Hebrews 7:1-10

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, ²and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” ³Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. ⁴Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! ⁵Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. ⁶This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. ⁹One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Melchizedek Prefigures Christ

It is a basic Christian belief that all of the Old Testament lays the basis for the appearance of Christ; who he is, and his roles as Prophet, Priest, King, Sacrifice and Savior. (As you may recall, Mark’s sermons in December and January discussed Christ’s roles as Priest, Prophet and King.) Specific persons in the OT prefigure Christ in various ways (e.g., Adam, or Jonah who is “dead” in the whale for 3 days). The Priest-King Melchizedek is first referred to in Genesis 14:18-20. The passage in Genesis is only 3 verses, yet he is so important that in Psalm 111 he is linked to a powerful future ruler, and in Hebrews he is specifically identified with Christ. He is a mysterious figure without either forefathers or offspring, and no mention of how he has been crowned king or ordained as priest. (In some traditions, he is identified as Shem, the son of Noah.)

Melchizedek prefigures Christ in important ways. First, as Hebrews explains, his name Melchizedek means King of Righteousness. Second, he is King of Salem. Salem means peace (echoed in the current words Shalom and Salaam). In most Christian traditions Salem is the location of both Mt. Moriah where Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, and later of Jerusalem (Jeru = cornerstone, foundation or city, and SLM means peace, originally from Shalem, the Canaanite god of dusk). Alternately, Jeru may come from Abraham naming the place yireh (God will see).

Melchizedek’s name and home are both very significant, prefiguring Christ’s role as a righteous King and the Prince of Peace. Abraham has just rescued his nephew Lot from a local war, returning with the spoils of battle. Melchizedek mysteriously has priestly status, predating the priestly line of Levi (some suggest via Noah). He has the authority to give God’s blessing to Abraham, and feeds him with bread and wine (prefiguring the Eucharist). He ranks above Abraham, with the right to receive the priestly tithe of 10%. And Paul says that like the Son of God, he is eternal - he remains a “priest forever”, “without beginning or end”. So, Melchizedek does indeed prefigure Christ as Priest, who makes the perfect sacrifice of himself for us, and as King, who will return to reign in glory.