Introduction
If I asked you to name the most important people in the Old Testament I doubt that Melchizedek would be on your list, much less at the top. He appeared once, in Genesis 14 and he was referred once more, in Psalm 110. You could hardly call this “top billing,” but the Holy Spirit reached back into the Old Testament and used these two packages to show the Hebrew Christians, and indeed us today, the wonder and glory of the Son of God
In Genesis 14 we read how Melchizedek met and blessed Abraham after Abraham had rescued Lot. (Lot was living in Sodom when it was attacked and he and the rest of his family and the other inhabitants were carried off as captives.) This story was picked up by David in Psalm 110:4 – a Messianic psalm, as confirmed by Jesus in Mk. 12:36. The only other place where we read about Melchizedek is in Hebrews. There have already been three references to Melchizedek in chapters 5 &6 and Ch 7 starts to go into more detail. It seems rather strange that the book of Hebrews makes so much of Melchizedek when we know so little about him! All we know is that he was:
• a contemporary of Abraham
• the king of righteousness – that’s what his name means
• the king of Salem – probably what later became Jerusalem . Salem means peace so he was also the king of peace
• the priest of God Most High
• provided refreshments for Abraham and his strike-force after the battle – probably as an expression of gratitude for freeing them from the enemy armies
• blessed Abraham
• was given a tithe (a tenth part) of the spoils by Abraham
So what?
The author takes this shadowy figure from Genesis and the Psalms to show that he was a prototype for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the king of Righteousness and Peace as well as a priest who is infinitely better than Aaron. As David recorded in Ps 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
We know nothing of Melchizedek’s origins or genealogy – a bit strange since so much of the early part of Genesis is given over to such things. The Jews of old claimed that He was Shem – Noah’s son. If you assume that there are no gaps in the genealogies in the book of Genesis then this is possible, as Abraham would have been 100 years old when Shem died. On the other hand there is not the slightest evidence to suggest that it was Shem. (If there aren’t any gaps Abraham’s life overlapped those of all his male ancestors right back to Noah and 4 of them outlived him – in Noah’s case by 385 years. Now that is weird, isn’t it! Imagine remembering all those birthdays and writing all those Christmas cards! Just saying hello would have been quite something – Hello great, great, great, great, great, great, great, granddad, and think of the family get togethers!)
There is no account of Mel’s parents, his birth, or death. V3 describes him as being without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. This makes some commentators think that Mel was the Lord Jesus Himself, in a pre incarnate appearance – a Theophany in theological jargon. But v3 also says Mel was made like the Son of God so this seems unlikely. Otherwise Jesus was a type of himself!
The most likely explanation is that the writer was using poetic licence to emphasise an important point and as Josephus said he was a godly Canaanite prince; someone who acted as the priest for his family and followers. Melchizedek was a mere man, albeit an extraordinary one. It is interesting that v3 tells us that Melchizedek was made like the Son of God. That is to say, that God overruled in the key details of Mel’s life so that they pre-figured Christ. Moses could, no doubt, have written a great deal more about Melchizedek, but writing by divine inspiration he withheld everything that didn’t serve the intended purpose. In other words God prepared him to be a type of the promised Messiah and, indeed, as both priest and king he provides a beautiful illustration of the Lord Jesus.
It is sad that Mel and Abraham were almost the only ones around who preserved the pure worship of God. On one side were Sodom and Gomorrah, and on the other the Canaanites. They were surrounded by ungodly men. No doubt, as today, there were many more like Lot who loved God, after a fashion, but compromised their faith because they wanted the World and all that it offered. How much pain this compromise brought Lot and his family and how much harm it does to us today – but that’s another study!
King of righteousness
The first thing I want us to note is that the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” But what is righteousness? It is a moral rightness or purity that belongs to God alone. It is most easily seen in the Lord Jesus Christ. His life showed His perfect holiness and obedience to His Father’s will – meeting all the law’s requirements.
Peter, who watched Jesus very closely, testified that He –22 committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously 1Pet 2. Perhaps you might expect rose tinted spectacles from one of His disciples, but even Pilate recognised it – despite the trumped up changes brought by the jealous Jewish leaders. (Mt 27:24) So did one of the men crucified with Him and the hardened Roman centurion (Lu 23:41, 47)
In total contrast none of us is naturally righteous. Rom 3:10 reminds us that there is none righteous, no, not one and v23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There are some today that think that they are without sin, but that is either because they are deluded, possibly even mad, or because they have no idea of what sin really is.
1Jo 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
We tend to compare ourselves with others who are much worse than us – murderers, even mass murderers like Hitler and Stalin – and conclude that we are OK. If we compare ourselves with God’s perfect standard as seen in Jesus then we’ll see how far we really come short. It is easy to build by eye, judging what is vertical or horizontal or square. But experience has taught me that it is much wiser to use reliable, objective instruments like plumb lines, levels and squares if I am to satisfy my judge, or even myself in the long run! Who or what are you measuring your life against?
Human leadership
Melchizedek was the “king of righteousness”v2 and God wants human leaders to be righteous.
Ps 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Jer 22:1 Thus says the LORD… O king of Judah … 3 “Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. … 13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbour’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, … 17 “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.”
Our modern leaders, whether dictators or democratically elected, could learn much from this! But how many votes do you think a ‘righteousness party’ would attract at the next election? Would our lives stand up to the scrutiny of the press if any of us stood? Righteous government isn’t just something for our leaders; it is generally true that a nation gets the leaders that it deserves – particularly a democratic nation. God wants us all to be righteous in our dealings. Yet, sadly, honesty and fairness are not the most obvious characteristics of our society!
Oh that we, individually and as a nation, might learn, as Solomon put it in Proverbs:
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who follows righteousness. 15:9
Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. 16:8
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. 14:34
Righteousness and us
Does the sin of this world sadden our hearts? Do we long to be righteous – to have God’s righteousness flowing in us and through us to the people around?
Mt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled….10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 6:33 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
Do we long for God’s righteousness to be seen by all? Today most people think nothing of His holiness and treat many of His standards as unfair or even evil. Right is wrong and wrong is right. Oh that men and women might glimpse the glory and righteousness of God and His beloved Son. Governments and people of all ages have failed to meet this high standard, but God determined to provide a righteous king for himself and it was this king that Melchizedek foreshadowed.
Jer 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: the Lord our Righteousness.
It is interesting that Mel was firstly king of righteousness v3. Being right with God must come first if we are to serve Him. That was certainly true of Jesus, in ch 4:15 we were reminded that our sympathetic High Priest was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. It’s relatively easy to be good when you are not tempted to sin. I wonder what I would have been like if I had been exposed to many more temptations when I was younger, instead of being brought up in a Christian home and knowing the Bible from childhood. Jesus faced temptation, and the toughest temptation at that, and still remained pure. V26 of our current chapter makes the same point Jesus is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. What a wonderful Saviour!
Yet He was not content that He should be righteous and we should remain sinners. He came into this world that we might have peace with God and in our own hearts and might take on His own righteousness. For those who trust Him and ask for forgiveness He becomes righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1Co 1:30). Will you face God on the basis of your own flawed righteousness or, like Paul, be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith? (Phil 3:9)
Next time, DV, we’ll look at the linked title – King of Peace.
