Melchizedek

“Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”  Hebrews 7:17 quoting Psalm 110:4

Melchizedek – Hebrew names often contain meanings that portray the essential character of the person.  In Hebrew thought, a name is much more than a label.  It is a description of the role that the person will play in life.  Melchizedek is a name that probably comes from two Hebrew words, malki (El is my king) and tsedeq (the Hebrew word for “just” or “righteous”).  This priest who appears in Genesis 14 carries a name that means, “El (God) my king is righteous”.

The author of Hebrews uses the powerful meaning behind this name to point toward an equally powerful extension of this name.  The first Melchizedek was a priest to whom Abraham offered a sacrifice.  This becomes a symbolic expression of the new high priest, Jesus, who replaces the old sacrificial order with a permanent priesthood.  Jesus Himself is now our eternal high priest; a priest who will never die, never be replaced and who always offers the sacrifice that redeems us.  Jesus, whose Hebrew name means “God will deliver” has become the new and final Melchizedek; the representative of the God Who is just and righteous.

What can we learn from this name?  First we see the continuity of the Scriptures.  We are not New Testament believers.  God’s great redemptive work does not begin in Matthew.  It begins in Genesis.  Until you drink deeply from the books that we call the “Old Testament”, you will never appreciate the intricacy of God’s plan nor will you understand the depth of His patience.  Melchizedek reminds us that God has been at work bringing about our salvation since the very beginning.

Secondly, we discover that God’s plan brings together the great themes of redemption and righteousness, themes that were first revealed to Abraham and consummated in Christ.  There is no redemption without righteousness.  There is no priestly offering without deliverance.  Jesus lived both themes, died because of both themes and now is the exemplar of both themes. 

What this means for each of us is simple but life shaking.  We are completely dependent of God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice.  We bring nothing to the table.  It is not up to us.  It is God Who has been at work on our behalf all along. 

Come to Him without pretense of merit.  Offer yourself without justification.  Jesus has opened the way to the God of righteousness.  He alone is sufficient.