LIFE & GAME CHANGER 9 OF 16

THE SON—AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

"It is witnessed of Him, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." HEBREWS 7:17

In our previous article we saw the greatness of the Son manifested in that He ratified the oath which God uttered to Abraham when He, the Son, passed within the veil as a Forerunner.

            All the symbolism is that of the Hebrew nation, religion, and worship. The function of one standing within the veil is necessarily that of priesthood. To this subject the writer of this letter returned at this point. Aaron had passed within the veil on the great Day of Atonement through the running years. Within, he acted as a priest, and having fulfilled his function, passed out again. Jesus entered within the veil to remain, but as He did so, the veil was rent in twain, thus leaving the way open for others to enter in.

            The function of the priesthood of the Son, having thus passed within the veil, is then suggested by the declara­tion:

"It is witnessed of Him, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

            Three times already the writer had made reference to this fact. In chapter five, and verses five and six, we find these words:

"So Christ also glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest, but He that spake unto

Him, Thou art My Son, This day have I begotten Thee: as He saith also in another place, Thou art a Priest forever After the order of Melchizedek."

            Again, in the tenth verse we read:

"Named of God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek."

            And once more, in chapter six and verse twenty, we have the statement:

"Whither as a Forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

            In the first reference two quotations were brought together from two widely separated psalms as to their place in the Psalter, and very likely as to the time of their writing. Linking them, he applied them to the Son of God. From Psalm two he quoted:

"Thou art My Son, This day have I begotten Thee."

            From Psalm one hundred and ten he quoted:

"Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedek."

            Thus the Person referred to is the Son, and His office as Priest is described as being after the order of Melchizedek. The whole priesthood of the Hebrew people had been Levitical, of the order of Aaron. Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi, but after the flesh of the tribe of Judah. He was not, therefore, a Priest of the Aaronic order; but as the writer says in this most arresting declaration, He was "a Priest after the order of Melchizedek."

            Necessarily that raises an inquiry and commands atten­tion. What do we know of Melchizedek? We find that his name occurs only twice in the whole of the Old Testa­ment literature. Here in this letter it occurs nine times. In the Old Testament we find the historic account of him in Genesis, which takes us back two thousand years before Christ. From that moment on, no further reference is made to him in the history of the Hebrew people, and neither is any reference made to him in the prophetic literature. A thousand years after the historic event re­corded, David names him in one of his psalms. It was a psalm concerning the Messiah, and while thus looking on to His advent, David referred to the historic incident, and says of the coming One:

"Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

            All this is arresting and suggestive. Something took place, the record of which we are given. A thousand years passed, and a singer referred to this event. Another thousand years passed, and the One appeared to Whom reference was made. And then the writer of this letter quotes from the psalm, and thus referred to the history.

            We go back, then, first to the historic account. The name is in itself arresting. Melchizedek, Malkiy-Tsedeq, King of Right. In his reference the writer of the letter to the Hebrews is careful to say:

"Being first by interpretation King of righteous­ness, and then also, King of Salem."

            There has been much discussion as to the location of Salem, in spite of the fact that the writer of the letter adds the significant words, "Which is King of peace"; thus showing that no city was referred to.

            We are told two things about this Person in history; first, that He bore a name which signified that He was King of righteousness, and, secondly, that because He was King of righteousness, He was also King of peace. Thus suddenly in the history of Abraham this Person appeared, Who is described as a Priest of El-Elyon, that is, of the Most High. We are not told where He came from or where He went after this appearance to Abraham. The appearance occurred at a remarkable moment. Abra­ham had parted company with Lot, who had chosen for himself the well-watered plain, while Abraham remained a pilgrim under the terebinths of Mamre, in the company of God. When the compromising Lot was in trouble, the faithful Abraham went to his help, and overcame the opposing kings, recovering the spoil. To Abraham in the hour of victory this Melchizedek appeared. We observe with care the priestly function He exercised. It is signifi­cant that nothing is said about the offering of sacrifices. He did not come with burnt-offerings, or anything which suggested sacrificial approach. He came bearing bread and wine for the refreshment of the weary servant of God. Moreover, He blessed him, and still exercising the priestly function, He blessed God, that is, He offered worship to Him. Then He received tithes, and His doing so indicated His superiority to the one who brought them.

            There are many interpretations of this story which of course demand respect. In its simplicity it is remarkable, in that there appeared to Abraham a man unknown and unplaced, the writer saying of Him:

"Without father, without mother, without gene­alogy."

            Thus, for His action He had no authority vested in human ancestry, and His action was not committed to posterity.

            Amid the varying interpretations to which I have re­ferred, I would now say that I am personally convinced that this is the story of a Christophany; that here, as upon other occasions, there was granted to a man the appear­ing and ministry of none other than the Son of God, the One Who is King of righteousness, and therefore King of peace.

            A thousand years after the event David wrote:

"Jehovah saith unto My sovereign Lord, Thou art a Priest forever

After the order of Melchizedek."

            Thus David had gone back to the historic story, and declared that the ultimate Priest should be One like Melchizedek, without father, without mother, without genealogy. It is certainly an arresting fact that this was the psalm which our Lord made use of when He was attempting to bring the rulers of His time to a recognition that the Messiah would be the Son of God. The rulers in their reply to the Lord's question showed that they were familiar with their Scriptures, as they immediately replied that Messiah should be the Son of David; and our Lord challenged them at once as to how He could be David's Son, and David's Lord. They evidently did not grasp the significance of the quotation and question. We, however, see distinctly that after the flesh He was the Son of David, but in essential Being He was the Son of God. Therefore His Priesthood was after the order of Melchizedek.

            The Son entered within the veil as a Forerunner, and there He abides, exercising His priestly function. Thus all the mystic qualities revealed in the historic account of Melchizedek came to their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. When we attempt to account for Him wholly within the human, we fail to understand either His Person, or the meaning and power of His Priesthood.

The purpose of the writer, therefore, was that of show­ing the difference between the Priesthood of the Son and every other. Those referred to were divinely ordained, divinely instituted; but in themselves they could not meet human need. Such need is completely met in the Priest­hood of the Son.

            As the matter is considered we find that in this Priest­hood there was fulfilled not only the mystic suggestive­ness of the historic Melchizedek, but also the fulfillment of the principles revealed. As the writer says, "First King of Righteousness." The One Who represents us within the veil, in the power of an endless life, is not exercising a Priesthood which for one moment lowers the standards of morality; being first, always first, King of righteousness. Any presentation of the Mediatorial work of our Lord, and His consequent saving power, which suggests that there is any lowering of the standard of righteousness, is false.

            It is because He is King of righteousness that He is also King of peace. The eternal order is first pure, then peace­able. This Priest within the veil has entered, having made provision by which human sin can be dealt with both as to its pollution and its paralysis; and in and through Him man may stand in the presence of the Holiest.

            Later in this seventh chapter the writer summarizes the whole matter. Because the Son is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek, One Whose Personality transcends all human measurements and limitations, One Who stands first for righteousness, and so secures peace:

"He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him."

            That word "uttermost" is a great word. It has within it two qualities, which merge into a complete revelation, the two qualities are represented by panteles, which means all, and is a word of quantity; and telos, which is a word of reach, and means extent. He is able to save to the uttermost that is in Him there is fullness of provision in quantity, and fullness of provision in duration.

            Thus the word "salvation," with which we are so fam­iliar, is seen in all its fullness and glory. The teaching of the New Testament shows that it has its tenses, so that we may say, looking back, we were saved; and thinking of the present, we can say, we are being saved; and lift­ing our eyes and looking on, we can say:

"Now is the salvation nearer than when we believed."

            We were saved. We are being saved. We are going to be saved. He is able, because of the mystery of His eter­nal Personality, His fidelity to righteousness as a basic principle; and His Cross by which He made peace; to save to the uttermost.

            The priesthood of Aaron was a wonderful priesthood, divinely ordained, but it forever fell short, even in its highest exercise, of meeting human requirement. Its value was that it foreshadowed the possibility of the meeting of that requirement. The Priesthood of the Son of God does more than shadow forth a possibility; it creates an ex­perience.

            This priesthood, moreover, is one which continues to bring forth bread and wine, all that is needed for the res­toration and sustenance of such as are workers together with God, as Abraham was in the dim past. In that old story we read that when the king of Sodom offered gifts to Abraham, he replied:

"I will not take a thread nor a shoe latchet . . . lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich."

            This is forever the attitude of those who receive all the mini­strations of the Priest, Who is the Son of God. They find in God through Him both their shield and their exceeding great reward.