Hebrews 5:6

Hebrews 5:6

You are a priest forever

et another quote from the Psalms, this time from Psalm 110:4, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind; You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek was a King Priest of God Most High at Salem in the days of Abraham. (Salem means “peace” in Hebrew from which we get Shalom.) As such a King Priest he was appointed to a higher order than even Aaron and his sons and any other High Priests of Israel. The roles of priest and king were not given to any man apart from Melchizedek, a curious figure about whom we know little, but Abraham saw and believed enough to honour the man and make tithes to him. (See Genesis 14:18-20) The two men shared bread and wine just outside Salem (Later Jerusalem), I like to think they did this in the area where Jesus later shared bread and wine with His disciples! 

We have already discussed the fact that Jesus was appointed both King and Priest by God His Father and now He is compared with this unique character who came out to meet Abraham, from Jerusalem, and about whom we know nothing! Was He a Christophany (a type of Christ)? Did Abraham actually have an encounter with the Lord? We don’t know, but let’s get used to the name Melchizedek because it will occupy our thoughts when we get to Hebrews 7. For now, we need to keep in mind that the role Jesus was given was unique to Him, and in the history of Israel it was unprecedented. As true believers in Christ, we have this amazing leader and heavenly sovereign who is the supreme Priest over all who ever lived on earth, and we also have a King whose rule, authority and power far exceed that of any human ruler. Whatever we need, we may look to Jesus who reigns not just over earthly dominions but heavenly ones too. He is not just a ruler of humanity but of all the spheres both heavenly and earthly, both physical and also spiritual. And He reigns forever! Hallelujah! 

 

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