The Priesthood
Of
Melchizedek
Tony Wastall
Introduction
There are few characters in the bible more fascinating than that of Melchizedek. Any serious attempt to investigate himwill lead to an amazing array of literature suggesting he was everything from the leader of a mysterious cult to a visitor from outer space!
Our starting place however is the conviction that the bible is the word of God and contains everything we need to teach us about Melchizedek. In this study we are going to examine the scriptural evidence about this intriguing person and his relevance for us,the church today.
We are introduced toMelchizedek in Genesis chapter 14. It would be useful at this stage to read the whole passage. But to summarise; Abram with his fighting men had set about rescuing his nephew Lot who had been taken prisoner in a conflict between two groups of Canaanite kings.On his return home with Lot and all the spoils of his victory,Melchizedek came out of the city of Salem (later to be Jerusalem) to meet Abram.
Then 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'.
Genesis 14:18-20
Taken on its own it describes a fascinating encounter between Abram and an obscure Canaanite king. But this Melchizedek is given an interesting epithet. He is described as‘priest of God Most High’.This is the first time the bible records anyone beingidentified in this way.
Furthermore in his capacity as ‘priest of God Most High’ he blesses Abram who responds by offering a tenth,or tithe of the bounty of war. If this was the only reference to Melchizedek there would probably be little more that we could say about him with any certainty.
What really raises our interest is David’s prophetic declaration 400 hundred years later in Psalm 110 concerning Melchizedek. We will quote the Psalm in full.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
The Lord will extend your mighty sceptre from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
Your troops will be willing in the day of battle.
Arrayed in Holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
David speaking by revelation makes a remarkablestatement; God has set upa priestly order originating withMelchizedek;and the messiah, the Christ,has been established into that order. Suddenly Melchizedek is elevated in his significance for whatever is true of the priesthood of Melchizedek must also be true of Christ. They are of the same order!
Finally, Melchizedek is found in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews. Here the writer is seeking to establish the supremacy of Christ over the Levitical priests.
Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder. 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. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 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. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Hebrews 7:4-10
The point here is that although the people of Israel brought their tithes to the Levitical priests; Levi, Abram’s grandson was not even born when Abram offered his tithes to Melchizedek. Levi was ‘in Abram’s loins’ when this occurred. By this logic the author concludes that Melchizedek’s priesthood takes precedence over that of Levi. For in effect; ‘Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham’, Hebrews 7:9.
So Melchizedek is a person of tremendous prophetic significance. But what of his true identity; what of his actual ministry and what relevance does that have for the church today? These are the themes we are now going to explore.
Who was Melchizedek?
The first task in our investigation is to establish the identity of Melchizedek. A number of simple observations surrounding his names and titles will be helpful here.The name Melchizedek when translated means king of righteousness, Hebrews 7:2. Then Genesis 14:18 describes him as being king of the city of Salem, which is none other than Jebus, later to become Jerusalem.
The wordSalem means ‘peace’ in the Hebrew language. His name therefore means ‘king of peace’.Finally heisalso described in Genesis 14:18 as being ‘priest of God Most High’.
Melchizedek therefore carries a strong identification with Christ even before David’s messianic pronouncement in Psalm 110. When we come to the book of Hebrews, this identification is endorsed even further.
Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the son of God he remains a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:3
Melchizedek is revealed to us as a messianic figure, a king-priest who has the authority to prophetically bless the patriarch Abram.
This leads us naturally to the question of whether Melchizedek was simply a type of Christ, or an Old Testament appearance of Christ – a Christophany. Some commentators feel the association of the two is so strong as to identifybeyond reasonable doubt thatMelchizedek as nothing less than the person of Christ.
Certainly the ministry Melchizedek fulfilled was highly significant and in my view more than merely typological. But to go further and presupposethe identity of Melchizedek as that of Christ must be questioned for the following reasons.
Firstly, nowhere does the bible specifically refer to Melchizedek and Christ as the same person. In fact Hebrews 7 verse 3 states that Melchizedek is ‘like the Son of God’ and in verse 15 that Christ is, ‘another priest like Melchizedek’.
We should not stumble over the literary device the author uses when in verse 3 he says that Melchizedek is,‘without father or mother, without genealogy of days or end of life’. As Simon Kistemaker points out:
‘A prerequisite for holding the office of priest was a proven genealogy. Melchizedek …does not have a genealogy, the names of his father and mother are lacking. Yet this man is priest of God most high’, (NTC Hebrews, Simon Kistemaker).
The point therefore is that Melchizedek was established in his priesthood without reference to genealogy. It is in this way that he is like the Son of God.
Secondly, the plain account of Genesis reveals Melchizedek as a real person living in the city of Salem as its king. Could it really be suggested that Christ lived incognito among the people of Salem as their king for a period of time? Or did he suddenly appear from nowhere to meet Abram, claiming the title‘King of Salem’ for a few brief moments before disappearing again? The idea is incongruous to say the least.
Thirdly, Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7 both identify Christ as of the order ofMelchizedek. Being of the same order does not make them the same person; it gives them the same characteristics. This is an important issue we shall return to later.
Finally, there is no need for Melchizedek to be Christ for him to fulfil his priestly ministry and no need for Christ to be Melchizedek for him to fulfil his. I would go so far as to say that it is important that Melchizedek is distinct from the person of Christ so that an order of priestly ministry can be established. If they were one and the same, there would be no order of priests, just a single priest.
Although we may conclude therefore that Melchizedek falls short of being a pre-incarnation manifestation of Christ it is evident that he holds a unique and special place in the purpose of God. Onto the stage of history for the first time, God establishes a priestly ministry. Later in the book of Exodus we are introduced to the priesthood of Aaron. Each was the head of different orders of priests. Both were established by God but markedly different from each other in almost every way.
We willnow look at this issue of priestly order more closely.
The priestly order of Melchizedek
Only two orders of priesthood are ever mentioned in the bible, that of Melchizedek and that of Aaron. The word ‘order’ is important here. It signifies plurality. Neither Melchizedek nor Aaron stands alone. They are each part of an order of priests.
Each priestly order has its own features. The features of the Aaronic priesthood are highlighted in the book of Hebrews:
- The priests offer the same sacrifices day after day, Hebrews 7:27
- The sacrifices can never take away sins, Hebrews 10:11
- The priests are appointed in weakness as fellow sinners, Hebrews 7:27,
- The priests are prevented by death from continuing in office, Hebrews 7:23
The Aaronic priesthood is dominated by the issue of sin. The main ministry of these priests was that of mediating for the sins of the people. This stands in stark contrast to the priesthood of Melchizedek. We shall return to this theme later but for now it is worth noting that when Melchizedek appeared to Abram it was not to deal with his sin. It was to do something quite different.
The priesthood of Melchizedek came first. It operated from Melchizedek until the Law of Mosesat which point the priesthood of Aaron was introduced. From then we find no mention of priests of the order of Melchizedek untilthe appearance of Christ. When Christ does appear and takes up his priestly role, the order of Aaron is abolished. The two priesthoods run consecutively on earth. We never find them running concurrently.
When the order of Melchizedek was operating there was no Aaronic priesthood in place on earth. When the Aaronic priesthood was operating there was no order of Melchizedek in place on the earth. We shall see later that the picture in heavenis a little different.
Covenant / Abraham / Moses / New CovenantPriesthood / Melchizedek / Aaron / Melchizedek
When Christ reinstated the order of Melchizedek again the Aaronic priesthood became redundant. There will be no revival of the Aaronic priesthood.There will never be any need for the rebuilding of a physical temple in Jerusalem, the celebration of Jewish feasts or the offering of sacrifices. These are but shadows and types of the reality we now enjoy in Christ.
At every stage in history there has been a God-ordained priesthood operating in the earth. The priesthood we live under in the New Covenant is that of the order of Melchizedek.Melchizedek was the first priest. That is why his priesthood is called the order of Melchizedek. Just as Aaron was the first of his order and his priesthood is referred to as the Aaronic priesthood.
Notice that the priesthood of Melchizedek is never referred to as the priesthood of Christ. That isbecause the order takes its name from the first of its kind. Christ is superior because he is the high priest, the eternal Son of God and therefore Melchizedek is described as being ‘like Christ’, Hebrews 7:3, 15. But Melchizedek is not of the priesthood of Christ. Christ is of the priesthood of Melchizedek because Melchizedek was the first.
Let us consider some further features of the priesthood of Melchizedek.
- The order of Melchizedek is an eternal priesthood.
There has only ever been one high priest in this order because unlike Aaron, death will not interrupt his ministry. Christ will always and only ever be the high priest of this order. We need never expect a different high priest in the future. His high priestly ministry is secure for all eternity.
But the bible also says that Melchizedek is,‘declared to be living’, Hebrews 7:8; ‘he is without end of life, like the son of God he remains a priest forever’, Hebrews 7:3.It may seem remarkable but we are led to conclude from these statements that Melchizedek still functions as a priest before God. Like Christ he continues before God in his priesthood for eternity.
- The order of Melchizedek is a heavenly priesthood.
Aaron’s priesthood operated on the earth only. The Melchizedek priesthoodhowever operates in the heavenlies as well as the earth.Aaron’s priesthood was symbolic. It could not handle heavenly realities. Its priests were prevented by death from continuing in office. As we have seen this is not so with Melchizedek.
Jesus is described as fulfilling his priestly ministry in heaven. This ministry had a starting point. It commenced when Jesus ascended to his father in heaven.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:19-20
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.
Hebrews 9:11-12
Just as with the atonement itself, the intercessory ministry of Christ is effective for every age. It reaches forward and backward in its scope to embrace people of every generation. But from our perspective it had a beginning point. Jesus left heaven, emptying himself of his glory to die as a man. He returned to heaven in resurrection power, there to appear before the father as a risen man with nail scars in his resurrection body. Hebrews 9:11-12 says that was the day he actually entered the presence of God to take up his priestly ministry.
- The order of Melchizedek is a royal priesthood
The person of Melchizedek combined the two offices of king and priest. Similarly, Jesus is also a king-priest. No priest from the Aaronic priesthoodis ever referred to in this way.
The Aaronic priests always stood in the performance of their duties in the tabernacle and later the temple.There was no provision of a seat for them. Melchizedek however was a king-priest; he would have had a throne in Salemon which he sat.A feature of the ministry of Christ is that, ‘when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God’, Hebrews 10:12.Like Christ, Melchizedek ministered from a place of rule.
The only seat in the tabernacle was the mercy seat located in the most holy place beyond the veil. Symbolically this seat belonged to Christ and in reality was occupied by him when he ascended back to heaven. Christ therefore administrates his priestly role with kingly rule!
Having seen the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek over that of Aaron, we must now focus on the particular role and ministry of Christ in the Melchizedek order for he occupies a unique position.
Christ our great high priest
The three anointed offices under the Old Covenant were that of prophet, priest and king. Jesus uniquely fulfilled all three. He is the Prophet of God; he is the King of kings and he is also a priest of God.
But Jesus is not just any old priest and he is certainly not a priest after the order of Aaron. Christ never functioned in the Aaronic priesthood. He fulfilled its requirements and urged others to do the same. But Jesus never ministered as a priest of Aaron.He was designated a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
But there is a further consideration. The book of Hebrews consistently identifies Jesus not simply as a priest, even one after the order of Melchizedek, but as our great high priest, Hebrews 3:1, 4:14.What was it about Jesus’ ministry that earned him the designation high priest?
Under the Aaronic priesthood we see that it was the high priest who brought the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy Place once a year to mediate for the sins of the people. This was called the Day of Atonement and its regulations are described in detail in Leviticus 16. This ordinance was merely a shadow of what Christ would do with his own blood. But it is instructive for us because it demonstrates exactly what the high priest was there for.
Christ is our high priest because he dealtwith the sin issue
In speaking of this priestly ministry, the author of Hebrews explains that Christ fulfilled all that was foreshadowed in the priesthood of Aaron under the Old Covenant. He came with heavenly realities to deal with actual sin and guilt not merely ritual cleansing and ceremonial duties.