When Abraham was returning from routing Chedorlaomer and his allies, Melchisedec met him in the valley of Shaveh, in the King’s Dale, and tendered to him and his weary troops, a refreshment of bread and wine. He also blessed Abraham, and thanked God for giving him the victory. Abraham acknowledged him the Priest of the Most High God, and gave him the tenth part of the spoil. Perhaps this was to shew God’s approbation of Abraham’s conduct, and to point out the future victories of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, in the hearts of his people, and, finally, over mystical Babylon, and its kings—the recovery of his elect, who lay in the hands of Satan, Sin, and Law; and of whom the Father had covenanted with his dear Son, that he should divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death. While all who are interested in this great Work must exclaim, Unto him that washed us from sin in his own blood, to him be glory. Amen.
Now consider how great this Man was, to whom Abraham gave the tenth of the spoil, and that blessed Abraham; and truly the less is blessed of the greater. May God the Holy Spirit assist us in our views of this great Man, the God-man Mediator, the Priest, the King, the All in All.
We shall notice the opinion of others. We propose then to examine the Scripture testimony of this great One, and to answer the objections which rise in the mind, concerning the reality of this Person being Lord and Christ. We shall finally notice the Nature of his Blessings.
I believe the general opinion of this great Man is, that he was some King of Canaan, who was a good man, but whose genealogy cannot be traced. The Jews and Samaritans will have him to be Shem, their ancestor. The Arabians suppose him to be Ham. Dr. Owen will have him to be a descendant of Japhet; but how a descendant of Japhet came to be a king of Canaan, I know not. Some are inclined to think he fell from the Moon. But all these ideas are too mean, and none of them agree with what the Holy Ghost has said of him. Many years ago there was a Sect of Melchisedecian Heretics, who held that he was some celestial power or virtue not revealed; but that he was superior to Christ, and made intercession for angels, as the Saviour did for Men. The most general opinion is that he was merely a figure or type of our dear Lord; but we are about to prove he was more than the figure—he was the adorable Redeemer himself. We are not to make any thing in Scripture a type when the Scripture declares it is a substance, and infinitely exceeds all the figures. Our dear Lord is certainly represented by many figures, but in the case before us he is not; for the Apostle, treating upon the Subject, not considering it as mystical but real. He is not explaining a mystery, but merely commenting upon a reality. Now consider how great this Man was.—Perhaps no subject in the Bible has had a greater diversity of opinions than this, and the reason is, because Men are so dissatisfied with the Spirit’s testimony concerning him: let us therefore notice the Apostle’s own words, and follow him in his comment, and there rest satisfied. This will lead us to answer a few objections as we proceed.
The Apostle in this grand Epistle, is setting before the believing Hebrews the Dignity, Majesty, and Glory of Christ, as the Christ of God. He first proves him to be God over all, equal with the Father in power and glory, in all his essential attributes. He then shews how far he excels the angels, they being the work of his hands, and he their great Creator; and having accomplished the great Work of Atonement, he has entered into his joy, and is now representing our Persons before the throne; and as our great High Priest, still pleading the virtue of what he has done, before the Father. In the three following Chapters he shews the necessity there was that Jesus, our great High Priest, should be tried by temptation, that he might know how to succour the tempted—that his people, by believing, might find a Sabbath of Rest in him, he encourages them to hold fast their profession, seeing our great High Priest is passed into the heavens for them; and as he knew what sore temptations meant, they might warranty apply to him for all that grace they wanted in time of need. This is sweet encouragement to the Lord’s tried ones.
In the 5th Chapter, the Apostle carries on the subject of the Priestly Office of Christ, knowing it to be of such vast importance to the Church. He shews the commission of Jesus to act as High Priest, and they, the Hebrews, well knew that no man had a right to this Office but he that was called of God, as was Aaron. So our dear Lord was called to it in the Covenant, in which the Father glorified him, and as God-Man Mediator, called him Son, and told him he should be a Priest for ever, after a peculiar Order, that is, of Melchisedec: his own Order, not of Levi or Aaron’s, but his own divine Order.—The Apostle then complains of these Believers, they were dull of apprehension, or else he would tell them many more very great things; but they had had the Gospel preached to them nearly thirty years, yet had made little or no progress in the things of God. He complains that they were but babes in knowledge, unskilful, weak, and had got no further than the first principles of the christian Religion, which he begs they will leave, and press after greater lessons in the School of Christ, namely, The final Perseverence of God’s elect, though they might backslide, and even some of them go such sad lengths, as even to give up their profession for a time, that nothing short of the precious blood of Christ applied to their hearts by the Spirit, could ever renew them to Gospel repentance. Ministers could not—they could not do it themselves—but a sight of Christ, put to open shame for them, would ever accomplish it.
The Apostle proceeds to stimulate them to persevere in the good ways of God, notwithstanding their weakness, sins, infirmities, strange feelings, and at times, want of confidence—no heart to pray or believe, but all deadness, darkness, and sorrow; amidst all oppositions, yet to keep on, encouraged by this, that a covenant God had provided every needful mercy in Christ; that he has covenanted with him, and all his seed in him, that they might have hope in his faithfulness, and not in their own feelings or experience, which would waver, or change. But for the further encouragement of that hope, he would have them remember, that Christ is their Head and Representative—that the Father’s love is the same to them as to him; that Christ and they are one; that they are beheld in him complete; and that as their High Priest, he is perfect—done a perfect Work; that he ever lives, and that his great Work he is now doing in heaven, and will live to do for ever, is simply, to bless his people, as he blessed their father, Abraham, when he returned from battle. And now, oh ye believing Hebrews, Consider how great this man was to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil.
Passing by the curious conjectures of men, let us attend to the mind of the Spirit, and by close attention it will be clearly seen that the Melchisedec which met Abraham was the adorable Redeemer himself. We begin with the 6th verse of me 5th Chapter—As he saith also in another place, THOU art a Priest for ever, after the Order of Melchisedec, WHO in the days of HIS flesh, offered up strong cries and tears to God, and was heard in that HE feared—though HE were a SON, yet learned HE obedience by the things which HE suffered, and being made perfect, HE became the author of eternal salvation to all that obey HIM; called of God an High Priest, after the Order of Melchisedec—of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. Can any point be more clear than this; The terms Thou, Who, He, a Son, Him, in the days of his flesh—and surely if Melchisedec had been a mere Man, Paul would not have complained of the Hebrews being dull of understanding this Subject, of God manifest in the flesh, before his incarnation, when he met Abraham, and afterwards by actually taking our nature.
I would observe the connection between the last verse of the 6th Chapter, and the opening of the 7th. The Apostle, encouraging Believers, who fled for refuge, tells them their fore-runner is gone to heaven, and is acting there as High Priest for them, after the Order of Melchisedec—it is essential to this Order only to make intercession in heaven. From which passage we may then conclude, that Melchisedec and the second Person in the ever blessed Trinity were, and are the same; for none but Christ in our nature ever did, or will intercede for us in heaven.
The Apostle then goes on with this Subject in the 7th Chapter. After declaring this Melchisedec is in heaven, interceding according to his own peculiar Order, he adds, For THIS Melchisedec, King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him—to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all. First, being, by interpretation, King of Salem, which is, King of Peace—he being without Father, without Mother, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, abideth a Priest continually.—Consider now, how great this man was.—It is my grief, I cannot read the Greek for myself; but upon good authority I have to remark, that the verb Substantive not to be used here in any tense, but must be read Person—and is instead of was—so the text should be read, Now consider how great this Person is—the Person who continues a Priest for ever, spoken of in the close of the 3rd verse, and which must be read in the tense the Apostle speaks it. From which it appears plain, that the Person who in the text met Abraham, is now in heaven, interceding for his Church.—Abraham gave him the tenth of the spoil, and therefore acknowledged him to be his divine Priest and King. The Apostle then proceeds with the Subject, and says, (5th verse) that this glorious Person, this High Priest is not of the descent of Levi, not at all of that tribe—as all Priests that belonged thereto were imperfect and died, but this Melchisedec now receiveth tithes, because he is our ever-living Priest. And at the close of the 8th verse the Apostle says, It is witnessed of him that he liveth, that is, that he is alive now—and in the 3rd verse says, he abideth a Priest continually. This surely can never be said of any mere man, of any typical character, of any Canaanitish King, or any Priest, but our great Melchisedec. Some may object that he may be said to live as many departed saints do, but then it could not be said of him that he continued to live in his Office, as a Priest for ever.