Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness.” He was the King of Peace, because the name of the city he ruled as king was Salem, which means “peace.” And he was also a priest of the Most High God. Now when Abraham was returning from defeating many kings in battle, Melchizedek went out to meet him and blessed him. Then Abraham took a tenth of everything he had won in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. This Melchizedek has no father or mother, and no record of any of his ancestors. He was never born and he never died, but his life is like a picture of the Son of God, a King-Priest forever! Now let me show you proof of how great this Melchizedek is:
– Even though Abraham was the most honored and favored patriarch of all God’s chosen ones, he gave a tithe of the spoils of battle to Melchizedek. It would be understandable if Melchizedek had been a Jewish priest, for later on God’s people were required by law to support their priests financially, because the priests were their relatives and Abraham’s descendants. But Melchizedek was not Abraham’s Jewish relative, and yet Abraham still paid him a tithe.
– Melchizedek imparted a blessing on mighty Abraham, who had received the promises of God. And no one could deny the fact that the one who has the power to impart a blessing is superior to the one who receives it.
– Although the Jewish priests received tithes, they all died—they were mortal. But Melchizedek lives on!
– It could even be said that Levi, the ancestor of every Jewish priest who received tithes, actually paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham. For although Levi was yet unborn, the seed from which Levi came was present in Abraham when he paid his tithe to Melchizedek.
– If any of the Levitical priests who served under the law had the power to bring us into perfection, then why did God send Christ as Priest after the likeness of Melchizedek? He should have said, “After the likeness of Aaron.”
– And furthermore, for God to send a new and different rank of priest, meant a new law would have had to be instituted even to allow it!
Yet the One these things all point to, was from a different tribe and no one from that tribe ever officiated at God’s altar, for we all know that our Lord didn’t descend from the tribe of Levi, but shined from the tribe of Judah. And Moses himself never said anything of a priest in connection with Judah’s tribe.
And all this is made even clearer if there was another King-Priest raised up with the rank of Melchizedek. This King-Priest did not arise because of a genealogical right under the law to be a priest, but by the power of an indestructible, resurrection life!
For it says in the Psalms,
You are like Melchizedek, a King-Priest forever!
The old order of priesthood has been set aside as weak and powerless.
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