Melchizedek: Priest & King

Genesis 14:17-24 

Some local kings had had a disagreement and so battled against each other. Lot, Abram’s (later called Abraham) nephew became caught up in the situation and captured as a prisoner of war (see 14:1-12). The news reached Abram and he decided to go and rescue his nephew, which he successfully did (vv13-16). When he returned home the local kings came to greet him along with the mysterious Melchizedek.

Melchizedek appears in the narrative with no introduction and disappears as quickly as he arrived. However, these few verses are loaded with meaning and point so very clearly to Jesus. Melchizedek is given no genealogy and is described as ‘king of Salem’ and a ‘priest of the Most High’ (v18). His name, Melchizedek, means ‘king of righteousness’, while king of Salem means ‘king of peace’. He offered Abram bread and wine which immediately draws our attention to the Lord’s Supper which Jesus ate with His disciples on the night He was betrayed (see Matthew 26:26-29). Abram in return gave Melchizedek a tenth, or a tithe, of the spoils of war (v20). The writer to Hebrews describes this as the Levitical priesthood giving a tithe to God even before the priesthood came into existence, as later on the Levites were not obligated to tithe (see Hebrews 7:4-10).

The Psalmist, too, picks up on the symbolism of Melchizedek and describes Jesus as ‘a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’ (Psalm 110:4). Again, the writer of Hebrews helpfully explains that this is because the Levitical priesthood was not sufficient for salvation and so we needed a priest ‘in the order of Melchizedek’ who became a priest on the basis of ‘an indestructible life’ (Hebrews 7:15,16).

So, Melchizedek is the king of peace and righteousness who establishes an everlasting priesthood around the sharing of bread and wine which Jesus eternally fulfils. A clear glimpse of Jesus!

Further reading: Hebrews 5-7, especially chapter 7        Psalm 110

Worship Video

 

To think about:
In 1 Peter 2:9 Paul describes us as being part of a royal priesthood. What does this mean to you in light of all the Bible passages here.

Creative Response:

A collage by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

Please share your creative response using the linky below. To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'. You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr. Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.

A blessing to all the nations

Genesis 12:1-3

God promised Abram a son. In fact, in this passage He promises Abram more than a son. God promises that Abram will become a great nation (v2) and become a blessing. This is then expanded on in verse 3 when God says, ‘And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed’. Abram was a nobody who had been plucked from obscurity in a far off city called Ur by his father, Terah, who had dragged his family across miles and miles of land to arrive in Haran (see Genesis 11:31,32). How could this man be a blessing to all the families of the earth? He didn’t even have a garden he could call his own.

And yet, God knew what He was doing! He was calling man of faith, a man who would take God at His word and believe Him (Genesis 15:6). That is the type of person God can work with.

Ultimately, the way Abraham would become a blessing to all the families of the earth is through the fact that one of his direct descendants was Jesus. Matthew opens his gospel with, ‘The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham’ (Matthew 1:1). It is through Jesus all people could be reconciled to God and there is no greater blessing than being reconciled to God. What a blessing to the whole world!

We see a glimpse of the full results of this blessing when we read, ‘After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ (Revelation 7:9,10).

Amazing that from one obscure man comes blessing to all the nations of the earth!

Further reading: Revelation 7:9-12              Matthew 1:1-17

Worship video

To think about:
What promises have you received from God? Which ones have happened and which ones are you still waiting for?

Creative Response:

An art journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added.  Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

Please share your creative response using the linky below.  To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'.  You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr.  Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.

The first glimpse of a saviour

Genesis 3

Mankind was placed in the perfection of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had it made! They were given a paradise to live and work in and God was near to them. They were given responsibility to cultivate and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). They were also told that they could eat from any tree apart from one (2:16,17). But they refused to follow the Maker’s instructions and instead they rebelled, sinned and contrived to throw away their access to the paradise. They were deceived by the serpent, it is true, but they willingly disobeyed and walked away from their relationship with God.

Judgement followed their sin and God spoke judgement over the serpent, the woman and then the man. Genesis 3 gives the full account of their fall and outlines the judgement of God in detail (see especially verses 14-19). However, even in this darkest of chapters of Scripture we see a chink of light. Even in the moment of the greatest fall there has ever been, we are able to detect hope.

In verses 14 & 15 God judges Satan who is the deceiver, liar and trickster who takes on the form of a serpent. His judgement contains the phrase, ‘He shall bruise your head’ (v15) referring to the offspring of the man. This means that there will come a day when a man will crush Satan’s head. The sin they have committed is serious enough for man to be removed from paradise, to have to toil in order to tame the ground and to have to endure pain in childbirth. And the sin is serious enough for God to promise an ultimate solution even here at the outset. A Saviour will appear and will crush Satan’s head.

Even in the darkness of the sin of mankind there is the promise of the light of a Saviour.

Even in the moment of the Fall we see the hope of salvation.

Further reading: Romans 16:20         1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Worship Video


To think about:
God asks us for obedience. When have you heard God ask you to do something and you have refused? What grace was extended to you in this?

Creative Response:

Drawn by Joel Wilson, aged 11

Photo by Bernice Hopper

Please share your creative response using the linky below.  To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'.  You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr.  Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.

Creation

Genesis 1

The whole of Scripture begins with the beautiful account of how God brought the world into being. Verse 1 introduces God who begins creating. Verse 2 goes on to introduce the Spirit of God who was moving over the surface of the waters. And then, after the creation of so many different objects and beings in verse 26 we read that God addresses His fellow-creators with, ‘Let Us make man in Our image’. This surprising statement points to a unity and a diversity within the Godhead.

Although on a surface reading of Genesis chapter 1 Jesus is not explicitly mentioned, when we move into the New Testament we realise that He was a key part of the creation proceedings. John begins his gospel by describing Jesus as ‘the Word’ (John 1:1ff) and quickly attributes to Him ‘All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life…’ (vv3,4). Jesus, the Word, was with God, was God, is God and was involved in creating all things at the very beginning of time.

In Colossians Paul picks up on this theme and gives further insight. Talking of Jesus he writes, ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth…all things have been created through Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:15,16). Jesus not only was involved in creating but also in sustaining the creation once it had been made. But at the same time, it was made for Him! On top of this, since Jesus is described as being ‘the image of the invisible God’ it means that in Jesus, God became visible.

Thus at the outset of his account the writer of Genesis describes a great mystery for us. Man, being made in God’s image reflects God. And in a similar way Jesus reflects His Father.

What dignity, then, is bestowed on mankind right in the very first chapter of the Bible! We reflect the Maker and are described in the same terms as Jesus who is the image of the invisible God.

Further reading:   John 1:1-5        Colossians 1:15-20
 

Worship video

To think about:
We reflect the Maker. He is the Creator and therefore as we are made in his image we also are creative. Whilst a creative response to these Bible studies is optional, think about how you could opt in!  Read this blogs’ introductory post Optional Creative Responses to help you.

Creative Response:

Part of a poem by Phil Clarke on a painted background by Bernice Hopper

Please share your creative response using the linky below: