Melchizedek - Priest of God Most High, King of Salem

Hebrews 7 and the Supremacy of Christ’s High Priesthood

Turn with me, please, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 7. The Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 7. We have been working through the book of Hebrews for about a year now, and we now enter into the heart of the argument of the Epistles, chapters 7 -10.

Before we turn to the Word of God, let's once again ask Him to open our hearts and our minds. Indeed, our Heavenly Father, as we have sung and as we have prayed, we would ask that You would be with us now.

We desire to understand Your Word. We desire to understand this section of Your Scripture which opens up for us so clearly the very purpose of Father, Son, and Spirit and redemption itself. And yet we recognize this is going to take work on our part.

Give us a desire to hear and to understand Your truth, we pray in Christ's name. Indeed, we have come to what might be called the cathedral of the book of Hebrews, that section that opens up the primary argumentation of the Epistle in regards to Christ, His work, His high priesthood, the redemption that has been wrought by Him in His sacrificial death.

The Warning Against Returning to Old Covenant Sacrifice

To remind you of where we have been, remember that we are listening to an extended argument for the supremacy of Christ. It is addressed to those who specifically are under pressure to go back to the old ways, to Jewish Christians, to Hebrew Christians, who might experience from their families and friends the pressure to go back and offer sacrifice.

To offer that sacrifice would be, of course, to say that Jesus Christ is not the finished sacrifice, would be to offer the greatest blasphemy against His name. And our author has already opened up for us many Old Testament Scriptures.

He has demonstrated for us who Jesus is, having come in the flesh, the one through whom all things have been made. He's identified Him as Yahweh Himself, come in the flesh in Hebrews 1. We've had many exhortations to continued faithfulness and warnings of what would happen to anyone who has once made profession of faith, but then goes back and offers that sacrifice.

Those warning passages, those exhortation passages have come up in a number of the texts we have already examined. And you may recall that in the last time we were together, we finished a section of exhortation.

The author had begun to talk about Jesus in his high priesthood and had made mention of Melchizedek back in chapter 5, but then he stopped and for quite some time gave us a section again of exhortation being quite concerned that his audience might not be ready for what he actually begins here in chapter 7.

I understand his concern. This is a difficult section. It is difficult to study. It is difficult even more so to attempt to present in a sermon form. It defies easy division into sections because it is an extended argument.

It defies simplicity because it requires us to know the Old Testament text and to keep it in mind and to understand its parameters. Even more so as we get into chapter 9, I have a feeling I haven't decided fully on this yet, but I have a feeling that once we finish chapter 8 and its New Covenant themes, that we might have to take a bit of a time out and go back and look at the tabernacle, its form and its worship before chapter 9 can really be of a great deal of benefit to us.

That is probably one of the reasons why I have repeatedly lamented the fact that this section of Scripture, which is the clearest on the atoning work of Christ, is likewise one of the least addressed in many churches today because there is no way that you can come up with three points, a poem and a story about a puppy dog to fit into this section.

It just does not work and it defies all efforts to attempt to make someone feel warm and fuzzy as they leave at the end of that time. And so I would encourage all of us, just as those who engage in a great attempted physical feat.

Some of us do a lot of exercise. I know that Brother Callahan, for example, was training for a long time to go up to the Grand Canyon. Well, if you're going to try to do something that's going to take everything you've got, well, you train, you prepare your minds on it.

I imagine Brother Callahan would tell you just as I have been preparing to do things like riding Mount Lemmon and things like that, that you find yourself driving down the road and you're thinking about that.

You're planning it. You come up with, you know, it would help if maybe I did this or if I did that. It's what consumes your thinking. It's what consumes your mind. Well, we are going to be attempting to climb a large exegetical mountain in the book of Hebrews here.

We've been on the uphill climb and now we're getting to the steep part. The hard part. It's like going down the South Mountain. It's one thing to ride South Mountain until you get to the very top. And guess what South Mountain does?

It saves the steepest parts of the ride to the very end, of course. After you've done all those miles and think this isn't all that half bad, you get to the last 3 quarters of a mile and that's when it tries to kill you.

And that's sort of where we are now. We're hitting that steep part to go up to the highest point in chapters 9 and 10. And so it's going to take some work. This is not the type of sermonizing where you can daydream and tune back in because by the time you tune back in you'll have missed something that's really important for the next 3 chapters.

And so I'm exhorting you to put forth some extra effort, as I will, to attempt to understand this section. So let's look at chapter 7. We're not going to get anywhere near all the way through it, obviously.

But let's look at it so we have sort of a survey of the land that we're going to be seeking to conquer. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. Now, observe how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

And those indeed of the sons of Levi who received the priest's office have commandment and law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. In this case, mortal men receive tithes, but in that case, one receives them of whom it is witness that he lives on.

And, so to speak, through Abraham, even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Now, if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, on the basis of it that people received the law, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no one has officiated at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

For as it is attested of him, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. For on the one hand, there is the setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness.

For the law made nothing perfect. And on the other hand, there is a bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath, for they indeed became priests without an oath, but he with an oath, the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever.

So much the more, also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing. But Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently.

Therefore, he is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens, who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices.

First for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this he did once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men as high priests who are weak. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a son made perfect forever.

Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110

Well, you can see, I think, as we listen to those words, that we have a great deal of work to do to be able to follow and understand the argument that is presented here. And let me encourage you, should the thought be crossing your mind, I have a very busy week ahead, I have much going on in my life, I'm not sure I want to follow that argument.

Let me attempt to encourage you to recognize that this establishment of Christ as high priest after the order of Melchizedek will then lead into chapter 8. Chapter 8 should be familiar to you, because it is the chapter that has the lengthy discussion of the new covenant.

And in fact, as we read there toward the end of the 7th chapter, where Jesus becomes a guarantee of a better covenant, that's the first time the word covenant has been used in the book of Hebrews. And so we're getting into the new covenant, the covenant in His blood, which hopefully, immediately in your mind, you start thinking, ah, Lord's Supper, the new covenant in my blood.

This is something that we do remembrance of in the Lord's Supper, the third Sunday of each month here in our fellowship. And also then that becomes the foundation of chapters 9 and 10, where we have the completed covenant, this one will by which we are sanctified through the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, the atonement.

It's all right there. So this becomes foundational to that discussion. So it is well worth our effort to follow the argumentation and to understand this, because we are talking about the very basis upon which we can claim to have peace with God.

Why do we have peace with God? So many evangelicals will say, well, because Jesus died. And as soon as you then ask them one question beyond that, you get this look like, well, why would you be asking me these questions?

But really, we should desire to have a rich and full understanding of how it is that God has revealed that we can have peace with Him. There are many... I've experienced this especially in the serious conversations that I have with Muslims.

There are some conversations with Muslims that are not serious at all. And then there are those that are very serious. There is a real confusion on their part. Why do you think God had to go through all of that?

If I can forgive you something you do to me, why can't God just forgive you for what you've done to Him without all the sacrifice and everything that goes along with it? And we should desire to enter into these things.

If the Holy Spirit has given us these things, then we should consider that to be a gift from His hand. But even more so, to be able to give an answer for the hope that's within us. That is why we press through texts like this.

So, we begin in chapter 7 with Melchizedek. And just a few moments ago, I read into your hearing from Genesis chapter 14 the first reference we have to Melchizedek. Let's go back. Genesis chapter 14. I sort of skipped over all the long names of the kings, but let's just summarize what it is that our writer refers us to in Hebrews chapter 7.

You know that Lot and Abraham have, Abram at this point, have entered into the land. His name hasn't yet been changed to Abraham. That's going to happen in the next chapter when he's given the promises of the covenant there.

And we have that signal passage in Genesis 15 .6 which Paul identifies at that point where Abraham believes God and is reckoned to Him as righteousness. But before that, they've gone to land. They become a large people.

As you can tell by the military action, Abram in essence rivals kings in his military ability because of the size of his household, which of course does not mean natural offspring, but his servants, his slaves that are with him.

And so what happens is there is warfare. They're frequently amongst these kings. And of course, in that day, these kingdoms would be very small, very small areas. But there was warfare. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled before other kings and they fell into tar pits and the attackers then come upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

I remember Lot had gone down into that land and lived amongst the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They took the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed for he was living in Sodom.

So word comes to Abram the Hebrew. Notice he's called the Hebrew there in Genesis 14, 13. While he is by the Oaks of Mamre, which could become very important later on because Jehovah and two angels come walking and meet Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre beginning in Genesis 18.

And you have the important story there. So then what happens is Abram gathers up his family. It looks like he also takes along with him others, Eshcol, the brother of Aner, their allies, Abram. He puts together, in essence, a small army.

He pursues after the attackers. He defeats them. He rescues Lot. And he brought back all the goods and all the people along with Lot. Then we have this situation that develops. He's returning from the defeat of these kings.

The king of Sodom is coming out to meet him. And then without any introduction, just out of the blue, verse 18. Back up just a moment. Notice he's in the king's valley. There are some who think the king's valley is right outside of Jerusalem.

And notice, Melchizedek, king of Salem. Jerusalem. Melchizedek, king of Salem. Salaam. A root in the Semitic languages that means peace. In Hebrew, shalom. Arabic, salaam. Here you have Melchizedek, king of Salem.

First reference. Never mentioned before this. Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God Most High. El Elyon. It's also the first time the word priest is used in the Bible.

It's Melchizedek. Isn't that interesting? And Melchizedek blessed Abraham and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

And so Melchizedek comes forth and he brings bread and wine, which some have made great emphasis on the bread and the wine. Notice the writer of the Hebrews never even says anything about it. If there is any connection here to Eucharist or anything else, the writer of the Hebrews went right on past it.

Never says a word about it. Probably just simply food and sustenance. And he is a priest of God Most High. And remember, Abram has just come out of the Ur of the Chaldees. He's been called out of paganism.

And here you have this Melchizedek and he knows the true God too. Just as Abraham has received this call from God, Melchizedek, who we've never heard of before, is a priest of God Most High. A priest?

How did he become a priest? There's some kind of revelation that's taken place here. He knows who God is. He's called a priest. He blesses Abram. He knows that Abram is a servant of God Most High. We have no information whatsoever that he had ever met Abram before, ever heard of Abram before.

It seems like there's some direct revelation going on there. He knows God Most High is a possessor of heaven and earth. And so he blesses Abram. And Abram then gives him a tenth of all the spoils. So Abram recognizes Melchizedek as having a right to receive a blessing in the form of a tenth of all that he's taken.

And then, he's gone. Notice? That's it. I mean, the only thing you could say, I mean, verse 22, Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a threat.

Was that part of the giving of the tenth to Melchizedek? It's possible. But Melchizedek appears, blesses Abram, receives a tenth from him, and gone. In fact, if you've maybe flipped to your concordance in the back, or if you're using an electronic version, you've maybe done a little search, Melchizedek disappears, except for one other reference in the Old Testament.

Where is that? Well, we should know by now, because we've heard it so many times. It is Psalm 110. Let's look at Psalm 110. It's short. It's easy to read. Yahweh says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

We've heard that before. It's already been quoted numerous times in Hebrews. Yahweh will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion, saying, rule in the midst of your enemies, your people will volunteer freely in the day of your power.

In holy array from the womb of the dawn, your youth are to you as the dew. The Lord, Yahweh, has sworn and will not change His mind. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. There's the only other reference in all the Old Testament to Melchizedek.

Psalm 110, verse 4. So, Genesis 14, Psalm 110, verse 4. That's it. In fact, if you continue with your search, you'll discover that only the writer of the Hebrews is concerned to expand upon this subject of Melchizedek.

He's the only one who brings it up. Now I don't know about you, but two brief references. No context in Genesis. No further explanation. Melchizedek disappears. And then one reference in Psalm 110. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

It would not have been the first thought across my mind to make the central part of my argument Melchizedek. But that's what the writer to the Hebrews does. But notice how he goes about doing this. We've read the story now.

How does he make his argument? Well, he doesn't go back and re-quote all of Genesis 14, but he assumes that his hearers are fully aware of the story of Melchizedek. He just reminds them that he was king of Salem, priest of the Most High God.

He met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him. To whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils. And then he begins to, in essence, explain some things about Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness. And that's what Melchizedek means. Malak means king. Zedek, Zedekah, means righteousness in the Hebrew language. So, Melchizedek means king of righteousness.

And so, however he gets his name, we are not told, but there is something about his kingship that is marked by righteousness, uprightness. And then, he's also king of Salem, which is king of peace. And so the writer sees Salaam, Salem, king of peace.

And so many people have made, as I mentioned, the connection between being king of Salem and being king of that city that would eventually, many years down the road, become the very heart of the worship, the place of worship of God in Jerusalem itself, the city of David.

Now, it seems that the author wants us to be thinking about both terms righteousness and peace. It would be fitting to think of righteousness and peace in that Melchizedek is going to be made a type of Jesus, the Son of God.

And what is Jesus going to do in his work? He establishes righteousness. He establishes peace. Therefore, having been justified, made righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5 .1.

And so this Melchizedek, the writer of the Hebrews wants us to understand, is a king of righteousness. He's a king of peace. But then the next verse, to us Western thinkers, seems a little strange. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

Now, if we don't understand that the author here is speaking in supernatural terms and that the author here is writing to Hebrews who think in that mindset, if we sit back and attempt to bring 21st century Western legal thinking to bear, we're really going to feel like the writer is stretching a long ways here.

Because it's true that Melchizedek, we don't have his genealogy. I mean, if you look at the other kings, for example, in Genesis 14, very often you're told, well, his very name would talk about who he was the son of.

And very frequently king lists would say such and such a king was the son of such and such a person was the son of such and such a person, etc., etc. It was very common in establishing succession lines and things like that.

And you'll have that in other portions of the Old Testament, even in talking about the kings of Judah and Israel and things like that. But Melchizedek just pops in. We're not told who his father was. We're not told who his mother was.

We're not given a genealogy. We're not told when he was born. We're not told about when he died. He just pops in and pops back out again. This has led many people to identify Melchizedek as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.

That Melchizedek was the angel of the Lord. That Melchizedek was a theophany of some sort. And I don't think we have to go there. The text is actually going to make a differentiation between him. It said, but he is made like the Son of God.

The type and anti-type here needs to be kept in mind. The author is pointing to Melchizedek and he is paralleling in the experience of Melchizedek not only in the positive things that are said about Melchizedek, but in the silence of the biblical text.

And he is drawing parallels to Jesus. Melchizedek doesn't determine the type as applied to Jesus. It's the other way around. The author is saying, look, in the inspired Word, this is what we're told and this is what we are not told.

And in light of what Abram does in acknowledging Melchizedek as his superior, giving to him the tithe, receiving from him the blessing, these are the things we can derive from that understanding. Especially in regards to then this strange statement of an oath made by God to a Messianic figure in the 110th Psalm.

And so he's taking literally an exhaustive look at everything that's said in the Old Testament about Melchizedek and saying what must be the conclusion we derive from this information? Well, one of the things he derives from this is that Melchizedek did not derive his authority from a genealogy.

And since we are never told about his death, his lack of a recorded death becomes the parallel to Jesus' resurrection and defeat of death itself. And so, since we're not given a genealogy, we're not given a source for Melchizedek, he just appears.

And we're not told about his death, even though I think we're probably stretching it just a little bit to say that Melchizedek is still running around someplace. I don't think that we want to ascribe the author the idea that Melchizedek was hiding in a cave somewhere near Qumran.

The idea is that since the text does not refer us to his birth, it does not like a natural king say, well, he was born during the reign of such and so, and then he died during the reign of so and so. Instead, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

And the fulfillment of this is then seen in Psalm 110 when the promise is made to the kingly figure there, you will be made a priest after the order of Melchizedek. What order of Melchizedek? No one had ever met anybody other than Melchizedek that had his priesthood.

So how can you have a order of Melchizedek? That's the whole writer's point. The only way you can be a part of the order of Melchizedek is if you are eternal. That is, no genealogy, your authority is not derived from who your father is or your mommy is.

You don't have beginning of days nor end of life. If you're going to be part of the order of Melchizedek, there has to be something downright divine about you. And that's what he's going to parallel to Jesus and to the fact that he has an indestructible life having conquered death.

Abraham, Levi, and the Greater Priesthood

But he wants us to see this. He says, now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tent to the choice of spoils. Think about who Abraham is to the Jews. I mean, Abraham, the Hebrew.

Abram, the founder of their entire covenant people. Abram, the friend of God. Abram, the one who gives birth to Isaac and the whole line. Y 'all look back. What do the Jews say? We're the children of Abraham.

Every Jew said, I am the child of Abraham. Remember, even to Jews, we're the children of Abraham. And what does Jesus say? Well, God could raise up children to Abraham from these rocks. Because you're not doing what Abraham did.

But there's the founder of the entire covenant people. Every Jew says, Abram is my father. And yet, Abram is demonstrating by his actions that he recognizes in Melchizedek someone who has authority over him.

Do you see in the Jewish mind, the Hebrew mind, the force of this? See how great a man. Even Abram, the patriarch, founder of our race, gave a tent to the choice of spoils. He saw in him one who had superior religious authority.

He was a priest of the Most High God. And Abram himself was a relatively new follower of the Most High God. Then he draws something out, in case we weren't aware of it. Those indeed the sons of Levi who received the priest's office have commandment in the law to collect a tent from the people that is from their brethren, although these are descended from Abram.

So remember, Levi is not given any land. Remember, when they go into the Promised Land, and the land is apportioned to the tribes, no land is given to the Levites. They have a different role. They are set apart.

They are unique. They are to minister the truth of God, the Word of God, the law of God amongst the people of God. And so to live amongst the people of God, but they are to receive their inheritance in essence from the Lord through the giving of the people.

And one of the ties of the Old Testament was to go directly to the support of the Levitical priesthood. That's why there was so much strong condemnation in the prophets when even the Levitical priesthood became corrupt.

And they became rich. And they became the people who would not speak the Word of God openly, but instead would say peace, peace, and so on and so forth. And stood against the true prophets of God. And so they were to receive from the people a tent even though they also were descended from Abraham.

So amongst the descendants of Abraham, Levi included. I think Abraham would be his great-grandfather. So from him, even though they live amongst the same people, they're all descendants of Abraham, there is to be this giving to them of a tent for their support.

And that is how they were to then be the ministers of God amongst the people of God. But, the writer says, the one whose genealogy is not traced from them, Melchizedek, collected a tent from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

Abraham receives the promises from God, yet Melchizedek blesses him. So the argument is made in verse 7, but without any dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. Remember, in the blessings. This again is where we need to have the Old Testament background.

Remember what happens in numerous stories about the blessings. Remember Jacob and Esau and the blessing of the firstborn and the deception involved and all these things. And the despair of Esau. Don't you have a blessing for me?

And see for us, that just seems so foreign. I mean, the only blessing that matters to us about an aged parent is do you have it certified and did the lawyer write it and is it going to make it through probate?

And you can change that a dozen times. However you want to do it. That's the only correlation we have. The idea of a patriarch laying hands upon the head of a child and the family standing around and the blessing being given.

We've lost all that. We've lost all that. We're disconnected from that. We're disconnected from kingship and royalty and things like that. And I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. But we've lost all that.

But the argument is, without dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. The blessing flows downhill in essence. And so the argument is, well, if Melchizedek blesses Abraham, then where is Melchizedek and where is Abraham in the relative proportion of things?

Melchizedek is greater. In this case, mortal men receive tithes. But in that case, one receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And so if in the law, the Levites, mortal men could receive tithes from those who were their brothers all the sons of Abraham.

In this case, we are talking about one who receives these tithes of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. Only in the sense that no reference is ever made to Melchizedek's death. And there is this order of Melchizedek from Psalm 110 verse 4.

Then verse 9 begins with a statement that in essence is somewhat along these lines. And we might even go so far as to say, or it might be said, so to speak. The author is not saying, well, look, I am making this a dogmatic statement and this is a hill to die on, but he's illustrating something here.

And so to speak, through Abraham, even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. In other words, Abram is up here. You've got the patriarchs.

You've got Levi of the twelve. And so Levi is still in the loins of Abraham at that time. And so when Abraham pays tithes, then clearly someone who is descended from Abraham cannot be greater than him, and therefore is said to, in a federal way, have paid tithes to Melchizedek.

His whole point is, even the Levitical line, the Levitical priesthood, clearly has to be lesser than this Melchizedek priesthood that Psalm 110 is going to tell us about. Psalm 110 records an oath from God that he's going to make this Messianic figure, a priest after the order of Melchizedek.