Higher priesthood of Melchizedek
Let us dive into his biblical story and relevance for Christians today! Who was Melchizedek, mentioned in the Old and New Testaments? How was he a priest of God Most High? Why did Abram (Abraham) give him a tithe?
Melchizedek
Higher Priesthood of Melchizedek
Though not apparent to Abram at the time, the mysterious priesthood of Melchizedek pointed forward to the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. He ministers grace and mercy to us based on His sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 7:11–28).
Melchizedek was one of those puzzling people in the Bible who appears only briefly but is mentioned again as an example of holiness and righteous living. He was born in Salem, in Canaan, which later became Jerusalem. His name means "king of righteousness," and King of Salem's title means "king of peace." Melchizedek clung to God Most High and served him faithfully in an era of paganism and idolatry.
The Gracious Melchizedek
The startling fact about Melchizedek is that although he was not a Jew, he worshiped God Most High, the one true God. The Bible speaks of no other people in Canaan who worshipped the one true God. After God rescued the Jews from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land, God ordered Joshua to destroy all the Canaanite tribes because they were wicked idolaters.
Melchizedek blessed Abram and later renamed Abraham after Abram rescued his nephew Lot from enemy captivity and brought him back with other people and goods. Abram honored Melchizedek by giving him one-tenth of the plunder of battle or a tithe. Melchizedek's graciousness is contrasted with the rudeness of the King of Sodom.
Melchizedek: The Theophany of Christ
God revealed himself to Abraham, but we do not know how Melchizedek learned of the true God. Monotheism, or worship of one God, was rare in the ancient world. Most people worshiped several gods. Some even had dozens of local or household gods represented by manufactured idols.
The Bible does not shed any light on Melchizedek's religious rituals either, except to mention that he brought out "bread and wine" for Abram. This act and Melchizedek's holiness have led some scholars to describe him as a type of Christ, one of those Bible people who show the same qualities as Jesus Christ, Savior of the World. This description fits with no record of Father or mother and no genealogical background in Scripture. Other scholars go a step further, theorizing that Melchizedek may have been a theophany of Christ or a manifestation of deity in temporary form. Putting it simply, a Theophany is described by Merriam Webster as a visible manifestation of a deity.
Understanding Jesus' status as our high priest is a key point in the Book of Hebrews. Just as Melchizedek was not born into the Levitical priesthood but was appointed by God, so Jesus was named our eternal high priest, interceding with God the Father on our behalf.
Hebrews 5:8-10 says: "Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."
Life Lessons
Many "gods" compete for our attention, but only one true God exists. He is worthy of our worship and obedience. If we keep our focus on God instead of frightening circumstances, God will strengthen and encourage us so we can live a life pleasing to him.
The priesthood of Melchizedek required one sacrifice for sins (Jesus), whereas the Levitical priesthood made endless sacrifices daily. Melchizedek is seen as a divine being in the text and is referred to as "El" or "Elohim," titles usually reserved for God.
?Why is Melchizedek compared to Jesus?
Some Christians hold that Melchizedek was a type of Christ, while others hold that Melchizedek indeed was Christ.
In the episode, Melchizedek meets Abraham on his return from battle, gives him bread and wine (which has been interpreted by some Christian scholars as a precursor of the Eucharist so that Melchizedek's name entered the canon of the Roman mass), and blesses Abraham in the name of "God Most High" (in Hebrew El, ?Elyon). In return, Abraham gives him a tithe of the booty.
Melchizedek is an old Canaanite name meaning "My King Is [the god] Sedek" or "My King Is Righteousness" (the meaning of the similar Hebrew equivalent). Salem, of which he is said to be king, is probably Jerusalem. Psalm 76:2 refers to Salem to imply that it is synonymous with Jerusalem, and the reference in Genesis 14:17 to "the King's Valley" further confirms this identification. The God whom Melchizedek serves as a priest is "El ?Elyon," again a name of Canaanite origin, probably designating the high God of their pantheon - a group of exceptionally respected, famous, or important people.
"the pantheon of the all-time greats." (Later, the Hebrews adopted another Canaanite name as a name for God.)
For Abraham to recognize the authority and authenticity of a Canaanite priest-king is startling and has no parallel in biblical literature. This story may have reached its final formulation in the days of King David, serving as an explanation for David's making Jerusalem his headquarters and setting up the priesthood there. Abraham's paying tribute to a Jerusalem priest-king then would anticipate the time when Abraham's descendants would bring tithes to the priests of Jerusalem ministering in the sanctuary at the Davidic capital. The story may also relate to the conflict between the Levite priests descended from Abraham and the Zadokite priests of Jerusalem. The Zadokites monopolized the Jerusalem priesthood until they were forcibly taken to Babylon. They later changed their allegiance to Yahweh, the Hebrew God.
Melchizedek Makes His Only Appearance
Genesis 14 starts as a chronicle of war. A group of cities, including Sodom and Gomorrah, were under the thumb of King Kedorlaomer of Elam. After 12 years of servitude, there was an uprising, which Kedorlaomer quashed vigorously, seizing captives and booty from the rebelling cities.
Genesis 14 tells us that among those captured was Lot, the nephew of "Abram the Hebrew." At this point in the story, Abram was not yet Abraham because he had yet to make a covenant with God. However, Abram was a wealthy and powerful landowner, so he decided to save his nephew. Abram took 318 well-trained servants and attacked Kedorlaomer at night, chasing the enemy to Damascus and retrieving the stolen goods and people, including Lot.
Lot and his family lived in Sodom. Here's where things get interesting. When Abram makes his triumphant return, he is first greeted by the king of Sodom (identified earlier in the chapter as Bera). However, before the king of Sodom has a chance to talk, Genesis introduces a new character not previously mentioned in the long lists of warring kings. In verses 18-20, it says:
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying:
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and Earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
As we will see, a lot has been made of those short verses. Here was a priest of "God Most High" — understood as the one true God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — blessing Abram, who would soon become the patriarch of God's chosen people. Moreover, Abram was paying a tithe to this high priest, whose elevated position and authority predate all ancient prophets.
However, right after this momentous occasion in the history of monotheism, Melchizedek disappears. In the next verse, we are back to the king of Sodom, who offers Abram a share of the spoils, which Abram, being a righteous man, refuses.
Melchizedek in Genesis
"And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. (He was a priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." (Genesis 14:18-20)
Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to Abraham. His priesthood typified the High Priesthood of Christ, who gives his precious body and blood to the faithful in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.
Two of the many reasons for the superiority of the order of Melchizedek include:
1. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Aaron was a descendant of Abraham through Levi. Thus, in blessing Abraham, Melchizedek also blessed Levi and Aaron. It is always the greater who blesses, the lesser in clerical authority.
2. Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, and in this act, so did Levi and Aaron (Hebrews 7). Therefore, salvation comes through the superior order.
Melchizedek in Psalm 110
"The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule amid your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the morning's womb, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses and shattering chiefs over the wide Earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore, he will lift his head." (Psalm 110)
Psalm 110 is a prophecy concerning the Melchizedek Priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which explains the true meaning of the Nativity. In Genesis 14, Melchizedek is called the king of Salem and priest of the Highest (or Most High) God (see Heb 7:1). His priesthood was not based on genealogy (Heb 7:3). It was based on him alone, for no one preceded him in the priesthood nor succeeded him (Heb 7:8). He was a type of Christ whose priesthood is based on His eternal life, for He rose again from the dead.
The LORD [the Father] said to my Lord [Christ], "Sit at My right hand" (Psalm 110:1). For Christ is not only Man but also the Lord God, coequal and one in nature with the Father. For He is begotten from the Father before all time and is his eternal Son. He is the Son of David according to the flesh, but He is also the Lord of David according to His divinity.
In referring to a future messiah of the Davidic line, Psalm 110 refers to the priest-king Melchizedek as an example of this messiah. This allusion led the author of the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament to translate the name Melchizedek as "king of righteousness" and Salem as "peace" so that Melchizedek is made to foreshadow Christ, stated to be the true king of righteousness and peace (Hebrews 7:2). According to the analogy, just as Abraham, the ancestor of the Levites, paid a tithe to Melchizedek and was, therefore, his inferior, so the Melchizedek-like priesthood of Christ is superior to that of the Levites. Furthermore, just as the Old Testament assigns no birth or death date to Melchizedek, so is the priesthood of Christ eternal.
Melchizedek in Hebrews
A central theme of the Book of Hebrews is the contrast between the earthly, or Levitical, priesthood and the eternal priesthood of Melchizedek, which is fulfilled in Christ.
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Highest God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him, Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, king of peace. He is without Father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he continues a priest forever.
See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! Furthermore, those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these are descended from Abraham. However, this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In one case, tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him." (Hebrews 7:1-10)
Persecuted Christians are encouraged not to apostatize to Judaism because the founding Father of Christ's priesthood, Melchizedek, is superior to the Old Testament priesthood of Levi.
"Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? When there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.
Our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not based on a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. Moreover, it was not without an oath. Those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this One was made a priest with an oath by the One who said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'" This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
The former priests were many because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he can save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Like those high priests, he does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for his sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. The law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever." (Hebrews 7:11-28)
The founder of the new covenant priesthood is superior to that of the old covenant, but the rules of the new covenant's priestly order are also superior. Priesthood is so intertwined with a covenant that if the priesthood is changed, so is the covenant.
The Priesthood of Melchizedek
Melchizedek was without earthly genealogy, so was Christ by His virgin birth. He is God incarnate, immortal and sinless, and therefore His priesthood can transform humanity.
The power given at ordination is strong and effective. The power of Christ's priesthood is perfect and draws us near to God. The Father Himself ordains the Son. His sacrifice is offered once and for all.
Since Christ is immortal, the priesthood of Melchizedek needs only one eternal priest. He is more than a mere man; He is the Son of God. The requirement of perfect holiness is met in Christ, the only sinless One.
Few persons in the Bible are shrouded in more mystery than Melchizedek, king of Salem. After the battle against the five kings in Genesis 14:17, Melchizedek stepped into the narrative as if out of nowhere, then vanished again. We know nothing of his ancestry, his family, or his exploits. All we know is that he was the ruler of nearby Salem—the city that would one day be called "Jerusalem"—and that he was called "priest of God Most High (Genesis 14:18). When Melchizedek met Abram after his victory, the king came with bread and wine in his hands and a blessing on his lips.
Centuries later, after the coming of Christ, the author of Hebrews looked at the account of Melchizedek and drew many analogies between him and the ultimate High Priest and King of Jerusalem, Jesus. The book of Hebrews does not say that Melchizedek was the Son of God making a cameo appearance. Instead, the author drew parallels between the two figures, suggesting that what Melchizedek was literary, Jesus Christ is literally. The cue for this parallelism came from Psalm 110:4, in which the Davidic Messiah was called "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." Consider these analogies from Hebrews 7:1–3 that teach us about our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Key Verses
Genesis 14:18-20
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, 19, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and Earth. Furthermore, praise God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Hebrews 7:11
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood-why was there still a need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?
Hebrews 7:15-17
Moreover, what we have said is even more apparent if another priest like Melchizedek appears, who has become a priest not based on regulation as to his ancestry but based on the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
