Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Ahh, Melchizedek, the king of Shalem. You may recall learning about him in KXP or RAs or whatever children’s Bible class you were a part of growing up. Not ringing any bells? Don’t worry, you are not alone. I don’t open our story Bible at night and read the children’s Bible story of Melchizedek. I also don’t have some funny anecdotal story starring my children or wife that has direct application to perfect priesthood. Give it a few years, and I am sure the story will develop, but for now, we will get right to it.

Let me bring you up to speed and tell you why our friend Mel (Melchizedek) is yet again significant here in chapter 7. A priest is someone designated to mediate between God and people. God places Adam and Eve in Eden to act as priests in His royal image. This setup is called God’s blessing. We know how that plays out. We are promised that one day a descendant will defeat the evil deceiver and restore humanity as royal priests. This descendant will be a priest AND a sacrifice. As it stands, humanity is outside of Eden in chaotic violence. God calls Abraham and Sarah to journey to the land of Canaan and promises to give them a huge family, which will receive all the blessings of Eden. The goal is for the blessing to flow from his family to all nations. So Abraham’s family is like a priesthood. In Genesis 14:18-20, we meet this priest, Melchizedek. Abraham is coming back victorious from a battle and passes by the city of Shalem. This king/priest, Mel, comes out to meet him. We don’t know his family lineage, but he worships the God of Abraham and brings this big feast out to Abraham and his army. He gives Abraham God’s blessing, saying, God has given Abraham this victory. Then Abraham gives Mel (the royal priest) 1/10th of all that he has. Mel is the king/priest of Shalem, an ancient name short for Jerusalem, which will become the capital of Abraham’s future family, and where the temple is built. And the ten percent given to Abraham is just like the ten percent the Israelites will later give to honor the priests who work in the temple. Abraham, the father of the Israelites, honors a royal priesthood (Melchizedek) that existed long before Israel’s temple or their priests.

Fast forward to old Abe and Sarah, who try to have a family through a surrogate, Hagar, and have Ishmael. Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, and then Abraham and Sarah are provided a child, Isaac, through God’s provision. God promptly wants that life back and wants Abraham to offer up Isaac on a mountain as a sacrifice. Just before Isaac is killed, God provides a ram, and the narrator states in Genesis 22:14, “On the mountain of Yahweh it will be provided.” The mountain of Yahweh is Jerusalem.

In the first story, Abraham meets a royal priest, and in the second story, God provides a substitute sacrifice that covers the sins of Abraham’s family. Both stories point forward to a need for a future royal priest who will also become a sacrifice for the sins of Abraham and his family…Jesus. He is our eternal, royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Verses 26 and 27 go on to say, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself."

Wow! If you stayed with me so far, congratulations. That’s just the 30,000-foot view. In short, we have a perfect priest who is holy in relationship with God, innocent in relationship to man, and undefiled and separated from sinners in relationship to Himself. He intercedes on our behalf and was the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins. I hope you read these words on repeat and, at the very least, now know how to spell Melchizedek from memory.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Read more about Melchizedek 
• M-e-l-c-h-i-z-e-d-e-k
• Prayer: God, help us to seek You. Grow our thirst for Your Word and let it not be a book on a shelf collecting dust, but a manual guiding our lives and instructing us to teach our neighbors. Give us community and give us courage. We love You.

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.