Who is Melchizedek?, Part 1

If you have your Bible, Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7, asking and answering the question, who is Melchizedek? You have been asking me that question for over a year now since we started the book of Hebrews, asking who is Melchizedek? And I said, just wait, just wait. Just wait. So now, over a year later, I'm going to give you the answer to that question: Who is Melchizedek? It's a great question. If you're visiting with us, you're probably thinking, who is that? So we'll explain them to you this morning by looking at the first 10 verses of Hebrews 7.

Let me read them to you to set them in your mind. They read as follows. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, King of righteousness. And then also king of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God. He remains a priest perpetually.

Now observe how great this man was, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. And those indeed of the sons of Levi who received the priest's office have commandment in the law, to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute, the lesser is blessed by the greater. In this case, mortal men receive tithes. But in that case, one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And so to speak, through Abraham, even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes. For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Now you read that and you have all kinds of questions. And the question comes, is Melchizedek an angel? Well, the answer to that is no. We know that from Hebrews chapter 5, verse number 1, because the priesthood was chosen from among men. So we know he's not an angel, plus, we know that Jesus Christ is greater than the angels. And the question comes: well, is Jesus Christ? The pre-incarnate Christ. Is this in Genesis chapter 14, which we refer to in a moment, a Christophany or a Theophany, an appearance of Christ before the incarnation? And there is good reason to think that that could very well possibly be. I know some good men who believe that Melchizedek is the pre-incarnate Christ.

And they list a variety of reasons as to why in the text of Hebrews chapter 7. But one key aspect is that he is made likened to the Son of God. So that's a phrase that we'll discuss as we go through Hebrews chapter 7. But we need to come to grips with what's happening and how it is, the writer of Hebrews is going to pick up this topic, address this topic, and what does it have to do with these people he's addressing? And what, of course, does that have to do with you and me today, some 2,000 years later?

Because when it was first recorded in Scripture, it was in Genesis chapter 14. And that's a story in Hebrews chapter 7. Melchizedek would not be mentioned again until 1,000 years later in Psalm 110, verse number 4. Psalm 110 is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament. Clearly, a messianic psalm that speaks to Christ as king, the Messiah as king, and the Messiah as priest. And then it's another thousand years later, or thereabouts, where the writer of Hebrews then begins to address the subject once again about Melchizedek.

So, who is Melchizedek? Well, if you understand the book of Hebrews, you know that it's speaking about the supremacy and the superiority and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, how Christ is greater, better than, in fact, that's the key word in the book of Hebrews. He's better than the angels. He's better than the prophets. He's better than Moses, better than Aaron, better than Joshua, better than the old covenant because he ushers in the new covenant. And the writer of Hebrews is trying to tell this audience, who is a Jewish audience, that's why it's called the book of the Hebrews, because it's being given to Jewish people. Okay? And so he's trying to convince them and show them that Jesus Christ is not just God in the flesh, but is everything they ever dreamed and hoped in an individual. And so he is explaining that to them.

And so he begins in the first three verses of Hebrews chapter 1, talking about the superiority of Christ. And with that, he makes a very important phrase or makes a very important statement when he says these words in Hebrews chapter 1, verse number 3. It says, and he is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature, and upholds all things by the word of his power. When he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. So, this Christ, this radiance of his glory, somehow, some way made purification for sins. Well, only priests make purification for sins. And so, who is this one who does this?

And then, when you come to Hebrews chapter 4, verse number 14, the writer says this: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. But one who has been tempted in all things, as we are yet without sin, therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So he goes further into the priesthood of the Messiah, further into the priesthood of this one called Jesus.

And then when you come to chapter 5, verse number 1, he compares the Levitical priesthood under the direction of Aaron with Christ. And then he says in verse number 10 of Hebrews chapter 5, these words: Hebrews chapter 5, verse number 10. He says, or verse number nine, and having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. And so now he introduces to us this Melchizedek individual.

And then he says in verse number 11, concerning him we have much to say. Oh, he's got a lot to say. Because by the time you get to chapter 7 and chapter 8 and chapter 9, which is the whole function of the priesthood, he's going to expound greatly upon this. And he goes, I have a lot to say to you, he says, but I can't explain it because you have become dull of hearing. You become sluggish, you become slow, you become incapable of digesting all the things I want to tell you. And he goes on to tell them that they need to move on from the elementary principles of the oracles of God because they were unskilled in righteousness. Verse number 13, and that they were infants, those without knowledge when it comes to the righteousness of Christ.

And then in chapter 6, verse number 1, he says, Therefore, leaving those elementary teachings about the Messiah, and he goes on and talks about all the things in the observances that the Jewish people have. And nowhere in Scripture are we ever told that a believer is to leave from the elementary teaching and elementary principles of Jesus Christ. But these Jewish people were unbelievers. And so he moves them from there. I want to tell you about Melchizedek. I just can't because you're not ready yet. So, therefore, leaving those behind, move on to perfection. That's positional perfection. Not practical maturation. It is coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, embracing him as the Messiah. You need to move on from the elementary teaching and embrace who is this Messiah? Come to that point.

Now, he's not talking about believers maturing in Christ because if he was, that would take a while for them to mature in Christ, you know. Like you and me, we don't mature overnight, we don't mature in a week, we don't mature necessarily in a month. It takes months and years for us to grow in our walk with the Lord. But yet, when it comes to chapter 7, verse number 1, he goes on to explain about Melchizedek. So we know that the perfection in Hebrews chapter 6, verse number 1, is about positional. And so when you come to the end of chapter 6, he says, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

And now we're just going to launch into this long dissertation about who this Melchizedek character is. He plays a very prominent role in understanding the Messiah. He plays a very prominent role in coming to grips with the identity of who Jesus Christ is. And so he is going to launch into this long discourse about Melchizedek so that this Jewish audience can come to grips with who Jesus Christ is. You with me so far? Okay, just follow this through with me.

You have to understand that the priesthood is everything to the Jewish economy. Everything about Judaism that makes Judaism particular and unique and distinct centers around the priesthood that they had. You see, the Jews knew that there was no way for them to get to God. They can't get to God. They needed a mediator. They needed someone who would offer sacrifices for them. You've heard about the Day of the Atonement, where the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies and he would offer up sacrifices for the sins of the nation of Israel. And so the Jewish people knew that there was no way for them to get right with God except through a mediator, a bridge builder. In Latin, it's called the pontifex. A pontif is a bridge builder, one who builds a bridge from man to God. And the priesthood was designed to do that.

And so every Jew knew that the only way they could get there was through a blood sacrifice. And that was ordained by God from the very beginning after Adam and Eve sinned, and he sacrificed the animals and clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins to demonstrate the fact that they were clothed in the garments that God would give them, and it would go on to say in the book of Isaiah how we need to be clothed in the garments of God, which speaks of the righteousness of God. Okay, so the Jewish nation understood that the only way for them to get to God was through a blood sacrifice that God had designed, and that there needed to be a priest who could bridge that gap.

But that priest himself was frail. That priest himself was filled with sin, and so he would have to offer sacrifices for himself first and then offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. In fact, in Hebrews chapter 8, verse number 1, it says this: Now, the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched not man. That's kind of a summation of chapter 7, which is kind of right in the middle of the book to show you the importance of Christ and His priesthood, because He is that one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. In fact, in Hebrews 9:22, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness, there is no remission of sins.

And so the Jewish audience knows this. And everything that makes a Jew a Jew is to realize that they can't get to God except by a mediator, and that's why God designed the priesthood. And so, what the writer of Hebrews is going to do is pick up with the same illustration, the same person, the same patriarch Abraham, that he used in chapter 6 at the end. Where he was trying to prove to them that before the law was ever given, before circumcision was ever the sign of the covenant, God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, okay. Meaning that Abraham had to believe what God said because he becomes the hallmark of faith in the Old Testament. Because Genesis 15 says that he believed, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.

And so the writer of Hebrews says: Look, before the law was ever given, before all the rituals that you guys are now partaking in, there was Abraham. He believed in God. There was no works righteousness. He simply, by faith, believed in what God said, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness. That's why he gives the illustration of Abraham, the great patriarch. Because every Jew knows who Abraham is. Every Jew holds Abraham in the highest esteem. So now he's going to continue with that theme. Because he wants to be, listen carefully, he wants to be able to prove that before the Jews had a priesthood, there was a priest. And not only was there a priest, he was a king priest.

Because the Jews would get this idea that all religion, true religion, begins with them. I mean, after all, they have a father who's the father of the Jews, right? And so they would harp on the fact that everything begins with them and ends with them. And the writer of Hebrews, who's a Jew, by the way, would take them back before that, take them back to Abraham before the law was given, before the Levitical priesthood was established, to prove to them that there was a king priest before that, and the Messiah is in the order of that king priest Melchizedek. That's a summation.

So let me give you three points this morning. We're not going to finish all ten verses. Of course not. I mean, come on, who are you kidding? Right? So, let me give you just three points. We want to look, first of all, at the picture of Melchizedek, okay? And then we want to look at the presentation of Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14. And then we want to see the preeminence of Melchizedek over the Levitical priesthood. Okay? Three points.

First of all, the picture of Melchizedek. There's a rich term that theologians use. It's called typology. Okay? Typology is very, very important in understanding the Old Testament and the New Testament. Typology is simply an Old Testament picture of the person and work of Jesus Christ the Messiah. That's all it is. It is a Christological truth that's painted in the Old Testament and proven in the New Testament. It's called typology.

Now, let me caution you. All types are inferior to the real thing. For example, if you look at a picture of a beach, right? You see the picture of the ocean, the sand, and the shore, and the beauty of the beach. But that picture is inferior to actually being at the beach to smell the salt air with the breeze in your face, to be able to feel the sand squ, squish, squilch, squish, squishy in between your toesies, okay? All those kind of things. It's far inferior to the real thing, although it's a picture of what the real thing looks like and what the real thing is, right? And that's what typology is. It's a picture in the Old Testament of the person and work of Christ. But it truly pales in comparison to the real thing. Are you with me so far?

So, let me give you just a few examples so you understand this because the Old Testament is filled with them. For example, the Ark, Noah's Ark, is typology. It's a type of Christ for all those who are in Christ Jesus, as Noah and his family were in the ark. And Peter speaks about this in 1 Peter chapter 3 as the ark being a type. Because it pictures that Jesus Christ, once in him, you are freed from the judgment that comes upon the world. Another type is another event called the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage. Within that deliverance, you have the plagues, you have the Passover, you have the crossing of the Red Sea, all dealing with the delivering power of Israel's God, that he is a redeemer, that he is a savior. And so everything about the Passover, right? Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Paul would tell us. Everything about the Passover and all the elements of the Passover picture for us the arrival of the true Messiah who will come and fulfill all of those.

There's also, as you go through the scriptures, Aaron's rod that budded, excuse me. Aaron's rod that budded. Remember, it's placed in the Ark of the Covenant? It was a type of the resurrection of Christ. We'll see that as we go further into Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 9. How about the brazen serpent in the book of Numbers? Remember that? When they were bitten by the snakes and Moses would hold up the brazen serpent and those who looked upon it were healed. And Jesus would refer to that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so shall the Son of Man be lifted up, right? And all those who look to him will be saved from their sin. It became a type in the Old Testament.

You also have the smitten rock in the book of Numbers. Remember that? There was that rock that was smitten in the book of Numbers because from the rock would come living water, and that water was emblem of the water that Christ would give that would wash your soul clean, that He was the living water. And 1 Corinthians 10 says that Christ was the rock. Okay? And that's how you know, by the way, why Moses couldn't enter into the promised land. Because the first time he struck the rock, Christ said, or God said, strike the rock, right? The second time, God says, speak to the rock. But Moses was angry, and he struck the rock again, and water still came out. But because he disobeyed the word of the Lord, and struck the rock twice, he was unable to enter the promised land. Why? Because he blurred the picture of Christ who was the rock, who would be smitten only once, wouldn't be smitten twice, just once. And so the Lord God said, because you struck the rock, you disobeyed my voice, you will not enter into the promised land. Very important. A picture, an Old Testament picture of the person and work of Jesus Christ in those events.

But it's also seen in people. Remember Benjamin in Genesis chapter 35? He was called, Jacob called him the son of my right hand. That's what Benjamin means. When Rachel was going to die, she had already had one son. This would be her second son. And she wanted to name him Ben-O-Ni, the son of my sorrow. And Jacob said, No, he's going to be the son of my right hand. Why? Why? Because he would be born in Bethlehem, in Ephratha, because Bethlehem was called Ephratha. And the Son of God's right hand would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, where all the sacrificial lambs would be born who were slain at Passover in Jerusalem. So Benjamin became a type of Christ.

You can go and you can see also that Isaac was a type of Christ. In Genesis chapter 22, when he was offered up, remember he's called the only begotten son of Abraham, but he wasn't the only son because Ishmael was born first, but he was the only begotten son. He was a son of choice, right? And so when God said, Take now your only begotten son to a place that I will show you, which is Moriah, he took him up on Moriah, went to slay him there, God provided a substitute because Moriah would be the place where the Messiah would be the substitute for our sins. Isaac became a type of Christ, an Old Testament picture of the person and work of the Messiah.

Joseph, the most complete type of Christ in all of the Old Testament because of the things that parallel his life with the life of Christ. And then, of course, there's Melchizedek. So, those are just a few places, a few events, a few people that are Old Testament portraits that are being painted, okay, to show us and point us in the direction of the Messiah.

And so the writer of Hebrews is trying to move this Jewish audience from all the pictures that have been painted surrounding all the rituals that they are involved in to move from them to embrace the person himself, Jesus Christ, because he is the fulfillment of all the pictures and all the paintings that had been described in the Old Testament. And so he is going to present now Christ in the order of Melchizedek, a type of Christ in the Old Testament, a picture that had been painted way back in Genesis chapter 14 before Israel ever adopted the Levitical priesthood.

So we move now from the picture of Melchizedek to the presentation of Melchizedek. That's Genesis chapter 14. So if you've got your Bible, turn back to Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14 is the story of how Abraham went to rescue his nephew Lot. There was a king, Chedorlaomer, who was the king of Elam, who led three different kings against five other kings. In those days, there were patches or pockets of land that were ruled by kings. And so Chedorlaomer wanted to rule that whole area, so he went to war and went to war against the king of Sodom, because that's where Lot was living. And they took the spoils from Sodom, and they took Abraham's nephew captive.

Abraham heard about it. Abraham goes to war against them, rescues his nephew Lot from his captors, and the kings flee, leave all the spoils, and Abraham takes all the spoils that were left. And it says these words in verse number 17, Then 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. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God most high. 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? He gave him a tenth of all.

That's the presentation of Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14 that the writer of Hebrews refers to in Hebrews chapter 7. Melchizedek goes off the scene. He's never mentioned again until a thousand years later in Psalm 110, verse number 4. Never mentioned again until the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 5, but he's explained in Hebrews chapter 7. That's the presentation of Melchizedek.

Now, let me show you the preeminence of Melchizedek over the Levitical priesthood. This is very, very important. Because once you begin to understand this, you begin to understand why Christ is superior to the Levitical priesthood. And why they need to embrace the one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus Himself, the ultimate high priest.

It begins by helping you understand that Israel had a national priesthood. They had a national priesthood. Very important to understand this. Because Melchizedek had a universal priesthood. Not a national priesthood. He had a universal priesthood. And he had a universal priesthood before Israel ever adopted their priesthood, which is a national priesthood. Now remember, if you go all the way back to the book of Exodus, and you have where God defines himself and gives Moses his name, those four Hebrew consonants that make up the name of God, I am that I am, right? In the Greek Septuagint, it's called ego eimi, I am. And Christ said, unless you believe that I am, that is, I am the God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, you're going to die in your sins. Before Abraham was, I am, right? And so that those four Hebrew consonants, taken with the vowels from the Hebrew word Adonai, comes the word Yahweh or Jehovah, right?

Well, Jehovah is God's name for Israel, and that's how they saw him. They saw their God as the great God Jehovah. Now, they would never mention his name. They would refer to him as the God of the name, or they would refer to him as the Lord, but they would never refer to him as, as we would pronounce it, Yahweh or Jehovah, right? And so, but that was their name for their God. Very important to understand this when you come to grips with what it is they believed about their God.

And Israel had a God. His name was Jehovah, and they were very possessive about their God. They weren't so sure they wanted to share their God with anyone else. But Melchizedek served a universal God. And how do we know that? Because for the very first time, the word El Elyon is used in the Bible. It's Genesis chapter 14. And in Hebrews chapter 7, it says those words, Hebrews chapter 7. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, El Elyon, which is the universal name of God. He is the possessor of heaven and earth. This is very, very important to understand this.

This is what Nebuchadnezzar called him. In Daniel chapter 4, God Most High. He is the king over all the earth. He is a God over every man. He is a God over all the world. He is El Elyon, the God most high. Very important. Because that's who Melchizedek served. In other words, he's not just the God of the Jews, he's the God of the Gentiles. And Abraham recognized him as El Elyon in Genesis chapter 14 when he called him a priest to the God Most High. So Abraham, their great patriarch, their father, recognized who Melchizedek was because he served El Elyon.

So now he is making a comparison to this Hebrew nation to help them to understand that the God they are worshipping is the true God. The great I am. That's who he is. But they saw him only in a national sense. In fact, if you go over to Deuteronomy 32, Moses says this in verse number 8: When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of man, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord's portion, or Jehovah's portion, is his people. Jacob is the allotment of his inheritance. So Moses recognizes that Jehovah has a people. That people is the nation of Israel. And they were very possessive of their God. And yet, the God of Israel is El Elyon, the God of the nations, the God of Jews and Gentiles alike. Very important to understand this because what the writer of Hebrews is saying is that Melchizedek was a priest and a king after the most high God. Very important to understand. This is so rich, so pure.

Remember, the Garasene demoniac in Mark chapter 5, the man that was naked and shackled and cut himself, and everybody was afraid of him. Those of you going to Israel with me will be able to see this place and the location of where it exists on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. And you come to this place and you realize that this demon-possessed man filled with legion comes running down to Jesus and says these words: What do we have to do with you, son of the most high God. See, even the demons knew that Jesus is El Elyon. They understand that.

And so when you realize that, that's important. Now, Jesus would say in John 6, that those who follow him by faith and believe in him as Messiah are called the sons of the Most High God. Because He is not just the Savior of the Jewish people. He's a savior of the Gentile people as well. That's why he is a savior of the world. That's why the Samaritans saw the Messiah in John 4:42, I believe it is, as the Messiah being the Savior of the world. That's why John would say in 1 John 2:2. He's not just a satisfaction of our sins, but he's a satisfaction of the sins of the world. Jew and Gentile alike, because he is El Elyon, the God of the Most High. And those who believe in Him are now called sons of the Most High God. Very, very important.

So he's going to make this contrast. So they understand that. They know who Jehovah is. They know who the I am is. They know that they are his possession. They understand that they are called the people of God. They get that. And that's why Jonah was so upset when Nineveh repented. Because he was rather possessive of his God. And he wasn't sure he wanted his God to be a savior of the Ninevites. See? But that's who he is. He's not just a redeemer and savior because the whole deliverance of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, a type of Christ we talked about earlier, about him being the redeemer and savior of his people, he is that. But he goes way beyond that to being the Savior of the world.

And therefore, the writer of Hebrews is trying to explain to them: you've got to know about this Melchizedek. Because you see, he was a king and a priest to the Most High God, El Elyon. And then his priesthood went beyond the parameters of the Levitical priesthood. Because they would offer sacrifice for the people of God. They'd offer sacrifices for the Jewish nation. And that's it. No offering sacrifices for the Gentile nations, the Canaanites couldn't go and worship God on the Day of Atonement. The Jews didn't do that. He was a mediator for God's people. That's what the priest did. He mediated between God and man so that men, the Jewish people, would have forgiveness of sins.

Well, now he's saying, but there was a priest before the Levitical priesthood. And not only was he a priest, he was a king priest. And this would take Israel beyond their imagination when it came to understanding who the Messiah was. Because there was no place in Israel's economy where a priest was a king. No place. In fact, those of you who have been to Israel with me have been to a place called Qumran. And when we go to Qumran, we talk to you about the scriptorium, the place where they would write the Old Testament. That's where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls there in Qumran. And these scribes would write out the scriptures. And when you look back at what was found there through archaeology, you begin to understand what it is they believed about their Messiah. And they couldn't connect the dots.

Because as you go and you read from what's called the testimonia that they found in the scriptorium when they did their archaeological discoveries, they found what these scribes believed. They believed that there were three offices. Three offices in the Old Testament that were anointed: the prophet, the priest, and the king. But they did not understand how all three of them connected. Now be very careful here, because the writer of Hebrews is going to connect them all for you. In Hebrews chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9. He's going to connect prophet, priest, and king.

Because in Israel's economy, they didn't know that. Oh, there were prophets who were kings and kings who were prophets. There were prophets who were priests and priests who were prophets, but there was never a king who was a priest or a priest who was a king. And yet, they should have known that. How do we know that? Because we know from the book of Jeremiah. From the book of Jeremiah 23, it says this: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch. And branch is a name for the Messiah. He will reign as king and act wisely, do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is his name by which He will be called the Lord our righteousness. So Israel knew that the branch, the Messiah, another name for the Messiah, is going to be a king.

But then they had forgotten what the prophet Zechariah said. Because the prophet Zechariah said these words in verse number 12 of Zechariah 6. Then say to him, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold a man whose name is branch. Well, in Jeremiah 23, it's the Lord whose name is branch. Now it's a man whose name is branch. Does the Old Testament teach that the Messiah will be the God-man? Answer: yes. Jeremiah 23, verses 5 and 6, Zechariah chapter 6, verse number 12. A man whose name is branch, the Messiah. In Jeremiah 23, it's the Lord of hosts. In Zechariah chapter six, the branch is a man. For he will branch out from where he is, and he will build the temple of the Lord. The Messiah is going to build the temple of the Lord. Yes, it is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will bear the honor and sit and rule on his throne. Thus, he will be a priest on his throne, and the council of peace will be between the two offices.

So, not only will he be a priest, he will be a king. Which in Israel's economy they did not understand. Before Israel had a priesthood, there was a priest who was a king. His name is Melchizedek, which means king of righteousness, and he rules as king in Salem, which is modern-day Jerusalem today. Okay? And he ruled there during the days of Abraham. So he begins to set the tone, helping them understand who Melchizedek is, because he is far superior than their priesthood. He goes way beyond that. And Jesus, the Messiah, is in the order of Melchizedek. He's not in the order of Aaron. Because Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, not from the tribe of Levi. Very, very important. But that's just the beginning. I've got to come back next week.

Let's pray. Father, I thank you, Lord, for today, a chance to be in your word. We pray that, Lord, you would open our hearts and minds and ears to understand the things that are so very, very important. Thank you, Lord, that you're the Savior of the world. Thank you, Lord, that you're not just the Savior of a certain group of people. You're a savior of mankind in general because you're a redeemer of man. Lord, we are so grateful for that. May no one leave today who is yet to experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray in your name. Amen.