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In the last article, we mentioned some of the problems that arise if we try to make Jerusalem the city of peace where Melchizedek was king. It was a Canaanite stronghold up until the time David and his army conquered it and made it "the city of David." Hebrews 7:2 also refers to Melchizedek as "king of righteousness." Does that mean he was also king of another city?
If Melchizedek was the king at Jerusalem, and reigned over that area, this creates another problem. Abram should have been acquainted with him long before this time. But such is not the case, Genesis 14:18 is the first mention of this person in the Bible. It seems to make more sense if we take these two phrases, "king of righteousness" and "king of Salem," and view them as descriptive titles of the character and attributes of the person.
Another important fact we need to keep in mind is that the Jewish people had not been called out at that time. That would mean that Melchizedek was a Gentile like Job. Genesis 15:1 seems to support what I am saying. It starts out with these three words, "After these things." Those words are very important because they make it clear that Abram met Melchizedek, (priest of God Most High), before God made a covenant with him and changed his name to Abraham.
It wasn't until Genesis 17 that God called the Jewish people to be a peculiar nation to Himself. "But your name shall be called Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations." So why is this important? This priest could not have been of Jewish descent.
Hebrews 7:3 helps to clarify the passage in Genesis 14 about this priest of God Most High. It says that he is (present tense) "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."
Another important verse to consider is Hebrews 7:8, where it says that "he lives," referring to Melchizedek. Here again we have the present tense, "he lives," now at this time. If we look up the word "lives" in the Greek, it simply means "to live." Almost the same as what Jesus said in John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I Am." The word "Am" in the Greek means: to be, to exist, to live.
Regardless of whether they are talking about Melchizedek, Priest of God Most High, or Christ the Son of God, they are described in almost the same way.
The Henry Morris Study Bible makes this comment on the appearance of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18. "It seems better to take the words literally, in which case they could only be applicable to Christ Himself, appearing here to Abram as a theophany (a manifestation of God to man by actual experience). This seems to simplify the problem.
In closing this article, I will leave you with two thoughts.
#1 It seems quite possible that God appeared to Abram as a Gentile King of Peace, and Priest of God Most High in Genesis 14:18. He then blessed Abram who was going to be the father of the Jewish nation.
#2 Jesus Christ appeared to men in the New Testament as the King of the Jews. He then blessed the Gentile nations and received them as "children of God."
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name: who were born, not of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," John 1:12-13.
Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, "Common Thoughts on The Word" in 2016 and "Eye of a Needle" in 2017 and "Common Thoughts on The Word II" in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.