King David of ancient Israel was given a messianic prophecy in Ps.110:1-4. v.4 “The Lord has sworn, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedek.” The Lord (Jesus) would be ruling King and priest in the order of Melchisedek! This topic discusses Melchisedek and priesthood.
True religion and the Judeo-Christian ethic includes the entire Bible. Both the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) speak of priesthood.
What is a priest? A priest performs religious rites, and mediates between God and humans.
Ancient nations and heathen cultures had priesthoods (ref Ge.41:45, Ex.3:1). Wayne Jackson Exploring the Concept of Priesthood “The ancient Assyrians had priests, as did the Babylonians.” OT Israel’s priests were of the Levitical order, from the tribe of Jacob’s son Levi.
Moses was a priest and a mediator (Ps.99:6; Ex.24:6, 29:26; Nu.7:1; Ga.3:19). Then Moses’ brother Aaron and Aaron’s male descendants from the tribe of Levi were Israel’s priests (Ex.28:1). Prior to the Levitical (Lev) Aaronic order of priests, in ancient Israel families/clans performed priestly functions (Ex.24:5). The Aaronic priesthood was established in the wilderness (Ex.40:13-15), after the Israelites left Egypt. But this Levitical priesthood didn’t exist in the books of Genesis or Job.
Jesus and His NT believers are of the order of Melchisedek, which both predates and postdates the Levitical order. The person of Melchisedek (Mel) goes back to Genesis. What does the Bible tell us about Melchisedek, and how does the order of Melchisedek compare to the Levitical order?
The mysterious Melchisedek/Melchizedek is thought by many to be a theophany or Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ the Son of God Most High (Lk.1:32). The name “Melchisedek” means ‘king of righteousness’ (He.7:2). And in Je.23:5, the Messiah/Branch (Jesus) is the prophesied righteous king. Ge.18:1-33 the Lord as a Christophany appeared to Abraham. Melchisedek appeared to Abrám in Ge.14. Previously, in Ge.12:1-2 the Lord had said that He would bless Abram…“I will bless you.” And then in Ge.14:18-21 Melchisedek said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High”. It is Mel who blessed Abram! It appears that Mel was divine, as the pre-existent Word of God, the Lord Christ. Jn.1:1, 14 identifies Jesus as “the Word” (the Lógos in Greek).
The Dead Sea Scrolls Melchizedek document 11Q13, dated circa 100 BC, indicates Melchisedek is divine. Wikipedia: 11Q13 “11Q13 states that….Melchizedek is ‘Your Elohim [God]’ who will deliver the sons of righteousness from Belíal.” In the 1st century AD, Philo said Melchisedek represented the Word/Logos and is a priest (Allegorical Interpretation 3:26:82, p.59). Again, Jesus is the Word/Logos.
Melchisedek is the first priest mentioned in the OT. In Ge.14:18, Mel served Abram (the father of the faithful, Ga.3:7) bread & wine. Sharing bread & wine will become the sacred communion or eucharist for the NT church in the order of Melchisedek! (also see the topic “Bread and Wine in the Church”.)
Ge.14:18 “Melchisedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now He was priest of God Most High.” Mel was both king and priest of God. In ancient kingdoms there was no separation of church and state. Their politics involved pleasing their deity, so the deity would protect them. But Israel’s priestly Aaronites among Levites weren’t kings. Judah, not Levi, became a kingly tribe (Ge.49:10).
The Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham in Ge.17:5. Was Abraham himself a priest, serving under Melchisedek? Abraham knew the king of Sodom (Ge.14:21). In Ge.18:23-24, it is plausible that Abraham was interceding to the Lord Christ as a priest on Sodom’s behalf.
The order of (King) Melchisedek includes the laws of the King. e.g. in Ge.14 Abram tithed or paid 10% to the priest-king/church-state. (see the topic “Tithe to Church and State”.) Abraham obeyed God’s regulations. The Lord said of Abraham in Ge.26:5, “Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws”. Abraham had the faith to obey all that, without a codified Law of Moses! (see “Abraham Obeyed Which Commandments?”.)
What are the laws taught by, or pertaining to, the order of Melchisedek?
Throughout Genesis, we read of gentiles (such as Abraham) obeying…or disobeying…God’s principles & instructions. Also Job.22:22, God’s guidelines weren’t unknown to gentiles living prior to the Law of Moses. (see “Genesis Principles Predate Moses” and “Ten Commandments in Genesis & Job”.)
1Enoch 99:2 “Woe to them who pervert the words of uprightness, and transgress the eternal law.” 1Eno.106:14 “Some of the angels of heaven…commit sin and transgress the law.” (ref 2Pe.2:4 & Jude 1:6.) This indicates an eternal law existed even for the residents of heaven to obey, in order to dwell with God in harmony. (Jude considered 1Eno.1:9 a prophecy, and quoted it in Jude 1:14. 1Enoch is included in a few Christian canons.)
Genesis reflects many similarities to the laws Christ later told Moses to codify & enact during the Levitical dispensation. For example, in Genesis: 39:9 adultery is a great sin. 31:32 stealing is wrong. 2:2-3 God sanctified the 7th day sabbath for mankind at Creation. 28:22 Abraham’s grandson Jacob also paid 10% to God. 7:2 only clean creatures are food. Some try to claim the extra pairs of clean animals taken on Noah’s ark were for sacrifice. But only domestic clean animals were sacrifices, not wild! Yet Noah took seven pairs of wild clean animals too (there’d be plenty to eat)! 9:4 blood isn’t authorized as food (prohibited in the Ac.15:29 decree for the church. see “Acts 15 – Four Prohibitions”.)
The Lord later commanded that the above laws (and other laws too), seen in Genesis for gentiles, be part of the Levitical code and Old Covenant for Moses/Israel. (see “Added in the Old Covenant”.)
Albertus Pieters Notes On Genesis “Whoever has learned the Genesis stories has learned all the chief things that can be known about God (apart from the incarnation of God in Christ)…of permanent institutions for the well-being of mankind, we have here the institution of the sabbath, marriage, government, and worship.” Yes, there’s much for the church found between the lines of Genesis!
The above examples from Genesis reflect some of the similarities between the order of Melchisedek and the Levitical order. But there are also noticeable differences between them! Such as…
In the order of Melchisedek, there’s no scriptural evidence of any physical tabernacle/temple ceremonial rituals (ref He.9:1, 10). There’s no animal sin/trespass offerings. There’s no Passover (before God ‘passed-over’ Moses’ Israel in Ex.12:23); there’s no other pilgrim feasts. (Genesis does show voluntary non-temple burnt offerings.) Also, we read of lesser incest…so they can obey God’s commands to reproduce (Ge.1:28, 9:1)…when the only humans available to marry there are relatives.
In the order of Melchisedek, there’s no lunar calendar (for determining pilgrim feast dates, e.g.). Examining Ge.7:11 with Ge.8:3-4 indicates 30-day months of a solar calendar. Also Re.11:2-3 reflects 30-day months of a prophetic solar calendar. This calendar projects to add a 30-day leap-month seven times in each 40-year cycle…in years #6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 40. Its variance from 365.2422 days per year is said to be only 4 hours 2 min over a span of 11,560 years! Also a form of solar calendar is used in 1Enoch. But the lunar aspect of the Levitical dispensation had 29 or 30 day months (for feasts)…and it’s less accurate. (As another comparison, the estimated variance of the Gregorian calendar over 11,560 years may be around 80 hours, or 3 ⅓ days. It too is less accurate than the ‘prophetic calendar’.)
Various lunar calendar and new moon reckoning dogmas for Levitical festivals can cause unnecessary division within the order of Melchisedek! In 1Co.14:33, Paul says God is not of confusion/disorder! Attempting to use a Levitical calendar in the Melchisedek order has resulted in a measure of confusion.
There’s a significant prophecy in Zechariah. Again, Je.23:5-6 referred to the Lord/Messiah as the Branch. Zec.3:8-9 the then Levitical high priest, named Yehoshúa/Yeshúa (Iesous or Jesus in the Greek LXX), was a symbol. Zec.6:11-13 is about that ancient Yeshua. “Behold, a man whose name is the Branch. He will be a priest on his throne [kingly], and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” That Yeshua had the same name as the future Branch; and back in 500 BC was a symbol of the Melchisedek priest/king! A full 500 years prior to the Messiah’s human birth, God knew the Savior’s Name would be…Yeshua (in Hebrew & Aramaic)!
Let’s now read through Hebrews 5–7. It’s about priesthood and Jesus in the order of Melchisedek. The Levitical and Melchisedek priesthoods are further contrasted in these chapters.
He.5:1-11 there was much to say regarding the order of Melchisedek. He.6:13-20 Jesus is high priest in the order of Mel. 6:18 the two immutable things God swore with an oath are found in 6:13-14 and 7:21. That is, the Lord surely would bless Abraham and multiply his descendants, and Jesus is priest in the order of Mel forever. (also ref 1Eno.69 regarding oaths.)
He.7:1-8 the priest-king Melchisedek had no genealogy, no beginning of days or end of life, and was made like the Son of God. v.8 “He [Melchisedek] lives on.” In Hebrews, Melchisedek isn’t portrayed as a mortal man! Abraham was a mortal man. Aaronite priests were mortal men with genealogy.
Wikipedia: Priesthood of Melchizedek “The basis of the Aaronic priesthood was ancestry; the basis of the priesthood of Melchizedek is everlasting life. That is, there’s no interruption due to a priest’s death (Heb.7:8,15-16, 23-25).” The Levitical priesthood was hereditary. ISBE “Melchizedek, a priest of highest rank, had neither predecessor nor successor in his great office.”
He.7:17 “You [Jesus] are a priest forever in the order of Melchisedek.” Got Questions – Who Was Melchizedek? “This term ‘order’ would ordinarily indicate a succession of priests holding the office. None are ever mentioned, however, in the long interval from Melchizedek to Christ, an anomaly that can be solved by assuming that Melchizedek and Christ are really the same person.”
He.6:20 “Jesus…having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchisedek.” Poole Commentary Ps.110:4 “Forever’, not to be interrupted or translated to another person.” Jesus is high priest forever. Yet He.7:3, speaking of Melchisedek, “…Being made like to the Son of God, does remain a priest continually [g1336].” (Youngs Literal Translation.) According to the writer to the Hebrews, Melchisedek is priest on into perpetuity. Vincent Word Studies He.7:3 “The tenure of his [Melchisedek’s] office is uninterrupted.” Are we to believe there are two high priests serving continuously and uninterrupted?! Taken literally…if Melchisedek isn’t Jesus, then there are presently two high priests simultaneously!
Hebrews 7 also compares Melchisedek to Abraham. He.7:4 “Consider how great this [Being] was!” (The term for ‘man’ isn’t in the Greek text of v.4.) The Being Melchisedek is even called great!
Abraham was highly honored and eminent, the spiritual father of the faithful, according to Paul (Ga.3:7, 29). The Lord had told Abram in Ge.12:2-3, “I will make you a great nation, and will magnify your name….In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God would change Abram’s name to Abraham, magnify it, and his posterity would be renowned on earth!
Yet He.7:4 indicates Melchisedek is greater than Abraham! He blessed Abram. He.7:7 ESV “It is beyond dispute that the inferior [Abram] is blessed by the superior [Melchisedek].” (Other translations render the Greek term kreítton, Strongs g2909, as “better” or “greater”.) Barnes Notes “Melchizedek was thus superior to Abraham.” Cambridge Bible “The inferior is blessed by one who is the Superior.”
{Sidelight: Some think Melchisedek was a title (like Caesar or Czar), not a personal name. A Jewish tradition says Melchisedek was Noah’s son Shem. But according to Ge.5:32 & Ge.10:22, Shem did have a literal genealogy (unlike Melchisedek). Shem had a beginning and an end, a mortal man. Furthermore, in scripture Shem is of lesser status than Abraham (or Noah), not greater. Shem’s name is seen less than 20 times in the Bible, whereas Abram/Abraham appears over 300 times! Also, in the LXX and Samaritan Pentateuch chronologies, Shem was dead long before Mel met Abram in Ge.14.}
He.7:9-12 “The priesthood being changed, there takes place a change in the law also.” A change has occurred in some written law/toráh; in the sacrificial & ceremonial aspects. There’s no Levitical priesthood or temple; they’re now obsolete as far as the church is concerned.
It’s changed because…Jesus fulfilled all things written about Him (but not everything written in the OT). Let’s first notice, in Mt.5:17-18 Jesus said, “I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill [g4137]”. Then after His resurrection, Jesus’ words in Lk.24:44 refer back to the earlier Mt.5:17-18, with added detail. “My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled [g4137].” Jesus came to fulfill all things written about Him in the Law, etc. Furthermore, Luke noted in Ac.13:29, “They carried out all that was written concerning Him”. Jesus didn’t abolish or “fulfill” in our place the Lord’s moral principles (seen way back in Genesis for gentiles/non-Jews even)!
Just because Jesus obeyed God’s principles doesn’t imply that He did so in our stead, and we may act like the devil! In 2Co.5:10, Paul said that each of us must appear before the judgment seat…Ro.14:12 to “give an account of himself to God”.
He.7:13-28 Jesus wasn’t a Levite; He was from the tribe of Judah. v.14 “Our Lord descended from Judah.” Jesus didn’t have to qualify genealogically in the sense of the Levitical priesthood. The fact that He was from Judah (was Jewish) through Mary didn’t disqualify Him in the order of Melchisedek, though He wasn’t qualified for the Levitical order. The Levitical priesthood was based on genealogy…it consisted of only one clan (Aaron’s) within the tribe of Levi.
Continuing into Hebrews 8…the Old Covenant is of the Levitical order, the New Covenant is the order of Melchisedek. He.8:6-13 the Lev dispensation principles, those which aren’t also part of the order of Mel, were vanishing. v.13 “Whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”
He.9–10 the Levitical order’s weaker animal sacrifices were continually repeated. All their priests were sinning humans and were temporary (they kept dying, He.7:23). The Lev order couldn’t transform hearts nor give ancient Israelites the Holy Spirit power to obey God. (So they’d gone into captivity.) Whereas the order of Mel transforms hearts via the Spirit, with the sinless Jesus high priest forever!
Fire from God fell to burn Levitical order animal sacrifices on the altar (Le.6:12-13, 9:24). Tongues of fire fell on the heads of human “living sacrifices” of the Melchisedek order (Ac.2:1-3, Ro.12:1)!
He.10:9-14 Jesus’ one-time sacrifice ends the prior Levitical dispensation, with its ceremonial temple rites. It establishes the succeeding order of Mel. v.9 “He takes away the first, to establish the second.”
In Jn.6:4 & 7:2, John calls God’s OT Passover and Feast of Booths the “feast of the Jews” (not “feast of God”)…because the old Levitical dispensation, with its pilgrim feasts at the temple, is ending. They don’t exist in the order of Melchisedek.
Mt.26:26-28 Jesus restored the order of Melchisedek with the symbolic sacred bread & wine of the New Covenant as its communion (from Ge.14:19 Melchisedek). Jewish Christian historian Alfred Edersheim The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah 5:10:826-827 “With this celebration and new institution, the Jewish Passover forever ceased!” The temple would soon be destroyed, and the pilgrim feasts at Jerusalem (their one authorized feast site then, never two simultaneously) would cease.
The OT Levites had no tribal land inheritance and were restricted in business (De.10:9; Nu.3:9, 18:20-21). But leaders in the order of Melchisedek may work a common job, e.g. Ac.18:2-3.
The only Levitical injunctions and practices remaining…are those which are also present in the order of Melchisedek. There are many. Again, a detailed examination of Genesis shows that such injunctions (applicable for gentiles) existed prior to Moses and the Old Covenant.
He.13:10-14 “We have an altar which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.” Disbelieving Levitical priests, at temple feasts of the Jews, had no right to partake of the bread & wine of the Lord in the order of Melchisedek. Yet New Covenant believers partake. And we needn’t be physically circumcised to take that communion! Father Abraham (Abram) wasn’t circumcised when Melchisedek shared bread & wine with him as Abram in Ge.14! (Whereas physical circumcision is commanded to keep a Passover, e.g. Ex.12:48-49. see the topic “Circumcision in the Bible”.)
Few of us today have knowledge of/proof of family ancestry in the tribe of Levi or its priesthood. 1Pe.2:9 “You [Christians, 4:16] are a royal priesthood.” Yet even us non-Levites/non-Aaronites are adopted (Ro.8:14-16) into royalty…and are become the royal priesthood in the order of Melchisedek! Re.5:9-10 of saints from all nations, “You have made them a kingdom, and priests to our God”.
To conclude, the OT verse most often quoted in the NT is Le.19:18b. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But the OT (short) passage most often referred to in the NT is Ps.110:1-4 (which began this topic). “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet….You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedek.” David Seilaff Who Was Melchizedek? “In fact, Psalm 110 is referred to in the New Testament more than any Old Testament section of Scripture.” The order of Melchisedek is of such significance for Christ’s church!
Jesus is both our high Priest (He.6:20), and “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Re.19:16)…in the order of Melchisedek and the Kingdom of God! Praise the Lord!
Bible Topic Exposition 