KING AND PRIEST
Tuesday – December 5, 2017
As you look at this picture and reflect back on the picture published yesterday you may wonder if I only have one shirt or don’t change my shirt. I do have more than one shirt although I really like this one and I do when forced change my shirt. If you examine both pictures carefully you will see that the head shot of me yesterday is simply cropped from the picture above. Okay, now, back to our wonderful Bible Study, first let’s review our primary text.
Hebrews 7:1-3 (KJV)
1 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;
2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
I believe there is much that the Lord wants us to learn from our text. I believe I had mentioned in a prior teaching that there are those who say that Melchisedec is the pre-incarnate Jesus, still others say he is Shem, a son of Noah. From my study and research, he is neither but a person who is a type and shadow of the coming Messiah and of those in Christ Jesus following the redemption. If you examine Bible timelines you will see that it is quite possible that Shem was alive at the time of Melchisedec. This man Melchisedec does not seem to be a stranger or to have come out of nowhere to those gathered that day at the “king’s dale” when Abraham returned from the “slaughter of the kings”.
Genesis 14:17-18 (KJV)
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
God, through the writer of Hebrews, spends a lot of time telling us about this Melchisedec, a type and shadow of Jesus not Jesus in the earth before Bethlehem. This is a man we can meet one day when we are in Heaven. As we take a moment to think about the Biblical Numerology of the preceding passage recall that fourteen is the number of deliverance, seventeen the number of victory, and eighteen the number of bondage. The bread and the wine looking forward to the sacrifice of Jesus would give all persons a way out of bondage to the Serpent.
From this text the first thing we learn about Melchisedec is that he is king of Salem. As we jump just a short way forward into the next verse we see that he is “King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;” As you consider this do not think of all this as simply descriptors of this Melchisedec but with relation to Jesus. Who restored, brought righteousness, right standing with the Father to mankind? Jesus!
1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Thank you, Jesus, thank you Father!
Melchisedec was King of Salem, a physical place, which later was called Jerusalem. This Melchisedec was also known as the King of peace. This word “peace” found in the second verse is the same peace as the peace of God. We do not just have peace with God but in Christ Jesus we have the same peace that God possesses. This peace is a knowledge which by faith transforms a spiritual reality into physical realities. True peace can be an emotional state which comes about by the knowledge that we have the peace of God and we know the will of God and are in conformance with it. A fake peace, a feeling unaccompanied by knowledge, can occur in the midst of the enemy’s deception. The example of Adam and Eve is instructive, they appeared to be in perfect peace in the midst of their disobedience. They had knowledge of the will of God but they adopted another god and conformed to the will of the new god.
Think Jesus and the peace of God as we look at the definition of Bible peace, the peace of God. The English word “peace” is transliterated from Greek as eirēnē according to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary meaning to join, peace (literal or figurative), prosperity, one, quietness, rest, and set at one again. Jesus is King of peace. Our access to the peace of God comes through being in Christ Jesus. The peace that God enjoys is the same peace that we by faith in love led of the Spirit can enjoy. Absent the righteousness of God men have no access to the peace of God only eternal death, stealing, killing, and destroying in this life and eternal torment (Hell) in the next. Seems like accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a no brainer. The peace of God means that we are one or joined with the Father just as Jesus is joined with the Father. We can have the same personal peace as the Father has, hell may be on display all about us but not with or in us. The Father’s prosperity is our prosperity, His provision is our provision. We are one with Him and by choice we choose the quietness Jesus bought at Calvary. Both righteousness and peace are two of three supporting legs of the Kingdom of God. The third leg is the Joy of the Lord.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (GW)
24 The LORD will bless you and watch over you.
25 The LORD will smile on you and be kind to you.
26 The LORD will look on you with favor and give you peace.’
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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