The writer returned to the theme they had introduced in chapter 5 (vv. 1–10), but doubted that the readers would comprehend (cf. 5:11). In the conclusion of the most recent warning (5:11–6:20), the author had renewed the subject of the Melchizedek priesthood (6:19–20).
Let’s talk about this mysterious individual, Melchizedek. A person about whom, I would say the majority of Christians know nothing. You talk about Melchizedek, and most people say, “Well, I’ve seen it in the Bible, but I don’t know anything about it. What is it?” Well, there are only four verses in the whole Old Testament that deal with Melchizedek, but these four verses become the cornerstone for this whole set of theology, which is crucial. So let’s start with the priestly order, chapter 7 verses 1 and 10.
The writer of Hebrews is presenting Jesus as a priest who is superior to Aaron. To do this Jesus is seen to be of the order of Melchizedek, a priestly order which is superior to the Aaronic order.
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Jesus is a priest that is far superior to Aaron.
- Melchizedek, whose name means king of righteousness, remains a priest forever.
- In the timelessness of his priesthood, Melchizedek resembled the Son of God. In the case of Christ, His nature guaranteed His perpetuity. The fulfillment in Jesus was more glorious than the type in Melchizedek.
- Three similarities are described to exist between the Lord Jesus and Melchizedek. Their names are similar (cf. Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:6; Eph. 2:14); both are different from other priests; and both remain/abide forever.
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 1: To begin with, the writer set forth the personal greatness of the Old Testament figure Melchizedek. As a fit prototype for Christ Himself, Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. He both blessed Abraham and received his tithes (“spoils”). Hebrews 5:6 quotes Psalm 110:4 to introduce the idea of Jesus’ priesthood patterned after Melchizedek. Now 7:1 refers to Genesis 14:18–20, the only other Old Testament passage using the name Melchizedek. After a victory over four invading kings from the east (Gen. 14:1–16), Abraham headed home with his nephew Lot, whom he had rescued from a kidnapping. They carried the plunder received as the rewards of battle. The king of Sodom came out to propose that Abraham might return the captured people to him but retain the spoils of battle. Abraham refused to retain anything because he had just sworn an oath to “God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:22).
Just before the king of Sodom offered his proposal to Abraham, Melchizedek had come out to meet Abraham. He brought Abraham bread and wine and blessed him. In response to Melchizedek’s blessing, Abraham offered him tithes of all his spoils.
Melchizedek was “king of Salem,” which the author will interpret in verse 2, and “priest of the Most High God” (see Gen. 14:18). Nations outside of Israel often combined the roles of king and priest in a single person. Among the Jews the role of king remained separate from the office of priest. The combination of kingship and priesthood in one person becomes important in the interpretations of verses 2–3.
Like Abraham, Melchizedek worshiped the one true God. In Melchizedek, Abraham met face-to-face with his superior, and Melchizedek blessed Abraham in a way which only a greater person could do.
Hebrews 7:1 is introduced with “For” because the writer is about to explain the order of Melchizedek mentioned in 6:20, and especially the word “forever” in that verse (6:20 reads: “where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”). This is clearly seen in the Greek text because the subject in verse one finds its main verb in “remains (abides)” in verse three. Now chapter 7 verses 1-3 are one long, involved, complicated sentence. We do not see it in English, but it’s one sentence. The subject of the sentence is Melchizedek verse 1. The verb of the sentence is way down in verse 3, “remains” Melchizedek, and then at the end of verse 3, “Made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually,” so you have the two thoughts: Melchizedek and forever. And that’s what it is explaining, that Melchizedek remains as a priest forever, and the writer gives this description of Melchizedek in verses 1 to 3. The thought then is simple: “This one remains a priest perpetually.” Better, The subject is Melchizedek; the verb is “remains,” and it links back to 6:20. He remains the priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. It is interesting to observe that this entire paragraph (vv. 1-10) is based on a brief three versed paragraph in Genesis 14:18-20. The only other reference is Psalms 110 Verse 4, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Those are the only four verses on Melchizedek in the whole Old Testament, and the writer builds their whole theology, amazingly, from those four verses.
Verse 2: Abraham’s tithe was a form of thank offering to God for victory in battle (Gen. 28:22). Abraham’s offering of a tithe showed the superiority of Melchizedek and his right to receive it.
Verse 2 explains that Melchizedek’s name means King of Righteousness. Melchizedek’s name and title suggest the messianic attributes of righteousness and peace. Melchizedek’s name carried the meaning, king of righteousness. Jews attached great importance to the meaning of names and would find this type of exegesis of special interest. The idea of “righteousness” would also be an appropriate description of the nature of Jesus as our High Priest. (In Hebrew, “king” is melek, and “righteousness” is tsadeq.)
Salem was another name for Jerusalem in Psalm 76:2. Salem is related to the Hebrew shalom and refers to “peace,” so Melchizedek is king of peace. In Ephesians 2:14 Paul designated Christ as our peace. Hebrews shows the significance of peace in Christ’s work. Jesus’ work introduced positive blessing for lost, struggling human beings. As a priest, Jesus justifies all who trust in His atoning sacrifice (Rom. 3:26).
It so happened that Melchizedek ruled over the city of Salem, which means peace. Therefore, he is both king of righteousness and king of peace. It is obvious the Scriptures teach a close relationship between righteousness and peace (cf. Heb. 12:11; Rom. 5:1; James 3:17; Isa. 32:17). The order is also important. First is righteousness, and then its result which is peace. The wisdom that is from above is first pure; then peaceable. The implications are overwhelming. The point is we do not have peace at any price. Righteousness is the basis for peace. Purity is the foundation for peace.
Verse 3: The insights of this verse are based on the silence of Scripture rather than on its explicit statements. So far as the Old Testament record is concerned, Melchizedek was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life,” because the Scripture did not mention the birth or death of Melchizedek. In saying this, the author is often taken to mean that the silence of the inspired record presents Melchizedek as typologically “like the Son of God.” This trait of Melchizedek resembled Jesus who, because He lived eternally, had a permanent priesthood (Heb. 7:24). Melchizedek was “having neither beginning of days nor end of life.” But though this is possibly true, the statements do not sound like it, particularly the assertion that Melchizedek “remains a priest perpetually (forever).” The word “perpetually” translates a phrase (eis to diēnekes) that occurs only in Hebrews (here and in 10:12, 14) and means “continuously,” “always,” or “without interruption.”
It seems more natural that the author meant that Melchizedek belonged to an order in which there was no end to the priesthood of those engaged in it. (The author later said in 7:8 that Melchizedek “is witnessed that he lives on.”) If this is correct, Melchizedek may have been an angelic being who reigned for a time at Salem (i.e., Jerusalem).[1] If so, the statement that he was “having neither beginning of days nor end of life” would not mean that he was eternal, but simply that he had a pretemporal or before the beginning of time origin. Also, this concept of Melchizedek as an angel would not elevate him to the same level as God’s Son, since the author painstakingly asserted the Son’s superiority to the angels (1:5–14). There is indeed evidence that, at Qumran, Melchizedek was regarded as an angelic personage.[2] If this is the case in Hebrews, then the Son of God is the High Priest in an order in which Melchizedek is simply a priest.
If we take the statements literally, we might conclude that Melchizedek was a heavenly being. The entire argument of Hebrews concerning Melchizedek assumed that he was a human being who resembled Christ in several ways. To the writer of Hebrews, the silences of Scripture were inspired as well as its direct statements. This verse does not claim that the priest-king Melchizedek appeared on earth without parents or a family. Melchizedek was a mortal human being. The silence of Scripture about his birth, death, and genealogy was a type which resembled the eternal priesthood of Christ.
The information about Melchizedek is presented in such an unusual way that it has led scholars to view him as something besides a normal human being. Some view him as an angelic being. Others see him as a preincarnate form of Jesus Christ appearing during Abraham’s lifetime. Since the role of angels is prominent in Hebrews (1:5–14), the author of Hebrews probably would have designated Melchizedek as an angel if he had been one. Hebrews 7:3 describes him as “like the Son of God,” a statement the author would not have made if Melchizedek were Jesus Christ in a preincarnate state. Melchizedek was simply a mortal man who in many ways resembled and prefigured the Son of God.[3]
Historically, Melchizedek appears to have belonged to a succession of priest-kings and had both predecessors and successors. In comparing the priesthood of Melchizedek to that of the Son of God, Hebrews makes the priesthood of Jesus the standard. Melchizedek is like Jesus, the Son of God. The record about Melchizedek was arranged so that it demonstrated some truths which applied more fully to Jesus than to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a figure of Christ, but Christ was the reality.
In His humanity Jesus Christ had a human mother and a human genealogy and birth. As the Son of God, He remains the same eternally, and His years will never end (Heb. 1:12).
The silence of Scripture about the succession to Melchizedek suggested that he had a permanent priesthood. In the timelessness of his priesthood, Melchizedek resembled the Son of God. In the case of Christ, His nature guaranteed His perpetuity. The fulfillment in Jesus was more glorious than the type in Melchizedek.
The text of Hebrews uses typological exegesis in explaining the significance of Jesus’ priesthood. Since Melchizedek was king of righteousness and king of peace, he is described as a type of Christ. Melchizedek anticipated or represented beforehand the broader peace and greater righteousness Christ would provide for His people.
Hebrews 7:3 causes one to ask the question, “Was Melchizedek a Theophany?” Remember theophany basically means an appearance of God. Probably, he was not for several reasons. (Side note: Your theology is not going to be changed by this; you could take either side, and it won’t change you). (1) The Genesis account never gives any indication that Melchizedek was anything else than human. (2) He is never called the Angel of Jehovah. (3) Normally, theophanies revealed themselves as God. Even in Genesis 18, when Abraham entertained angels, unaware that they were angels. By the time they left, Abraham knew that one of them was God and recognized them as God. (4) Hebrews 7:3 says he was “made like” the Son of God. (The participle translated “made like” is perfect tense to emphasize completed action with continuing results.) How could he be made like the Messiah if he was the Messiah? (5) Verse 11 refers to “another” (heteron) priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek. This is the easiest to get around for the other side and is not that strong.
In Hebrews 7:1-3 three similarities are shown to exist between the Lord Jesus and Melchizedek. (1) The names are similar (cf. Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:6; Eph. 2:14). (2) Both are different from other priests. (3) Both abide forever. How does Melchizedek abide forever? In type he continues because no genealogy of Melchizedek is found in the Scriptures nor is there a record of his death. As a figure or picture, he abides perpetually as a priest.
[1] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 798.
[2] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 798.
[3] Thomas Lea, “Hebrews” in Holman New Testament Commentary – Hebrews & James, vol 10, edited by Max Anders (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), np.