“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)” – Genesis 14:18
This very ancient encounter, over 4000 years ago, between Abram and the mysterious Melchizedek is a powerful, early pointer toward Jesus. The name Melchizedek means “King of Righteousness”. He was the king of Salem (what would become Jerusalem), a name meaning “peace”. So Melchizedek, who was a priest of the one true, living God before anyone else ever recorded was also a king. He wasn’t just any king, he was the king of peace and king of righteousness. Does that sound familiar???
Psalm 110, written by King David some 3000 years ago says another priest-king like Melchizedek would come. The book of Hebrews explains that when Jesus, the eternal Son of God, stepped into our world as fully God and fully human, walking among us, demonstrating He had the power of God, teaching the truth of God, living a perfect life without sin, dying as a sacrifice on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sins, and rising from the dead on the third day, that He was, is, and forever will be that high priest and king like Melchizedek.
Jesus is the King of absolute righteousness. He is the King of perfect peace. He is our high priest who made atonement for our sins with His own body and blood. What Genesis pointed toward and Psalms predicted, Jesus fulfilled. This is a powerful reminder that the Bible is all one great story, the glorious story of God’s creation and redemption through His Son Jesus. This is why it’s so valuable for followers of Jesus to be reading, studying, meditating on, and delighting in the Bible every day.
Today, as we remember and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, we are reminded that in the face of great evil and injustice, the most powerful force for change for God’s people is the deliberate, determined, public practice of peace and righteousness. #FollowJesus