A Short Statement on the Melchisedec Priesthood.
P. Ben
[Manuscript - Jan. 2014; Published - Mar. 2017]
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If we were to consider Heb 7:11,-‘If therefore
perfection were by Levitical priesthood, (for under
it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another
priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec,
and not be called after the order of Aaron?’- It is undoubtedly clear that our
Lord is a high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
This is a blessed truth in its self. But, the present state, of the Lord’s
ministry in the heavens, is that He is ‘a minister of the sanctuary and of the
true tabernacle’-Heb 8:2: that is to say, that the Lord Jesus, though He is a
high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec,
still the Lord presently is engaged in priesthood after the pattern of Aaron.
The writer of the Hebrews, after stating the Melchisedec
priesthood of Christ in Heb 5 and 7, begins to bring out another blessed truth
from Heb 8, 9 and 10. This is important for us to comprehend. Consider the law-
it too had a ‘shadow of good things to come’ though not the ‘very image of
things’ but yet a shadow and further also had ‘ordinances of divine
service’-Heb 9. It clearly implies that the ministry of the tabernacles in the
past age served as a shadow- but of what? Heb 8:5-‘who serve unto the example
and shadow of heavenly things’, ‘according to the pattern shewed
to thee in the mount’. Thus, the tabernacle of old was a type of what is
happening presently in the heavens. But, let me be clear, it is not the entire
ministry of the old tabernacle that is presently acted upon in the heavens- but
one- that is as on the day of atonement- the Lord Jesus the true antitype of
Aaron- had gone within the veil, not the holy places made with hands but into
heaven itself*
(*Here, there is a lot of caution expressed in presenting the
ministry of Christ and the ministry of Aaron-for it is written of Aaron- that
his exercising the ministry was by the blood of goats and calves with which he
offered for himself as well, but this is not so with our Lord- He need not
offer for Himself, so too, that ‘by his own blood he entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us’.)
The exercise of Melchisedec priesthood
is on a later day. The point in consideration is not the order but the exercise
of that order- and it is not at present for the present exercise is after the
pattern of Aaron- ‘ whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made
an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec’-Heb
6:20- but to where is the blessed forerunner entered into? It is ‘within the
veil’-Heb 6:19- the antitype of Aaron’s ministry, though not after the order of
Aaron.
But let me discuss a little about the Melchisedec
priesthood of Christ, for that is our main consideration here. Melchisedec priesthood is a royal priesthood for since- Melchisedec was both a priest and a king. First, I would
like to consider Melchisedec as a priest- this
priesthood is not to be confused with the Aaronic
priesthood. Aaronic priesthood was a priesthood of
intercession- symbolized by the rod that budded- a blessed picture of the
effects of such an intercession. For the rod of Moses can be used to work the
fearful wonders of the mighty hand of Jehovah but this is not what is needed by
the children of Israel in the wilderness- what they needed was the Aaron’s rod
that budded- the fruitfulness of their standing before Jehovah as a chosen
nation despite the dryness of the circumstances- the thought of constant
intercession for them before God. And so it is written of our Lord- ‘who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us’-Rom 8:34. The Lord at present is engaged in the blessed
ministry of intercession- dispensing grace to help in time of need as well as
the ministry of advocacy- for the restoration of communion (1 John 2:1).*
(*Ex 28:2- the holy garments for glory and for beauty of Aaron
literally stand for the ‘crownedst him with glory and
honour’ in Heb 2:7 in the LXX)
Melchisedec
priesthood is priesthood of blessing as Aaronic
priesthood is that of intercession. We read of the blessing of Abram by Melchisedec in Gen 14- ‘blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be
the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies
into thy hand’. Here, I would like to draw your attention to the consideration
of the title- ‘most high God’. The title is that of
God as One who is above all other gods and lords. The
evil that arose after the days of the flood is rampant idolatry- but what is an
idol? ‘We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none
other God but one’- 1 Cor. 8, but even then, it remains to be our confession
and not that of the world. For the world, an idol is really worth to be
worshipped. What finally resulted is that the earth which was at first beheld
to be ‘very good’ soon changed to a dreadful scene of controversy and disputing
of God’s sovereignty Himself. It was not long before ‘that there be gods many,
and lords many’-1 Cor. 8:5. The earth was corrupted with many gods and then the
need for a nation to witness the true God came into blessed fruition when ‘the
God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham’- Acts 7. But, then the rest of
the peoples remained yet in darkness having ‘changed the truth of God into a
lie, and worshipped and served the creature’-Rom1. The dreadful instance of
Satan usurping the earth and erecting in its domain- false gods and deceived
worshippers- had come to such a point-that the title of most high God though it
remained His ever- yet became clearly disputed on earth. But, soon the evil on
earth got entwined with apostate ruling power-making it even more worse. The first, great gentile power was that of
Nebuchadnezzar. The glory of the king of
But, what about the heavenly places? They are a scene of
contamination too- principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this
world, spiritual wickedness -in the heavenlies (Eph
6)
But this is soon going to change, and blessed it is to
understand how- it is through Christ- through His exercise of Melchisedec priesthood. ‘That in the dispensation of the
fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him’-Ep1. The contaminated
heavenlies and the apostate earth, soon shall witness
the ‘Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings’-Mal 4. Who, in the
past as even in the present is the possessor of heaven and earth? It is Jehovah
and none but He, but acknowledgement of that truth is not evidenced- for it is
only after the exhibition of divine power that the pride of Nebuchadnezzar
softens to say- ‘His dominion is an everlasting dominion’ but when the Lord on
that day shall punish ‘the host of the high ones that are on high, and the
kings of the earth upon the earth-Is 24:22’- it is after that, the most high
God will enter fully into the blessed possession of heaven and earth- as every
evil hindrance is removed. Satan, no more a prince of the power of air,
spiritual wickedness no more in the high places, beast and the false prophet
removed from earth, the apostate kingdoms cut down. It is then that the
‘righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father’-Matt 13 and
here on earth-‘ten men shall take hold…of the skirt of him that is a Jew,
saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you’-Zech 8.
What a day that shall be, when all things, in heaven and on earth are gathered
in Christ- then the blessings will overflow. For, as of now, sorrow and gloom
fills the scene of defilement, because the god of this world is a cruel
taskmaster, a murderer from the beginning, bringing men finally to be content
with the ‘husks of swine’. The devil rules this world and misery is every where
and those who oppose this evil system by the power of God find themselves a
persecuted lot. But, when the Lord Jesus Christ rules on this earth- it is a
scene of abundant corn and wine- refreshment never known before- the joy of heaven
and earth reverberating in that blessedness. The Lord said to the Jews-‘I know
that ye are Abraham’s seed’, that is Abram is the father of the natural seed-
Israel, but then they that are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham too-
‘If ye are Christ’s, ye are Abraham’s seed’- a spiritual seed. When Melchisedec blessed Abram, he in a figure provided the
blessing from the most high God to both the natural as
well as the spiritual seed- a universal display of the blessings secured in the
millennium by those of the heavenly and those of the earthly. But, this
blessing is consequent upon the destruction of apostate entities- ‘blessed be
the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand’. Here, there is destruction of
the fiercest kind the past has ever seen- but still it is treading the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev 19)- still, it is
joy that is obtained after destruction of enemies- such a kind of joy wearies
and is not full. It is then the Lord serves His own just as Melchisedec
by bringing forth bread and wine- the unfolding of the most wonderful
blessings- the true joy of the heavenly people and the antitype of the feast of
tabernacles for the earthly people- a glorious day indeed. Thus, Christ will
then exercise the priestly part of Melchisedec
priesthood, that is as High Priest who then on earth
blessing from the Most High God.
But then, He is also the blessed king. Zechariah the prophet was
commanded to set the crowns upon the head of Joshua the high priest and to
prophecy-‘Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH…shall sit and rule upon his
throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne’-Zech 6. This is yet in the
future ‘when the Son of man shall come in his glory…then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory’ (Matt 25). It must be carefully considered that the
exercise of the Melchisedec order by Christ begins
when he ‘shall sit and rule upon his throne’- it is on His throne* and not
before. It is then that the earth will rejoice in the rule of the King in
righteousness and righteousness brings blessing and truly, king of Salem
(peace) as well, for the fruit of righteousness is peace (James 3:18).
(* Presently, our Lord is seated on the Father’s throne- ‘even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne’-Rev 3:21. He
shall sit on His throne when He shall come in His glory to the earth).
I would like to close by alluding to Lev 9- referring to the
inauguration of the priestly service. After Aaron blessed the people at the
altar, he and Moses (union of priestly and kingly office- a shadow of Melchisedec priesthood) went into the tabernacle and came
out, and blessed the people and it was only then (in the ministry of Melchisedec priesthood) it is written : ‘and the glory of
the Lord appeared unto all the people’.