Topic(s): Bible Study, God's Will

Bob Prichard

Melchizedek is one of the more mysterious figures in all of scripture. He is mentioned only in Genesis 14, Psalm 110:4, and in the book of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews showed that Melchizedek foreshadowed the ministry of Christ as both priest and king. After the patriarch Abraham defeated a confederacy of four kings in battle, Melchizedek, “king of Salem” and “the priest of the most high God” (Genesis 14:18) blessed Abraham. Abraham then honored Melchizedek by giving him a tenth part (a tithe) of the spoils of his victory.

The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and his title “king of Salem” means “king of peace” (Hebrews 7:2). He served as the perfect foreshadowing of the coming Christ, because Christ brought righteousness and peace to mankind. Ordinarily, one man could not serve as both priest and king unless he usurped authority. Yet God approved Melchizedek for both offices. For that reason, God made King Jesus “an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:20).

The writer of Hebrews describes this mysterious Melchizedek as “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually” (Hebrews 7:3). The writer makes use of the silence of the scriptures (information not revealed) to show how Melchizedek foreshadowed Christ as the great high priest, superior to the priesthood of Aaron, the priesthood of the law of Moses. Melchizedek was a genuine historical person, so he was not literally “without father, without mother.” He was a man, however, who appeared in scripture with no recorded genealogy, birth, death, or descendants. The Jews placed great emphasis on genealogy (that is, from whom one is descended, and who one’s descendants are). The Levitical priests were the descendants of Levi. No man could be a priest in Israel unless he was a Levite (a member of the tribe of Levi). Neither Jesus, nor Melchizedek met this requirement, but they were priests of a higher order, since they owed their priesthood to God, and not to human descent.

Since scripture does not record the birth or the death of Melchizedek, the Hebrew writer uses this to show that his priesthood was timeless, and thus the perfect foreshadowing of the eternal priesthood of Christ. The writer is careful to say that Melchizedek was “made like unto the Son of God,” not that Christ was made like unto him. Christ, being eternal, existed before Melchizedek. Abraham demonstrated the greatness of Melchizedek as a priest, as he, and thus his priestly descendants, bowed before Melchizedek, and gave tithes to him. Christ is of the superior priesthood “after the order of Melchizedek,” so His new covenant is superior to the old covenant. “But now hath he [Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). This new “covenant ... established upon better promises” awaits those who obey God.