Small Image, Big Picture

INTRO - One of my greatest past times is to look at pictures of my family. I’m consumed in many ways by my love for them. Their individual personalities, habits, little quirks and memories that we’ve shared. You couldn’t give me all the money in the world to get rid of simply the IMAGES that I have of them. Because though individual images taken on phones and cameras are small, when pieced together they give me a much bigger picture that I cherish dearly. In a similar way I believe we get that in this passage.

TR: Let’s take a look at this small image of Melchizedek and yet how he’s going to cast a much longer shadow and show us a bigger picture of Jesus Christ.

History

Refresher of Hebrews

Unknown author wrote to Hebrews who were being persuaded to trust in the Old Covenant of the Mosaic Law rather than in the New Covenant started by Jesus Christ

The writer of Hebrews goes through systemtically, various portions of the Mosaic Law that the Hebrews held in high esteem and shows how what Jesus offers is superior.

Before we get caught up in “I don’t hold to the Law” dismissal of this book, begin to think about the things that you do find comfortable and familiarity in and how they hinder you from partaking/enjoying something superior in Jesus Christ.

With that said let’s read our passage for today

Hebrews 7:1–10 ESV

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. See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Who is Melchizedek?

We must go to the Old Testament to find this gentlemen.

Genesis 14:17–20 ESV

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.

Breakdown

Abraham had to go to war to rescue his nephew Lot who had been taken in battle

The Kings of the East rose up and defeated the Kings of the West and had taken Lot when they won.

Abraham took his household, defeated the kings and upon return was met by one of the captives, the King of Sodom as well as a priest named Melchizedek.

There are only three verses on this gentleman in this story and yet his impact is profound.

In fact the name Melchizedek only is mentioned twice in all of the Old Testament, here and Ps. 110:4.

This is a great analogy for how God works in life. Although you may believe that your life is only a few verses in the grand scheme of things, you have no idea your impact.

God doesn’t make a habit out of picking out the grand things. Instead He likes to pick out the obscure things that others would have missed or overlooked and using them for His glory.

What is a blip on the world’s radar is the focus of God’s attention.

See although this was a small image in of a man, it laid out a much larger picture of Jesus Christ.

TR: So who is this Melchizedek?....

Identity

First, I do not see any reason to believe that he was a preincarnate Jesus Christ or what theologians call a theophany.

The main reason why I believe this is because Jesus didn’t have a have a high priestly office prior to the incarnation that we are told about. Thus for Melchizedek to be a priest wouldn’t fit.

Outside of that I see Melchizedek being a type just like other individuals in scripture that give us insights into the nature of the Messiah.

Melchizedek was a king/priest, which is unheard of in Scripture

The Levitical priests weren’t allowed to be kings. Yet this is what was predicated of the Messiah

Zechariah 6:13 ESV

It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’

Listen folks....you have GOT to understand that God does not like using your perimeters! Our metrics are nothing to God.

Thinking through the hundreds of thousands possible millions of Christian pastors, I am but one.

How this world measures security, wealth, glory, success, failure, beauty, poverty, honor, etc. are not held by God.

Recently commercial I watched in which Trump stated he wants people to enter into this country based on merit. Not making a political point about Trump but it’s interesting that those that support that viewpoint have a huge problem then with how God allows people into HIS kingdom. AND THAT is the way we should be advocating since we are Ambassadors from and for that Kingdom of Heaven.

Another commonly overlooked characteristic of Melchizedek is....he wasn’t Hebrew!!! Why does this matter?

Because the Israelite people consistently presumed upon their relationship with God. They understood that He ruled the world and that they were special to Him but never conceived of Him working outside of them!

Thinking through the billions of pastors, teachers, and Christian educators throughout time I am merely a speck in history.

One of the greatest signs of spiritual maturity is your ability to see how greatly God works through others and to realize you may be a part of that but not all of that.

Yet, although you were subjected to the flesh in one way, you were born from above in another.

Melchizedek is by nature of his name, King of Righteousness and because he is king of Salem he is King of Peace.

“how do

The name “melchizedek” literally breaks down into two words that mean King of Righteousness and “salem”, which has it’s root word in “shalom”, meaning peace”, means he also King over the city called “Peace”.

Lastly, he doesn’t have parents listed and yet was a priest.

This is completely counterintuitive for the Levitical priesthood which was ENTIRELY based on who your parents were.

The priesthood of Melchizedek wasn’t based on his biology or geneaology but purely based on his calling from the Most High God!

TR: Now why does the writer of Hebrews point all of this out???

Superiority

Let me say this loud and clear....STOP SETTLING FOR INFERIOR THINGS!!!

I love what I heard one pastor say in that our greatest problem isn’t getting rid of sin, it’s that we settle for sin when there is something vastly superior to it in Jesus Christ

We are forever the type of people chasing pleasure, comfort, healing and security in fleshly ways and are consistently surprised at their failing of us.

This is exactly what the Hebrews were doing.

The Law, to them, outlined a way in which they could muscle up and earn their righteousness. It presented a way where they could presumably guarantee their acceptance through the might of their own hands!

And when I look around my life and those that I see that struggle like me I see the SAME LIE!!!

One of the greatest lessons I struggle to teach as a father is that although my children are in a stage where I need them to learn the value of merit. Meaning, you do “this” and then “this” is the consequence. And yet simultanously I must let them know that my JOY and DELIGHT in them isn’t based on merit at all but purely because they are born of me....now meditate on that in relationship with God.

This guy started an entirely different lineage of priesthood that was superior to that of the flesh e.g. Levites.

Thinking through the hundreds of thousands possible millions of Christian pastors, I am but one.

Thinking through the billions of pastors, teachers, and Christian educators throughout time I am merely a speck in history.

Yet, although you were subjected to the flesh in one way, you were born from above in another.

There is a superiority in the lineage of Melchizedek and there is a superiority of your spiritual birth over your physical one. Why??? BECAUSE THE LATTER ONE WAS PURELY FROM ABOVE.

For those that were paying attention you should have noticed I skipped one attribute of Melchizedek. He was SUPERIOR to Abraham!!!

We know this because Abraham paid HIM TITHES and then was blessed by Melchizedek. The inferior is ALWAYS blessed by the superior. We don’t bless Jesus, Jesus blesses us. God doesn’t give us tithes, we give an offering to Him. He is superior.

Not only that but because Abraham was the forefather of Levi than that means not only was Melchizedek superior to Abraham but also to every single levitical priest.

Why does this matter???

Because we overlook these small things and therefore miss the big picture!! I’m blown away in the finding the superior small things!

There is a divine order of things and then there is an earthly order. To be a part of one and yet try to function in the other results in a constant misery.

I see that divine order when I begin to look for the little things that speak to His Kingdom.

When I see my kids playing at home without any concern in the world....there’s your kingdom God

When I watch you all fellowship after service on Sundays and just enjoying each other....there’s your kingdom God

When I hear of the low key blessings, financial support, encouragements that are done unprovoked…there’s your kingdom God.

As I begin to look for these small images I begin to see God’s big picture…and it’s beautiful.

Close in prayer

When the Most High God sets an order of things, it isn’t arbitrary. No matter how small…it is going to be vastly superior to anything that is dependent upon human effort.