And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him. – Genesis 14:18-19
Who is this mysterious person? He seems to come out of nowhere to meet Abram. He is the king of Salem and a priest of the Lord God, who brings bread and wine to Abram, along with His blessing. He tells Abram that it is God who has defeated his enemies on his behalf. In response, Abram, who is considered by many to be a very wealthy man, gives Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.” Of Moses, who wrote this passage in Genesis, Jesus Himself said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me“ (John 5:46). So, what are you to learn from this account of Melchizedek? Note first that he was both a king and a high priest, a combination that would not be found in any future king of Israel, but is found in Jesus. Then he comes bringing bread and wine, a picture of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples, and the same elements you partake of during communion.
Theologian David Guzik writes, “Some propose that Melchizedek was actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, or a Christophany… [and that] Abraham saw and spoke with the Lord (Yahweh) in the form of a man.” Hebrews 6:20 declares that Jesus is a “high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.“ Guzik also writes, “Are Melchizedek and Jesus the same person? A case can be made either way. At the very least, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, prefiguring the Lord’s ministry. But it is also possible that Abraham, after his weary battle, met and gave honor to the Lord Jesus Himself.”
Let this story of Melchizedek be an encouragement for you to dig deeper into the mystery of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross and inspire you to love Him even more. Theologian Matthew Henry reminds you, “Jesus Christ, our great Melchizedek, is to have homage done him, and to be humbly acknowledged as our King and Priest; not only the tithe of all, but all we have, must be given up to him.”
Today’s Verse: Genesis 14:18-19
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;
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Genesis 14:17-20; Hebrews 7:1-10
17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 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.
7 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.
4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
