Click here to be a part of the Live Stream and interact with us in the Chat during this Bible Study.
Abram and Melchizedek
Genesis 14:19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; :20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
Melchizedek blessed Abram, and Abram in turn gave to this priest of God a tithe of all his captured prizes. In Hebrews 7 we learn that there was a deep spiritual significance to these actions. Because Abram was the progenitor of Aaron, he is seen as representing the Aaronic priesthood. The fact that Melchizedek blessed Abram means that Melchizedek’s priesthood is greater than Aaron’s, because the one who blesses is superior to the one who is blessed. The fact that Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek is seen as a picture of the Aaronic priesthood acknowledging the superiority of Melchizedek’s priesthood, because the lesser pays tithes to the greater.
Genesis 14:21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.” :22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, :23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—:24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
Abram refused to take anything from the king of Sodom, so as not to become obligated to him. His refusal demonstrated his total allegiance to the Lord, and so he rejected any attempt by the king of Sodom to assume the role of overlord and make him his vassal. Abram took only food for his men and gave his allies the liberty to accept the spoils that were due them.
In-depth study of Melchizedek (CEV)
Hebrews 6:18 God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us.
The believer now has two unchangeable things on which to rely—His word and His oath. It is impossible to imagine anything more secure or certain. God promises to save all who believe on Christ; then He confirms it with an oath. The conclusion is inevitable: the believer is eternally secure.
In the remainder of chapter 6 the writer employs four figures to drive home the utter reliability of the Christian hope: (1) a city of refuge, (2) an anchor, (3) a forerunner, and (4) a High Priest.
First, those who are true believers are pictured as fleeing from this doomed world to the heavenly city of refuge. To encourage them in their flight, God has given them an unfailing hope based upon His word and His oath.
Hebrews 6:19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place.
In the storms and trials of life this hope serves as an anchor of the soul. The knowledge that our glorification is as certain as if it had already happened keeps us from drifting on the wild waves of doubt and despair.
The anchor is not cast in the shifting sands of this world but takes hold in the heavenly sanctuary. Since our hope is the anchor, the meaning is that our hope is secured in God’s very Presence behind the veil. Just as sure as the anchor is there, we shall be there also.
Hebrews 6:20 Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.
Jesus has gone into the inner shrine also as our forerunner. His presence there insures the ultimate entrance of all who belong to Him. It is no exaggeration to say that the simplest believer on earth is as certain of heaven as the saints who are already there.
D. Anderson-Berry writes: The word translated “forerunner” is found nowhere else in the New Testament. This expresses an idea never contemplated in the Levitical economy, for the high priest entered the holiest only as a representative. He entered where none could follow. But our Forerunneris a pledge that where He is, we also shall be. As Forerunner He (1) announced our future arrival there; (2) took possession of heaven’s glories on our behalf; and (3) has gone to be able to bid His people welcome when they come, and to present them before the Majesty of heaven.
The fourth figure is that of High Priest. Our Lord has become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. His eternal priesthood guarantees our eternal preservation. Just as surely as we have been reconciled to God by His death, so surely are we saved by His life as our Priest at God’s right hand (Rom. 5:10).
Hebrews 7:1 Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He was the one who went out and gave Abraham his blessing, when Abraham returned from killing the kings.
Melchizedek was an enigmatic figure who appeared briefly on the stage of human history then disappeared. Centuries later his name was mentioned by David (Ps. 110:4). Then, after a lapse of additional centuries, it reappears in the book of Hebrews. One thing is apparent: God arranged the details of his life so that he would be an excellent type of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In these first three verses of chapter 7 we have some historical facts concerning him. We are reminded that he combined the offices of king and priest in his person. He was king of Salem (later called Jerusalem), and priest of the Most High God. He was the political and spiritual leader of his people.
That is, of course, God’s ideal—that there should be no separation between the secular and the sacred. When sinful man is reigning it is necessary to separate church and state. Only when Christ reigns in righteousness will it be possible to unite the two.
Melchizedek encountered Abraham when the latter was returning from a military victory and blessed him. The significance of this act is reserved for verse 7.44
Hebrews 7:2 Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had. The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “King of Justice.” But since Salem means “peace,” he is also “King of Peace.”
Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoils of war to this mysterious king-priest. Again we must wait till verses 4, 6, 8–10 to learn the hidden meaning of Abraham’s tithe.
In the Scriptures, a man’s name stands for what he is. We learn about Melchizedek’s name and his title: his name means “king of righteousness” and his title (king of Salem) means “king of peace.”
It is not without meaning that righteousness is mentioned first, then peace. There cannot be peace unless first there is righteousness.
We see this clearly in the work of Christ. At the cross, “Mercy and truth … met together; righteousness and peace … kissed” (Ps. 85:10). Because the Savior met all the righteous demands of God against our sins, we can have peace with God.
Hebrews 7:3 We are not told that he had a father or mother or ancestors or beginning or end. He is like the Son of God and will be a priest forever.
The puzzle concerning Melchizedek deepens when we read that he had neither father nor mother, neither genealogy, birth, nor death. If we divorce these statements from their context, we would have to conclude that he was a visitor from heaven or from another planet, or that he was a special creation of God But the key to understanding lies in taking these statements in their context. The subject is priesthood. The writer is distinguishing between the Melchizedekan priesthood and the Aaronic. In order to qualify for the Aaronic priesthood a man had to be born of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Aaron. Genealogy was all-important. Also, his qualification began at birth and ended at death.
Melchizedek’s priesthood was quite different. He did not inherit the priesthood by being born into a priestly family. God simply picked him out and designated him as a priest. As far as his priesthood was concerned, there is no record of his father or mother or genealogy.
The Lord’s Promise to Abram
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
The first verse is closely linked with the last part of chapter 14. Because the patriarch refused the rewards of the king of Sodom, Jehovah said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward,” thus making Abram both protected and fabulously wealthy.
Genesis 15:2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Genesis 15:3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
Genesis 15:4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”
Genesis 15:5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? :2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. :3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Macdonald, Farstad Grady Scott, Hindson, E. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006).
