Who was Melchizedek?

This past week, I looked back on our preaching calendar to remind myself how long we’ve been in Hebrews. We’ve taken a number of breaks along the way, but we started preaching through it in March of last year.

I don’t know exactly how long it will be until we are done studying the book, but no matter how many of those sermons you’re here for, I hope you learn that the message of Hebrews is that Jesus is superior. Jesus is superior. That’s the point of the book.

When Jewish people are tempted to go back to their former religion, or when any of us are tempted to go back to our old way of life, we need to remember that Jesus is greater. Jesus is better. Jesus is superior than anything else.

In chapter 1, we learned that Jesus is greater than the Old Testament. God spoke in various ways, but He has spoken definitely in His Son.

We also saw that Jesus is greater than the angels. He is not an angel; He is the Son of God who created everything. Angels brought us the Old Covenant, but Jesus brought us the New Covenant.

In chapter 3, we were reminded that Jesus is greater than Moses. He is more faithful than Moses. He is worthy of more glory, and we need to listen to Him.

In chapter 4, we saw that Jesus is greater than Joshua. Joshua led the people into the Promised Land of Canaan, but Jesus leads His people into the eternal Promised Land. Jesus offers us perfect, eternal rest.

Once we got to the end of chapter 4 and into chapter 5, we were shown that Jesus is our great High Priest. He is greater than the Jewish high priest and greater than the entire priestly system. All the sacrifices and all those priests were pointing to and preparing people for Him.

Chapter 5 told us that Jesus has been pronounced as a high priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.” And just as we were about to hear more about what that means, we got an extended warning about falling away from Christ.

But now we are back to the subject of Christ’s priesthood. But before we jump into Hebrews 7, I want to make sure we all understand the background to this man named Melchizedek. Who was he?

Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament, and the first time is on Genesis 14. So, turn there with me so you can see the background to Hebrews 7. This is a story every faithful Jew would have known, though they would have had some questions about it.

Genesis chapter 14 takes place after Abraham and Lot were separated. Their shepherds were starting to fight, so they decided to separate, and Lot chose to journey east in the city of Sodom.

Well, as it turns out four different kings formed an alliance, and they invaded the land of five other kings. One of those 5 kings was the king of Sodom. Eventually the 4 kings got into an open war with the 5 kings, and a lot of people died, and others were taken as prisoners.

Look with me at Genesis 14:11. Genesis 14:11—So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. [12] They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

Verse 13—Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. [14] When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. [15] And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. [16] Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

So, Abram, who will eventually be known as Abraham, is the hero. He saves everyone, and he reclaims all the stuff that had been stolen. He’s taking it all back to where it was.

Verse 17—After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). [18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) [19] And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; [20] and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The rest of the chapter describes Abraham’s interaction with the king of Sodom, but what we just read is the only part that mentions Melchizedek. That’s it.

Now, it might seem like a simple story, but it brings up a very interesting question. Who is Melchizedek? You see, the Jewish system of priests didn’t start until the Israelites left Egypt, which was over 400 years after Genesis 12. So, what in the world does it mean when Genesis 14:18 says he was “priest of God Most High”?

Well, it means that there was some kind of priestly system in effect at the time of Abraham, and we know almost nothing about it.

You see, we know that God’s word is true and authoritative, but the Bible doesn’t tell us everything about how God was working in the world throughout history. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, which includes stories of things before he was born.

When God created Adam and Eve, He walked in the garden with them. He talked with them. But because of sin, that situation didn’t last.

At the end of Genesis 4, after Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, we are told they had a son named Seth, and then Seth had a son named Enosh. Then, it says, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” People began to interact with God, not directly, face-to-face, but by faith. How did they know about God. Well, I suppose they would have heard about Him from Adam and Eve.

So, even before Moses writes the first book of the Bible, there was some kind of oral tradition teaching people about God. And even in the time of Cain and Abel, there were sacrifices being offered.

We see something similar in the story of Job who would offer burnt offerings for his children. This is all before the Law of Moses. Who taught them to do that? It came either from oral tradition, or from some revelation of God that isn’t recorded in Scripture.

Now, what does this mean, then? It means, that although God chose to work through one man, Abraham, and through one nation, Israel, until that time came, there was at least some system that regulated worship, and there was a priest, at least one that we know of. His name was Melchizedek.

This might sound like some obscure theological footnote, but the author of Hebrews picks up on this to make an important point. So, go ahead and turn back with me to Hebrews chapter 7, and let’s learn why this is so significant.

According to the author of Hebrews, this little story about Melchizedek, just like the rest of the Old Testament is intended to point us to the superiority of Jesus Christ. Let’s see how that happens.

Hebrews 7:1—For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, [2] and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.

That’s a simple summary of what we just read in Genesis. But now, notice what that story teaches us. Continuing in verse 2—He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

This is just a simple statement of facts. In Old Testament Hebrew, the word for “king” is “melek,” and the word for “righteousness” is “tsedeq.” And in Hebrew, the vowels might change a little bit, but the consonants usually stay the same. So “melek-tsedek” turns into Melchizedek, and it means “King of righteousness.”

And the city of Salem in Hebrew is pronounced “shalem” which is related to “shalom” which means “peace.” Interestingly, many Jewish commentators believed that Salem is an older term for what later became know as Jerusalem. And if that’s the case, it means that before the Israelites got there, God had already had a priest serving Him.

This priesthood is distinct from the line of Aaron, not just because it came before him, but because this priesthood allowed a king to serve in it. The Law of Moses made a distinction between kings and priests. Nobody could legitimately serve in both roles. But Melchizedek had both roles. He was a king, and he was a priest.

Well, that is a preview, we could say, or a glimpse of the priesthood of Christ. Jesus is the King who, by His sacrifice, has made us righteous before God. And then, having been made righteous, we now have peace with God. So, Melchizedek’s name and title point us to Jesus Christ.

In theology, this is sometimes referred to as a “type.” That is a more technical term which generally means that a person or an event corresponds to something that will come later. But the connection between the story of Melchizedek and the role of Jesus don’t end there.

Verse 3—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. What is that saying?

Some have gone so far as to say that Melchizedek was a preincarnate Jesus, but that makes too much of these verses. The author of Hebrews isn’t talking about Melchizedek himself; he’s talking about the Old Testament record.

The Old Testament is filled with genealogies. And genealogies mattered if you were going to serve as a priest. You needed to be able to prove you were from the line of Levi.

But in the Old Testament, there is no record of Melchizedek’s genealogy. There is no record of how he became a priest, and no record of when he stopped being a priest. He just appears in the story and then we move on, never hearing from him again.

Well, that’s another picture of, or pointer to, Jesus Christ. The priesthood of the Levites was based on genealogy, but the priesthood of Jesus Christ is not. It was declared by God to Jesus personally. That declaration, which we already saw mentioned in Hebrews 5. It came in Psalm 110:4 where David prophesied that His Lord would rule over His enemies and would be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. That was God’s declaration.

Jesus’ role as a king is tied to His genealogy, but His role as a priest is not. It was ordained by God.

It’s also an eternal priesthood, which is pictured by the fact that the story of Melchizedek doesn’t mention how he stopped serving or how he died. It’s a reminder that Christ is our eternal priest. Christ’s priestly office has no end. Again, the point here is to show us that Jesus is superior.

Now, someone could say, “Well, that’s a lot of inference based on the record of one obscure guy in the Old Testament. How do we know this has any validity?”

Well, this is what verse 4 addresses. Melchizedek demonstrated an objective superiority to Abraham, and so, by extension, a superiority to anything within that system.

Verse 4 is a call to notice Melchizedek’s greatness. It says—See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!

How is that greatness revealed? Verse 5—And 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 also are descended from Abraham. [6] But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. [7] It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. [8] In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. [9] One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, [10] for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

This kind of argument would have been very clear to a Jewish audience because it’s not really difficult to understand. But it would have come as a shock.

First of all, the Levites who served as priests received a tithe from the people. Everyone knew this. It was a form of providing for them, but more than that, it was a way of honoring God. The Levites served as priests who acted on behalf of God. So, they were honored in that way. The tithe represented honor.

But when Abraham came back from his rescue mission, he gave a tithe, he gave a tenth of the stuff, to Melchizedek. Abraham honored Melchizedek. That means that Melchizedek was greater, at least in function, than Abraham, who was the father of the Israelites.

Imagine a Jew who was hearing this for the first time. Abraham is the greatest man. The Jews are God’s chosen people, and Abraham is the father of the Jews. But there was some non-Jew that Abraham honored and even gave a tithe to. It would have blown their mind! What do they do with that?

They would have had to conclude that the Jewish system, then, is not the greatest system in the world. It serves a purpose in God’s plan, but God’s plan and God’s way of working in the world is not confined to the nation of Israel or to the Jewish system. There is something greater, something that pre-dates it. That is the priesthood of Melchizedek.

In addition to the receiving of the tithe, another evidence of Melchizedek’s greatness was that he blessed Abraham. In Jewish tradition, a father blesses a son. The one who gives the blessing is greater than the one who receives it. Well, Melchizedek blessed Abraham, so Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. It’s a simple but very impactful argument. How can the Israelite system, or the Levitical priesthood, or Abraham himself, be the greatest if the Bible itself testifies to something greater?

As the paragraph comes to a close, we get verses 9 and 10 which press the point ever further. If Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, then it’s almost as if Levi himself paid the tithe, because Levi is a descendent of Abraham. Verse 10 says he was still in the loins of Abraham.

The author of Hebrews is not trying to be graphic or scientific. He’s simply making the point that there is someone greater than Levi and greater than Abraham. And if that person is greater, than his priesthood is greater, and that is the priesthood that corresponds to Jesus Christ.

Most of us in here aren’t Jews, so what can we take away from all this? Well, apart from a good discussion with a Jewish friend, I think there are two messages we can take away from this kind of argument.

The first lesson is what we’ve been saying since the beginning. Jesus is greater. Jesus is superior. We may not have grown up in the Jewish system, but we did grow up in some kind of system, didn’t we? We all have some criteria for determining someone’s worth, someone’s level of importance. But compared to Christ, that will mean nothing.

When Christ comes—the smartest scientists, the most beautiful people, the most powerful kings and politicians, the most gifted artists and athletes—they will all bow the knee to Jesus Christ the eternal King and Priest. Let that sink in. Really meditate on that truth.

It’s not our job to dismantle every religious or political or value system that exists, but it is our duty to recognize that it all pales in comparison to Jesus.

We have a Priest and a King who will save us forever. His is a salvation that can never be undone. By His death, He has paid the price of our sins, and He has proven it by His glorious resurrection. We should be the most confident people on the planet. It’s not a self-confidence. It’s a confidence in our God and King and Priest. We never need to be ashamed of our faith. Christ is superior to everything.

A second lesson we can take away from this reality is that Jesus is to be proclaimed. Jesus is superior, and He is to be proclaimed. The Jews thought they were the beginning and end of God’s plan. They thought it all revolved around them. Sure, they had a unique role in God’s plan, but God’s plan was never only about them.

This is what made the Pharisee’s made during Jesus’ ministry. He offered grace and forgiveness to the worst of sinners. If they would repent, they would be saved. They would be in the kingdom of God. And Jesus even reminded them about stories of God ministering to Gentiles in the Old Testament.

Well, sometimes we face that same kind of self-focused view of salvation. We make it all about ourselves. But God’s plan is global. God’s salvation is for any and all who will come. Our job is to proclaim it to everyone. It’s not ultimately about us, and it’s not exclusively for us today.

We are called to go out and proclaim the greatness of Jesus wherever and to whomever we can. That’s what God called Jonah to do, and remember He was bothered by the idea. And sometimes, we respond the same way. We’re inconvenienced by the potential grace of God in someone else’s life. We’re fine with what we’ve got.

If Christ is superior to everything, then we can never be done working for His glory. We can never be content with how many people have already responded in faith, or with how many people show up on a Sunday, or with whatever level of spiritual maturity we are at. We want to keep growing spiritually and numerically.

So, proclaim the greatness of Jesus any way you can to the people God has placed in your path. That’s how we demonstrate the greatness of our Savior, our King, and our Priest.