Melchizedek The Priest

Hebrews 7:1–10
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We now come to the mysterious king-priest Melchizedek (v. 1). We do not know a great deal about him. In Genesis 14 there are only three verses about him (Gen. 14:18-20). The writer of Hebrews uses this story from Genesis to show that Christ is even greater than Abraham, father of the Jewish nation, and Levi (Abraham’s descendant). Therefore, the Jewish priesthood (made up of Levi’s descendants) was inferior to Melchizedek’s priesthood (A type of Christ’s priesthood).

A thousand years later David makes a brief mention about him in Psalm 110:4. And now after another thousand years, the writer of Hebrews gives us a little more information about him. The writer sees in the name of Melchizedek, and in the name of his city, indications of the kind of king he was (v. 2). There is much speculation about Melchizedek, but it seems that he was a historical person whose ministry was a type of Christ. He was the king of Salem, which became Jerusalem.

Melchizedek was a king and priest whose priestly order was “forever,” which is the main teaching of Christ in this chapter. The writer then says something very strange about Melchizedek that the text in Genesis does not say (vv. 3-10): He had no parents, genealogy, birth or death. Unlike other important figures in Genesis, none of these things was recorded about Melchizedek. He just wanders onto the pages of Genesis for a few verses and wanders off. Jesus, in His incarnation, had a father (the Heavenly Father), a mother, and a recorded genealogy - a kingly genealogy, but not a priestly genealogy (vv. 5-10). Like Melchizedek, Jesus is qualified to be a priest without the expected ancestry. Christ did not achieve His position by the authority of earthly parents. He had no descendants to take His position. He too is a continual priest, and He is the Son of God.

Application

The Lord Jesus, my great High Priest, lives forever in heaven. When I am tempted to make compromising deals in this world I need to remember that my dependence must be in Him.