Who was Melchizedek?

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We first encounter this mysterious personality in Genesis. Gen. 14:18 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.” We read that he was the king of Salem, which later became Jerusalem. The bread and fruit of the vineyard allude to “communion” but this is merely a deduction without having any Biblical information to support it. Tithe here is being paid to the higher ranking person, and in the book Hebrews, teaches that even Abram, being the great grandfather of Levi paid his tithe to Melchizedek. Levi therefore also paid tithe, and Paul in the book of Hebrews uses this as depicting the different types of priesthoods. Melchizedek is portrayed as a type of Christ and we understand Jesus now being our High Priest. Certain components of the Levitical priesthood precluded its use as a type of Christ. One would be that on the Great Day of Atonement the high priest first had to sacrifice for his own sins so as to protect him from not being slain in the Holy of Holies. Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Jesus did not have a beginning and He will not have an end. The information given in Genesis does not stipulate parents, children, or death despite the possibility that he may have had a family. The information available to us taken from the Bible, Melchizedek more fully is a type of the priesthood of Jesus. Heb. 5: 6 “As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek;” Heb. 5:10 “called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” Heb. 7:1 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. 4Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 11Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12For the priesthood being changed, of necessity, there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The LORD has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”), 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. 23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever." There existed a need for a better High priest than in the Levitical sense and the Melchizedek priesthood fulfilled that!