Melchisedec

Melchisedec’s name, by interpretation is “King of Righteousness.” He was also King of Salem. Salem means “peace.” He was therefore the “King of Peace.” He is famous because the LORD swore by an oath that our Lord Jesus Christ would be a high priest forever “after the order of Melchisedec” (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:17). Many things should be said about Christ’s priesthood. But I want to point out only two or three here.

Jesus told the rich, young ruler, “There is none good but one, that is God” (Matt. 19:17). Scripture says that among men, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10-12; 1 Kings 8:46; Eccl. 7:20). Yet here is a wonderful thing. Melchisedec’s name is “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace.” Now, the Psalmist said, “I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of thine only” (Ps. 71:16). Scripture also says the name by which our Lord Jesus would be known is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5-6). The Lord Jesus Christ “loves righteousness and hates iniquity” (Heb. 1:9). Where sin once reigned unto death, now “grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, by our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:21). The effect of righteousness is peace with God in heaven (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-21), quietness and peace in our conscience, and assurance forever (Isa. 32:17; Rom. 15:13). Christ is King of Righteousness because He established everlasting righteousness for His people, for God’s elect (1 Cor. 1:30; Dan. 9:24; Heb. 10:14). He is King of righteousness because He sovereignly gives the gift of righteousness, which He worked out by His grace (Rom. 5:17). He is our peace, because He honored God’s law in His obedience and upheld God’s justice in full satisfaction by His death (Eph. 2:14; 5:2). He made our peace with God through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20). Christ is therefore “the Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). He pleased God, whose law was dishonored by our rebellion, and whose justice cried out for vengeance against us for our sins. But God, in wisdom and infinite, condescending grace, removed the offense our sins caused His justice (Rom. 5:10). The offended God removed the offense that our sins made against Him, by the death of His Son. He vented His justice in satisfaction against our sins in the death of His Son to make peace with us who made ourselves His enemies (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Christ subdued our iniquities. Our sins that separated us from Him, He, in unspeakable grace, saw as His and our enemies (Rom. 5:21; Micah 7:18-19). Because Christ did all this, He now reigns as King of Peace by His righteousness. He made peace for us with God by the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20). He subdued all opposition to our salvation in His own death. He now proclaims peace to our conscience (Heb. 9:12-15).

Putting it all together, we must conclude that there is but one who is "the priest of the most high God" (Gen. 14:18). There is only one King of Righteousness. There is only one King of Peace. There is only one who was made like the Son of God (Heb. 7:3). There is only one who abides a priest forever. Melchisedec bears the names and offices of our Savior. He is (not was) “made like unto the Son of God.” Recall how Nebuchadnezzar commanded three men to be thrown into the fiery furnace? Remember how when he looked, he saw four men walking in the fiery furnace? Remember what scripture says Nebuchadnezzar said? "The form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Dan. 3:25)! The fourth man in the fiery furnace was "like the Son of God." He was like the Son of God because He was the Son of God, appearing as a man before His incarnation. Who can be like the Son of God but the Son of God Himself? Melchisedec was not merely one priest of the most high God. He was "the" priest of the most high God. Hence, he was the only priest. Can we not therefore reasonably conclude that Melchisedec was our Savior, appearing to Abraham in His pre-incarnate office as “the priest of the most high God?” His appearance then preceded His coming into this world by physical birth to a woman (Gal. 4; Php. 2:5-8)? Remember how "the LORD" appeared to Abraham (Gen. 18:1-22)? Remember also how Joshua saw "the Captain of the LORD's host," who was none other than the pre-incarnate Son of God appearing as man, whom Joshua therefore fell down and worshipped? And remember how the LORD also appeared to Gideon (Judges 6:14-16)? He appeared as the angel of the LORD, that is, as the Messenger of the LORD (Mal. 3:1). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the sent One of God the Father, "the Apostle" and high priest of our profession (Heb. 3:1; John 6:29, and throughout the Gospel of John).

Therefore, I believe we must conclude that Melchisedec was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who appeared to Abraham in His pre-incarnate form and His office as our eternal high priest, to show beforehand that He is before all, that He is greater than all, that His covenant of grace precedes and supersedes the covenant of works;  He shall endure as our High Priest forever according to God's eternal will and His oath.

Is it not wonderful to see how great this man was (Heb. 7:4), being greater than Abraham, greater than Aaron and his sons after him, and who, by the absence of any recorded genealogy, proves that he was “without father, without mother, without descent (descendants), having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Heb. 7:3)? Therefore, he is eternal as the Son of God is eternal (Heb. 7:16-17). Christ is made high priest “after the order of Melchisedec.” Unlike all other priests, He lives forever; His life is eternal, He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And His priesthood is eternal. How could the Lamb of God be slain before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8) if there was no high priest to offer Himself? How could Christ offer Himself as the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world if He did not also love the Church from eternity, and in that eternal covenant of grace, give Himself for it (Eph. 5:25; Matt. 26:28; Heb. 13:20)?! Our High Priest, unlike all other priests, is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens (Heb. 7:26).  He is not subject to death, because He knew no sin, did no sin and in Him is no sin (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 3:5). Therefore, He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. He has by Himself obtained our eternal salvation (Heb. 1:3; 9:12; 10:14-18)! If Melchisedec was a mere man, then wouldn't it make our Lord Jesus that much greater, since Christ exceeds his greatness by fulfilling his type? He was without beginning of days nor end of life, the priest of the most high God, greater than all Old Testament men. If Christ were greater than him, He would appear all the more greater to us. Christ priesthood and offering made perfect all for whom He offered Himself. Now, scripture does not state in explicit language that Melchisedec was the pre-incarnate Son of God, not to my limited knowledge. But whatever the relation between Melchisedec and Christ, whether one and the same, or whether Melchisedec was a type and Christ is the antitype, nevertheless, Melchisedec serves to endear Christ to us as our high priest in His person and office and work. God’s oath gives us certainty and assurance that Christ actually obtained our eternal salvation. The continuance of sacrifices in the OT was a constant reminder that those sacrifices never removed sin (Heb. 10:1-3). But in wonderful contrast, the one never-to-be-repeated offering of Christ Himself, obtained eternal redemption and all spiritual, heavenly blessings for all those He died to save! Now, it is His seating in glory with all honor and blessing and authority and power on the throne of His Father that is our present and constant reminder that our sins and iniquities are not, nor ever shall be, remembered by God (Heb. 10:14-18; Jer. 50:20; Ps. 103)! If God made Christ our high priest, then we shall be saved to the uttermost. If Christ is our high priest, then we will be made to come to God by Him (Heb. 7:25). Melchisedec staggers our appreciation for the Author of scripture and the Author of our eternal salvation, who is the Word of God. Truly, Christ Himself is both the Messenger of God’s everlasting covenant of grace, and the Message of that covenant, having fulfilled it in His own blood (Mal. 3:1; Heb. 1:1-2; 13:20).

Rick Warta