Question: Please explain about Melchizedek. Who was he? Was he Christ in the flesh, or do we have any record of Christ being manifested in flesh in Old Testament times?
Answer: Melchizedek appears one time only by way of identification in the Old Testament (Genesis 14:18-20). “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” This is all the introduction we have to him and no details are given, so I suppose it would not be possible to know very much about him or comment on him extensively. However, this text describes him as “king of Salem,” and in Hebrews 7:2 this is interpreted as “King of peace.” It also specifies that he was “the priest of the most High God.” In other words, his priesthood was of divine appointment direct from God and not by appointment or election of men.
The writer of the Hebrew epistle enlarges a little on this man’s identity in Hebrews 7:2 where he says, “…first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace.” It is widely believed that this man was of the Canaanites, and because of his superb righteousness, justice, and judgment among men, was singled out by God as a king and ordained as a priest to represent God before men. Adam Clarke in his comments on Genesis 14:18 refers to him as a “Canaanitish Prince.” Matthew Henry also refers to him as an outstanding person among the Canaanites.
At first we might challenge this and wonder how God would reach down among the Canaanites, a people slated for destruction because of their idolatry and wickedness, and pick out a man to represent His Son Jesus Christ as a type. But we should bear in mind that at this time there were no established people of God in the world as there were later on, and God could freely choose whomsoever He would among men of whatever nation to be His priest and represent Him before men. In fact, Abraham whom He called to head a new race of people (the Jews) who were to be His chosen people throughout the Old Testament times, and with whom He established His covenant of salvation and blessings to all the nations of the earth and who became the “Father of all who believed,” was from an idolatrous people and an idolatrous family (His father served other gods, Joshua 24:2). Therefore it is not altogether unlikely that Abraham practiced some idolatry himself in his youth. But God’s eyes were running to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts were perfect toward Him of whatever tribe or nation they were; so it should not be thought a strange thing if He chose a Canaanitish man of outstanding righteousness and made a great man out of him. These men may have been idolaters or they may not; but in any case, God saw into their hearts and saw they had qualities He could use in a great way.
In my present thinking, I do not think of this being the Son of God in flesh. In fact, I do not at this time think of any instance where He appeared in flesh in the Old Testament. I Peter 1:19-20 says, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” This was something reserved for “these last times.” Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” The manifestation of His Son in the flesh and speaking unto the people by Him directly, seems to have been reserved for these last days this last and glorious age of time. John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,…” To further emphasize this point, Paul says in I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” This was clearly Jesus, but Peter says this was in “these last times,” and Hebrews 1:2 says it was in “these last days.”
In Hebrews 2:1-18 Christ is presented as taking on Him the seed of Abraham and flesh and blood as were His brethren and being made like unto them in all things. It was specified in verse 14 that this was so He could be made subject to death. He was to die for sin and to shed blood to make an atonement for the sins of the people, and that is the only cause I can find for His taking on flesh and blood at all.
In Philippians 2:6-8 we see that Christ was in the form of God and equal with God; but He laid this all aside and took on Him the form and fashion of man (took on flesh and blood), and in this form and state He died on the cross. This was all for the purpose of accomplishing the work of redemption.
Now let us return to Melchisedek. Hebrews 7:3 says of him, “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” This verse would be quite baffling without some explanation. First, if we accept the statement, “abideth a priest continually” as a literal fact, it would mean the priesthood of Melchisedek would have continued right on and would still have been in effect when the Levitical priesthood was set up and the law was given, and this would have meant a dual priesthood running throughout the law age for 1400 years. This could not be possible. In Hebrews 7:12 we read, “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” In other words, there could not possibly be a dual priesthood in the scope of God’s plan. The law made the Levitical priesthood, but Christ was not of the tribe of Levi but of Judah. Therefore He could not be established in His priesthood as long as the first covenant with its Levitical priesthood had a standing. It was necessary that the first be abolished to make room for the second. So then it is recorded of Christ in Hebrews 10:9, “…He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” This was necessary for Him to enter into His God-appointed, God-ordained Priesthood because it could not be in the plan of God that a dual priesthood exist. I have dealt with this point here to establish what God’s plan and attitude were regarding a dual priesthood, and also to confirm the fact that Melchisedek’s priesthood could not literally have continued on perpetually without running head-on into this kind of situation with the Levitical priesthood.
We conclude that the priesthood of Melchisedek never continued on. If it had, there would not have been any need nor any place for the Levitical priesthood of the family of Aaron which was established under the law. Actually, this man only appears this one time in the Old Testament Scriptures and passes right on out of the picture at this point and no more is known of him. Neither is there any reference to any priesthood existing between this time and the anointing of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood 422 years later. I will say, however, that his name is mentioned one more time in the Old Testament (Psalm 110:4), but this is not in connection with anything he did or with his person, but it is a prophetic sense connecting him up with Christ and His priesthood. In fact, I feel we may safely conclude that God injected this little episode in the Scripture for the express purpose of establishing a fitting type of Christ and His priesthood and that Melchisedek was a type of Christ.
Further, in Hebrews 7:3 the sacred writer makes other statements about this man that shrouds him in deeper mystery and makes him more controversial. He says, “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God;…” This would certainly seem to identify him as an eternal being such as Christ Himself.
Now in discussing this part of the Scriptures concerning him, I would first point out the fact that not one of the things mentioned here concerning him is mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20 where he is introduced for the first and only time in the Scriptures. Not one other thing by way of description is said about him in the Scriptures other than he was the King of Salem and Priest of the most high God. Then where did Paul get this information he inserted here?
First, let us realize that the principal subject in the seventh chapter of Hebrews is the priesthood and here he is speaking more specifically of Melchisedek’s priesthood rather than the man himself. Therefore we conclude that the things said here are not to be interpreted as meaning that the man himself was not born and did not die and he had no father nor mother literally; but this is all said concerning his priesthood. Adam Clarke in his comments on Hebrews 7:3 refers to one Suidas who recorded concerning Melchisedek that, “After he had reigned in Salem for 113 years, he died being a righteous man and a bachelor.” I do not know who Suidas was, but I feel that a man of Adam Clarke’s stature would have made no reference to him had he not been a noteworthy historian.
Then let us realize that between Melchisedek and Christ much has happened and that in the interim the law has been given and with it a priesthood established of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Aaron. Also, let us realize that the requirements for the priesthood were very strict and that any man with a physical defect or flaw in his record or background was not eligible for the office. Therefore the Jews kept a very close record and strict genealogy on every man in the line of Aaron. Whenever it was necessary to appoint a new priest, they searched the records diligently to see if the person being considered was eligible to be appointed who his parents were and if there was anything in his background to render him unfit.
Melchisedek had none of these. He had no genealogy (descent), no father nor mother nor lineage through which he inherited his priesthood. “…He was the priest of the most high God” Genesis 14:18 divinely appointed and ordained of God. Since there was no genealogy on him, there was no record of his birth or death. Therefore, he was without beginning of days or ending of life according to the common method of establishing these things by established records. Melchisedek was without any formal or legal credentials at all to qualify him as a priest, but was just appointed and ordained as a priest by God Himself.
Now, as already mentioned, he was a type of Christ and these things being said concerning his priesthood were necessary to qualify him as a true type of Christ’s perpetual priesthood. It has already been established that the priesthood of Melchisedek could not have continued on perpetually and for reasons already given. But because there is no record of his birth or death, it is said that he had no end of life; that is, so far as record was concerned. This leaves a kind of open end there, which would seem to indicate his priesthood continued on perpetually. This is the way Christ’s priesthood actually was, and this picture further identifies Melchisedek’s priesthood as a true type of Christ’s priesthood.
In Psalm 110:4 we read, “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek.” This is a prophecy concerning Christ and His priesthood and links Him clearly with Melchisedek’s priesthood. Again in Hebrews 7:11 we read, “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?” This is another link between the priesthood’s of Melchisedek and Christ. And in the mouth of two witnesses shall every word be established. There are several more scriptures witnessing to this in the Hebrew Epistle also. Also in this text (Hebrews 7:11) two orders of priesthood’s are mentioned, “…After the order of Melchisedec,…” and “…After the order of Aaron.” One of these, “The order of Aaron,” was made under the law of a carnal commandment (Hebrews 7:16). The other which pertains to Christ which would of certainty be a higher order of priesthood “after the order of Melchisedec” was by the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16) which was directly appointed and ordained by God Himself.
Christ being come of the tribe of Judah and not of the lineage of Aaron and of the tribe of Levi, renders Him ineligible for the priesthood according to the law and casts Him in the same category with what is said of Melchisedek’s priesthood “Without father, without mother, without descent.” He was not of the lineage of Aaron to be qualified as a priest under the law. He was after the order of Melchisedek receiving His priesthood by divine appointment and ordination direct from God. Therefore it is said in Hebrews 7:12, “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” What he is saying here is that the law under which the Levitical priesthood was established had to be abolished and taken away that the second (New) covenant might be established under which Christ serves in a perpetual priesthood “a priest FOR EVER after the order of Melchisedek.” Note: This does not speak of Melchisedek’s priesthood and it being forever. But it speaks of Christ’s priesthood and it being FOREVER; and that it was after the ORDER of Melchisedek in contradistinction to it being after the ORDER of Aaron.
