Chapter 10: The Order of Melchizedek
In this chapter we will offer a brief survey of the order of Melchizedek:
---The Order of Melchizedek.
---A Survey of Types and Shadows
Seven Covenants
The Restoration of Babylonia Exile
Presentation
The Order of Melchizedek
In the Book Hebrews, from chapter 7, the author begins to expound the order of Melchizedek, under which Jesus Christ being established forever as the High Priest. We have touched this a bit in the Chapter of Sonship. There is so much to talk about this wonderful topic, we won’t have enough room here. So, let’s only get to some basics.
Who is Melchizedek
Recorded in Genesis 14 is a certain person with the name Melchizedek, who was acting at the time as the king of Salem (later, Jerusalem) and the priest unto the Most High. He was obviously not a Hebrew according to the linage of Abraham. It happened that Lot was taken captive by the Northern kings who tried to invade and plunder the Jordan valley. Abram rescued his nephew from them. He won a great victory, being able to more than restore everything for his relative but also for the southern kings. With such victory and fame, surprisingly he would yield humbly to and be blessed by a priestly order represented by Melchizedek, which is far beyond a simple theocracy that was common in those days.
With this mystical encounter, Abram began to recognize that the God who called him out of his homeland to a walk of faith, is not just any God, and began to acknowledge Him as the Most High, the creator of heaven and earth. Even He is not to be seen in any image or idol, He had His representation on earth and it is imperative for him to enter its order, so that he could learn and be blessed by Him. So he partook the wine and bread offered by Melchizedek and tithed to Him. These all can be seen as tokens, even ordinances of this priestly order, upheld as a Kingdom, which is serving more than as a medium of mediation between God and man, but also a Kingdom above other kingdoms enjoys the right to claim tribute and support. In a symbolic way, Abram’s act can be seen as a testimony to show to all the kingdoms around that his people or tribe, whose might is from God, will honor, support and yield to the order of Most High God. Interestingly enough, the kings who witnessed this act included the kings of Sodom and Gomorra. These two kingdoms later was judged by God with total annihilation, the story of which mentioned by Peter as an example of the judgment of our present age, which is reserved for fire. It is also quite interesting to notice that when the king of Sodom made an offer of kindness, Abram rejected him to his face. He’d have no dealing with him while released his personal covenant with the three brothers of the Amorites. This serves as a principle of the people of God, who is called out the world and reserved by God as a remnant.
Gen 14:18-20 [NIV]
18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.?
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
And it was only after this occurrence that God visited Abram and promised to Him as his King.
Gen 15:1-3 [NIV]
1After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.
2But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus.3And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.
God put Abram into sleep and conferred to him a covenant of a promise with an heir and the Promise Land, by an oath with Himself. This serves as a picture of the Eternal Covenant the Father agreed with the Son and conferred to the Son for the benefit of Man. As the beneficiary, Abram was elected by God as a revelation of this Eternal Covenant for Man.
The author of Hebrews explains it well.
Heb 7:1-4 [NIV]
1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness? then also, “king of Salem?means “king of peace.?3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
Jesus as High Priest under the Order of Melchizedek
It continues to explain that Jesus is like Melchizedek, belongs to a priesthood better than the Levitical priesthood which is based on the law God gave to the Israelites through Moses.
In the latter part of Hebrews 7, the author turns to explain another Old Testament prophecy by King David.
Let’s quote it here.
Ps 110 [NIV]
1Of David. A psalm.
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.?
2The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn
you will receive the dew of your youth.
4The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.?
5The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7He will drink from a brook beside the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.
Now, let turn back to Hebrews 7 to take a look:
Heb 7:15-25 [NIV]
15And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17For it is declared:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.
18The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
20And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”
22Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
What is the Order of Melchizedek
In chapter 5, when we address the topic of Sonship, we have offered a glimpse of what this priesthood is about. Now let give some further observation to the main points.
1. This priesthood is the eternal priesthood which functions in the heavenly tabernacle, it’s destined to come to earth with the Kingdom of Christ. Moses was given vision on Mount Sinai of its pattern and God instructed him to make a copy of it on earth and established the Levitical priesthood to minister under the regulations of the Law. Now Jesus, the last Adam, when He was raised from the dead as the first-born from the dead, He was glorified once again and offered the perfect atonement for the sins of man, thus disarmed the power of death and sin unto the decedents of the first Adam. He made the way open for those who believe in His Name to have access to the Father in Heaven.
2. This priesthood is not based on Law, which implies two parties of a covenant are unequally yoked toward man-man in the flesh could never be perfected by observing the Law, but on oath in the eternal realm and a promise in the earthly realm. Now this makes it unequally-yoked towards God the Father-He sealed His Name with it to accomplish this work towards Man, even the perfection of him to be able receive the promises or benefits of the covenant. As we shared before, the Father made oath with the Son and promised that He will produce a family of sons through “Man? Its work was disrupted, however, when Man fell from temptation by the Evil one in the garden and was excluded from eternal life. But in order to preserve and produce a seed, which is able to restore Man in flesh and blood and restitute the covenant, God made a promise to Abraham. The seed is Jesus. (Gal 3:15-29)
Paul mentioned this amazing gift and grace of eternal life for us who believe.
2 Co 1:20-22 [NIV]
20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes?in Christ. And so through him the “Amen? is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
3. Under this covenant, those put their faith in Christ, will be given the spirit of Sonship and the Lord Himself will inscribe His law in our heart. This is called the New Covenant. (Jer. 31, 2 Cor. 3)
The Law or the Old Covenant was given by angels and ministered by angels between man and God; not so with the New Covenant, it has to be by the Spirit of God, the Father and the Son. The Spirit of the Son, or spirit of Sonship seals us as children of God, then it will teach us things about the Father and the Kingdom of the Son on the Son’s behalf, also it will teach us about the Son and the Household of the Father on the Father’s behalf. It can only be ministered by the Holy Spirit who is able to act on the behalf of the Father and the Son.
Under either covenant, priesthood is extended through sonship, ensuring that he who stands in the place of the father is able to bear the image and likeness of his father. In this essence, Jesus is said as “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being? (Heb. 1:3)
4. Under this covenant, kingly duty and office and priestly duty and office is one, just as Jesus Christ is the King of Righteousness and Peace, as well as the High Priest of an Eternal Covenant. This is the essence of the order of Melchizedek.
A Survey of Types and Shadows
It is our purpose to expound here on this in the practical side of our life as a disciple of Christ, which is the main content of our education in the life of a son of God.
However, before we launch into that. Let give a brief survey of the types and shadows of the order of this Heavenly Priesthood, under which angels and all creation are to be judged.
The Covenant with Adam
Again as we shared in the chapter of Sonship, that Man (Adam) was included in the eternal covenant between the Father and the Son. According to this plan, he began to create this world and Man, the He rested on the seventh day. He set Man in the Garden of Eden to provision him everything he needed, and beyond that
1. He told Adam and Eve to multiply and subdue all things. This is a kingly position, which is to rule the creation on His behalf. To bring His righteousness to the heart and soul of all He created.
2. He told Adam to take care of the Garden. This is a priestly position, which is to show unto the creation the Goodness and Glory of God, thus and intercedes on their behalf, thus make peace.
And we know Adam fell from this position, thus lost the privilege to be taught by God and be a representation of Him.
Covenant with Seth
Sadly, only in the second generation of Man, brother began to murder brother. Blood was shed within the family. When sin overtook Cain, he killed his young brother Abel.
In order to preserve a seed without the stain of sin or the blood of the innocent, God separated Seth. The meaning of his name is “compensation? God intended to make him to replace the righteous Abel, who is able to make acceptable sacrifices before Him. Only at that time, “men began to call on the name of the LORD? Moreover, He intended that through Seth, a natural seed of the covenant of Sonship can be extended through and carried on.
Gen 5:1-3 [NIV]
1This is the written account of Adam’s line.
When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.?
3When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
Here hidden is a word “likeness? it is word denote the original intent of God for Man to be “just like Him?in the Spirit, yet not in the forming of man in flesh and blood, because when He created “man?in flesh and blood, male and female He created them in His image with a promise and hope to be transformed into His Likeness. Here again, He restored the promise or hope to Seth, as Seth was born in the likeness of Adam (Man), who is created in the Likeness of God in spirit.
In essence, God continued with Seth the covenant with His Son without counting man’s failures in the Garden, because the blood shed by the righteous Abel, who was a shadow of Christ Jesus.
This is the priesthood before Noah.
Covenant with Noah
Before long, this priesthood became corrupted again.
Gen 6:1-3 [NIV]
1When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.
I tend to believe at this stage, as many would agree or disagree, that the “sons of God?here indeed are the priests under that priesthood. Like the sons of Eli and the sons of Samuel, they degraded themselves in the service unto the Lord and brought disgrace to His name. God became very grieved with the condition of man.
Gen. 6:5-7 [NIV]
5The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.
He brought the flood upon them and only the righteous Noah and his family saved, with the beasts and birds in the ark. The ark is a symbol of His Presence and Grace. After He transferred them to a new land, He established a covenant with Noah.
He firstly restored the things that were destroyed by the judgment of flood back to mankind.
Gen. 8:15-17 [NIV]
15Then God said to Noah, 16“Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it.
He then assured unto Noah that He will separate the fate of creation from the fate of Man. Earth was no longer subject to judgments due to man.
Gen 8:20-22 [NIV]
20Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
22“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.
God here pronounced that He will preserve Man as a race, but Man had lost its position to subdue everything under him, or to represent God unto creation. Actually, God had to separate the creation from His dealings with mankind. Man’s sin was taken into account, but no solution was offered.
Gen. 9:1-17 [NIV]
1Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
4“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
6“Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man.
7As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.?
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.
12And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.
17So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.
Covenant with Abraham
Noah had three sons. Ham uncovered his father’s nakedness, thus invoked a curse upon his son, Canaan. The priesthood was extended through Shem. Abram was born of Shem. It is interesting to know that later days, God led the Israelites out of Egypt to possess the Land He promised to Abraham, which was occupied by Canaanites at the time.
Now let’s concentrate on the part concerning the covenant.
After God called Abram out of the Chaldeans and promised that He will bless him. Abram was 75 years old at the time. He and his nephew Lot separated, with the young one only to be looted by kings from the North. Abram came to his rescue. Here is the story we came across in the beginning of this chapter. He met Melchizedek and was blessed by Him.
Only after this, God established a covenant with Abram. (Gen. 15) He promised him a son, the heir of all the things that he would bless him. Many years later, till Sarai was proved to be desolate or barren, and Abram was already 99 years old, their hope of bearing a son was totally sapped, God visited Abraham again and conferred to him the covenant of circumcision. At this time, He changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. We are quite familiar with the meaning and significance of the change of names concerning Abraham. Let’s just scratch a bit of the importance of this concerning Sarah. Sarai means “princess? Sarah means “honored woman? In those days, child bearing is so important for a wife that all her honor and hope hangs on it. In essence, the change of Sarah’s name means she is no long just the love and precious wife of her husband, her shame of desolation is over and she will be honored as a mother by her son and the rightful hostess in the family. It was in this light, we are to understand that, even presently, the church as far as God is concerned, is breaking out her desolation of a so-called of “the Church Age?and finally able to bear sons, sons of God who are entrusted with the order of Melchizedek, able to sow the genuine seed of the Kingdom into the heart of man. God is restoring our desolated land. What is prophesized and cried for by Isaiah is coming to pass. (Isa. 49:14-26, Isa. 54, Isa 62:1-5; Isa. 66:7-13)
After exact a year’s time, Sarah gave birth to Isaac and expelled Hagar and her son when they constant caused trouble for them.
Later, when Isaac was grow older. God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son. Abraham obeyed. This ensured God would more than faithful to His personal commitment to Abraham, but also to His Son. Through faith, Abraham reactivated the seed of promise long been dead within mankind.
Gen. 22:15-18 [NIV]
15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.
As to the significance of this covenant, Paul mentions in different places. Let’s take a look:
Rom. 4:18-25 [NIV]
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.?19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.?23The words “it was credited to him?were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Covenant with Jacob
In last chapter, we mentioned how Jacob cheated the birthright as well as the blessings from his twin brother Esau. This invoked great anger from Esau, so much so that he wanted to kill Jacob.
Jacob had to flee from home. On his way to his uncle, God revealed Himself to him and made a covenant with Him.
Gen 28:10-15 [NIV]
10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
There are at least two major difference of this covenant from the one with his fathers:
1. His descendants will not be confined by the Promised Land, rather it will go out to four directions to the end of the earth.
2. It was promised a process of scattering and in-gathering. But this time it is not merely about a family, but a people.
Later, at the calling of God, Jacob returned back to Bethel, where he had the dream. During the night before he met Esau, he wrestled with God and prevailed. God gave him a new name: Israel.
From Israel’s 12 sons, the family enlarged greatly before they came into Egypt to seek shelter and refuge from Joseph. The number was 70.
Within the next 400 years, the Israelites increased greatly, amounting to millions in the time of Moses.
Covenant with Moses (The Israelites)
In Gen 15, God foretold Abram that his decedents would suffer as aliens in a foreign land for 400 years.
According to Paul, it happened 430 years later, as the Israelites was enslaved by Egyptians as we mentioned in last chapter. God raised up Moses to lead them out of Egypt to the land He promised to their forefathers.
Now, this story is most familiar to us, I would pass it by and get to place when God gave the Old Covenant to them.
Exod. 19:3-6 [NIV]
3Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles?wings and brought you to myself. 5Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.
From reading, we can clearly see that God’s intention was not to give the Israelite Law that they could never fulfill. Rather, He intended to fulfill His promise and raise them up as a holy people, who will be priests for Him among the nations. Through them, He will teach other peoples and show unto them His glory and power, love and mercy, righteousness and justice.
In a sense, His first desire of having preserved and prepared them, delivered them and guided them till this point is not merely to give them the land He promised to their forefather; rather, He would have them be set apart for His usage and bring salvation and His disrupted plan unto Man back to track.
He will be the King of a kingdom of priests, which means they are all sons to Him. In the same context, we know that He had delivered them from slavery and had redeemed them from the judgment of death. He called them his first-borns. In this, however, also implicitly leading to a further position He would have them to enter into. That is to rule or reign with Him in His Kingdom. He would teach them more than Priestly wisdom, but also Kingly wisdom. He would exalt them before kings and princes of the earth, for in His eyes, Israel is His Prince.
But the Israelites fell into unbelief and rebellion, practiced acts of wickedness and idolatry when Moses was summoned unto the peak of Sinai to receive the Law. Their heart was dull, this wonderful promise was too much for them to perceive and receive.
God, out of His love and at the mediation of Moses, who serves as a type for Christ Jesus in heart, lowered the standard and gave them the Law, in order to preserve the seed of His promise, more to Abraham and Jacob, but also to His Son.
And He did not stop His work of further revelation of what He intended for Man through His Eternal Covenant with His Son. He will reveal His desire to make His sons (members of His family) or princes in His Kingdom by raising up a man after His own heart.
Covenant with David
When the generation with Moses failed to obey God, thus was left to die in the wilderness. God instructed Moses to establish Joshua and Caleb to succeed him to lead a new generation to possess the Promised Land, which they did. And the age of judges began.
It lasted over 400 years from the time of Joshua to the time of Samuel.
The people began to desire a king should rule them like the peoples around them. In the end, God through Samuel gave them a king of their choice. Saul, a Benjaminite, was selected and anointed to be the king for them. Then Saul, out of his rebellion and selfish desires, disqualified himself. God again had Samuel anointed David, who was just a shepherd boy at the time, ignored and despised by his own household.
Again this story is quite familiar to us, so we won’t dig into the details here, rather only gave a sketch.
David was raised up by God more than being a good shepherd, but also a great warrior, and a wonderful worshipper (with his harp and songs), this ensured his success in Saul’a court and army, and finally provoked Saul into jealousy. In the end, David had to flee from his persecution, hiding in cave and wondering in the land of Philistines. Yet through all these, he grew stronger and stronger in his strength as a warrior, as a leader with a royal and noble character and as a man with great wisdom and a heart after God.
Years came to pass, Saul and his son Jonathan together died in a battle with the Philistines. This made way for David to be established as king of Israel. First seven and half years, He was king over Judah, later, all Israel. Then He began to subdue the enemies of Israelites around them and gained back the city of Jerusalem. After that he fortified Zion and it began to be called the city of David. Now God began to subdue all the kingdoms around to David, He even used a foreign king to build him a palace.
David then recovered the ark from the Philistines and brought back to Jerusalem and pitched a tent for it. On the way, he dressed in a linen ephod, rejoicing and dancing. In this prophetic scene, David fulfilled two offices in one person: the Kingly and the Priestly.
He felt really unsettled while himself living in a palace he did not build, with the ark of the Lord remaining in a shabby tent. So he set his heart to build God a “palace? Through the Prophet Nathan, the LORD told him that he will be not the one who will build him a house.
2 Sam 7:12-16 [NIV]
12When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”
As the story goes, we know it wasn’t Solomon here is talking about, but Christ Jesus.
Ps 89:19-29 [NIV]
19Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have exalted a young man from among the people.
20I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22No enemy will subject him to tribute;
no wicked man will oppress him.
23I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.?
27I will also appoint him my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Building of the Second Temple
Before, in and after the Babylonia Exile, God sent many prophets to the Israelites to warn, rebuke, counsel, guide, comfort and encourage His people. Some were badly mistreated and suffered a great deal even in the hand of their own people, like Isaiah, Jeremiah.
For 70 year the Israelites could not get back to homeland and more and more of the younger generation got used to the cultures they lived in. Worship of false gods and intermarriage began to steal away of the purity of their religion and tradition. God sent many prophets in the midst to encourage them to keep themselves as a remnant, set themselves apart as God’s people, not being conformed to the cultures and practices around them. After that, God began to miraculously restore his people. Leaders and groups of people began to come back to their homeland, a work of rebuilding the temple and the city began. Joshua the high priest (of the line of Zadok) and Zerubbabel the governor (of the line of David) was given charge. But according to prophetic words, they and their work are a type and shadow of what to some. (Zech. 3:8)
The temple they built is but foreshadow of the spiritual temple God will build in the hearts of His people in Christ Jesus. Let’s take a look.
Hag 2:6-9 [NIV]
6“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,?says the Lord Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,?declares the Lord Almighty. 9‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,?says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,?declares the Lord Almighty.
However, there is a hidden work that God is orchestrating for the revelation of the order of Melchizedek.
Zech. 6:11-13 [NIV]
11Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. 12Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.
In the numerous prophecies, the Messiah is called “the branch? Obviously here, the prophetic meaning is that the office of Kingship and the office of High Priesthood will be one in Christ Jesus.
And only under this order and oneness are ministers of the New Covenant established, first in the Heavenly Tabernacle, then in the earth. We will look into this in the coming chapter.
[
b]Scriptures
The Order of Melchizedek
1 Pet 1:9-10 [NIV]
9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
Rev 1:5-6 [NIV]
5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Types and Shadows
Gen 1:27-28 [NIV]
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.?
Gen 4:25-5:3 [NIV]
25Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.?26Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.
1This is the written account of Adam’s line.
When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.?
3When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
Gen 6:17-18 [NIV]
17I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons?wives with you.
Gen 17:3-8 [NIV]
3Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.?
Ge 35:11-15 [NIV]
11And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. 12The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.?13Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
14Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.
Exod 34:27-28 [NIV]
27Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.?28Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
Questions for Review
1. Melchizedek means “righteousness and peace?in Hebrew, now what is your understanding of this in the context of the Kingdom of God?
2. After you read the types and shadows of the Order of Melchizedek. Read 2 Cor. 3, how do you compare the ministry under the Law with that of the Spirit?
Questions for Meditation and Application
1. Read Heb 7 and 8, where do you think Jesus Christ is acting the High Priest? Explain.
2. Now, when you just born again, do you think you are then qualified to be minister of the New Covenant instantly? If not, why?
3. Have God locked the people before Christ in a place of less advantage than us who have Jesus Christ? Is this His intention?
4. Do you think there is a difference between life of the Spirit and ministry of the Spirit? Explain your answer.
