A wonderful lesson is taught in Hebrews 7, concerning our priesthood under the New Covenant. It surpasses in greatness the priesthood of the Jews, which existed as a type of what would come in the last days. The Hebrew writer argues this truth in a very interesting way. By using Melchizedek, the king of Salem.
Who was Melchizedek? We know his title and significance, but nothing of his life. In fact, he is described in the text as being “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life…” (7:3). This does not mean that Melchizedek was more than a man, it is simply noting that Melchizedek exists in the narrative of the Old and New Testaments to teach something about Christ. We don’t know or need to know anything about where he came from. We don’t know when he was born, or when he died. We just know him to be both the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. Because of this lack of information regarding Melchizedek in the pages of the Bible, it is as if he, “remains a priest continually”, thus foreshadowing the eternal nature of Christ’s priesthood.
The text of Hebrews refers to Genesis 14:18-20. “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And he gave him a tithe of all.”
Consider what Hebrews argues. First, Melchizedek was greater than the Jewish patriarch David. The proof is both in his position (both king and priest, of which Abraham was neither); and in his action (He blessed Abraham). Second, Abraham acknowledged himself to be lesser, paying homage to Melchizedek with a tithe of the spoils he had gained through war to free his nephew Lot.
This is where the argument comes in. The priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priesthood. It starts with an unassailable statement: “Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.” In effect, since Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, he was also greater than Levi, a descendent of Abraham. Therefore, the text of Genesis 14 implies that the priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the priesthood of Levi. This is another example of the superiority of the New Covenant to the old. Because Melchizedek, who remains a priest continually, is a type of Jesus Christ our eternal high priest!
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
