Jesus and Melchizedek
Genesis 19:17-24; Psalm 110;
Hebrews 7:1-10
Thesis:
Melchizedek provides a very controversial prophetic
illustration of Messiah. There are two
dominant ways to view this episode. Both
lead us to the same points of conclusion--Christ is our greater High Priest and
our soon-and-coming King. He alone is worthy of our ultimate reverence and
worship.
- Nutshell with Kids (>5
min)
- Do you
trust your parents?
- Why?
What about your parents makes you trust their leadership?
- What do
we need to trust Jesus to do for us? (Lead us, protect us, take away our
sin)
- The OT
has three very important “offices,” or jobs that people have. All of them were important to the lives
of the people of Israel in Bible times, and all of them are still
important to God’s people today.
- Prophet:
Hear what God wants to say to you.
- Priest:
Represent you to God, help you worship Him, and help you take care of
your sin.
- King:
Tell you what to do and lead your government.
- Jesus is
all of these. He is our prophet,
priest, and King (one day, he’ll even lead the world’s governments).
- There is
a picture of someone who was like this in the OT. Melchizedek.
- Read Gen
14:17-24.
- Jesus
will be all of these roles as well but in an even greater way.
- Abraham
honored Melchizedek. We worship
Jesus.
- Deeper With Adults
- Context:
Gen 14:17-24
- Melchizedek
is a priest of the Most-High God
- El
Elyon God Most High, God of Gods.
1)
The first time this is used in the
Bible
2)
It is how God is described by
Melchizedek
3)
In contrast to YHWH, the covenant
name of God given to Moses, this title sets him apart as the God of all
nations, not just the Jews.
4)
Abraham immediately adopts the
title and uses it in vs 22.
- Abraham
acknowledges that this God of Melchizedek is His God as well.
- There
are no priests of God at this time.
About 500 years before Aaron is born.
- We are
only 340 years after the flood in this story. While we are not told of any other people besides Abram who is following the Lord at this time,
we should not be surprised that there are some. Shem is still alive.
- His
name: King of Righteousness
- Melek:
King
- Tszidek:
righteousness
- Melchizedek
is “King of Salem.”
- Salem
might be the (then) Jebusite city of Jerusalem, and the city’s name is
shortened in the reference here (Psa 76:2) (John MacArthur, James
McDonald, J. Vernon McGee).
1)
Problem: Why does the king of
Jerusalem worship God Most High and none of his subjects do and never will as
long as they live there?
2)
Problem: Jerusalem’s ancient name
was Jebus, not Salem.
a)
No known city of the time was
called Salem.
b)
There was a Shalem, in Gen 33:18,
which later was called Salim in John 3:23, but this is much farther north, in
what is later Samaria. Too far.
- Salem shares the same consonants as
“Shalom,” which is all that matters in Hebrew. Shalom= peace. King of peace.
- Priest
and King is an unprecedented combination.
- The
word “Priest,” כֹּהֵן [kohen /ko·hane].
The normal word for a priest in Hebrew. “Sanctified, set apart for a
purpose.” Also could be appointed to an office of authority. 750
times in OT. 744 times
“priest.” Also “ruler, prince,
chief leader, royal advisor.” No real reason to make the word mean something special here.
- In
Israel, the kings are from Judah and the Priests from Levi. Kept separate.
- Obviously,
this is 500 years before the law, before Aaron, and even before Levi and
Judah. So Melchizedek is obviously neither a Levitical priest nor an
Israelite King.
- Saul
and Uriah both were judged for trying.
- Samuel
refused to be King
- Under
the law, it is impossible to be a priest and King. However, that is kind
of the point.
- Prophesied
that Messiah will be both Zech 6:13
- Melchizedek
blesses Abram in the name of God Most High and brings bread and wine
- Symbols
of his passion and a foreshadowing of communion.
- This
500 years before Passover is instituted!
- When
Jesus re-packages Passover into the Lord’s Supper, he returns it to what
it was here.
- Interesting
side note: There is a record of a battle involving the city-states in
this area in the spring of 1802 BC, although the names of the kings involved are different in their own historical records, the same cities are involved. This is the time when Abraham was thought to have been sojourning in the area. If this is the same event, then it happened in the Spring. Did it happen on what would later become Passover? We don’t know, but it would be cool!
- Abraham
gave him a tithe of all of his spoils.
- Again,
500 years before the law. Tithing was a pre-law part of the culture of God’s people.
- Even
though we have been freed from the law, we are still expected to tithe as a minimum. The NT actually asks more of us in this area, not less.
- A Tithe
is an act of worship. Not that
Abraham was necessarily worshipping Melchizedek, but he was worshipping
God through Melchizedek and acknowledging that Melchizedek’s God was his
God.
- Psalm
110:4
- The
entire psalm is Messianic.
- Messiah
is an eternal king. Two oracles of
God, two interpretations, but it doesn’t fit nicely in an outline. The whole psalm focuses on his
Kingship, except vs 4.
- Messiah
will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
- Not
that Melchizedek’s priesthood is eternal.
1)
Careful reading, Messiah has an
eternal priesthood.
2)
His priesthood, like
Melchizedek’s, is not under the law, as the Levitical priests are. His priesthood is before, beyond, above the
law.
3)
There would be no “second” High
Priest to fill the office after Messiah.
- Priesthood
an “oath” of God. Cannot be
broken (Heb 6).
- Hebrews
7:1-3
- Significance
of his names is rehearsed. King of Righteousness and King of Peace
- Righteousness
comes before peace. There can be
no peace without righteousness (Rom 5:1)
- Isa
9:6-7; 11:4-5; 16:5
- Isa
32:1, 16-18
- Jer
23:5
- Psalm
85:10
- Without
genealogy, father or mother, beginning or end of days.
- Two
views:
1)
Melchizedek was a Christophany
a)
Strengths:
i.
Heb 7:1-3 is literally true.
ii.
Ps 110 is read to mean that
Messiah is actually Melchizedek, so there is only one priest forever in that
role.
iii.
John 8:56 is in reference to the
Gen 14 encounter.
iv.
Dead Sea Scroll Midrash 11Q13
speculates that Melchizedek was in some way an eternal spiritual being: Highest
angel, a manifestation of God’s glory, one guess is even a “son of the Highest”
v.
Explains why there can be a
priest/king who worships the right God long before God’s revelation to the
Israelites on Sinai.
b)
Weaknesses:
i.
Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:3 say
that Messiah is “like” Melchizedek, not that he “is” Melchizedek.
ii.
Why would Jesus show up, live an
entire earthly life, be king of a town and priest, and then come back again in
the manger and fulfill his role as Messiah? Gen 14 not literally true but
prophetic?
2)
Melchizedek is a type of Christ,
not a Christophany
a)
Majority view
b)
Strengths:
i.
Gen 14 literally true.
ii.
Comparison language in Psalm 110:4
and Heb 7:4 valid.
iii.
Simplifies the understanding of
Christ’s incarnation once for his role as Messiah.
iv.
Still provides an adequate basis
for the declaration of Psalm 110:4.
v.
Provides a valid prophetic sketch
of Messiah.
c)
Weaknesses:
i.
Makes Heb 7:3 an argument from
silence, which the author of Hebrews does nowhere else. Very uncommon in NT.
ii.
Does not adequately explain why
there is a God-fearing Priest/King in Canaan before the Exodus. Shem is the
only conduit of right knowledge that might serve the purpose.
- In either
case, the same points can be drawn.
- “The
Levitical priesthood was entirely hereditary, through Aaron. Melchizedek’s was personal. From the beginning of the Aaronic priesthood, genealogy determined everything, personal qualification nothing. If you descended from
Aaron, you could serve; if you did not, you could not. Consequently, the priests often were more concerned about their pedigrees than their holiness… The point is that Melchizedek’s parentage and origin are irrelevant to his priesthood. Whereas to the Aaronic priesthood
genealogy was everything, to the Melchizedek priesthood it was
nothing.” John MacArthur New
Testament Commentary: Hebrews (1983: The Moody Bible Institute,
Chicago)
- He
[Melchizedek] continues as a priest forever.
- Levitical
priests individually had discrete years of service, from 25 as
assistants (30 years old at ordination) to 50 (mandatory retirement).
- Collectively,
the entire order of priests had a definite origin (Ex 32:29) and a
definite end (AD 70).
1)
Genealogical records all destroyed
with the temple.
2)
Today, Jews claiming to belong to
Levi or the priesthood (Kohen) claim to have kept meticulous genealogical
records since the destruction of the temple, but all records from that point
back were lost, so it is a matter of faith.
- Heb
7:4-10 The greatness of Melchizedek is set as greater even than Abraham on the basis of the tithe and the blessing.
- Tithes:
- Tithes
are paid by the lesser to the greater as an act of worship.
- Tithes
are prescribed by the law, but the principle is older and universal.
- The
tithes paid by the children of Israel to the Levites validated their
call by God and their role as priests.
- Abraham’s
Tithe to Melchizedek validates Melchizedek’s call by God and his role as
a priest that is even greater than that of Levi.
1)
Levi is lesser than Abraham as his
descendant
2)
Levi is “in” Abraham and therefore
pays a Tithe to Melchizedek.
- Vs 8:
Mortal men vs. “One of whom it is testified that he lives.” Messiah is still alive.
- Blessing:
Melchizedek blesses Abram, and the greater blesses the lesser.
- To a
Jew, the Priest was the center of their spiritual life
- To a
Jew, Abraham is the most revered character in History.
- Melchizedek
was greater than both, a type of Christ.
- Application:
- Salvation
will not come through the Law. Look to Christ.
- Messiah
will be a Priest/King. This is
impossible under the Levitical system
- Melchizedek
as a type of Christ is greater than the greatest personages and offices
in Judaism
- Jesus is
a more perfect King. His
leadership in your life can be trusted.
- Jesus is
a more perfect Priest. His
atonement for your sin is worthy of your faith.
Discussion
Questions
- What does
it mean that Jesus is our:
- Prophet?
- Priest?
- King?
- Are there
any of these kinds of leadership ones that you haven’t understood Jesus to
have before?
- Is there
any kind of leadership that you haven’t let Jesus have over your life
before?
- Abraham
honored Melchizedek and gave him a large portion of his wealth. Do you give some of what you earn to God as he did? If not, would you consider doing so?
- If
Abraham, who is a very important person in history and faith, honored
Melchizedek and we know that Jesus is even greater than Melchizedek, how should we treat Jesus? Do you?
