Trust in the Faithfulness and Victory of our Great King-Priest
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 115 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning, church!
Announcements about
Father’s Day
VBS
Picnic
Splash Party
First Time Guests
If this is your first time visiting RND, we are so glad you are here. What you’ll find here is an imperfect people, worshipping a perfect Savior.
After our time together, I’ll be standing at the front door—we would love to give you a gift, mug and free movie tickets, and have the opportunity introduce myself!
Recap
Recap
Would you turn with me to Genesis 14?
If you’re new with us, we’re now on our third week after returning to our series in Genesis.
Two weeks ago, Nathan picked up where we left off in Genesis at the end of 2024, starting at Genesis 12.
We broke up the book this way—that is, one section focused on Genesis 1–11 and then another stretch starting from Genesis 12 through the end—because the first chunk is devoted broadly by the author to the origins of shared human history.
Where did we come from?
God’s creation
How did things end up like this?
Man went his own way
What is to come?
God promised to send a deliverer.
And the second chunk, starting in Genesis 12, focuses on the origins of God’s chosen people who would come through the lineage of one family, the family of Abraham.
It would be through this lineage, the lineage of the Hebrews (later known as the Israelites or the Jews) that that deliverer who would crush the head of the serpent promised in Genesis 3 would come—Jesus, the Messiah!
I want to go back and highlight for us that significant promise that God made to Abram at the start of Genesis 12:1-3 because it’ll be relevant for our text today.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is a monumental promise given by the Lord and, yet, immediately Abram finds himself tested in the next couple of chapters.
If you guys remember in that same chapter, there was a famine in the land that led Abram to flee from the land God promised him as he went to find food in Egypt.
It was there that instead of trusting in the promise of the Lord, that God would make of him a great nation, Abram instead feared for his life and lied to the Egyptians saying Sarai, his wife, was actually his sister.
Abram failed that test
In the next chapter, chapter 11, which Andrew walked us through last week, we saw that Abram was then tested by abundance as his and his nephew Lot’s possessions were so great that they couldn’t dwell together anymore.
Even though Abram could’ve chosen the more favorable land, he left it up to Lot to decide his lot, if you will, and told him to choose which part of the land he wanted and Abram would take whatever part he didn’t choose.
Abram started to demonstrate faith that wherever he ended up, God would make good on his promise to make him into a great nation.
Finally, we find Abram tested a third time, this time not by famine nor by abundance, but by an attack on his family.
Would he keep faith in the promise of God to make his name great, to bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him (and, by extension, his family)?
Let’s find out.
In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Pray
Intro: Saving Private Ryan
Intro: Saving Private Ryan
Where are my movie fans at?
The American movie industry, of course has it’s problems, but seems to have gotten one thing right: We all love a good rescue story.
We all clap when we first see Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star.
Our hearts are put to ease when the Eagles pick up Frodo and Sam on the hills of Mount Doom after throwing the one ring into the volcano fire.
We all stand impressed with a sense of justice when we hear Liam Neeson make that famous threat to those who had Taken his daughter.
But, my favorite rescue movie has to be Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1998.
Although the opening scene is quite graphic in its depictions of the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in WWII, the movie follows Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his small squad are sent on a costly mission across war-torn France to rescue Private James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) who is missing somewhere behind enemy lines.
The Ryan family lost three of their sons in the war and the General ordered this group to go find and bring home their fourth son.
And they do—at great cost and with great courage, the squad finds Private Ryan and brings him safely home.
“Where’s the sense of risking the lives of 8 of us to save one guy?”
What we find in Genesis 14 is a rescue mission, not set on the beaches of Normandy, but in the ancient Near East, as Abram’s nephew Lot gets caught up in the crossfire of some ancient kings and gets taken away. And when Abram gets word of it, he turns from an old nomad to Liam Neeson and sets out to rescue Lot with a small band of 300 men, Spartan style.
And, ultimately as we learn from the words of the first King-Priest Melchizedek (one who would point to a greater King-Priest to come) it is God who gets the glory as the One who delivered his enemies into his hand.
All in fulfillment of his promise back in Genesis 12 to make a great name of Abram, to bless those who bless him, and to curse those who curse him.
With that being said, if there’s one takeaway application I want us to leave here today from our time in God’s Word today it’s this:
Trust in the Faithfulness and Victory of our Great King-Priest.
If you’re here as a visitor and you don’t know Christ,
We are glad you’re here.
What I hope you see from this text and our time here together this morning is that
our God, the God of the Bible, is able and faithful to fulfill all of His promises.
And, ultimately, as 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us: “all the promises of God find their Yes in him” that is in Jesus—who is our Great King and Eternal Priest.
Look to Him with us this morning.
With this in mind, I want to break up our time this morning into 2 parts
1. The Rescue Mission (Genesis 14:1–16) and
2. The Mysterious Meeting of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17–24)
The Rescue Mission (Genesis 14:1–16)
The Rescue Mission (Genesis 14:1–16)
I’ll throw a map up here on the screen to help us visualize what’s going on in this international and political conflict.
Show overview map
What we have here is the Bible’s first mention of a military battle as a coalition of 4 kings from the East—in the Mesopotamian Region—led by Kedorlaomer King of Elam, come to confront 5 kings of the West.
The nations in the East, as we can see are around modern day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
The cities in the West are lumped next to the Dead Sea
Their kingdoms are small
We can think of them more like City-states than the sovereign nations we have today
Verse four tells us that 12 years, the 5 western kings and others were under the rule of the Eastern kings and, thus, paid tribute to them.
Kind of like taxes, but less routine and more out of allegiance and submission.
But on the 13th year, they decided to collectively rebel against their sovereigns and refuse to pay.
It didn’t take long then for the 4 Eastern kings to gather a coalition together to respond.
And, yet, one could ask the question here why they would bother traveling hundreds of miles—which, of course, was much more difficult back then—to confront these small cities.
Some have suggested it was to take control of a crucial trade route along what was known as the King’s Highway (on the map)
Perhaps it was to obtain copper which was plentiful around that region or maybe just to have outposts as they set their eyes beyond that region to Egypt.
We don’t know exactly, but it was important enough to them to engage in this conflict from afar.
show conflict map
We’re told from the biblical account, in verses 5–7, that they started by taking out all of the groups of people who would be potential allies to the western kings.
Like taking out someone air defense capabilities before launching your main attack.
You can see them come down the King’s Highway, along that blue line, and defeat the Rephaites at the top, the Zuzites below them, the Emites further south, before going all the way around to the South and taking out the Horites, the Amalekites, and finally the Amorites in this pinwheel fashion.
Nobody could stand against the invading kings, even though some of these groups of people like the Emites would be referred to in Deut. 2:10 as a people great, many, and tall.
Taking out any support the western kings could muster up, the two coalitions finally clashed at the Valley of Siddim, south of the Dead Sea, in verses 8–10.
The invaders prevailed, and the Bible says some of the kings fled and fell into tar pits along the way—although this could also mean the hid inside them as a way of escape.
At the end of the day, the conquerers helped themselves to the spoils of their victory, taking food, loot, and prisoners, which leads us to the hinge verse in verse 12.
Without this verse, this story would have little significance to us—I mean, you probably didn’t come to the gathering today hoping we’d learn about battles in the Ancient Near East.
Without this verse, this account probably wouldn’t have been included in the Bible.
Here’s why this particular conflict was important.
English Standard Version Chapter 14
They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
There were many prisoners of war, but the story only speaks of one and that is the son of Abram’s brother, Lot.
They took a member of Abram’s household and soon they’re about to find out.
Lot gets caught in the cross fire of this whole thing, but not without blame.
You see, by this point Lot had moved from living “near Sodom” (13:12) to living “in Sodom” (14:12).
Why is that worth pointing out?
Because, if you remember when Andrew walked us through Genesis 13 last week, we read about how Abram gave Lot the choice of where to settle his family and how Lot chose the land to the East because of its beauty without necessarily thinking through the dangers that would come with it.
That text gave us a heads up of what the dangers of moving near Sodom would be.
Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
If that’s the case, Lot’s move from being “near Sodom” to living “in Sodom” seems to suggest that he got mixed up in the mess and evil of the city.
Reminds me of when Paul warned the Corinthian church in 1 Cor. 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
As one put it, he had already become a slave to sin before he ever became a prisoner of war.
And here he is suffering the consequences of his actions.
He played with fire and got burnt
Lot is that family member that keeps getting into trouble because of his poor choices.
Some would say Lot was appropriately named because he was—well—A LOT.
Not only would he get mixed up in the evil of Sodom, get taken captive, and have to give up his one phone call to Uncle Abe.
We’ll soon find Lot back at the gates of Sodom, before the Lord reigns fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 19
There again, Uncle Abram attempts to intercede for him to the Lord, asking for the Lord to hold back his wrath on the city if he finds just 10 righteous people
(spoiler alert: he doesn’t find 10 righteous people there).
Yet again, through God’s gracious preservation of Abram’s family, Lot again is spared and saved from worse consequences to his actions.
Application:
Before we look at Lot with disgust or remember that family member who gives us those Lot vibes, let us remember that Lot is neither the first nor the last person who doesn’t get what He deserves.
As Jesus warned,
English Standard Version Chapter 7
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye
You and I—the fact that we are here in this room right now, breathing, is evidence that God, in His mercy, has not given us what we deserve.
The Bible’s clear in Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death,
What each of us deserve is the just wrath of God
And yet, as that verse continues:
English Standard Version Chapter 6
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ took on Himself the wrath the we deserved and gave us the reward of eternal life that only He deserves.
Let us give glory to God for His mercy toward us.
In any case, we might expect Abram to respond more like we would in a situation like this.
“Listen, I gave Lot the first choice of the land. He’ll have to suffer the consequences of his own decisions.”
I don’t think any of us would blame him for taking that approach.
And yet, Abram responds with compassion and resolve
As verse 14 says,
English Standard Version Chapter 14
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his
Notice that they were trained men.
Implying that Abram prepped for conflicts like this. . .though he probably didn’t expect to be this outnumbered.
Though he trusted in God to fulfill His promises, that didn’t mean he sat back and did nothing.
He didn’t “Let go and Let God”
Having Faith in God’s promises does not preclude our preparation.
On that, Theologian JI Packer suggests a better alternative to the motto “Let go and let God” which has the temptation of leading to passivity
He suggets a better motto is to
“Trust God and Get Going!”
We see Abram take that approach here.
He did the work of prepping his people and then ultimately trusted God would deliver the victory as he went in pursuit of these seemingly unbeatable enemies.
Verse 15 tells us his strategy in dividing the forces to attack them by night—giving them any advantage they could get against a larger force—
and the text says they defeated them
Hebrews 7 would even say he slaughtered them
pursuing them to Hobah, north of Damascus—so he pursued them even to the region beyond.
v. 16 “Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.”
Taking a step back, what we find in this whole episode is that, as one commentator Philip Bethancourt puts it,
“Abram’s conquest establishes a pattern of kingdom warfare in which God brings about an unlikely victory over an undefeated enemy through an unexpected deliverer for an undeserving people.”
Consider the many stories throughout Scripture that follow this pattern.
The Exodus
Undefeated Enemy: Moses and the people pursued by the far more powerful army of the Egyptians
Unlikely Victory: The Lord divides the sea so the people could walk through and then closes the walls of the sea on top of the army
Or the small shepherd boy David who took down the undefeated giant Goliath
Or how the Lord led Gideon, who was from the weakest clan and the least in his family, and his 300 men to overcome the vast army of the Midianites who had been oppressing the Israelites for years.
Consider then how this pattern finds it’s culmination in the work of our Great King Jesus.
I’ll again read how Bethancourt puts it:
“No enemy was ever more undefeated than death.
No victory was ever more unlikely than what happened at the cross and tomb.
And considering his being born into a poor family and lack of military or political connection, no deliverer was more unexpected than Jesus.
Nevertheless, this son of Abraham follows the way of Abram, leaving the comfort of God’s place to go on a rescue mission for God’s [undeserving] people so he can restore them to God’s purpose.”
Genesis 14 then is not just a story of how, through the faithfulness and victory of our God, Abram rescues his nephew Lot,
but it also points to a Greater Rescue provided to us through the person and work of Jesus.
Transition:
Perhaps one of the reasons we love rescue stories in movies is that the Lord put in our hearts a desire to be rescued which He has ultimately provided in Jesus.
So, that was The Rescue Mission, let’s turn our eyes to the next part of the story. . .
The Mysterious Meeting of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17–24)
The Mysterious Meeting of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17–24)
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. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him 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!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
The text then turns to this meeting Abram has with two kings upon his return from battle, the King of Sodom—who seems to escape, potentially having hid out in those tar pits mentioned earlier,
and the King of Salem, named Melchizedek, who seems to come out of nowhere.
What we find is a story of contrasts between the two interactions:
1. For one, the first words out of the King of Sodom’s mouth are “Give me”
While Melchizedek’s first words are “blessed be Abram”
2. The king of Sodom tries to bargain with Abram on who gets what from the plunder—a bargain Abram is not interested in having as he says he will take none of it for himself.
On the other hand, he gives to Melchizedek a tenth of it
So, what is going on here? Who is this random guy named Melchizedek and why does he show up here out of nowhere?
As part of my extensive and rigorous biblical study for this passage,
I watched a 6 minute video compilation of all the times Kramer makes an entrance into Jerry Seinfield’s apartment throughout the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXSGV5wEv1o
It doesn’t matter if Jerry Seinfield is having a mundane or serious conversation, Kramer with his wild hair doesn’t knock but comes busting through the front door and into the scene with no preparation for the viewer.
He’s basically the ultimate “out of nowhere” character . . . .“after the order of Melchizedek.”
So, who is he really?
Some have suggested that he was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ himself—known as a Christophany.
Others, myself included, believe that he was a historical human king and priest whom God used to foreshadow Christ.
In any case, we must look first and foremost at what the Bible says about him in order to understand who he really is.
Melchizedek appears in the Bible only three times—with about one thousand years between each occurrence:
Here in Genesis 14 which is around 2000 BC, 1000 years later in Psalm 110, and a thousand years after that in Hebrews 7.
Genesis 14:18–20. Staying here in our passage first. . .
The name Melchizedek here in Hebrew means “King of Righteousness”, from the words melek (king) and zedek/zadok (righteousness)
something that the author of the NT letter Hebrews makes note of.
We also notice that he is the King of Salem, a Hebrew name that means “peace” and is also the precursor to Jerusalem.
Knowing this helps us understand why Melchizedek shows up here.
Abram’s meeting with these two kings occurs in the King’s Valley, according to Gen 14:17, which is right outside of Salem (again, later known as Jerusalem)
Show map
c. Therefore, Melchizedek is presented here in Genesis as both the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace.
Interesting titles that may remind us of a certain Someone.
But Genesis provides another descriptor of this King Melchizedek and that is that he is not only a king, but is also a priest of God Most High.
This is unique and important because we never find a King-Priest like Melchizedek until Jesus.
Kings weren’t priests and priests weren’t kings
There were times in Israel’s history that a king, like Saul or Uzziah, would try to step into the sphere of priests and offer incense or sacrifices
And God would condemn them for it—Uzziah for example was struck with leprosy and had to stay away until he died.
In any case, this is the first reference to a priest in the Bible, predating the Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood from the lineage of Aaron which is established about 600 years later.
The fact that it predates the Levitical Priesthood is an essential part of the argument in Hebrews that the type of priesthood Melchizedek had—one that essentially points to Jesus’ priesthood—was distinct and even superior.
In blessing Abram here in verses 19–20, Melchizedek is performing what would become a major traditional function of priests in calling upon the Lord to bless others,
knowing He was the one who ultimately bestowed the blessing.
Notice he was described as priest of “God Most High”, a phrase that appears again twice in the blessing he gives to Abram.
And he blessed him 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!” . . .
Abram would echo this language in verse 22, when he says
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
He takes Melchizedek’s designation of the creator God and tags on the Hebrew name of the LORD, Yahweh
Showing that the two men are referring to the same God and Creator of heaven and earth.
This is interesting because it suggests that there was a broader knowledge of the one true God, not just confined to Abram and his descendants
We don’t know how he knew of Abram’s LORD already, but could’ve been received by tradition from the past ages closer to the flood or perhaps he could’ve received direct divine revelation from the Lord like Abraham did.
We don’t really know.
In any case, Melchizedek blessed God Most High for delivering Abram’s enemies into his hand—he reminded Abram that he won the battle not by his might or his men but through the victory that God supplied.
Abram then gives a tenth of everything he obtained as a gift to Melchizedek—the first tithe—recognizing that he is superior to him
A tithe will be the pattern of the Israelites as they give a tenth to the work of the Levitical Priests later on
Before we finish our examination of Melchizedek through the other occurrences in Scripture, I want to make note of how Abram responded differently to the King of Sodom.
As mentioned before, the king of Sodom did not come first with words of gratitude for Abram rescuing him and his people, but rather attempted to cut to the chase, get to business, and divide the spoils.
A proposition which Abram wanted nothing to do with.
Why?
English Standard Version Chapter 14
I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.
Remember, just two chapters ago, Abram fled from the Promised Land to Egypt because of the famine, he lied to Pharaoh, and he accepted his gifts.
He was not demonstrating faith in the Lord and His promise to him.
Contrast that to now, Abram demonstrates full faith in the LORD to fulfill His promises and wants only Him to get the glory.
Had he accepted, it may have looked like Abram got rich off of these expeditions and that is how his name was made great.
But, he knew that ultimately, it was the Lord, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth, who would make his name great in fulfillment of His promises to him in Genesis 12.
Application:
What a challenge to us to take God at His Word.
To trust Him, even if it means giving up potential riches or security.
What might that look like in your life—to trust God and His promises, even if it means giving up riches and security?
Perhaps you were given a job offer or a promotion that offers more pay or prestige, but you sense God leading you in a direction that is perhaps less profitable but one that bring Him greater glory.
Maybe it’s having an opportunity to speak of Jesus with your classmates at the lunch table or your coworkers after work, but knowing that it might risk your reputation.
Church, God’s ways are better than ours and He is worth giving up everything for!
Transition
Now, back to the mysterious Melchizedek: We looked at the first of three times he’s mentioned in the Bible here in Genesis 14.
Let’s look at the second time he’s mentioned which is found in Psalm 110.
2. Psalm 110. We aren’t going to read the whole Psalm, but this was Psalm was written about 1,000 years later, when
King David writes about a coming Messiah who will not only be King, but will also be a priest after the order, or the pattern, of this King-Priest Melchizedek.
Ps. 110 is the most quoted psalm in the NT—27 times the NT quotes or references it.
It’s the famous one that starts out with
English Standard Version Psalm 110
The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
and later, in verse 4, says,
English Standard Version Psalm 110
The LORD has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
So, from this Psalm we learn that the Messiah will function as a King and, at the same time, will function as a priest like the King-Priest Melchizedek.
3. And finally, we’ll end our time looking at Hebrews 7—And it’ll be this reference that will be most helpful to us in shedding light on who this mysterious man is.
Hebrews is a NT letter written less than 1,000 years later, but notably now after Christ has come—
written to encourage Christians in times of trial
it points time and time again to the supremacy and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus who not only is the “radiance of the glory of God” who “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (1:3),
but He fulfills every type and foreshadow found in the OT.
He is the One who is “counted worthy of more glory than Moses”,
who is “greater than the temple”, and
who is our Great and Final High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, thus fulfilling Psalm 110.
Hebrews 7:1–2 gives us a commentary on what we have see here in Genesis 14 and
tells us how we should read Melchizedek.
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. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 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 a priest forever.
Most of that we knew from the Genesis account, but then Hebrews adds in this extra piece
that he is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life
This has made some wonder if Melchizedek is actually Christ Himself appearing in the OT
But, I think this idea is quickly corrected when one reads the rest of the verse
That Melchizedek resembled the Son of God.
He could’ve said
“He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but as the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”
But, no, Hebrews wants us to see that Melchizedek is a type or a foreshadow of Christ, which the OT is filled with
To be clear: The text isn’t saying that Jesus is like Melchizedek, but that Melchizedek is like Jesus—Jesus is the true and better Melchizedek
This is not meaning to say that Melchizedek literally had no father or mother, but that Genesis presents him without a genealogy.
The book of Genesis is filled with genealogies, but Melchizedek doesn’t get one,
such that it looks like he was never born or ever died.
When I read the Cat in the Hat to my kids, there is no presenting of a genealogy in that book—
he just bursts through the door as the Cat in the Hat who asks the two bored kids “Why do you sit there like that?”
Out of Nowhere characters seem to like bursting through doors unannounced
Now I’m not suggesting that Cat in the Hat is a type of Christ
but maybe if I wanted to explain Christ’s eternality to them as the second person of the Trinity,
Because that’s something I often do
I could point out how the Cat in the Hat had no mom or dad, he just came out of nowhere
In the same way, Jesus always lived, even before he came to the earth….and still lives today
Here’s the point Hebrews and I are trying to make:
what Melchizedek is as presented in the text of Genesis, Christ is in reality.
Christ is the actually uncreated one
Of course, Christ is fully human
and as a human, he has genealogies that go back to David, Abraham, and Adam
But He’s also truly God
uncreated and eternal
Melchizedek appears and then he disappears—we don’t see him again.
Because his inclusion was intended to give us tools to better understand the person and work of Christ
These three verses could’ve been left out and no-one would have noticed because the narrative would read naturally.
That is, the king of Sodom came out to “meet Abram” and then it could jump down to “And the king of Sodom said to Abram”
But praise God that in His infinite wisdom and purposes,
He gave us a foreshadow or type of Christ that later authors could use to help us understand Christ better.
This passage brings up unanswered questions until Christ comes as the final Priest-King.
Christ is the True and Better Melchizedek
He is the true King of Righteousness and the true King of Peace
Christ is our Great and Final High Priest, whose priesthood is eternal
Like Melchizedek, he did not come from the priestly line of Aaron.
Melchizedek wasn’t a priest because his father was a priest, but because of his office as King of Salem
Christ likewise did not come from the tribe of Levi, but from the kingly tribe of Judah as the Son of David, the Messiah
And thus his priesthood was “after the order of Melchizedek”
His priesthood is distinct, superior, and eternal.
Hebrews is clear in 7:24 that “he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever”
He has no successors.
This priesthood is not given to others—it is non-transferable
He is the only one with the Melchizedek Priesthood
Because He alone is worthy of it and
because He alone is the final fulfillment of it
He is the guarantor of a better covenant, Hebrews says
Former priests had to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people
But Christ did this “once for all when he offered up Himself!” (Heb. 7:27)
And finally, through His death and resurrection, Hebrews says
English Standard Version Chapter 7
he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
This, church, is the King-Priest whom we worship—the true and better Melchizedek.
And we can put our trust in Him, not only at the beginning, when we first believed and are saved.
But we can daily trust Him as He lives to make intercession for us.
So, let us Trust in the Faithfulness and Victory of our Great King-Priest.
Pray
