Our summer series for the months of July & August is Honorable Mentions. The dictionary defines Honorable Mention as: "An award or recognition given to someone or something that does not make it to a higher standing but is worth mentioning in an honorable way."

How many of you have taken home an Honorable Mention award of some kind?

This summer we will look at a few Bible characters who pale in comparison to other key players in the Bible (Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Ruth, Esther, David, Jesus, Mary, Peter, Paul).
There are over 3,200 people referred to in the Bible and only about 60% of them are known by name. We can tend to be drawn to the mysterious characters.

The "mysterious" character that we're talking about today to start the series is Melchizedek. Mel is one of the most intriguing characters the Bible says almost nothing about.
There is a lot of supposition and outright guessing about this character. We have to be careful that we understand the context of the Bible passages we read. We should create a list of observable facts and not read into the Bible what isn't there.
What we know about Mel can be found in 3 Bible passages:
Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 7:1-19

First Passage - Genesis 14

This chapter deals with several historical battles that took place 3,700-4,000 years ago. The forces of 4 kings (Fantastic Four) invade the land of Canaan.
In vv. 1-2 they subdue 5 kings of the southern area of the Dead Sea.
In vv. 5-7 the Fantastic 4 again, in the 14th year, subdue the 5 kings.
In vv. 8-12 the 5 kings from the south of the Dead Sea gather their armies against the Fantastic 4 and are defeated big time.
The Fantastic Four head north on a main road called The Way of the Patriarch's right up the middle of Israel.
In vv. 13-15 Abram and a small well-trained army tracks them, ambushing them along the way, and finally defeats the Fantastic Four near the city of Damascus.
Simple lesson - Be careful who you mess with!
In vv. 16-17 Abram retrieves his nephew Lot, the stolen goods, and the captives. He heads back down to Jerusalem. It is here that he is met by one of the 5 kings, King of Sodom, in the Kidron Valley right between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

All of this is the background context before we meet our mysterious stranger, Melchizedek. We read about him in vv. 18-20.

Some things we can observe:
1. MEL’s name means “King of Righteousness.”
2. His day job is “King of Salem or Peace”
3. He brings some goodies out to the returning group – bread and wine
4. He served as a priest of God Most High
5. He blessed Abram on behalf of God
6. He praised God
7. He acknowledge that God is the one in control of our life and circumstances.
8. He received a tithe of all in Abram’s possession

In vv. 21-24 we see a very sharp exchange between the King of Sodom and Abram. This shows the clash of values between one who worships God and one who worships this world.

Second Passage - Psalm 110

This Psalm is attributed to King David and is Messianic in nature (points to the coming Messiah who is Jesus).
This Psalm points out that the Messiah is Lord, He will be king in Zion, He will be a great warrior, and He is a priest forever. But kings in Israel could not be priests. In verse 4 we see the Messiah will be in the order of Melchizedek. The word "order" means the Messiah will assume the status of Melchizedek, making him superior to earthly priests.
This is hundreds of years before the priesthood of Aaron is implemented and all of the Jewish practices of faith are instituted. This foreshadows the coming of Jesus and His holding both of these ranks or titles.

Third Passage - Hebrews 7:1-19

The book of Hebrews is written to Christians who had been Jews. Its purpose is to explain who Jesus is, why He is better than the Jewish religious system, and to point the Jewish people toward a faith in Christ.

In vv. 1-19 we read again about Melchizedek. In verse 3 it points not to the fact that Mel is Jesus, but resembled Him in that His priesthood is forever. The author drew a parallel between Mel and Jesus suggesting "that what Mel WAS literally, Jesus Christ IS literally!"
In theology this is called a "type" meaning an Old Testament person, practice, or ceremony that foreshadows something that will be revealed in the New Testament. Today we might call this an analogy.

Melchizedek was a picture of the coming Messiah in His unique priesthood, His dual roles of King and Priest, His serving of bread and wine to subordinates, His accepting of the tithe, and even in the idea behind His name of King of Righteousness.

Here are several points of application from these passages:

1. There will always be people who desire to do evil, and God’s people must stand against it.

2. God has a plan for our lives that may be inconvenient and involve hardships.

3. God instituted priests to represent sinful man to a holy God. (1 Timothy 2:5)

4. God will deal with man’s sin, whether in this life or the next.

5. There is a kingdom for those who obey and have faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

6. The principle of the tithe is an eternal principle of faith that belongs to God and blesses others.

7. The people of God should have different values than the people whose earth is their heaven.

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

Monday, July 5 - Warren Hale
Thursday, July 8 - Joe & Emily Mater
Friday, July 9 - Chris Ricketts, Lyle Jones, Paddy & Holley MacDonald