We are taking a look at an Old Testament priest named Melchizedek. He is a mysterious character who appears out of the blue in Genesis and disappears from the pages of the Bible just as quickly.
The author has been comparing Christ to Melchizedek. They were both appointed by God as priests although neither of them was of the priestly tribe of Israel. Each of them was a king, although Melchizedek was not of the royal line of Judah and although Christ has not yet received His kingdom. Both of these men were appointed by God to be both king and priest, a thing that could not occur while living under the Mosaic law. Under the law, only a man from the tribe of Levi could be high priest and only a man from the tribe of Judah could be king. But Melchizedek lived before the law, so it didn't apply to him. Christ fulfilled the law and established a new covenant of grace, so the rules about being both a king and a priest don't apply to Him either.
"This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means 'king of righteousness'; then also, 'king of Salem' means 'king of peace'. Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever." (Hebrews 7:1-3) Sometimes we tend to think of Abraham as the only person of the ancient world who believed in and served the one true God, but there were likely many people besides Abraham who rejected pagan idolatry and gave their allegiance to Almighty God. Melchizedek was one of these people.
There are several instances in the Old Testament of what are known as "Christophanies"----pre-incarnate appearances of Christ. Many scholars hold to the theory that the appearance of Melchizedek is one of these Christophanies. They think because he is called by titles that Christ can also claim (king of righteousness, king of peace) and because no one seems to know his lineage or where he came from, then these men are one and the same. I used to hold to that theory too. I no longer subscribe to it myself, but you are in good company if you do, for many reputable scholars and theologians believe this. I am not 100% convinced that Melchizedek was not an Old Testament appearance of Christ, but am about 90% convinced that he was a real man living on the earth in the days of Abraham. In those days the head of a tribe was recognized as king over it, and in those days the head of each family served as priest for the family. Job (who is believed to have lived at around the time of Abraham and certainly before the time of Moses) performed these priestly duties for his family by making sacrifices for them and interceding for them with God. This would allow for Melchizedek being a king and priest at the same time, and in his case he was not only priest of his family but high priest of his whole tribe.
Abraham only met Melchizedek once, as far as we know, and he had no knowledge of his genealogy. He knew that this man was king of Salem, which is probably the area that is now known as Jerusalem. He knew that this man was a priest who served the same God he served. But he had no idea who Melchizedek's father or mother were, or when he was born, or when he eventually died. These type of details were very important later to the nation of Israel, for they kept detailed records of family trees and of birth dates and death dates. They carefully wrote down the reigns of kings and the terms that each priest served. A high priest's term did not end until his death, but Abraham knew nothing of what later became of Melchizedek, so this man lived on in his memory. In our minds, people are still alive unless we hear that they have passed on. There are people who were dear to me when I was growing up, but in the years since I've lost track of them and I don't know whether they are living or dead. So in my mind it's as if they are still alive somewhere, and maybe that's how Abraham thought of Melchizedek. Melchizedek very well may have outlived Abraham anyway, since we don't know which of them was older than the other. Since Abraham knew nothing of Melchizedek's lineage, Moses could say nothing about it when he wrote the book of Genesis, so the author of Hebrews can't say anything about it either.
We are going to get deeper into this subject in the coming days while we look at the three top theories of who Melchizedek was and while we study the reasons for and against each theory. I personally have always found this subject fascinating. I love a mystery and this is definitely a mystery. So I hope you'll join me while we search for clues in God's word as to the identity of this priest.
***There may not be a blog post for Monday morning. I have to leave home around 5:30 to go in for a medical test under sedation so I probably won't have enough time to work on the blog beforehand. If I am alert enough after I get back home I'll try to work on it. I'd appreciate prayers that my procedure goes safely and that the doctor can figure out and treat a medical problem I've been having for three months. Thank you!***
No comments:
Post a Comment