THE MYSTERIOUS MELCHIZEDEK

After Abraham defeated a group of warlords and rescued his nephew, Abraham stopped to visit with Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the “king of Salem” and a “Priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18).

Melchizedek is a type of Christ.

Melchizedek was the “king of Salem” … that is, the king of peace. (Salem means peace in the Hebrew language.) This certainly links Melchizedek to Jesus, who is the one and only source of peace.

The name Melchizedek “means king of righteousness” (Hebrew 7:2), which clearly foreshadows Jesus.

Melchizedek was God’s priest. (Interestingly, this is the first occurrence of the word priest in the Bible.) The writer of the book of Hebrews proves that Jesus is the true and eternal High Priest.

Melchizedek, like Jesus was both priest and king.

As you know, the Bible is full of genealogies. So-and-so begat so-and-so… It does this to show the lineage and ancestry of God’s servants. But the birth, death, and family of Melchizedek remain a mystery. The New Testament uses this fact to link Melchizedek to Jesus, our eternal High Priest. Concerning Melchizedek, we read: “Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:3).

Lastly, Melchizedek blessed Abraham and then Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe, “a tenth of everything”(Genesis 14:20). The greater blessed the lesser and then the lesser sacrificed to the greater. This demonstrates that, like Melchizedek, Jesus is the great High Priest worthy of our worship.

Melchizedek is indeed mysterious, but one thing is clear. He is a type of Christ.

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).