Sermon Tone Analysis

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Melchizedek the Priest-King

2 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.

Edwards v 2 - By this it is evident that the Holy Ghost sometimes intends to teach us divine mysteries by the signification of names

John Philips:

(1) The Prerogative of Melchizedek (v 1)

(2) The Power of Melchizedek (7:2)

(3) The Person of Melchizedek (7:3)

(1) The Prerogative of Melchizedek

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,

(2) The Power of Melchizedek (7:2)

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.

(3) The Person of Melchizedek

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.

Bruce: Abraham declined to retain anything because of an oath he had just sworn to “God Most High, maker of heaven and earth.”

For, immediately before the king of Sodom made his proposal to Abraham, Abraham had been greeted by another local ruler, Melchizedek.

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 Abraham by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

And he gave him a tenth of everything.

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18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

19 He blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,

aPossessor of heaven and earth;

20 And blessed be God Most High,

Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

He gave him a tenth of all

Bruce: Both authors, that is to say, connect zedek, the second element in Melchizedek’s name, with the Hebrew word commonly translated “righteousness”; and both relate the name of his city to Hebrew shālōm, “peace.”

There is a fitness in this collocation of righteousness and peace both in the natural order and preeminently in our author’s explanation of Melchizedek in terms of the gospel, where peace with God is based upon the righteousness of God

(3) The Person of Melchizedek

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.

Bruce: but in the antitype Christ remains a priest continually without qualification.

And it is not the type which determines the antitype, but the antitype which determines the type; Jesus is not portrayed after the pattern of Melchizedek, but Melchizedek is “made conformable to the Son of God.”

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Calvin: Besides, the whole world was so fallen into impiety, that it is very probable that God was nowhere faithfully worshipped except in the family of Abraham; for his father and his grandfather, who ought to have retained true religion, had long before degenerated into idolatry.

It was therefore a memorable fact, that there was still a king who not only retained true religion, but also performed himself the office of a priest.

Calvin: Besides, the whole world was so fallen into impiety, that it is very probable that God was nowhere faithfully worshipped except in the family of Abraham; for his father and his grandfather, who ought to have retained true religion, had long before degenerated into idolatry.

It was therefore a memorable fact, that there was still a king who not only retained true religion, but also performed himself the office of a priest.

And it was doubtless necessary that in him who was to be a type of the Son of God all things excellent should be found: and that Christ was shadowed forth by this type is evident from the Psalm referred to; for David did not say without reason, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec;” no, but on the contrary, by these words a sublime mystery was recommended to the Church.

And it was doubtless necessary that in him who was to be a type of the Son of God all things excellent should be found: and that Christ was shadowed forth by this type is evident from the Psalm referred to; for David did not say without reason, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec;” no, but on the contrary, by these words a sublime mystery was recommended to the Church.

Calvin: He is then called the King of righteousness, because of what he effects in diffusing righteousness on all his people.

Calvin: I prefer to understand it here of that inward peace which tranquillizes the conscience and renders it confident before God.

And the excellency of this blessing cannot be sufficiently estimated, unless you consider on the other hand, how miserable a thing it is to be tormented by constant mental restlessness or disturbance which must necessarily be the case until we have our consciences pacified by being reconciled to God through Christ.

Calvin: We learn how much reverence and sobriety is required as to the spiritual mysteries of God: for what is not found read in Scripture the Apostle is not only willing to be ignorant of, but also would have us not to seek to know.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

(NASB95)

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

(NASB95)

32 “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

The Value of Greatness

Truth 1: John Phillips Israel’s priests, long centuries even before they were born, gave tithes to Melchizedek in the person of Abraham.

Therefore, Melchizedek was greater than Aaron, and Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to Aaron’s priesthood.

Truth 2:One tithes to one greater than himself.

The reason we tithe is because God is greater than we are.

The reason why people struggle with tithing to God is because they do not consider God greater than themselves