Today is our last day with Melchizedek. It never ceases to amaze me that the Holy Spirit could inspire so much from 3 little verses in Genesis. It should give us great reassurance that the Bible is a wonderful, Supernatural Book. If Melchizedek points directly to Jesus, then then certainly there is more to the Old Testament then meets the eye. God is so awesome to reveal Jesus through stories and prophecy, centuries before He walked the earth. We have so much more to uncover, but first lets finish up with Melchizedek.
I highly recommend that you read all of Hebrews chapter 7 (actually 6:13- 8:6) to get a full grasp of how Melchizedek modeled Christ, yet we don't have time to go through it all.
Please read Hebrews 7:11- 8:1 for today.
Yesterday we saw how by omitting information about the person Melchizedek, the Holy Spirit made him a type or model of Jesus. Had his history or later events been added to the Bible, he would not fit the mold. The Holy Spirit is always deliberate with information.
"Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days of end of life, like the Son of God [Melchizedek] remains a priest forever." Hebrews 7:3
In a very real way every layer of the Old Testament points to Jesus. When the LORD gave Moses the Law, He included the role and responsibilities of the priests. The priests were to intercede on behalf of the nation of Israel, atoning for their sins before God. The priests however were, like all people, sinful themselves and therefore had to purify themselves, through sacrifice, before they could offer sacrifice for the people. The sacrifices themselves had to be done continually because the blood of bulls and goats couldn't actually take away sin, they were shadows and reminders of the One who could.
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming- not the reality themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship...But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, becasue it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goat to take away sins...Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifice, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God...because by one sacrifice he had made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:1-2, 4, 11-12 &14
The Levitical priest and their sacrifices were shadows of Christ, but it is Jesus alone who is able to actually forgive our sins. In the Old Testament the word for atonement implies a covering over, or pushing ahead of sin.* The Greek word used in the New Testament means the sin-debt has been paid in full and removed.** Jesus is the fulfullment and perfection of what the Law required.
And because Jesus is eternal, He is always interceding on our behalf before the Father. While the Levitical priests were only able to enter into the Holy Place to perform their duties according to the Law, and only the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, and that just once a year, through Jesus we have constant and continual access to the Father. Jesus is always there to take our cares and concerns to the Father.
"Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."Hebrews 7:24, 25
Again Jesus is the fulfillment and perfection, the Levitical system was a model or type so that we might know the greatness of Jesus and all that He has done for us.
The Levitical system was the center of worship for the Jews. By the time Jesus came, it had been an institution for about 1400 years. That's a very long time to follow a tradition, it was difficult even for Jewish believers to understand that anything, even Christ, could supercede the Law. By using Melchizedek as a model, the writer of Hebrews showed that even before the Law God had made clear that One would come who would perfect the Law and be far greater than it.
Still Melchizedek is quite a mystery. Over the centuries (milenia) many people have come up with interesting suggestions as to who he might have actually been (remember Melchizedek is a title). Jewish tradition claims that Melchizedek was actually Shem, the son of Noah, and ancester of Abram (and Jesus).*** According to Genesis 11:11, Shem lived for 500 years. Having survived the Flood and recieved the blessing from Noah, its not impossible that Shem became priest of God Most High, as well as king of Salem (which by the way, later became Jerusalem).
In 2 of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Melchizedek is said to be Michael the archangel.*** However it is unlikely that God would place an angel as a physical king over any city, and Michael specifically would be less likely. Every Biblical reference to Michael is as protector and defender of God's covenant people, it is a bit of a stretch (for me) for him to take a role other than that.
In more recent years there has been the suggestion that Melchizedek was actually a preincarnate Christ. There are several places in the Old Testament where a stranger appears, who is either Commander of the Lords army, or the Angel of the Lord that can rightly be attributed to Jesus; Abraham pleaded with a Stranger over the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18), Jacob wrestled with an Angel, who blessed him and changed his name (Genesis 32:22-32), and a Man, who looked "like a son of the gods" appeared in the blazing fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When we look at Hebrews 7, however, it seems odd for the author to compare Jesus to Himself.
Whoever Melchizedek was, what was important to the Holy Spirit (for Biblical purposes) was his role as king and priest. Giving him an identity apart from king and priest, would have deminished him as a type or model of Jesus.
"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.
* Hebrew- Greek Key Word Study Bible, NIV. pg 1524
** Hebrew- Greek Key Word Study Bible, NIV pg. 1634
*** Walton, John H. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Volume 1. Grand Rapid, MI. Zondervan. 2009. pg 82
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