Who Is Melchizedek?
Melchizedek, the king-priest of Salem, is foundational for understanding how Jesus occupies the offices of king and priest—a dual honor that finds little to no precedent among Israelite kings. Priests were supposed to be Levites. Jesus was not of the line of Levi so Paul lays out how he can still claim a priestly role without that lineage. He appeals to mention in Gen. of a priestly line that predates the Levites and makes the association that Christ may not be a priest in the line of Levi but rather he has a legitimate claim to priesthood in the order of Malchizedek as was prophesied about the coming messiah in ps. 110.
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
But who exactly is this mysterious figure?
Melchizedek commands a disproportionate amount of importance in redemptive history compared to the amount of space devoted to him in Scripture. His name literally means “king of righteousness,” and he rules over the city of Salem (or, “shalom,” meaning cosmic, harmonious peace).
Melchizedek is said to have no “father or mother” and “resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3). Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek confirms his greatness (Heb. 7:4).
In Psalm 110, a messianic psalm written by David, Melchizedek is presented as a type of Christ. This theme is repeated in the book of Hebrews, where both Melchizedek and Christ are considered kings of righteousness and peace. By citing Melchizedek and his unique priesthood as a type, the writer shows that Christ’s new priesthood is superior to the Old Levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron (Hebrews 7:1–10).
Some propose that Melchizedek was actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, or a Christophany. This is a possible theory, given that Abraham had received such a visit before. Consider Genesis 17 where Abraham saw and spoke with the Lord (El Shaddai) in the form of a man. The challenge with this theory is that in the New Testament when referencing Melchizedek it is not said Jesus is he but rather that Jesus is in the order of Melchizedek implying they are separate yet of the same type.
If the description of Melchizedek is figurative, then the details of having no genealogy, no beginning or ending, and a ceaseless ministry are simply statements accentuating the mysterious nature of the person who met Abraham. In this case, the silence in the Genesis account concerning these details is purposeful and better serves to link Melchizedek with Christ.
It could also simply mean there is no record of the end of his priesthood or life, no more than there is any account of his ancestry."
The understanding comes from knowing customary Jewish terminology. If they did not have the record of the genealogy to prove the lineage to Aaron, the priesthood was not legitimate, and they would say he had no father.
The key is to make all the list of things in vs. 3 equal: "without father" equals "without mother" equals "without genealogy" equals "having neither beginning of days nor end of life". Without genealogy there was no record they could verify.
In this interpretation the logic would go as such:
As a man he had a beginning of days and an end of life. As high priest, he has neither but remains a priest continually. This contrasts the priests of the Levitical system whose "beginning of days" began at the age of twenty-five when they began to serve as priests. They reached their "end of life" at the age of fifty when they completed their appointed time of priestly service, Numbers 8:24-25.
It does not mean that the person in Genesis did not have a genealogy : just that he is represented as such as a demonstration and as a spiritual allusion.
10 Intriguing Facts about Melchizedek from the Bible
Melchizedek is one of the most intriguing characters the Bible says almost nothing about. He’s only mentioned in three books of the Bible, but that doesn’t stop people from having lots to say about this character.
Some people say Melchizedek is Jesus. Some people say he’s just a guy who worshiped God, some Jewish scholars believe he was Shem, Noah's son.
The important thing is that we should not go beyond what is written. It is fine to have theories but if the bible is silent we should not arrogantly fill in the blanks. We can guess as long as we don’t hold our guesses to be inerrant.
With that being said here are some interesting facts that we do know:
Only three books of the Bible mention Melchizedek
The New Testament says more about Melchizedek than the Old Testament
Melchizedek is a contemporary of Abraham
Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High
Melchizedek gives blessings (or at least one)
Melchizedek was the king of Salem
Melchizedek’s name or title means “king of righteousness”
The order of Melchizedek is royal and everlasting
Melchizedek was greater than Abraham and Aaron
Why Do People Think Melchizedek is Jesus?
As we've studied Hebrews, it is clear that the author wants us to see Melchizedek as a "type" of Christ, something that serves to point us to Jesus. In fact, Melchizedek is such a Christ-like figure, some would argue that Melchizedek must be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus himself (a Christophany). Consider the evidence:
Like Jesus, he is both a king and a priest.
Like Jesus, he is a "king of peace" and a "king of righteousness."
Like Jesus, "he remains a priest forever."
The author of Hebrews says that Melchizedek is "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life." Taken literally, this would mean that Melchizedek is an eternal being.
Speculation vs. Clear Truth
Some Christians will take the description of Melchizedek in Hebrews 7 more literally, leading them to conclude that Melchizedek is in fact Jesus. Other Christians will conclude that these verses are to be taken figuratively, and that Melchizedek is merely a human who points very clearly to Jesus. However, these differences of opinion should neither distract us nor divide us. At the end of the day, what matters most is that we have a great high priest named Jesus, one who has paid for our sin, who pleads our case before God, and who loves us with an everlasting love!
Melchizedek is the first explicit royal priest in the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve’s roles as royal priests are implied, but Melchizedek is clearly called a royal priest. Melchizedek is a Canaanite who somehow knows Yahweh. As a “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:18, he serves the one whom Abraham acknowledges as “the LORD, God Most High, maker of Heaven and Earth” (14:22).
He is understood to be a genuine priest of the God of Israel, but before Israel ever existed and before Yahweh was known by that name Exodus 3:12-15
References:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-melchizedek/
https://www.gotquestions.org/Melchizedek.htmlhttps://overviewbible.com/melchizedek-facts/
https://www.soundcitybiblechurch.com/blog/2016/3/1/is-melchizedek-jesus
https://bibleproject.com/blog/abraham-melchizedek-jesus/