He is first by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
Hebrews 7:2b-3
I have been camped out in Hebrews 7 for a little while now trying to wrap my mind around this Melchizedek character. Who is this guy? Why does the writer of Hebrews spend so much time talking about Melchizedek when there are only four verses in the entire Bible dedicated to him (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:4)? And why does it matter at all to me who this guy was? Or should I be saying, “who this guy is,” since he has no beginning of days nor end of life?
Who is Melchizedek?
We see in Genesis 14 that Melchizedek is a king who met Abraham returning from battle after his nephew, Lot, had been seized. He blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tenth of the war spoils. Then he disappears. There is no other recorded history of Melchizedek. The only other time he is mentioned is in Psalm 110:4, which says, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”
The psalmist, David, doesn’t make his opinion of Melchizedek known, but he does pick up on the fact that there is no record of genealogy for this priest-king. And he uses the absence of parents or descendants to his advantage in his psalm pointing to a priest who will reign forever over God’s people. Since we now look back on the Cross, we can confidently affirm that this priest is Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Because of this, there is debate about who Melchizedek is. Is he Jesus appearing in the Old Testament? While this is a secondary issue that we shouldn’t get wrapped up in (and not one the writer of Hebrews was aiming to expound on), it remains useful to consider.
I think that the biggest reason Melchizedek is grounds for debate is because Scripture appears to say that he lives forever. We know that only God lives forever. So if Melchizedek in fact lives forever, he must be God. And if he is God, then he must be Jesus, because Jesus became flesh and blood and walked among us on earth.
Before I share my thoughts on whom Melchizedek really was, something must be said. Jesus Christ is the Priest-King that has come into the world to save us from our sin by the shedding of His own blood. He was in the beginning with God because He is God. And He is alive today, seated at the right hand of Majesty on high and will come again for His bride, the Church, and to judge those who have failed to put their faith in Him and acknowledge Him as Lord. To miss the glory of Jesus Christ when talking about Melchizedek is to miss the entire reason that the writer of Hebrews mentions him at all.
With that said, I believe there is convincing evidence that Melchizedek is not Jesus Christ appearing in the Old Testament. Melchizedek is simply a man who God appointed a priest-king during the days of Abraham. Just because he does not have a lineage in Scripture does not mean that he does not have one. What is omitted does not give us license to make him God without the concrete statement, “Melchizedek is Jesus,” which is also absent from God’s Word. It is enough to say that Melchizedek is a man in Scripture that points us to Jesus Christ, the true Priest-King who lives forever.
I will share two reasons for why I believe this. First of all, the writer of Hebrews is constantly comparing Jesus to other people and other things. Jesus is compared to the angels, to Moses, to the Levitical priesthood, to the Old Covenant, etc. It doesn’t make sense that the author would stop with comparisons, bring up Melchizedek, and not make the statement that the two are the same person, if they truly were. It makes a lot more sense that the author is continuing with his theme of comparison when he mentions Melchizedek.
Secondly (which is more of a continuation than another reason), the writer uses the phrase “resembling the Son of God.” The Greek word aphŏmŏiŏō means to assimilate closely or make like. It doesn’t make sense to make Melchizedek like Jesus if they were the same person!
So there must be another explanation for his lack of genealogy and death certificate. Melchizedek is no more alive today than any of the other people in the Bible who lack information about their family history and death. It simply became a very convenient (and God-supplying) opportunity to point to the One who indeed has an indestructible life, Jesus Christ.
Why does it matter to me?
I’ve become rather fascinated by Melchizedek. There is so little information about this man in Scripture and yet he remains a very important figure. In this way, he truly has continued on. He has a legacy that remains talked about to this day.
But even more than my fascination with Melchizedek is my fascination with the God who Melchizedek served. The God who has supplied us with the Bible inspired each writer so that what is included in the 66 books of the Bible is the very history, doctrine, and instruction that He desires us to know.
We find Melchizedek within this grand narrative. He takes on importance because God has put his (Melchizedek’s) life in His (God’s) book and wants us to know about him so that we can know about Him. God saw fit to inspire the writer of Genesis to include the account of Melchizedek blessing Abraham. God saw fit to stir David’s heart to write about the coming Priest-King after the order of Melchizedek. And God caused the writer of Hebrews to use Melchizedek’s life to point to the superiority of Jesus Christ and His indestructible priesthood over that of the Levitical order.
God knew that the three verses of Melchizedek’s life in Genesis 14 would be used hundreds of years later to point to the true King of righteousness and King of peace who is infinitely superior to Abraham AND Melchizedek. When I consider the life of Melchizedek, I am filled with awe, not because this man was so incredible (which he was!), but because God has sovereignly preserved His Word that raises the dead, creates new life, and transforms the hearts of men.
No one other than the sovereign King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, could ever do something so amazing. Not even Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham, the father of our faith, can compare with the One who blesses us from Heaven.
I am thankful that I did not gloss over the story of Melchizedek. I’m glad that I did a little spiritual sweating in Hebrews 7. And I know that I’ve still only scratched the surface of what God intends for me to know through this man’s life.
If you’ve read this far, I hope that you find encouragement knowing that God has supplied us with His eternal Word, Jesus Christ, and His written Word through which the Son of God becomes real to us. Melchizedek is just one illustration of God’s gift to us. I hope you are hungry for the nourishment that only God’s Word can provide. And I hope that your hunger drives you to the Word to feast on the Bread of Life who never fails to satisfy.
but He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 7:24-28
For the glory of our faithful High Priest, King Jesus…
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