The Order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:1-17)

 Dr. Paul Manuel—2021

Text:

Heb 7:1 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

Heb 7:4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Heb 7:11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Outline:

      I.    Melchizedek has no genealogy (vv. 1-3).
            A. He had no beginning.
            B. He had no ending.
     II.    Melchizedek has a limited ministry (vv. 4-10).
            A. He accepted the tithe.
            B. He represented the Levites.
    III.    Melchizedek has broad analogy (vv. 11-17).
            A. He foreshadowed the coming messiah.
            B. He preceded the coming messiah.
      I.    Melchizedek has no genealogy (vv. 1-3).
            A. He has no beginning.
[and]
            B. He has no ending.
 
      Melchizedek has a limited genealogy, with no beginning and no ending. Moreover…
 
     II.    Melchizedek has a limited ministry (vv. 4-10).
            A. He accepted the tithe.
            B. He represented the Levites.
 
Although the text only mentions Abraham’s offering, other people may have recognized Melchizedek’s priestly position by supporting him with their offerings. Furthermore, additional priests besides Melchizedek may have represented God during this period at other shrines.[6]
      Melchizedek has a limited genealogy and a limited ministry, having accepted the tithe and represented the Levites later. But…
 
    III.    Melchizedek has broad analogy (vv. 11-17).
            A. He foreshadowed the coming messiah.
            B. He preceded the coming messiah.
 

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Application: The time you have left on earth is strikingly short when compared to eternity; do not squander it (Deut 11:1).

Application: The tithe is a reasonable percentage from all that God has provided to His people (Ps 50:10).

Application: You determine how to spend your time and money according to their impact for the kingdom of God (Matt 24:44).

 

Introduction: Some things are more important to do than other things, even things that actually may be important by themselves:

A young boy came to Sunday School late. His teacher knew that he was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong. The boy replied that he was going fishing but his dad told him that he needed to go to church. The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his dad had explained to him why it was more important to go to church than to go fishing, to which the boy answered, “Dad said he didn’t have enough bait for both of us.”

Some things are more important to do than other things, even things that actually may be important by themselves. Abraham came to a local shrine to make an offering. It was an appropriate expression of gratitude, given that God had just helped him rescue his kidnapped nephew Lot.

Background:[1] Melchizedek, which means “My king is righteous,” refers to the character in this passage who, as high priest, represents the ruler of heaven and earth.[2]:The author of Hebrews describes his place in God’s program.

     The Bible contains several genealogies that trace prominent individuals who play a role in God’s plan:

Enos…begat sons and daughters….: All the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.… Cainan…begat sons and daughters…. All the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died…. Mahalaleel…begat sons and daughters… All the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died….  Jared…begat sons and daughters….: All the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. (Gen 5:10-20)

For Melchizedek, the biblical authors record no birth and no death, nothing about his parents or his progeny. It is as if…

Heb 7:1 Melchizedek was king of Salem [a.k.a. Jerusalem] and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

      In the mind of God, Jesus, like Melchizedek, has no beginning and no ending, but for a different reason: Jesus is eternal. As Paul writes:

He is before all things. (Col 1:17)

As the author of Hebrews writes…

[His] years will never end. (Heb 1:11)

Jesus was “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8). Thus, he has no beginning. He existed before everything else. Jesus also has no ending, because after his resurrection, God took him up to heaven where “he always lives to intercede” for the saints (Heb 7:25). Also, Melchizedek could not redeem man from his sin.[3] Only Jesus could do that.

     To be sure, Melchizedek was an important figure. He was a priest of God who represented man on earth before the Aaronic priesthood existed (Manuel 2007), which is why Abraham sought him out:

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him…. Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Gen 14:17-20)

Melchizedek’s use of “bread and wine” (v. 18) did not mark the first observance of communion but was simply an expression of hospitality. Moreover, Melchizedek was not the high priest God appointed to make atonement in the heavenly sanctuary. Only Jesus did that:

Jesus…has entered [heaven] on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Heb 6:20)

Melchizedek was simply the first to illustrate what Jesus would eventually do.

 

Application: Unlike the Catholic church, we do not have priests today, but that is because there is no sanctuary today. When the temple is rebuilt in the Messianic Age, God will again enjoin animal sacrifices, but still only for ceremonial cleansing. Jesus’ sacrifice will remain the sole remedy for man’s sin, soteriological cleansing as it always was in God’s mind:[4] “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8; Manuel 2007). It is difficult to understand why more people do not avail themselves of God’s pardon for sin. He has already paid the high price by the sacrifice of His son. All that remains is for man to trust and obey Him, but the second part of that equation, the obedience part, is probably a deal-breaker for many. Do not let it be so for you:

Love the LORD your God and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws, and His commands always. (Deut 11:1)

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:36-40)

The time you have left on earth is strikingly short when compared to eternity; do not squander it by seeking your own gratification rather than God’s.

 

[and]

Heb 7:4 Just think how great [Melchizedek] was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder [when Abraham defeated the kings of Canaan, who had kidnapped Lot]! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6 This man [Melchizedek], however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser person [Abraham] is blessed by the greater [Melchizedek]. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die [i.e., Levites]; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor [Abraham].

     John and Paul both describe Jesus as having pre-existence before his earthly incarnation:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. (Phil 2:6)

We know of course that Jesus was born and that his life was the result of the Spirit’s intervention:

The angel answered [Mary], “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35}

The beginning of Melchizedek’s life presumably came through the natural union of two parents. He was not pre-existent like Jesus. The end of Melchizedek’s life was also unlike Jesus’ end, who rose from the dead and ascended heavenward to be with the Father forever. Melchizedek had an actual beginning and an actual end, but because the author of Genesis recorded neither event, the author of Hebrews took that opportunity to link Melchizedek’s relatively sparse record with Jesus.[5]

 

     The author of Hebrews adds that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, which may have been a standard amount to support this priest as it was later to support the Israelite priesthood:

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD…. The entire tithe of the herd and flock…will be holy to the LORD. (Lev 27:30, 32).

 

Application: The tithe is not a requirement for gentile Christians today. It is optional (Manuel 2010).[7] Even at this early point, Melchizedek did not demand that Abraham pay a fixed amount, like a toll or a tribute, but the tithe may have been a commonly recognized sum in the ANE. In any case, Abraham pays the tithe, and Melchizedek accepts it without question.

     This experience is similar to the biblical free-will offering whose amount is unspecified, even voluntary, and may also be like what many parishioners deposit in the collection plate today without anyone else determining if it is an appropriate amount:

All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do. (Exod 35:29)

The tithe is a reasonable percentage from all that God has provided to His people, especially when we remember what He owns: “ the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps 50:10):

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD. (Lev 27:26, 30)

To the LORD your God belong…the earth and everything in it. (Deut 10:14)

The amount of goods you actually possess is very small. In fact, you do not really have much more than your reputation, but that alone is till valuable:

A good name is more desirable than great riches (Prov 22:1).

Abraham’s reputation was as God had promised:

 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. (Gen 18:8)

Abraham’s reputation followed to the end of his life, which was “full of years” (Gen 25:8).

 

[and]

Heb 7:11 If perfection[8] could, have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.[9] 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” [Ps 110:4]

     God always intended the Levitical priesthood to be a temporary institution, so its eventual demise after the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 A.D caused no disruption in His great plan. Moreover, its eventual reinstitution in the Messianic Age will entail no contradiction with Jesus’ sacrifice, because the two systems provide different kinds of atonement. Animal sacrifices procure ceremonial (external) cleansing. Jesus’ sacrifice procures soteriological (internal) cleansing:

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. (Heb 9:11-13)

The author’s mention of “the good things that are already here” (v. 11), alludes to the availability of God’s pardon even before the savior’s first advent. “The Most Holy Place” is the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus applied his shed blood upon his ascension and the only place such an act would be efficacious.

     The earthly temple’s sacrificial system was defective: “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away [moral] sin” (Heb 10:4). Only Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice can accomplish that:[10]

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. (Eph 1:7)

Both Melchizedek and Abraham, as well as anyone living at that time had access to God’s pardon through faith in God’s grace as it was established by “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8). They did not know details about the coming messiah. Those details did not unfold until God was ready to reveal them:[11]

When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law. (Gal 4:4)

Those early saints had faith in God, and that faith worked to redeem them, even as it does for people currently. Their faith in God may not have been as well-informed as it is for people today, but it was sufficiently informed to secure their salvation as it does for people today. “The order of Melchizedek” (v. 11) is God’s continuation of a priestly line that originated in ancient times and culminates in the person of the messiah.

 

Application: It is important to know where God is taking history, even if only in the most general way: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab 2:14). That way you will not be surprised by what He does next, and you can prepare accordingly:

You…must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matt 24:44)

You determine how to spend your time and money according to their impact for the kingdom of God, not simply according to their benefit for you. As C.T. Studd said famously: “Only one life twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

 

Conclusion: The Order of Melchizedek is an ancient company of clerics that represented the people of God, presenting their devotion and prefiguring the sacrifice of Jesus before the Aaronic priesthood even existed:

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4)

The Order of Melchizedek shows one way people could express their commitment and does not change the singular importance God places on faith to establish and maintain a relationship with Him,  the same faith you showed when you first believed.

 

 

Bibliography

 

Delitzsch, Franz

  1978  Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Reprint ed. 2 vols. Translated by Thomas L. Kingsbury. Limited Classical Reprint Library (current series). Minneapolis: Klock & Klock Christian Publishers.

Hughes, Philip Edgcumbe

  1977  A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com

  2007  “An Equal-Accessibility Deity.” Soteriology Excursus 3 in A Reader’s Digest Approach to Theology.

  2010  “Tithing: A Matter of Personal Responsibility.”

  2011  “Toward Meaning: Ideology—Theocratic Constraints,” a supplementary unit for The Drama of Redemption.

Morris, Leon

  1981  “Hebrews.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 12. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.

[1]The biblical authors connect Jesus’ ministry with Melchizedek and note several parallels:

Gen 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Heb 5:6 He says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” ….10 [He] was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

[2]Alternatively, it may allude to a local but now forgotten, human magistrate.

[3]Melchizedek died just like other men, except for Enoch, who “walked with God [and] was no more, because God took him away” (Gen 5:23) and not like Elijah, who “went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kgs 2:11).

[4]Contra Delitzsch (1978 1:326), Jesus did not abolish “all sacrifices of the law.” They already had a different function (ceremonial versus soteriological). Consequently, they continue as long as there is a temple.

[5]The other similarity that drew the biblical author’s attention may have been their priestly roles:

Gen 14:18 Melchizedek…was priest of God Most High, .”

Heb 4:14 We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. .”

[6]God did not institute the tithe until the Levitical priesthood, although it may have been a commonly recognized amount, which is why Abraham offers it:

Lev 27:30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

In any case, there is no objection to its being insufficient here.

[7]The tithe originated as a means of supporting the sanctuary and the priesthood.

[8]Perfection (v. 11) “means the condition in which men are acceptable to God” (Morris 1981:66).

[9]Hughes (1977:259) and others think this “change” involved transferring the priesthood from the tribe of Levi to the tribe of Judah, but God did not have in view a temporary assignment when He appointed Levi:

Deut 10:8 The LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today.

Their representatives simply had different assignments, similar to Qumran expectations of two messianic figures, a royal descendant from Judah and a priestly descendant from Levi.

[10]The author of Hebrews speaks to the distinction between the ceremonial cleansing of animal sacrifices and the soteriological cleansing of Jesus’ sacrifice:

Heb 9:13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

[11]Timing is important to God:

Exod 9:5 The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”

Esth 4:14 Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Eccl 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Jer 51:6 It is time for the LORD’S vengeance; he will pay her what she deserves.

Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

God sometimes marks the specific aspect of His participation as at the “appointed” time:

Gen 18:14 I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

Jer 33:20 If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,

Matt 8:29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”