HeBrews: A Better Blend
Welcome back to our visit with King Melchizedek! Last week we looked at the two passages of Holy Writ where he is mentioned. Today, let’s examine his life further.
Last week we noted some specific things that Scripture tells us about King Mel. One of the first highly significant facts you should have noted is that Melchizedek was King of Salem, but he was also a priest of God Most High. In ancient times, this combination was unheard of. No king performed the duties of a priest. Remember that the priestly line came through Aaron, the brother of Moses, both of whom were descendants of Levi. Hence, the Old Testament priesthood was often called the Levitical priesthood.
First allow me to tell you that scholars disagree on who Melchizedek was. Some believe he was a Canaanite priest-king, while others see him as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Consider two quotes from Word Biblical Commentary about Melchizedek’s lineage.
A “radical difference existed between the priesthood of Melchizedek and the more familiar Levitical line of priests.” (WBC p. 165)
Oh yes, there was truly a radical difference in the two priesthoods. Again, Word Biblical Commentary speaks to the importance of this.
“The silence of Scripture concerning Melchizedek’s parents and family line is stressed by the writer [of Hebrews] to amplify the concept of the uniqueness of his priesthood, and not as a proof of that uniqueness. It implies that Melchizedek’s priesthood was not established upon the external circumstances of birth and descent. It was based on the call of God and not on the hereditary process by which the Levitical priesthood was sustained. Without a recorded priestly genealogy, Melchizedek could not have qualified for the Levitical priesthood. Nevertheless, this man was priest of God Most High, and Abraham recognized his dignity.” (Word Biblical Commentary p. 166)
I could give you my opinion at this point about who Melchizedek was, but Word Biblical Commentary does a much better job, so please humor me for one more quote concerning Melchizedek.
“Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance from recorded history evoked the notion of eternity, which was only prefigured in Melchizedek but was realized in Christ. Consequently, Melchizedek foreshadows the priesthood of Christ at that point where it is most fundamentally different from the Levitical priesthood.” (Word Biblical Commentary, p. 166)
Have you ever had one of those moments where you think, “I’ve been here before” or “I know I’ve met that person before” but you are certain you never have. That could have been exactly what Jesus thought when He came to earth and lived as a man. However, He had been here before and He knew he had. He was the creator of it all and was intimately familiar with His creation. I believe Melchizedek was Jesus come to earth eons before the incarnation in Bethlehem. His purpose was to foreshadow to the patriarchs a BETTER priesthood.
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Because I will be taking some time away from writing in July, today’s post will be the final HeBrews post until mid-July.
