Unlocking the Mystery of Melchizedek

Does anyone here remember these or even know what they are? (8 track tape)

Cassette

Floppy Disk

Rotary phone (by the way, if you are in the market for a rotary phone, I found one on e-bay starting at $98)

What do all these have in common?

They are all things that have become obsolete…

If you are going to live successfully in this day and age…you have to be willing to acknowledge what you once thought was good is now obsolete, worthless.

That doesn’t just apply to the possessions you own, it also applies to the views you hold.

You have to be prepared to constantly evaluate your views and patterns of thinking to see if those too are obsolete...

you have be prepared to change your way of thinking about things…

So let me ask you this question..

Are your views and efforts about drawing near to God obsolete and in need of an upgrade?

you might be here and have concluded that you’re too far gone to have a relationship with God

you’re damaged goods...

What if that opinion is biblically obsolete…do you think you need an upgrade?

or those who think I draw near to God on the merit of my own works…

I have earned the way myself…

What if that idea contradicts Scripture?

And what if that relationship you think you have, that is based on your own work, is not the real thing?

Would you be willing to consider an upgrade to that line of thinking?

What about those who would say that I’m finding a way to joy, or peace, or satisfaction without God.

I have a substitute way…

I’m in a relationship now with someone who really makes me happy.

I’m going to find satisfaction through my education, my success, by amassing things...

or those who are all into drugs, or alcohol abuse…trying to find lasting joy and peace in substances.

how’s that working out for you?

If it was lasting, why didn’t you stop after the first time?

If you’ve been with us for while you know we are walking through Hebrews and we arrive today at chapter 7.

And being the astute Bible students that you are, you have been waiting with great anticipation for us to get to this chapter so we can find out more about this mysterious Melchizedek fellow.

And you’re probably wondering what all this “obsolete needing an upgrade” nonsense has to do with Melchizedek.

We’ve said all along that Hebrews is a book that is all about the superiority of Jesus Christ…

Jesus is better than the prophets, and He’s better than the angels, and He’s better than the OT sacrificial system, and He’s better than Moses…

And the writer is exhorting these Jewish believers to “upgrade” their thinking…we’ll explain this more as we go.

Because in chapter 7 the writer is going to significantly raise the stakes…he is going to say Jesus is superior to all the Levitical priests in the temple…the Levitical priesthood is now obsolete.

This was a serious challenge to the way they viewed their relationship with God…

He is going to challenge them with the truth that...

Main Point: Drawing Near to God Only Happens Through Jesus.

Since Pastor Matthew and John wanted me to handle the most difficult texts, I am laying the ground work for them…I’m giving them their main point…it is the same throughout the next few chapters...

The argument the writer begins here carries from Chapter 7 through chapter 10 concerning the priestly ministry of Jesus.

He provides his Hebrew audience with evidence after evidence that proves Jesus’ priestly ministry is far more superior to the Levitical priesthood.

There is a lot to digest in these chapters about Jesus’ priestly ministry.

As we embark on chapter 7, like every other chapter we’ve read in this study – this one is going to stretch us…

but if you hang on tight you can understand what the writer is saying and the ways this might specifically apply to you…

Hebrews 7 is not for the theologically faint of heart…he is going to begin proving his point with an examination of Melchizedek.

We have to at least acknowledge this... the writer did warn us…do you remember Hebrews 5:10–11 “being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

you could draw a line between chapter 5 verses 10-11 and chapter 7 verse 1 because everything in between was intended to deal with the “being “dull of hearing” issue…

but now he’s ready to help us tackle this subject.

Even if you are brand new to studying the Bible, the overall point here is not nearly as elusive as it might seem…

you can get this…and you can find it helpful to where you’re living today…

you just need to know a little bit about the Levitical priesthood, a little bit about biblical typology, and a little bit about this man named Melchizedek.

after that, it will be a breeze…let’s first examine the Levitical priesthood.

The Levitical priests were the central part of Judaism.

perhaps they were even more so than the law…why?

because everyone knew they would break the OT law…that was always a foregone conclusion

At the same time God gave Moses the law, He also instructed him to establish the priesthood…

The priests were men chosen from the tribe of Levi who would offer sacrifices for the sins of the people.

The Latin word for priest is pontifex…take it apart and it means “path maker or “bridge builder”…

the priest was the one who made the path, or built the bridge from man to God, and these individuals were very, very important to the Jew.

The Jews understood that their sins separated them from their God…

Which was symbolized by the heavy veil in the temple…

and that regular sacrifices had to be made for their sin…

So if they wanted to be near to God, they needed help…they needed someone to bridge that gap.

The book of Leviticus literally means in its Greek form – “matters of the Levites”

and some have said that you can’t really understand the book of Hebrews apart from a working knowledge of Leviticus…

These men and their function in the life of Israel, was highly prized…

For the Jewish man or woman, the priests were central to what it mean to drawing near to God.

that is why the writer of this book is being very gentle with his readers...

For them to recognize that the Levitical priesthood was now obsolete was a HUGE ask…to trust in Jesus alone was a complete upgrade to their thinking and way of life…

He doesn’t just come right out and say “Jesus is superior to the priests in the temple. Deal with it. Life’s hard. Get a helmet.”

He appeals to them with logic…and his first logical argument is there is another person in the Old Testament…whose story should have prepared you for the day that the OT priesthood would become obsolete…his name is Melchizedek.

Now let’s talk a minute about biblical typology.

Biblical typology is where something is used in the OT to point to a truth that will occur more fully in the NT.

For example – in Numbers 21 we have the historical narrative of the serpent on the pole

Those who were bitten by the snakes were told to look up to that serpent on the pole and live

we know that that was a picture of Christ…because Jesus told us so

John 3:14 ““As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;”

that’s a simple example of a type – the serpent on the pole pointed to the Savior on the cross….

In Exodus 12 with the Passover Lamb...

Exodus 12:5 “‘Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”

1 Peter 1:18–19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

The passover lamb pointed to Jesus as the unblemished and spotless lamb that was sacrificed on our behalf.

So an important aspect to keep in mind is that types are always frail illustrations...

The illustration does not fully compare with the reality.

So as we examine Melchizedek, we need to remember that he in no way deserves equality with Jesus…he is just a picture of the reality of Jesus.

believe it or not, now all of this can begin falling into place…

Melchizedek is a typology of Jesus.

What do we know about Melchizedek?

Not much.

Other than the book of Hebrews, this man is only mentioned twice in Scripture…Genesis 14, and Psalm 110…so as good students of Scripture, let’s gather the data necessary by turning to those texts.

Genesis 14:17-20

In this passage, Melchizedek comes out of nowhere…literally…

here’s the short version

Abraham received word that a group of kings had come together and gone to war against another coalition of kings…

and in the process of the battle, Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family were captured…

So Abraham teamed up with some kings and they went after this group…and it is a marvelous story of military brilliance…

but Abraham won the battle, and rescued Lot, and came away with significant resources as spoils in the victory…here’s what happened…

Genesis 14:17–20 “Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him 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.” He gave him a tenth of all.”

So what data can we gather from this...

We don’t know when or where Melchizedek came on the scene of biblical history, we don’t know where he went from here…

We know that he was a king and a priest…

We know that Abraham immediately recognized him,

We know that Abraham gave him a tithe of all the spoils of the battle,

We know that Melchizedek blessed Abraham…

We do not read anything else about this man in Scripture until…

Psalm 110:4

This is a royal Psalm; speaking about the coming Messiah…it is frequently quoted in the NT…

Psalm 110:4 “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.””

God says to His coming Messiah, whom we know to be His own Son…you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek…

The key word there is according to...

Hebrews 7:1-10

Remember the whole argument of Hebrews is that Jesus is superior and now he turns to the first record of a priestly ministry that was already superior to that of the Levites to prove his point.

Evidence that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham (1-4)

He is the king of righteousness and peace.

Hebrews 7:1–2 “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, which is king of peace.”

Melchizedek = “my king is righteous”

Salem is understood by most scholars to be Jerusalem

Salem means peace

Both these characteristics, righteousness and peace are Messianic…Isaiah 9:6–7..point us to Jesus.

He is a priest of the Most High God.‌

This really is a fascinating statement (at least to me)…let me walk you through it.

‌In relation to Israel, God took the name of Jehovah.

When God revealed Himself to Moses he said “Tell them I Am has sent you.”

That is YHWH (no vowels) or Yahweh in the Hebrew, but no Jew would say the name of God; it was too holy.

So, since the Jews did not want to say the name Yahweh, they took the consonants of YHWH and the vowels out of Adonai which means Lord, and stuck them together to get Yehowah, which is Jehovah.

‌YHWH + Adonai = Yehowah = Jehovah

So Jehovah’s not really the name of God.

‌It’s only that name which Israel came up with in an effort not to say Yahweh, and yet express what they wanted to express.

‌So Jehovah is a combination word, and it deals strictly with Israel; and Aaron’s priests were priests of Jehovah...‌

Most High God = Hebrew equivalent is El-Elyon— reaches everywhere and everything in heaven…this is the universal name of God that includes both Jew and Gentile…far broader than the Jewish term, Jehovah.

In the sense of His universal rule and character as it involves all men; and this means that Melchizedek’s priesthood is not limited to a nation.‌

He is not just priest of Jehovah. He is priest of the Most High God, El Elyon.

Under Mosaic law, a priest could not also hold the office of king‌

but Melchizedek was both priest and king!

Jesus is the perfect blend of priest and king…not only does He take men to God, he rules men for God.

Zechariah 6:13 (NASB95)

“Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’

‌The significance is this...

‌Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel, but of the world; so it is very important to establish Melchizedek’s priesthood as universal if you’re going to say Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek blesses Abraham

Abraham was the greatest in the Jewish mind because he was the great patriarch.

Blessings always came from the greater to the lesser…from the superior to the inferior.

The fact that Melchizedek blesses Abraham, the head of the Old Covenant, is astounding.

The Genesis account and the writer of Hebrews show Melchizedek as being greater than Abraham.

His priesthood is an appointment from God.

Hebrews 7:3 “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.”

Levitical priests were priests by lineage.

‌In other words, you could not be a priest if you could not trace your ancestry back to that of Levi.

When the Jews returned from captivity many of their records were lost…

so when they established worship in the temple, there had to be some record of your genealogy before you could serve in the temple.

Ezra 2:62 “These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood.”

Melchizedek’s lineage and origin are unknown because they were irrelevant to his priesthood.

He enters into the Genesis story as if he has no mother, no father, and no sons.

Melchizedek was a man (see Heb. 7:4), so he had to have had a mother and father

But there is no record of his genealogy (“descent”) in the Old Testament; and this is significant because most great persons in the Old Testament have their ancestry identified.

The writer is using this verse to enforce that Melchizedek’s priesthood had nothing to do with ancestry or descent.

He was a priest because God appointed him as such.

He is like the Son of God

Notice he doesn’t say the Son of God is like Melchizedek…Melchizedek is like the Son of God…this is a statement of typology.

if the writer of Hebrews wanted us to equate them, he would have told us…Melchizedek is Jesus...he wanted his audience to be clear who Jesus is.

Melchizedek is a man whom God designed to be a picture of Jesus Christ.

His priesthood is perpetual.

The Levitical priesthood was limited by time.

The Jewish priest would begin when he turned 25, served 5 years before he could do it alone, and then his ministry would end at age 50…Numbers 8:25.

There is no restriction placed on Melchizedek.

N‌ot only is the Bible silent on his genealogy, it is also silent about his death.

The Scriptural references to the priesthood of Melchizedek speaks as those he is alive continuing to minister…a picture of Jesus.

Abraham tithed to Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:4 “Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.”

He mentioned this once in verse 1, but gives us more detail here.

“tenth of the choicest spoils”...

This is no small gift.

He just defeated a large number of kings and taken all of their possessions.

One does not give a tithe to another without it being an obligation.

He feels, as a matter of obligation to God Most High, that he should give this priest a tenth of everything he had obtained.

This tithe would not have been a small tip but a large payment made by one of Israel’s most important figures.

By tithing to him, he acknowledge his greatness over him.

Abraham is addressed as a “patriarch” is another important detail in this verse.

In the New Testament, the word patriarch does not appear many times, it denotes the highest level of honor in Jewish life

By attaching this title of respect to Abraham, the author demonstrates the superiority of Melchizedek, even when compared to Abraham, the great patriarch.

In other words, even Abraham, the great patriarch, pales in comparison to Melchizedek since he is the one that is blessed by this priest and is also the one who gives this priest a tenth of all his spoils.

Evidence that Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priests (5-10)

He uses a lot of words here to make one simple point…let’s trace his argument and then make the point.

Levitical priests descended from Abraham.

They received tithes from other sons of Abraham because of their priestly service.

Abraham was the most blessed human being on the planet because he recieved the promises from God.

Melchizedek gave a blessing to the most blessed human, making him superior to Abraham.

Even the Levites, through Abraham, gave tithes to Melchizedek.

His point: The Old Testament itself showed that the Levitical priesthood was always meant to give way to something greater!

There was already somebody who preceded the Levitical priests who was superior to them…

And that opens the door for the possibility that someday the ministry of the Levitical priests will be obsolete.

The OT sacrificial system is like an 8 track tape…it’s been replaced with something better…in fact, more accurately stated, it’s been replaced by Someone better…

I think we have a lot on the table to digest so let’s take a breath and bring this home to today.

Life Lesson: Only Jesus Can Provide the Way for You To Draw Near to God.‌

I’m wondering about the person here this morning who really believes he/she can earn a relationship with God on the basis of your good works alone…

maybe that’s what you were taught…maybe that’s what you’ve just always believed…

but when you open the pages of Scripture you learn that your sin has separated you from a holy God and that apart from trusting Christ as Savior, you can never genuinely draw near…

your wrong belief about how to know God is in need of a serious upgrade...

What your using to draw near to God won’t work and its of no value.

I’m thinking also about the person who is trying all sorts of substitutes to find peace and joy and righteousness…apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

There is nothing this world can offer you that will provide the joy and peace.

Believer, if you have allowed the allurements of this world to push Jesus to the back…you’ve allowed your spiritual life to drift…you’re wondering why you don’t feel as close to God as you once did or would like to…

Could it be your way of thinking and living is obsolete…you need an upgrade.

When it comes to drawing near to God, there is no other way than through a vibrant relationship with Jesus.