Melkizedek is one of the most enigmatic characters of the Bible. A priest of God, a King of a major city-state, and a portrait of Christ to come, in a world where there were very few who still worshiped God. We do not know much about Melkizedek, other than what the Bible says. He appears shortly in the narrative of Abraham, as a priest/king who blesses Abraham (or Abram as he was known at the time), after his victory over the five kings.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. – Genesis 14:18-20
In this passage we can begin to gleam a little bit of information about Melkizedek. He is the king of Salem, likely ancient Jerusalem. He is a priest of God, which is odd considering that in the greater narrative of Scripture, Abraham is often depicted as one of the only followers of God at that time. He brings out bread and wine, the components of communion, and he accepts a tithe from Abraham. This passage is in fact the first to mention a tithe, or a gift of ten percent.
The New Testament writers also noticed the uniqueness of Melkizedek, noting in the book of Hebrews:
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. – Hebrews 7:1-3
The King of Righteousness, The King of Peace. These are lofty titles for any man to hold. The writer of Hebrews notes that Melkizedek has no listed genealogy, which stands in contrast to most other characters in Genesis, who are part of lengthy genealogies. The point of the author of Hebrews is that Melkizedek is a representation of Christ. He may not have actually been Christ, but in the story of Abraham he appears as a Christ like figure. He prepares communion, blesses Abraham, and receives tithes, all things done by a priestly authority.
Christ then is said to follow in the order of Melkizedek, a priestly figure not born of the Levitical Heritage, but because he has the authority to be so. Christ became our high priest the same way Melkizedek acted as Abraham’s high priest, with no beginning nor end.
So just who was Melkizedek? There are many theories, he could have been a pre-incarnate Christ, however there is not much to suggest this beyond minor hints. He could be Noah’s son Shem, or perhaps one of Shem’s sons, which (if the genealogies in Genesis are taken at their most literal understanding) would have been possible. Shem is described as a worshiper of God, and a post Babel Shem could have become a king of a small city state such as Salem. However this idea is also not well supported.
The most likely identity of Melkizedek is simply a human who has kept the worship of God alive even when many others have fallen away. Although he himself was not chosen to father God’s chosen people, he acted as a priest to the one who was chosen, namely Abraham. What can we learn from such a man?
1. Continue to follow God even when no one else does. Melkizedek was one of the last priests of God before the kingdom of Israel was formed, he could have given up or started serving a different God, but instead he chose to remain faithful in a world where very few were.
2. Understand that God has a calling for you, even if it is not the most prestigious. Melkizedek understood that Abraham was blessed and chosen by God to father His people, but rather than become jealous of the man God had chosen, he chose to celebrate with him, have communion with him, and offer his blessing. Melkizedek was not called to be the father of God’s people, he was called to be a priest.
3. Look to Christ as your high priest. Melkizedek, in the long run, served as a forerunner to Jesus, now Jesus lives as the high priest before God. Seek Jesus Christ before all others. recognize His blessings on your life, and give back to Him part of what he gave you.