Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining Part 2 about Melchizedek, whom I consider “under-reported.” If you missed last week’s Part 1 — while busy dedicating your life to God and helping others —please read it now.
Today, we discuss the relevant chapters in the Book of Hebrews, the only place in the New Testament that mentions Melchizedek and explains his relationship to Jesus. Many scholars believe Melchizedek is the prefiguration of Jesus and I agree.
Let’s review the only two Old Testament passages where Melchizedek is mentioned and introduced in Genesis 14:
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20).
Approximately 1000 years later, Melchizedek merits one sentence in Psalm 110 that is a Messianic prophecy, with “You” pointing to Jesus:
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4).
Then another 1000 years pass when the New Testament Book of Hebrews, Chapters 5 and 6, previews the themes of Chapters 7 and 8. Significantly, the last verse of Hebrews 6 states how Jesus went “behind the curtain” and that “he entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
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Why is “behind the curtain” a key phrase? Within the Jerusalem temple, a heavy curtain separated humans from God, where God dwelt in the “Holy of Holies.” Once a year, on Yom Kippur, the high priest was allowed to go “behind the curtain” and offer the blood of atonement— animal blood sacrificed for the sins of Israel.
Miraculously, immediately upon Jesus’s death on the cross, the curtain was torn in two — meaning God and humankind were no longer separated. Moreover, through His blood sacrifice, He took on our sin debt and became our intercessor. The torn curtain is recorded in (Matthew 27:50-51), (Mark 15:37-38) and (Luke 23:44-46) also see Vol. 2 of this study.
That said, Hebrews 7 begins explaining the last sentence in Hebrews 6: “He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”:
“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, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace.’ Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:1-3).
Notice that the unknown writer of Hebrews wrote, “resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.” Resembling means mirroring someone, so “resembling the Son of God” supports the theological concept that Melchizedek points to being the pre-figuration of Jesus. Furthermore, Melchizedek had the power to bless Abram, and in the next chapter, Genesis 15, God made his covenant with Abram — later changed to Abraham.
Back to Psalm 110:4 for a moment: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” Oaths are sworn; God made a prophetic oath about Jesus, born about 1000 years later. Hebrews 7 repeats the oath with a profound teaching:
“Others became priests without any oath, but he [Jesus] became a priest with an oath when God said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever.” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:20-25).
Through an oath sworn by God, Jesus, like Melchizedek, is a “high priest forever.” Usually, God does not swear by oaths since there is no higher authority to whom God needs to pledge except perhaps to the “Son of God.” Hebrews 7 continues to explain Jesus as a “high priest forever”:
“Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27).
When Jesus died on the cross, offering himself for the “sins of the people,” the curtain was torn, allowing Jesus to go behind the curtain to be with God forever. Regarding God’s oath, ‘You are a priest forever.’ I requote from Hebrews above, “Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.” What does that mean?
The answer recorded in Hebrews 8 is requoted from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah the prophet. The Hebrews writer begins:
“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said..” (Hebrews 8:7-8). Begin the quote (paraphrased) from Jeremiah 31:31-34. God speaks:
“‘The days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors.. because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them’ declares the Lord.”
“‘This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time… I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’” End Jeremiah quote in (Hebrews 8: 8-12). The Hebrews writer concludes Chapter 8:
“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he [God] has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13).
Melchizedek and Jesus are both high priests who will live forever. However, Jesus is also the “guarantor of a better covenant.” And, unlike Melchizedek, but applicable to Jesus, “The people will all know me.” Research Hebrews for more about Melchizedek and if he is the prefiguration of Jesus in Genesis. Amen!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit recently hosted a four-day exhibit with a VIP guest at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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