And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:18-20 ESV)
Priest
Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Bible. Yet he is important because he sets up one of Christ’s important credentials.
Almost all of the priests endorsed by Scripture were of the tribe of Levi… and for High Priest, of the descendants of Aaron. For the Messiah to fill the role of God’s High Priest, the one who represents God’s people to God, it would seem that the Christ would have to be born into that family and tribe.
But Jesus was not. He is from the tribe of Judah, fulfilling other credential-requirements.
However, there is another order of Priests. Yes, most are from Levi, but one man is described in a unique position. Before the Law sets up the Levitical priesthood, God ordained another type of priest… that of Melchizedek. We know very little about this man and his priesthood. But we know enough. Because the book of Hebrews informs us that Christ Jesus was a part of Melchizedek’s group.
Melchizedek helps us understand Christ’s job as Messiah. They both were priests, unique priests. They both represented God’s people to God. They both receive the tithe. They both bless God’s people in God’s name.
Yay, Melchizedek!