Hebrews as Muse -- Melchizedek & Jesus -- Hebrews 7
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything” Hebrews 7:1, 2.
These words follow the last sentence of Hebrews 6, where we saw that Jesus has entered the inner place (Holy of Holies) as a forerunner on our behalf, a sufficient sacrifice for our sins, and then it says, “having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Who is this mysterious guy?
He first appears in Genesis 14, where he meets Abraham after his successful battle against several kings who had captured his nephew Lot. He had fought them, defeated them, then pursued those who ran north of Damascus, recovering lost possessions. Melchizedek meets him as he returns and we are told, “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine (he was a priest of God) and he blessed Abraham and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand’” Then we are told Abram gave him a tenth of everything. That’s about all we know about Melchizedek. He exits the scene, and we never hear from him again (exception in Psalm 110), until mentioned by the Hebrews author.
We are told in Hebrews 7:2 that his name means “king of righteousness” and he is also called “king of Salem.” Salem means peace, so he is king of peace. And, oddly, we are told “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 as priest forever.” As a result, some believe he was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus.
You may remember above that I mentioned an exception, Psalm 110. We find these words, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Who is a priest forever? Back up a couple of verses and we find, “The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” It is talking about Jesus. He is this ultimate priest.
But unlike normal priests, with Jesus there was a difference. Levitical priests lived, sinned like all people do, had to make sacrifices for themselves, and they died. But Jesus had no sin, sacrificed himself as the “once for all” perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:27), and became the mediator between God and man, replacing the temporary sacrificial system of Leviticus. This system had a purpose. It constantly pointed to Jesus, who would fulfill the prophecies and become what saves us from sin and our inability to perfectly keep the Law of Moses. He is the perfection needed, and we must wrap ourselves in him!
How does that happen? In Galatians 3 the apostle Paul talks about, “before faith came, we were held captive under the Law. The Law was our guardian until Christ came.” And then he answers the question of how we wrap ourselves in his perfection. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” When we accept Jesus as Lord in faith, the response asked for is for us to be baptized, representing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And when we comply, we “put on Christ” or we are wrapped in Christ. Now, sinful as we are, when God looks at us, he sees Jesus, and his perfection becomes ours! As long as we maintain faith in the Son of God who Melchizedek represents, following Jesus as disciples.
Cross Point: "This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant . . . . Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him . . . ." (Hebrews 7:22,25)
These words follow the last sentence of Hebrews 6, where we saw that Jesus has entered the inner place (Holy of Holies) as a forerunner on our behalf, a sufficient sacrifice for our sins, and then it says, “having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Who is this mysterious guy?
He first appears in Genesis 14, where he meets Abraham after his successful battle against several kings who had captured his nephew Lot. He had fought them, defeated them, then pursued those who ran north of Damascus, recovering lost possessions. Melchizedek meets him as he returns and we are told, “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine (he was a priest of God) and he blessed Abraham and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand’” Then we are told Abram gave him a tenth of everything. That’s about all we know about Melchizedek. He exits the scene, and we never hear from him again (exception in Psalm 110), until mentioned by the Hebrews author.
We are told in Hebrews 7:2 that his name means “king of righteousness” and he is also called “king of Salem.” Salem means peace, so he is king of peace. And, oddly, we are told “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 as priest forever.” As a result, some believe he was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus.
You may remember above that I mentioned an exception, Psalm 110. We find these words, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Who is a priest forever? Back up a couple of verses and we find, “The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” It is talking about Jesus. He is this ultimate priest.
But unlike normal priests, with Jesus there was a difference. Levitical priests lived, sinned like all people do, had to make sacrifices for themselves, and they died. But Jesus had no sin, sacrificed himself as the “once for all” perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:27), and became the mediator between God and man, replacing the temporary sacrificial system of Leviticus. This system had a purpose. It constantly pointed to Jesus, who would fulfill the prophecies and become what saves us from sin and our inability to perfectly keep the Law of Moses. He is the perfection needed, and we must wrap ourselves in him!
How does that happen? In Galatians 3 the apostle Paul talks about, “before faith came, we were held captive under the Law. The Law was our guardian until Christ came.” And then he answers the question of how we wrap ourselves in his perfection. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” When we accept Jesus as Lord in faith, the response asked for is for us to be baptized, representing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. And when we comply, we “put on Christ” or we are wrapped in Christ. Now, sinful as we are, when God looks at us, he sees Jesus, and his perfection becomes ours! As long as we maintain faith in the Son of God who Melchizedek represents, following Jesus as disciples.
Cross Point: "This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant . . . . Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him . . . ." (Hebrews 7:22,25)
Posted in Cross Points