Genesis chapter 14. A couple of weeks ago we looked
at verses 1 to 16, so we'll finish the chapter this evening, but
I do want to begin reading in chapter 14 at verse 1, because
it will help us to review. Beginning in chapter 14, verse
1, And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar,
Ariok, king of Elisar, Kedor Laomer, king of Elam, and title,
King of Nations, that they made war with Bera, King of Sodom,
Bersha, King of Gomorrah, Shinab, King of Adma, Shemeber, King
of Zeboim, and the King of Bela, that is, Zoar. All these joined
together in the Valley of Sedum, that is, the Salt Sea. Twelve
years they served Kedor-Leomer, and in the thirteenth year they
rebelled. In the fourteenth year, Cador, Laomer, and the kings
that were with him, came and attacked Arepham, and Ashteroth,
Carname, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh, Kiriatham, and
the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Peron,
which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came
to En-Mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and attacked all the country
of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazan-Tamar. And the king of Sodom, the king
of Gomorrah, the king of Adma, the king of Zeboim, and the king
of Bela, that is, Zoar, went out and joined together in battle
in the valley of Sidim against Kedor-Leomer, king of Elam, Tidal
king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Ariok king of
Elessar, four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddam was
full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled.
Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they
took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions,
and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's
son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Then
one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he
dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother
of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they were allies with Abram.
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he
armed his 318 trained servants, who were born in his own house,
and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against
them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued
them as far as Obah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought
back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot
and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the
king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shavuot,
that is the king's valley, after his return from the defeat of
Kedor Laomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek,
king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of
God Most High. And he blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and
earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your
enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to
Abram, Give me the persons and take the goods for yourself.
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand
to the Lord, God most high, the possessor of heaven and earth,
that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and
that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should
say, I have made Abram rich. except only what the young men
have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner,
Eshkol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion.
Amen. What we've seen with reference
to the promise of God given to Abram in Genesis chapter 12,
that right on the heels of those promises made, there's already
these challenges, there's these difficulties. So essentially,
in Genesis 12, 1 to 3, God promised Abram that he would give him
a land, and he promised that he would give him seed. Well,
the very next scene in Genesis 12 is that there's famine in
the land, so Abram goes to Egypt. After he returns from Egypt,
he has a family squabble of sorts with Lot over the land of Sodom. or over the land of Canaan, Lot
takes the land closest to Sodom. And now we have this sort of
coalition of eastern kings that are basically gobbling up Canaanite
geography. And essentially what you had
is you had these Canaanite kings that were paying tribute and
were subject to these eastern kings. Notice in 14.4, it says,
12 years they served Caedor Laomer, and in the 13th year, they rebelled.
So Caedor Laomer is sort of the leader of this coalition of eastern
kings. He's the one that's ultimately
sovereign over the land. And they have been paying tribute
to him. And they've essentially said, no more. We don't want
to part with our hard-earned dough and give it to Caedor Laomer. So essentially, Caedor Laomer
and that alliance of eastern kings gobble up Canaan. They
come all the way down Transjordan, they come up and around, and
then Abram gets mobilized and he sends them back up into Syria. And the reason why Abram is mobilized
is because they take his nephew Lot. Remember that Abram armed
his 318 household servants, and then he went in pursuit, and
he was able to repel them, and he was able to get rid of them,
and they left the land of Canaan. And now we have this interaction. between Abram and the kings of
Sodom and Salem. And you see that, first of all,
in verses 17 to 20, and then the interaction specifically
with the king of Sodom in verses 21 to 24. But if you notice in
verse 17, I think there's a marked contrast between the kings of
Sodom and the king of Salem. The king of Salem, Melchizedek,
comes and honors and gives good things to Abram. He gives him
bread and wine, But this king of Sodom, verse 17, it says,
he went out to meet him at the valley of Sheba, that is, the
king's valley, after his return from the defeat of Kedorlaomer
and the kings who were with him. And just a bit of a foreshadowing,
notice in verse 21, the king of Sodom said to Abram, give
me the persons and take the goods for yourself. He's not a very
friendly man and he is indebted to Abram. Abram has done great
things in terms of Sodom and this coalition of Canaanite kings.
And yet he doesn't give him that honor, and he doesn't give him
that tribute, and he doesn't give him that respect that is
fitting. You see that specifically with
reference to this king of Salem, Melchizedek, but it's obviously
lacking in terms of the king of Sodom. And I think what you're
seeing in this particular section is the making good of Genesis
chapter 12, verse 3. If you look at Genesis chapter
12 verse 3, God says, I will bless those who bless you, and
I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of
the earth shall be blessed. You're starting to see that fulfillment
played out. Melchizedek recognizes that Abram
is a man blessed of God, and he appeals to him on that level. The man of Sodom, rather, the
king of Sodom, doesn't show many courtesy or kindness. Ultimately,
we know what happens to the king of Sodom and to Gomorrah. They suffer under the wrath and
fury of God Almighty, and probably that's being foreshadowed here,
at least to a small degree, in Genesis chapter 14. Because Abram
does distance himself from wanting anything to do with this king
of Sodom in terms of his proffer of goods. Abram does not want
to be beholden to this king whatsoever. But there's this marked contrast
between the way the king of Sodom and the way the king of Salem
treats him. Now note the king of Salem in
verses 18 to 20. You have this man called Melchizedek. Melchizedek is referred to here,
he's referred to in Psalm 110, and he's also referred to in
Hebrews chapter 6, the very end, and then Hebrews 7 as a whole
is dedicated to this man, Melchizedek. And he's a bit of a... Excuse
me, a bit of a man of mystery. There's a lot of suppositions
as to who this Melchizedek is. I'm just going to tell you who
I think he is. I think he's a man by the name of Melchizedek. I
don't think he's the pre-incarnate Christ. Some have taken that
particular position. Some Jewish interpretation taught
that he was Shem, the son of Noah. Others have taught that
he was a Canaanite king that prefigured or typified the Lord
Christ. And I think that's closer to
the mark. When you get to Hebrews chapter 7, again, we'll look
at that later on tonight, but there are some enigmatic statements
concerning Melchizedek. So it's not the case that this
mysterious sort of view or mysterious views have arisen in connection
with Melchizedek, because there is a lot of things stated about
him that are very mysterious. But I think the most straightforward
reading is that in the historical context, in Genesis chapter 14,
he really was the king of Salem. He really was the priest of God
Most High. And as a result, he typifies
on the one hand Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God.
But the scripture takes pains to show us how this man Melchizedek
really prefigured or really typified the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
primarily seen in the two offices held by this man Melchizedek. Notice that he was the priest
of God Most High and that he was the King of Salem. Now we
know that our Lord Jesus is a prophet, priest, and king. And so I think
the connection between Melchizedek and our Lord Jesus hinges ultimately
on this two-fold office that both of these men occupy. But in this particular instance,
we see his expression of thankfulness. Then Melchizedek, King of Salem,
brought out bread and wine. Now again, later interpretation
sees Eucharistic overtones here, that as the priest of God Most
High, he is serving the sacraments to Abram. Well, I'm not sure
that that's what's involved in this particular instance, but
he's a far cry nicer and kinder than the king of Sodom. He honors
Abram. He refreshes Abram. It would
have been fitting and consistent to simply give him bread and
water as a result of his exploits and driving this eastern coalition
of kings out of Canaan, but he really honors him and really
refreshes him by bread and wine. And then notice he pronounces
this blessing, and this is one of the functions of a priest.
A priest of God Most High pronounces the blessing of God upon people. You see that ironic blessing
in Numbers chapter 6? Well, you see it here. It says,
He blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor
of heaven and earth. Now, he speaks of God Most High,
and some have recognized that he uses the language El Elyon,
and that is probably a Canaanite deity. But as you go through
the text, you see that Abram uses that same language and addresses
it to Yahweh, God Most High, Yahweh El Elyon, which indicates
that Melchizedek was within the covenant people. He wasn't a
pagan, he wasn't a Canaanite, he wasn't subscribing to this
Canaanite deity called El, but it was rather God Most High,
the possessor of heaven and earth. So consistent with what we see
in Genesis chapter 12 verse 2, God says, I will make you a great
nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you
shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and I will curse him who curses you. Already on the heels
of that, In spite of the trials to Abram's faith, in spite of
the difficulties, in spite of affliction, nevertheless Melchizedek
comes and says, Blessed be Abram of God most high, possessor of
heaven and earth. And then he says specifically,
and blessed be God most high. And then notice, who has delivered
your enemies into your hand. Now there's a lot of stuff going
on in Genesis chapter 14. There's a lot of stuff that goes
before it and a lot of stuff that'll come after it, but I
think one of the primary takeaway lessons is that emphasis by Melchizedek
that this deliverance has come as a result of God Most High.
It wasn't Abram's 318 men. It wasn't Abram's superior military
strategy. It wasn't Abram's ability on
the battlefield, but rather it was God Most High who gave him
this victory. In fact, Wenham makes this observation. He says, it is the demonstration
of divine support for Abram that is the clearest thrust of this
story. The Dead Sea cities are twice
defeated by the coalition of Eastern kings. Yet Abram, who
has much smaller forces at his disposal, smashes the invaders,
expelling them from Canaan, and rescues Lot and the captured
women. For those with eyes to see, such
as Melchizedek, this is proof that El Elyon, God Most High,
has delivered your oppressors into his hand. And then notice
that Abram pays a tithe to the priest of God. The end of verse
20, he gave him a tithe of all. This isn't Melchizedek giving
money to Abram, but rather it is Abram paying a tithe to Melchizedek. Waltke says Melchizedek celebrates
Abraham as God's warrior and blesses him. Abraham recognizes
Melchizedek as the legitimate priest and king of his God, and
therefore he pays this tithe to him of all. Now notice then
this interaction with the king of Sodom in verses 21 to 24. The king of Sodom said to Abram,
give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. Again,
it's an argument by silence, but it's pretty loud. There's
no kindness. There's no thanksgiving. I mean,
I'd like to think that if somebody were to rescue the women and
the people that I was responsible for, I'd like to think I'd show
a little more gratitude toward them than what this man is demonstrating
in this particular instance. Give me the persons and take
the goods for yourself. And some have suggested that
that was a very courteous offer. on the part of the king of Sodom,
but others have suggested, no, Abraham liberated the goods,
he was certainly entitled to a large portion of that plunder
or of that booty. And now notice what Abram responds
to him. Verse 22, Abram said to the king
of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, to Yahweh, God most
high, the possessor of heaven and earth. This is indicative
that he's making this oath. This is an oath that he is swearing
that he will not take from this king of Sodom the goods that
the king of Sodom has offered. And there's a particular reason
for that. Notice in verse 23, it's comprehensive.
He says that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap,
and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should
say, I have made Abram rich. He's expressing his dependence
upon God Most High, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth. He doesn't
need the things that the King of Sodom offers to him. He doesn't want those particular
items, he doesn't want the plunder, he doesn't want the booty, he
wants sustenance from God Most High, and he's acknowledging
his dependence upon God Most High in this very instance. Except, notice in verse 24, and
I really appreciate this about Abraham. It's easy to give away
other people's money, isn't it? It's easy to give away other
people's goods. But Abram doesn't do that. Abram's
not a liberal. Abram's not a democrat. Abram's
not the sort of person that has to make everybody follow in his
moral train. For himself, he has sworn this
oath to the God of heaven and earth that he won't be beholden
to the king of Sodom. But he's not going to make his
318 men, these armed servants that just went out and liberated
Lot, and the women, and the people, and the goods, and brought them
all back. He's not going to jip them or
cheat them. They're going to get the fruit
that is coming to them for their exploits in this battle. And
then notice his allies, verse 24, except only what the young
man, those are the servants of his household, have eaten, and
the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Ashkel, and Mamre,
let them take their portion. He's not going to make them suffer
because he has this desire to honor God. And he's not going
to guilt manipulate them to do likewise with their resources
and their stuff. Again, it's very easy to commit
other people's money. It's easy to give away other
people's goods. If Abraham wants to do this for
himself, praise God for Abraham. But he doesn't inflict this upon
others. He allows them to reap the benefits
of the labor they've engaged in. I think that's a beautiful
principle that we ought to take to heart. We may be convinced
of the rightness of something, but that doesn't necessarily
mean it's right for everybody. And I think at times we get a
bee in our bonnet, something that is holy and good and godly
and righteous, and then we have to make it everybody else's godliness
and holiness and righteousness as well. Brethren, it's up to
them before God whether or not they want to give their property.
You cannot coerce them, and you cannot make them, and you cannot
guilt manipulate them. Abram doesn't do that. Abram
doesn't commit other people's money and he doesn't commit other
people's goods. He is not the kind of person
that would engage in that sort of bantering. Now, we have a
lot of time left, so I thought we'd look at this man of mystery,
Melchizedek, because this is a brief section, it's pretty
straightforward, but let's look at what the rest of the Bible
says, and I mention the two places where he is mentioned. You can
turn to Psalm 110. Psalm 110. This basically is where the latter
half of Hebrews 7 goes. Hebrews 7 in its explanation
of this man Melchizedek starts with the account in Genesis chapter
14 and then moves to Psalm 110. And the overarching concern there
in Hebrews chapter 7 is to show the superiority of Christ's priesthood
over the Levitical priesthood. Remember, that's the point of
the book of Hebrews. It is to demonstrate the superiority
of Jesus Christ over everything that has come before. And the
Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood, was a glorious and
a wonderful institution, but it was inferior to what Jesus
Christ does in His priestly ministry. And so Paul, the author of Hebrews,
connects Christ's priesthood not to Aaron and the Levites,
but rather to this man Melchizedek. And you see, Psalm 110, you see
the Messiah as divine king in verses 1 to 3, and then the Messiah
as priest in verse 4, and then the Messiah as conqueror, excuse
me, in verses 5 to 7. But notice specifically in verse
4, Yahweh the Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are
a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. I think
this is extremely important for us to understand that at this
particular time there was a temple. There was a priesthood. There
was a sacrificial system. All that stuff was in play, and
yet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David is speaking
of a greater priest. He's speaking of a greater priesthood.
He's speaking of one who will be appointed by divine oath. He is looking beyond the Aaronic
or Levitical priesthood. He's looking beyond that earthly
temple to something greater and more glorious that is coming
down the pike for God's people. Again, this wasn't a time when
there was no priesthood, there was no temple, there was no sacrifice,
and David's just longing for such a thing. in Israel. No,
it was all there, but he's speaking of something even more glorious
and more excellent, and of course that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the Lord has sworn and will not relent, you are a priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The New Testament
application of this verse, again, is in Hebrews chapter 6 and 7.
The reference to the order of Melchizedek, again, I would argue
is primarily focused upon the two offices and the one person.
He is both king and he is priest. The prophet Zechariah, while
not referring to Melchizedek, sees a person who fits the same
bill. A person who is both priest and
king. You can turn to Zechariah the
prophet, Zechariah chapter 6. Zechariah is one of the last
prophets in the Old Testament. He was a post-exilic prophet.
He certainly spoke often of the Lord Jesus. In fact, the prophet
Zechariah is very much behind the scenes and over overtly in
quoted text in the passion narrative in Matthew's Gospel. But notice
in Zechariah 6, It says, Then speak to him, saying, Thus says
the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch.
Branch is another messianic title for the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
used by the prophet Jeremiah and as well by, at least allusion
to, by the prophet Isaiah. From his place he shall branch
out, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Does this mean a
physical structure? No, it's the temple of his body. It's the John 2 thing. Destroy
this temple and in three days I will raise it up. John tells
us he was talking about the temple of his body. He wasn't talking
about this physical building. So this temple builder, notice
in verse 13, yes, he shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall
bear the glory and shall sit and rule on his throne. So he
shall be a priest on his throne and the council of peace shall
be between them both. So this prophet links this one
in 6.12.13, calls him the branch, but he's also that one who occupies
these two offices combined in the one person. We know he's
a prophet as well, but the emphasis with reference to Melchizedek
and with reference to here is on the kingly and on the priestly. Now, if you turn to Matthew chapter
22 for just a moment, Matthew chapter 22, while it does not
mention Melchizedek, Jesus mentions this song. And Jesus interprets
this psalm messianically. That means that Psalm 110 was
not about David. Psalm 110 was about David's greater
son. Psalm 110 is about the Lord Jesus
Christ. And after a series of disputes
or debates or confrontation with religious leaders, Jesus now
puts a question to them in Matthew 22, 41. While the Pharisees were
gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What do you think
about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to
him, The son of David. He said to them, How then does
David in the Spirit call him Lord? Saying, The Lord said to
my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your
footstool. Again, it's not verse 4, it's verse 1. But this much
you can conclude, that when a New Testament author cites a particular
verse of a psalm, he is including the entirety of the psalm. It's
not just piecemeals, not just bits and pieces. That's how we
know that the imprecatory, or one of the reasons we know that
imprecatory psalms are for the church today. Because New Testament
authors cite portions from imprecatory psalms. They may not cite the
actual imprecation where God smashed the teeth of your enemies,
but the fact that they cite the psalm indicates the abiding validity
of the psalm for the church today. So Christ refers to this psalm,
he treats it as, and interprets it as, messianically. And then
he asks them the question in verse 45, if David then calls
him Lord, How is he his son? And no one was able to answer
him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question him
anymore. You kind of get the gist. As
Jesus moves through these confrontations, these guys are afraid to open
their mouths anymore. They cannot best Him when it
comes to the interpretation of Scripture. They certainly cannot
best Him when it comes to an understanding of Scripture. And
so as Jesus asks them about this interpretation, they choose the
prudent route, and they remain silent before Him. Now turn over
to Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. Again, looking at this fellow
Melchizedek, The end of Hebrews chapter 6,
Melchizedek is introduced. Verse 19, this hope we have as
an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters
the presence behind the veil. Where the forerunner has entered
for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever, notice,
according to the order of Melchizedek. So this is the author's point. His priesthood is not connected
to Aaron. It is not Levitical in nature. It is superior to the Levitical
order. David recognized there was a
superior office or superior priestly office even to the Levitical
order when he composed Psalm 110. Again, there was a priesthood,
there was a temple, there was sacrifice, and yet David speaks
of appointment by the oath of God with reference to Melchizedek. So the author here is essentially
doing what David does in Psalm 110, and it shouldn't surprise
us that the latter half of chapter 7 is his exposition of, or amplification
of or explanation of Psalm 110 as it relates to the priest of
the Lord Jesus. But notice here in chapter 7,
he specifically deals with the Genesis 14 narrative. He refers
to the meeting in verses 1 and 2. For this Melchizedek, king
of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning,
I love the way he describes it, from the slaughter of the kings
and blessed him. It was the slaughter of the kings.
That's what Abram did when it came to those men in Canaan. He slaughtered them. He sent
them packing. There's no more Gator at Laomer
and his oppression of the Canaanites. Notice verse 2, to whom also
Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated king
of righteousness, that's what Melchizedek means, and then also
king of Salem, meaning king of peace. So those are the names
of this man, Melchizedek, king of righteousness, king of peace.
Philip Hughes, commenting here, says, our author, it is important
to notice, invests Melchizedek not with allegorical, but with
typological significance. And there's a big difference
there. We don't have a lot of time to
explore that, but just file it in your head or brain and understand
that he's right. It's not allegorical, but it's
typological. He is content here to draw attention
to the messianic significance of the Hebrew names Melchizedek
and Salem, the former of which means King of Righteousness and
the latter, Peace. Accordingly, as King of Righteousness
and King of Peace, Melchizedek is presented as the type of the
messianic priest-king, the marks of whose kingdom are Righteousness
and Peace. He functions typologically. It's
not the pre-incarnate Christ It's certainly not Shem. It's
probably a converted Canaanite king that has confessed God Most
High, has come to bless Abram, has received a tithe from Abram's
hand, but he is one that ultimately points us forward to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, the mystery comes in verse
3. Notice what it says concerning Melchizedek. Without father,
without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days
nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest
continually. I grant that is extremely mysterious
as it's applied to if he in fact was a Canaanite king that had
come over to Israel's God. But it doesn't necessarily have
to be understood as a man who was virgin born, or a man that
just appeared, or a man that had no connection whatsoever.
The point the apostle is laboring to make is that the priesthood
of Aaron comes by succession. The priesthood of Aaron is passed
on from generation to generation based on your tribe, based on
your blood, based on your ethnic connection, based on where you
find yourself in the makeup of Israel. But with reference to
Melchizedek, his priesthood isn't owing to his father. It isn't
owing to his mother. His genealogy is not important. It would be important if he was
a Levite. It would be important if he wanted
to serve in the temple and he had to have that pedigree. He
had to have that sort of bloodline to evidence or prove the fact
that he was in fact a Levite so that he could serve. But this
Melchizedek doesn't have that. Doesn't have a father. Again,
I don't think it means he just popped out of heaven onto earth.
It means that his father and his mother and his genealogy
are unrelated to his priestly office. They're unrelated to
his place in redemptive history. As the king of God Most High,
as the king of Salem, and as the priest of God Most High,
it's not dependent on his parentage or his genealogy. And then when
it says, you know, having neither beginning of days nor end of
life, Again, I don't know that it means that he's always there,
or that he's always been there, or that he's some deified figure.
The argument later is going to be made that the Levites failed,
ultimately, because they died. They died so they couldn't continue
their priestly function. But one of the things unique
about Jesus is that he always lives to make intercession. That's
where he's connected to Melchizedek. The idea being is that with the
Levites, they had beginning of days, they had end of life, and
when that occurred, there was no more priesthood. But made
like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually. Now notice,
it's not that Jesus is like Melchizedek, it's that Melchizedek is like
Jesus. Melchizedek is the type pointing
us to Jesus. Jesus isn't the one that says,
okay, I'm going to explain for you Melchizedek. Sometimes people
get really caught up in who this Melchizedek is and forget that
Melchizedek points us to the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, can
I with absolute certainty say that Melchizedek is a Canaanite
king? No, but I think that's the best
argument on the table. But either way, it doesn't take
away from the reality of who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished. And then notice, he speaks of
the greatness of Melchizedek in verses 4 to 10. And the way
that we see the greatness of Melchizedek is when Abram paid
tithes to Melchizedek. Wenham says here the superiority
of our Lord's priesthood to the Aaronic priesthood is argued
on the basis of Abraham's giving of tithes to Melchizedek. tithe
giving implies acknowledgement of superior status. Thus, if
Aaron's great ancestor, Abraham, acknowledges Melchizedek's priesthood,
so implicitly did Aaron himself. And so this first section, verses
one to 10, the author takes Genesis chapter 14 and says, herein is
Christ like Melchizedek. But then he brings it on home
in verses 11 to 22, as he expounds, or as he interprets for us, the
implications of Psalm 110. Notice in verses 11 and 12 he
highlights the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood. Now,
it's not because of any other reason And it was always going
to be imperfect. It was a type and a shadow, and
it pointed forward to the Lord Christ. It was not designed to
fail, but it wasn't designed to succeed in the sense that
Christ does. It was temporary. There was a
built-in obsolescence, and that's what the author is telling us.
He says in verse 11, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood,
for under it the people received the law, what further need was
there that another priest should rise according to the order of
Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron?
He's speaking of David, right? Psalm 110, verse 4. present sacrificial
system with a present functioning priesthood and a present temple,
and David says there's one coming that's going to exceed this.
There's one coming that's greater than this. There's one coming
that's connected to Melchizedek. Verse 12, the priesthood being
changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. Now,
when people read that, they go hot wild against God's law. There's a very narrow application
of law in this passage, and I think it has to do with the law of
Levitical priests. The law stipulating who's going
to serve and function as a priest in the temple of God. He's not
saying the entirety of God's law is now done, or it's over,
or we're going to overthrow it. or we're going to, you know,
revolt against it. The priesthood being changed, excuse me, for
of necessity or of necessity there is also a change of the
law. For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another
tribe from which no man is officiated at the altar. See, Jesus is the
one he's speaking about and he is saying that he is not from
the tribe of Levi. You all get that, right? Old
Testament, you know, unless you had that blood, you were not
a priest. And it didn't necessarily mean
you were godly. It didn't necessarily mean you
were righteous. I mean, you think of the sons of Eli. They were
wretches. They were terrible human beings.
They didn't know Yahweh according to 1 Samuel. They didn't know
the Lord, and as a result of that, they slept with women that
came to the temple, and they stole people's sacrifices. But
they were Levites! They had a right! to the ministry
of the priesthood. Now again, I'm not suggesting
you just let reckless, lawless, godless wretches in there. Eli
was deficient, he should have had a better reign on his sons,
but the point is, you didn't serve as a priest unless you
were a Levite. So here comes Jesus, and the
author is telling us he is the great high priest. What do you
think everybody in Israel would have said? But he's not a Levite! Right? They would have all said
that. He's not from Aaron. He doesn't have the blood. He
doesn't have the pedigree. He doesn't have the legitimacy
for that particular right. That's why the author connects
Jesus to Melchizedek. That's why the author says Melchizedek
doesn't have a dad. He doesn't have a mom. He doesn't
have a genealogy. Again, not that he fell out of
heaven and just started, you know, exercising life, but that
that's not important to his priestly activity. He is unique in the
scheme of redemptive history, just like Jesus is unique in
the scheme of redemptive history. And Jesus is not owing his priesthood
to the Levitical system, but he is owing it to this man Melchizedek. And then notice verse 14, for
it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah. Now, what's the tribe
of Judah? It's the royal tribe. You see,
the kingly office is certainly befitting this tribe of Judah. But he's not just this king,
is he? He's this king-priest, just like
Melchizedek, who was a king-priest. And then notice, he says, it
is evident that our Lord arose from Judah. You gotta wonder,
again, the apostle heard this many times. Christ is a great
high priest, he far exceeds everything. Well, wait a minute, he wasn't
a Levite. Well, we're gonna deal with that. I'm gonna tell you
how it all can be. Remember that? enigmatic statement concerning
Melchizedek in Psalm 110. Remember that man in Genesis
chapter 14? When you think Jesus and his
priesthood, you think Melchizedek. People go, oh yeah, they may
not accept everything the apostle has to say here, but it makes
sense. It's got tap roots in the sacred page. It's not the
case that you had to be a Levite in order to serve in this capacity.
And then he says, and it is far more evident if, in the likeness
of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come.
Now listen, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment.
That's how I think you need to understand the reference to law
in verse 12. For the priesthood being changed
of necessity, there is also a change of the law. Verse 16, who has
come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment. In
other words, you got to be a Levite. You got to be born from Aaron.
You got to be from that particular tribe in order to serve at the
altar. But according to the power of
an endless life. See, there's the connection with
Melchizedek. Again, is Melchizedek still alive?
Is he in New York? Is he in Israel? No, he's got
no endless life in that regard. The consistency is, is that the
way Melchizedek functions is the way that Jesus functions.
The Levites didn't have endless lives. That's what the author
is going to go down to say. Verse 23, also there were many
priests because they were prevented by death from continuing. But
he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
I don't think you're supposed to come out of Hebrews 7 and
think that somehow, somewhere, Melchizedek is still occupying
space. It's not the endless life that
we're thinking of in that regard. It's the connection between him
and our Lord Jesus. The Levites ended when they breathed
their last. Melchizedek's priesthood is ongoing. It's occupied now by the one
appointed to it." And that's verse 17, for he testifies, you
are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. For on the one hand, there is
an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness,
for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the
bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to
God. And this is, brethren, where I think our Pado-Baptist brethren
have some problems when it comes to this section. The Apostle
highlights the betterness of the New Covenant. I see the rub,
and I see the emphasis, and I see the need to sort of flatten out
and to, you know, show the newness of the New Covenant as not being
really that much new and that much greater. To find the continuity,
they flatten out the beauty of the New Covenant. But the author
here says it's a better hope afforded in a better covenant
that's built on better promises. We can't flatten out Gloria the
New Covenant to try to smuggle in patal baptism. We ought to
appreciate the newness and the betterness and the superiority
of the New Covenant. That's Paul's point in Hebrews
7 and 8. If we come out of this saying,
well, the New Covenant is not really that much better, we've
missed the point of the book of Hebrews. That's like saying,
well, Jesus isn't much better than the angels. Jesus isn't
much better than Moses. Jesus isn't much better. We would
never say that. We'd say Jesus is far more excellent
than angels, than Moses, than Aaron and the Levites, and the
New Covenant is much more excellent than the old. It's not saying
the old is bad and it's wretched and it's terrible, but the issue
is the beauties of covenant theology and the glory of the coming of
Jesus Christ. That's what's in view in this
section. Now notice verse 20. And inasmuch
as he was not made priest without an oath, for they have become
priests without an oath, Why? Because they were born Levites.
You didn't need an oath. You didn't need pomp. You didn't
need ceremony. You didn't need rigmarole. You
didn't need all that because you had the blood. If you were
born a Levite, your job was pretty well mapped out for you. Right?
That was what you were going to do. That doesn't mean every
single Levite and every single priest functioned in the same
capacity. There was a lot of auxiliary
position. There's a lot of support in terms
of the tabernacle and the temple. Not every priest was the guy
going into the Holy of Holies, you know, the one time of the
year. That was the high priest. That was, you know, very unique.
But in terms of Levitical priests, they weren't appointed by oath.
Notice, for they have become priests without an oath, but
he with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord has sworn and
will not relent. You are a priest forever according
to the order of Melchizedek. Now it's really intriguing. Here
in Hebrews 7 and then previous in Hebrews 6, we have God swearing
oaths twice. God swearing oaths about the
salvation of our wretched souls. He doesn't swear those oaths
because of some deficiency in Him. It's a deficiency in us. The fact that God swears that
oath ought to serve doubly to highlight for us the comfort
and the encouragement that the one who made this promise is
going to make it effective in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek. By so much more, Jesus has become
a surety of a better covenant. Again, take a step back, look
at the author's argument. Christ is superior to the angels,
Christ is superior to Moses, Christ is superior to Aaron and
the Levites, and here's how he's showing it in terms of Aaron
and the Levites. He is connecting him to Melchizedek.
He is connecting him to this man in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. And then notice in verse 23,
also there were many priests because they were prevented by
death from continuing. I think the notes, 83 seems to
stick into my head. There were 83 high priests up
until, you know, the time that the apostle wrote at this particular
juncture. There were many priests because
they were prevented by death from continuing, but he, because
he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore,
he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God
through him, since he always lives to make intercession for
them. See what he's doing? He's taking those thoughts, he's
taking those concepts, he's taking those ideas and showing us the
superiority of Christ and how this holds good for the people
in the new covenant. And then I would take verse 26
and follow it. It's just a description of his
character, and again, holding out the blessed benefit to people
who know him. For such a high priest was fitting
for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily
as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for his
own sins and then for the people's. For this he did once for all
when he offered up himself. For the law appoints as high
priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath which
came after the law appoints the son who has been perfected forever. That's the connection with Melchizedek. So whatever you think when you
come to Genesis chapter 14, the simplest understanding is that
he is indeed a king of Salem. He's a king of peace, he's a
king of righteousness, and he's a priest of God Most High. And
he comes to Abram in that sort of enigmatic way, but that serves
as sort of an introduction to who this Melchizedek is, this
reference in Psalm 110 verse 4, and this exposition or explanation
in Hebrews chapter 6 and 7. So while he is indeed a man of
mystery, I hope the mystery isn't so huge or overarching now and
that when we walk through Hebrews chapter 7, you see the primary
emphasis of the author is to connect Jesus to Melchizedek
and to tell us that he's been appointed by the oath of Yahweh
and that God will not relent, that he is a priest forever according
to the order of Melchizedek. Well, in conclusion, with reference
to Genesis 14, as a whole, we see the faithfulness of Abram.
Again, it's not just Genesis 22 where we see Abram tested.
It's not just when he's told to go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice
Isaac. From the moment he receives the
promises of God, his life is hard. I mean, brethren, that's
the way life in Christ is. It's hard. Being a Christian
doesn't sort of, you know, mean there's no issues or problems
in your lives. If you haven't learned it yet,
the health, wealth and prosperity guys are liars. They are abject
liars. That is not the Christian life.
In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer,
I've overcome the world. The moment that Abram receives
the land promise, there's famine in the land, and he has to go
to Egypt. I mean, imagine that, if you were Benny Hinn. You couldn't
comport with that in your theology. How do you function as Benny
Hinn, coming from Genesis 12, receiving a land promise, and
then this land having no food? You couldn't do it, but Abraham
does it. He doesn't do it greatly when
he goes into Egypt. He has a Sarite life for him. There's not the best of Abraham's
life, but then as soon as he comes back to the land of Canaan,
he's got this issue with Lot. After this issue with Lot, that
seems to be settled. Then you've got this coalition
of Eastern kings and they abduct Lot. He goes from just this garden
variety kindness as the older uncle to now an armed military
commander taking his 318 servants to liberate his nephew. And then
in Genesis chapter 15, God willing, we'll see that next week, he
actually asks God, how do I know this is going to come to pass?
You know, it wasn't the case that the father of the faithful
never ever had a struggle, never ever had an issue. I mean, that's
the point in Genesis chapter 15 with that ceremony that God
enacts for him. It's in answer to or response
to Abram's question to God. How do I know what you're saying
is true? How do I know the land is going
to be mine and that I'm going to have this great number of
descendants? And notice that God doesn't say, you wretched,
terrible human being, I can't believe you asked me that question. God says, go get animals and
I'll show you. It's a beautiful thing, but nevertheless, Abram
is a man of faith. And that faith is not perfect,
but it's faith in God. The recognition, again, that
God's control is supreme. Abram need not fear superior
armies and insuperable odds. Waltke said concerning that incursion
to go defeat those kings, Abraham does not cower before the four
victorious kings. No, I if you were looking at
the map here, you can't see it on that map. It's not really
really visible. But if you if you if you kind
of picture, you know, Israel, OK, you all kind of have that
in your head. Well, this coalition comes down. They stick on the other side
of the Jordan, that's all the tribes that are mentioned there,
that they're basically gobbling up. They come all the way down
here, they go back up to the Dead Sea area, that's where they
take Sodom and Gomorrah, and that's where they get lot, and
so they're progressing up. That's when Abram goes into action. Think about what they've done.
They've cobbled up a great swath of Canaan. Not just kings, but
tribes, peoples, all sorts of things. Abram's got 318 servants. He arms them and he goes after
them. That's faith, brethren. That's
faith in a great God. That's what Waltke says. Incredibly,
he risks himself and wins against an alliance that has ravaged
six tribes, all the way down, and defeated five kings. This
is an encouragement to the people of God, even in the exile. Even
powerful nations can be defeated by the faithful and righteous,
and that's what we need to appreciate when we read these narratives.
Are these men perfect? No, they're not. But their God
is perfect and their faith in that God is what we need to emulate
and what we need to imitate. And of course, the typical significance
of Melchizedek. There was a 12th century commentator
named Herveus. He says, if Melchizedek, who
was a sign and shadow, is preferred to Abraham and to all the Levitical
priests, how much more Christ, who is the truth and substance?
If a type of Christ is greater than he who has the promise,
so if Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, how much more so
is Christ himself? I think that's a beautiful statement
and a good place for us to end. So let me close in a word of
prayer. Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank
you for this section concerning Abraham and Melchizedek. We thank
you for the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ that he's appointed
by divine oath. that he's a priest forever, that
he always lives to make intercession for his people. And may these
things encourage us, and may they strengthen our faith, and
may you help us to walk by that faith in the Son of God, who
loved us and who gave himself for us. We ask now that you go
with us, grant us safety as we travel home, and we ask this
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
