In the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Genesis when Abram was returning from the slaughter of the kings, we are introduced to the character of Melchizedek as he arrives on the scene. King Melchizedek of Salem was a priest of God Most High. He brought out some bread and wine and said to Abram, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Maker of Heaven and Earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils.
Melchizedek is a crucial figure in this account because he put Abram’s victory in proper theological perspective. There was no back slapping, there were no high-fives exchanged, and neither was there any politicking once Melchizedek arrived. Melchizedek was a king and a priest, not a king and a politician. His words were intended to remind Abram that the victory was God’s, and that his success was a direct result of God’s intervention and blessing. In effect, Melchizedek’s words were a reminder of the covenant God had made with Abram when He called him from Ur to Canaan in the first place: 1. Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the Earth shall bless themselves." (Genesis 12:1-3 [RSV])
I believe it was providential that Melchizedek’s appearance interrupted the meeting of Abram with the King of Sodom. The appearance of Melchizedek at this moment in time just after we first learn that Abram was referred to for the first time in Scripture as “the Hebrew,” and right on the heels and in mid-celebration of this great military victory, also gives more credence to the belief that Melchizedek is Shem, Noah’s son who was the recipient of the prophecy of blessing: “Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.” Look at the similarity between how these two blessings are worded. It is remarkable. It is as if Shem arrived for the very specific purpose of “passing the torch” to God’s chosen vehicle, Abram, the recipient of the covenantal blessing that through him would come the Promised Seed in which all the world would be blessed. It is as if Shem was confirming that Abram was indeed “the Hebrew,” the rightful heir to wear that moniker, the truly spiritual “children of Eber” who are the faithful individuals who follow in the footsteps of Shem and his faithful great grandson, Eber. Melchizedek and his appearance reminded Abram then and us now of the sovereignty of Almighty God in the affairs of men. God is in control of history. Even the events that appear to be only secular on the surface often end up having a much deeper spiritual purpose and significance.
Melchizedek is a crucial figure in this account because he put Abram’s victory in proper theological perspective. There was no back slapping, there were no high-fives exchanged, and neither was there any politicking once Melchizedek arrived. Melchizedek was a king and a priest, not a king and a politician. His words were intended to remind Abram that the victory was God’s, and that his success was a direct result of God’s intervention and blessing. In effect, Melchizedek’s words were a reminder of the covenant God had made with Abram when He called him from Ur to Canaan in the first place: 1. Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the Earth shall bless themselves." (Genesis 12:1-3 [RSV])
I believe it was providential that Melchizedek’s appearance interrupted the meeting of Abram with the King of Sodom. The appearance of Melchizedek at this moment in time just after we first learn that Abram was referred to for the first time in Scripture as “the Hebrew,” and right on the heels and in mid-celebration of this great military victory, also gives more credence to the belief that Melchizedek is Shem, Noah’s son who was the recipient of the prophecy of blessing: “Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.” Look at the similarity between how these two blessings are worded. It is remarkable. It is as if Shem arrived for the very specific purpose of “passing the torch” to God’s chosen vehicle, Abram, the recipient of the covenantal blessing that through him would come the Promised Seed in which all the world would be blessed. It is as if Shem was confirming that Abram was indeed “the Hebrew,” the rightful heir to wear that moniker, the truly spiritual “children of Eber” who are the faithful individuals who follow in the footsteps of Shem and his faithful great grandson, Eber. Melchizedek and his appearance reminded Abram then and us now of the sovereignty of Almighty God in the affairs of men. God is in control of history. Even the events that appear to be only secular on the surface often end up having a much deeper spiritual purpose and significance.
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