NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY
Epistle to Hebrews - chap.7 - Melchisedec
Epistle to Hebrews #10 CHAPTER SEVEN The priest Melchisedec is claimed by some to have been an ordinary human man, just like a priest today in the Roman Catholic church, only this Melchisedec was a priest of the Most High God. This teaching claims that the phrase "without father, without mother" is just simply stating that his physical pedigree was lost or unknown, that there is no "record" of it found anywhere. This to me seems a little far-out when you consider other pedigrees recorded and preserved in and among the people of God. And if this Melchisedec was so famous and so great a priest of the Most high God, then surely some record of from who he was would have been preserved, even if only a few generations of his pedigree before or after. This famous priest of old also had "neither beginning of days nor end of life." I guess those who believe this priest was from no divine Godhead, who probably argue that this phrase is repeating the previous idea of the previous phrase - physical pedigree records were lost or not recorded or handed down to anyone. Once more I contend that happening would have been VERY UNLIKELY considering the importance that Paul gives to this man in connection with Jesus the Christ, and the connection given in a prophecy of the OT that connects this Melchisedec with Christ (Psalm 110:4). Then I maintain that reading the Bible with the mind of a child (remember Jesus saying that unless you become like a child you will not enter the Kingdom of God), the phrase "neither beginning of days nor end of life" is pretty simple to understand. It does not take a degree in theology, or some fancy PhD interpretation - the words in English or Greek, are very clear - no beginning of days nor end of life, is telling you that this man, this priest of the Most High God, was ETERNAL!! Now, there were ALL KINDS of words in the Greek language, the language was not reduced to just a mere few - limited - or lacking vocabulary. If Paul was wanting us to understand that this priest Melchisedec was merely like any other human priest of the past thousands of years, then he could have very easily have written with words "his pedigree is lost or not recorded" or "the record of who his mother and father were have not been handed down to us." I maintain the very words and phrases used by Paul are a clear instruction to us that Paul was meaning to inform us that this Melchisedec was NOT from any human flesh and blood mother and father, but that this priest of the Most High God was himself ETERNAL, from the very Godhead of eternity. The ancient Priest was KING of RIGHTEOUSNESS and KING of PEACE! Can any mere human priest of human parents, be qualified to carry such titles. You read about the perfect Job, and all his righteousness, yet he is never given the title "King of Righteousness" by God. The Almighty does speak very well indeed of him, the first few chapters of Job, make this clear, yet no title of "King of Righteousness" is granted to perfect Job. Then we need to put together two phrases - one in verse one and the other in verse three. "For this Melchisedec, king of peace, priest of the Most High God....made like until the Son of God, abideth a priest continually." Notice Daniel 7:13. "I saw in the night vision, and, behold, one like unto the Son of man came with clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days..." Like unto the Son of man ... Like unto the Son of God. The next verse in Daniel makes it clear that this "like unto the Son of man" is none other than the Christ who will rule all nations. The one who Daniel saw coming to the Ancient of Days was and is Jesus the Christ. The Melchisedec of old, whom Abraham met and gave a tithe to, was made like unto the Son of God. In other words this SAME person LATER became the one whom we call Jesus Christ. Paul is telling us that this great priest of Salem - King of Peace, this King of righteousness - who had no mother or father, who had no beginning of days nor end of life, this eternal one, WAS LATER MADE LIKE UNTO THE SON OF GOD, who now lives as High Priest in heaven above, sitting on the right hand of the Most High God, the Father. Abraham, whom the Hebrews looked upon as one of their great fathers of old, was NOTHING in comparison to this Melchisedec priest of the Most High God. So there was no need to boast about or get all vain in mind, towards being some physical person descended from a physical man called Abraham, when Abraham, was MUCH less than Melchisedec, and to whom Abraham gave honor and homage and a tithe. Then this Melchisedec who was eternal, a part of the very eternal Godhead, later became the very Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world, the REALLY great one, whom the Hebrews needed to give first place in their lives, give their lives, mind, and heart, to Him, who STILL lives (as he always did) and is today the Priest above priests, who is the High Priest of all and any high priest. If this Melchisedec was only a mere human priest just as Aaron was, and any priest in Israel since Aaron, and just one priest of a line of physical human priests that lived before and after Melchisedec, WHY connect Melchisedec? Why not connect Aaron? Or some other priest of the Most High God. Why connect this Melchisedec, unless it is simply to show Abraham giving a tithe to him, which Paul does connect later with Aaron and a change in the priesthood and the law. I contend the very words used by Paul in connecting Melchisedec with the Son of God, is to show the Hebrews that ONE much greater than Abraham existed in Abraham's day, and that that greater one was eternal, and later that one became the very person of Jesus Christ, who now lives and is a Priest forever for us humans interceding for us, between us and the Father. I believe this is Paul's argument to the Hebrews. His thought to them is - get your minds off any physical high priest and physical Aaron priesthood, and get it on the ONE who was THE GREAT Priest of the Most High in Abraham's day and is STILL the High Priest for us humans today - Jesus the Christ. For Melchisedec and Christ were and are the ONE SAME PERSON! The question has arisen, "Why did an eternal being, a member of the Godhead, come to earth in Abraham's day (who knows possibly before and after Abraham) and live on earth as Priest to the Most High God? The answer is not given in Scripture in any clear precise way. One thing we can know though is, God can do whatever He desires to do, for whatever reasons He knows. Some times He tells us the reasons, sometimes He tells us not. Some things are hidden from us, some things are revealed to us. There are mysteries of God hidden from our eyes and understanding, and there are mysteries of God revealed to us. The apostle Paul makes this clear in many passages in his epistles. Then he adds in one that even today in the Gospel age (where so much has been revealed to us) we often look through a glass darkly. But one day we shall know even as we are known. We shall continue with the thoughts and teachings of Paul on the old Israel priesthood and the commandment to take tithes, as it was connected to Abraham and Melchisedec, and as it is still connected to the priesthood of Christ who was made after the order of Melchisedec. We shall continue with all that in the next chapter of this New Testament Bible Story. ................. Written January 2007 |
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