Skip to main content

5. A King of Peace

Genesis 14:17-20 & Hebrews 7:1-22
Key verse:
For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 7:17

What an odd little moment in history.  When it actually occurred, probably not much was thought of it.  Abram certainly had no idea that this moment in time had any significance at all.  He had just won a battle and had set his nephew free, along with the rest of the members of his nephew Lot's town.   Abram is in the Valley of the Kings when, out of the blue, a king approaches named Melchizedek   He is not only a king, but also a priest of God Most High.  He blesses Abram and serves him bread and wine.  Then in turn, Abram out of all the wealth that he has captured, which we could call Abram’s earning for winning the war, gives Melchizedek ten percent as a thank offering.

Abram appreciated the blessing that Melchizedek offered and went his way.  As far as we know, they never met again.  Melchizedek disappears into history at least as far as Genesis is concerned, but he is not forgotten.

We know very little else about Melchizedek   Where did he come from?  The text says "Salem," but we know it better as Jerusalem, the place of peace.  Even then, God was mapping out history.  And later, Messiah, Abram's descendant, becomes the priest in the order of Melchizedek   Even the offer of bread and wine to Abram serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus' offer of bread and wine to His disciples the evening before His crucifixion.  There are no accidents in God's design.

The book of Hebrews finally explains the reason Melchizedek appeared as he did in Abram's story.  The writer of Hebrews does a good job of explaining how Jesus actually fulfills this priestly role of Melchizedek.  What this incident signifies for us, however, is the intimate detail that our loving, Father God will employ to weave His tapestry of salvation and redemption for the world.  Christ wasn't an accident.  He wasn't just thrown on this earth as a surprise.  He was planned for.  He was expected. 

Melchizedek serves as just another one of those signs along the road, showing us, Messiah is coming.  Be patient!  He will be here at the right time.  No one knew him for what he was at the time, but in God's time, all was made clear.  Even the learned men of Jesus’ day would have probably only seen Melchizedek as an odd figure of history.  It was after Jesus’ ministry that this odd little piece of the puzzle truly fell into place.  Often, when something happens, good or bad, we want to know "why?"  Many generations would pass before the answer to this one would come.


Hymn:  "Praise My Soul, The King Of Heaven"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

258. "Remember, Always Remember!"

Exodus 12:1-30 Key Verse: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord a lasting ordinance." Exodus 12:14 "Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) "And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:27) The original act was an act of worship as the first true act of freedom for the people of Israel. They had been brought to Egypt by Joseph during a time of famine so that through Joseph God could preserve their lives. ( Genesis 37 , & 39-50 ) After Joseph died, however, instead of heading back to C...
Post a Comment
Read more

August 13 What Is Fitting

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much less for a slave to rule over princes! ~Proverbs 19:10   On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. ~Acts 12:21-23  Wow! Well, what in the world can there be to benefit us here? First of all, perhaps we should review the first Biblical definition of a fool, penned by no other than Solomon’s Father, David himself. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1) It is not fitting for the fool to live the blessed life. Why should they when they deny from whom all blessings flow?  King Herod was a fool. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Herod who ruled at Jesus’ birth and ordered the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 26 Time for A Wellness Check Up

This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. ~Ecclesiastes 5:16-20  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everythi...
Post a Comment
Read more