Melchizedek

Melchizedek	Creation date: 11-Feb-2019
	Last updated: 23-Feb-2021
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Sections

1	Who is Melchizedek?	2	Incorrect Speculations on the Identity of Melchizedek
3	Other Priesthoods in the Old Testament?

Who is Melchizedek?

Melchizedek was a King and a Priest of the God the Most High in the city of Salem, which predates Judaism. Melchizedek is a title and not a name, where the name meant King of Righteousness. When referring to the person, we often use Melchizedek as his name, and that is okay since we do not know his real name.

Abram, before he was Abraham, gave Melchizedek tithes and offerings after the victory over the four kings in Genesis 14. The Mosaic Law, given by God to Moses, prohibited the Kings and Priests to be the same person and were always separate. Melchizedek held both offices and was prior to the Mosaic Law.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer lets us know that the priesthood of Melchizedek was superior and this is the priesthood which Jesus Christ is "according to" in Hebrews 7:17.

What is known about Melchizedek is from four Scriptural passages listed here:

Genesis 14:17-20	17 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). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand! And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Psalm 110:4	The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (A prophetic and Messianic Psalm.)
Hebrews 5:5-6	5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my Son, today I have begotten you ; 6 as he says also in another place, You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:1-17	1 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 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 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. 4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these ]are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 11 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 12 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him, You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.

The very interesting point about Melchizedek, is he is a type or model of Jesus Christ:

He had no birth or death mentioned (but he was human so he did have a birth and a death). Jesus Christ has always existed and is eternal.
He was described as the King of Righteousness. Jesus Christ is absolutely the King of Righteousness.
Administers Bread and Wine to Abram. Bread and wine point to: (a) last supper. (b) Heaven, and (c) the future Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Mark 14:25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Melchizedek's Priesthood is superior to the future Levitical Priesthood because the Levitical Priesthood came out of the loins of Abraham where Abraham is giving Tithes to Melchizedek.

Incorrect Speculations on the Identity of Melchizedek

There are some incorrect speculations of the identity of Melchizedek, where there is a belief that Melchizedek was:

Shem which is highly unlikely, since Shem's genealogy is known.
An Angel, which is not possible, since an Angel would not be a king over the city of Salem.
It is Theophany appearance, which is not correct because:

(a) There simply is just not enough evidence to come to this conclusion. The two Hebrew Scriptures point that Jesus Christ was "after the order of Melchizedek" which means it was similar. The scripture does not state Jesus Christ was not Melchizedek.
(b) Melchizedek was king over Salem, lived there and was known there. If Jesus was Melchizedek then that would mean that Jesus Christ had a body on earth before the birth from Mary, and that is absolutely not possible. Furthermore, Theophany appearances in the Old Testament were temporary and then they vanished.
There are two references to the Book of Jashar in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, which is not part of the Old Testament for two reasons:

(a) There is no copy of it that is verifiable to be the original.
(b) The original is merely a book containing unknown information that the Jewish Scribes of that period of time of the writing did not consider it scripture so copies were not maintained with the rigors of the other Old Testament books, otherwise we would have copies of the original.

There are currently some different Book of Jashar copies today that have all been identified as either deceptions or forgeries that were absolutely not from the time of the scriptural reference. In the supposed Book of Jashar, there is a reference stating Melchizedek is Jesus Christ, which is sometimes read and heard in some theological discussions in modern-times. Because the current different copies of the Book of Jashar are deceptions and forgeries, then nothing in them can be consider as accurate and factual.

Other Priesthoods in the Old Testament?

Some Theologians have one of the speculations listed above with the belief that there can only be one true priesthood prior to Jesus Christ and that was the Levitical Priesthood. This is not taking into account that besides Melchizedek there was Jethro the Priest of Median, who daughter was married to Moses and Mosses lived with them. In the account of Moses, the scriptures do not state that Jethro's Priesthood was invalid.

Exodus 3:1	Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Exodus 18:1	Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

An author's note: This topic also goes to the points that the world has always had one way or another of learning about God so that no one is beyond excuse of not believing in the reality that there is God.

What to read next?

What is Salvation? Is it possible to lose Salvation? We have eternal life. Evolution is not real. When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it. Rewards in heaven. Do we Tithe? What does the 3rd Commandment tell us? What is Grace and Mercy? Is there an Age of Accountability? Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?