pray.