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The order of arrangement in the revelation of the truths in the Bible is always marvelous. In the biblical types, after the ark and the good land, which typify the salvation of Christ and His riches, there is Melchisedec, who typifies Christ as God’s High Priest. While Abraham and his household were dwelling in the good land and were enjoying all the riches therein, suddenly they were attacked and disturbed by Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. After Abraham defeated Chedorlaomer and the other kings, Melchisedec, the priest of the Most High God, went forth with bread and wine to meet, comfort, and bless Abraham. This is a type of Christ as God’s High Priest comforting and blessing those who are His elect and who enjoy the riches of Christ and fight for God.
Concerning Melchisedec, Hebrews 7:3 says, “Being without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but likened to the Son of God.” For all the important persons in Genesis there is a genealogy, but not for Melchisedec. In the divine writing the Holy Spirit sovereignly gives no account of the beginning of Melchisedec’s days nor of the end of his life, that he might be a proper type of Christ as the One who is without beginning and without ending, the eternal One. This corresponds with the presentation in chapter one of the Gospel of John, which declares that the Son of God is eternal, having neither beginning nor end and being without genealogy.
The name Melchisedec first is interpreted “king of righteousness,” and then also “king of Salem,” which is “king of peace” (Heb. 7:2). Melchisedec typifies Christ as the King of righteousness who made all things right with God and made all things right with one another. Righteousness issues in peace (Isa. 32:17). As the King of peace (cf. 9:6), Christ, through righteousness, brings in peace between God and us.
Melchisedec was the priest of the Most High God (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 7:1). This is a type of Christ as God’s High Priest of the eternal order. Hebrews 6:20 says that Christ has “become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedec.” According to the Bible, there are two orders of the priesthood, one being the order of Aaron and the other, the order of Melchisedec. The order of Melchisedec came before the order of Aaron and is higher than the order of Aaron. The order of Aaron was for the priesthood that was only in humanity, whereas the order of Melchisedec is for the priesthood that is in both humanity and divinity. Aaron was established in honor to be the high priest only for his lifetime, for he was prevented by death from continuing. But as the Son of God, Christ was ordained in glory to be our High Priest forever (Heb. 5:4-6). With Him there is no preventing by death (7:23). He is forever our High Priest (v. 17), appearing before God on our behalf (9:24) and praying for us that we may be saved and brought fully into God’s eternal purpose (7:25).
Hebrews 7:16 says, “[Christ] has been appointed not according to the law of a fleshy commandment but according to the power of an indestructible life.” Christ was appointed a High Priest not according to the powerless letters of law but according to the powerful element of an indestructible life, which nothing can destroy or dissolve. This life is endless, being the eternal, divine, uncreated life, and the resurrection life, which passed through the test of death and Hades (Acts 2:24; Rev. 1:18). It is by such a life that Christ ministers today as our High Priest. Hence, He is able to save us to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25).
When Abraham returned from his slaughtering of Chedorlaomer and his allied kings, Melchisedec went forth to meet Abraham, who had fought for God and won the victory, and to minister to him bread and wine (Gen. 14:18). This is a type of what Christ ministers to His believers at His table. According to Matthew 26, on the night before He left His disciples, the Lord Jesus “took bread and blessed it, and He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took a cup and gave thanks, and He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (vv. 26-28). The bread on the Lord’s table is a symbol signifying the Lord’s body, which was broken for us on the cross to release His life that we may participate in it. By partaking of His broken body, we participate in His life. The cup signifies our enjoyment of God’s blessing. Hence, the cup is called “the cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16). In it are all the blessings of God and even God Himself as our portion (Psa. 16:5). In Adam our portion was the cup of God’s wrath, which would have sent us to the lake of fire to suffer the torment of eternal perdition (Rev. 14:10; 21:8). However, God made the Lord Jesus drink the cup of wrath on the cross for us (John 18:11), causing Him to suffer God’s righteous judgment on our behalf and to taste the torment of perdition of the lake of fire. The Lord Jesus shed His blood to redeem us from our sins, thereby enacting the new covenant for us and bringing us instead the cup of salvation (Psa. 116:13) as the cup that runs over (23:5). In this cup of salvation are all the blessing of God and even God Himself as our portion. Christ as our Melchisedec today brings His life and all God’s blessings with Him to His table to minister to us. At the Lord’s table, the life signified by the bread and the blessings signified by the cup are the constant supply to us of our Lord as our High Priest.
When Melchisedec came to meet the victorious Abraham, he blessed Abraham with the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19), as the blessing. This proves that he was greater than Abraham, since it is customary for the lesser to be blessed by the greater (Heb. 7:7). This signifies the greatness and superiority of Christ, the perpetual, great, and kingly High Priest, who blesses us.
Abraham gave tithes of the choice spoils to Melchisedec (Gen. 14:20; Heb. 7:2, 4). This fact proves the greatness of Melchisedec. Christ, as a Priest according to the order of Melchisedec, is greater than the priests of the tribe of Levi, who also paid tithes to Melchisedec through their father Abraham (Heb. 7:9), since they were in Abraham’s loins when he met Melchisedec (v. 10). This shows us that such a great Christ is worthy to receive offerings and honor from all the victorious ones.
Melchisedec’s status typifies what Christ is. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, and having neither beginning of days nor end of life, Melchisedec typifies Christ, the Son of God, who is the eternal One, having neither beginning nor end. The name Melchisedec is interpreted “king of righteousness,” and then also “king of Salem,” which is “king of peace,” signifying that Christ as the King of righteousness and peace brings in peace between God and us through righteousness. Melchisedec is also a priest of the Most High God, signifying that Christ as God’s High Priest of the eternal order is not according to the law of a fleshy commandment but according to the power of an indestructible life. It is by such a life that Christ ministers today as our High Priest. Hence, He is able to save us to the uttermost.
What Melchisedec was to Abraham typifies what Christ is to the believers. When Abraham returned from his slaughtering of the kings, Melchisedec went forth to meet him and minister to him bread and wine. This signifies that Christ brings His life and all God’s blessings with Him to His table to minister to us. At the Lord’s table, the life signified by the bread and the blessings signified by the cup are the constant supply to us of our Lord as our High Priest. Furthermore, Melchisedec blessed Abraham, proving that he was greater than Abraham, and he also received offerings from Abraham. This signifies the greatness and superiority of Christ, the perpetual, great, and kingly High Priest, who blesses us and who is worthy to receive offerings and honor from all the victorious ones.
