Just who is Melchizedek? Who is this that has no father or mother? Who is this that had no beginning of days or end of life? Some have concluded that Melchizedek is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only one, they conclude, that fits the conditions and is therefore a priest forever. However, this conclusion is erroneous.
The writer of Hebrews says, "now consider how great this MAN was..." (Heb.7:4) Melchizedek was not Jesus or an angel or any other heavenly being. He was a MAN, and one of the most important men of the Old Testament. Inasmuch as he is mentioned in only two rather obscure passages in the Old Testament, (Gen. 14:18-24; Ps.110:4) the Jews did not give him much consideration. Is it any wonder that prophets searched diligently to understand the glory of the coming Christ? This is an instance of what Solomon meant when he said, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but it is the glory of kings to search out a thing." (Prov. 25:2) It was the writer of Hebrews who revealed how great he was. The Jews were astonished to hear that Jesus was high priest after the order of Melchizedek. That means God himself was setting aside the Aaronic priesthood with all the ordinances and ceremony of the law of Moses. They found that hard to accept. It meant repudiating a priesthood that could be seen and cleave to one that altogether invisible. It meant forsaking that which their fathers had honored for 1500 years. It meant accepting that which most of their brethren denounced as Satanic. Jews had never said anything about being high priest or even a priest during his ministry among them. Now, nearly thirty years after his death, this proclamation was heard for the first time. Who is this Melchizedek to whom Christ is compared as having a priesthood in like manner?
In Gen. 14, we have the account of Chedorlaomer winning a decisive victory in the Vale of Siddin (Salt Sea) and taking the goods of Sodom and Gommorrah along with captives, including Lot, Abram's nephew. When this news reached Abram, he, with 318 trained men pursued and falling upon the captors at night near Dan took back Lot, the women, and all the people, with their goods. As Abram is returning, we are introduced to Melchizedek bringing him bread and wine. Melchizedek is presented as a king of righteousness and of peace and as priest of God's most high.
The only other mention of Melchizedek is Ps. 110:4, "Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This psalm is Messianic because Jesus referred to it in the gospels. (Mt.22:41-45; Mk. 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44) Jesus makes application of these passages to himself. The Jews considered that the Christ would be the son of David, how, then, Jesus asks doth David state in Ps. 110:1, "Jehovah saith unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I make thy enemies the footstool of thy feet." If David in the Spirit calls him Lord, how is he his son? (Mt. 22:45)
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews draws a number of conclusions from these Old Testament accounts to prove that Jesus is our high priest (Heb.5-7) far superior to the Levitical priesthood because he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is said to be the king of Salem, which is, king of peace. Salem, later to be identified as Jerusalem, the seat of government of the Jewish nation and also the place of worship as the presence of God was in the temple. So Jerusalem had a king centuries before David and God had a priest long before Aaron was called. He was a worshipper of God Most High (Heb. El Elyon) equivalent to God Almighty (Heb. El Shaddai). Abram recognized him as priest of God Most High. It seems that he was recognized of all the people to be priest of God. His priesthood was not confined to a single nation as was the Levitical. As the only one of record in the Bible, he is seen as the universal priest for any and all true worshippers. The Hebrew writer claims this is also true of the priesthood of Christ. Jesus is said to be a priest after not of or in the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the only priest in his order-there were none other of that order. Even so Christ is the only one of his order. There are no others like Him. Some translations are careless and do not recognize the difference in meaning of the words of and after. The Bible says, "Thou art a priest forever AFTER (in the likeness of OH) the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6; 6:20; and 7:17.).
Melchizedek was a king as well as a priest. He had authority to make laws, judge and punish offenders. His subjects were trained so that he was known as the king of righteousness and his city one of peace. Aaron as high priest under the law of Moses could not make any laws and had no power to enforce them if he did. Besides, many of the Levitical priests were vicious, turbulent and far from righteous. (Isaiah 28:7.8; Zeph. 3:4; Mal. 1:6-10). But the Christ is a king with authority (Mt. 7:29; I Tim. 6:14-15), a king of righteousness, (Mt. 6:33; Heb.1:8) and a priest (Zech. 6:12,13; Heb 4:14). Verily, he was a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Without father, without mother, without genealogy. As a man he had parents. To be a priest, he had to be a man (Heb. 7:4; 5:1) but Melchizedek did not derive his priesthood from his parents. It was not by decent, i.e., by right of birth. Neither did he derive his fitness for the priesthood from his parents. The Levitical high priest had to be a descendent of Aaron; (Ex. 29:5-10) so genealogy was very important. All priests had to be of the tribe of Levi. They derived their priesthood from their father and mother. But the office of Priest of God was conferred on Melchizedek not by right of birth but on account of his excellence. Jesus could not be a priest until he became a man so we "behold Him who hath been made a little while lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man." (Heb. 2:9) "Wherefore, it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto his brethren that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Heb. 2:17) Christ did not derive his priesthood from earthly parentage. He was not even of the tribe of Levi but of Judah (Heb. 7:13-14) and was made a priest by an oath of God. (Heb. 7:21) Melchizedek as a priest had no predecessor and no successor and there is no record of his death. Thus, as far as the Scriptures are concerned, he was a priest forever. So also Christ had no predecessor and no successor "seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them that draw nigh unto God by Him." (Heb. 7:25)
No beginning of days nor end of like. The beginning of days for a priest was set by the law of Moses at 30 years of age and his work was to end at age 50. (Num. 4:47) No so with Melchizedek. He did not become a priest at a certain age nor quit at a certain age. He was a priest when we first meet him and a priest when we leave him. He exercised the priest's office all of his recorded life. In that sense, his was a perpetual priesthood. Even so, Christ, because he abideth forever hath his priesthood unchangeable. (Heb. 7:24) The Lord sware and will not repent himself. Thou art a priest forever (Heb. 7:21) after the order of Melchizedek (v. 17).
To further emphasize the greatness of Melchizedek, the author of Hebrews makes mention of Abraham, the founder of the Jewish nation; the father of all true believers; in whom dwealt all the sacred dignity belonging to the people of God. He was The Patriarch; the receiver of the promises; who saw the Day of Christ (Jn. 8:56) that showed deference to God's special priest. And he paid tithes unto him "whose genealogy was not counted, and, so to say, through Abraham even Levi who receiveth tithes hath paid tithes for he was yet in the loins of his father. (Heb. 7:6). Levitical priests could receive tithes only of their brethren. (Heb. 7:5) This was by virtue of a commandment. (Num. 18:24-30) Hence, if Abraham, a prince, a priest, and the father of the nation of Israel and all Jews proudly claimed to be his children, paid tithes to him, behold how great this man was.
Melchizedek blessed Abraham which shows he was greater than Abraham. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, "without any dispute the less is blessed by the greater." (Heb. 7:7) Yet as great as he was, He that was made a priest after the order of Melchizedek was, by far, greater, being also the Son of God. "Wherefore we have a great high priest who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but now that has been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, draw near with boldness unto the throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:14-16)
Until next time, let me encourage you to search the scriptures daily, whether these things are so. Acts 17:11
May God bless you in your study of his Word.
Copyright May 31, 1997 Olin Hastings
