The Priesthood of Melchizedek

Most readers know Melchizedek matters but cannot say why. He appears in Genesis 14, brings out bread and wine to Abraham, receives a tenth, and disappears. He surfaces again in Psalm 110, where David speaks of a priest forever after his order, and again in Hebrews, where the writer gives him the better part of three chapters. Then he is gone.

On a casual reading he looks like a footnote. This study shows he is nothing of the kind. The priesthood that bears his name is the oldest priesthood in Scripture, older than Aaron, older than Sinai, and it never died. It is the priesthood Jesus holds today.

The Priesthood of Melchizedek traces that long priesthood across twelve weeks and five movements. It begins with Adam, the first priest in the garden sanctuary, and the forfeit that followed, then Seth, the appointed son. It walks through the ten generations before the flood, Enoch who walked with God, and Noah, the eighth preacher of righteousness.

The patriarchal weeks follow the line through Shem to Abraham at the valley of the king, where bread, wine, and a tithe pass between the priest-king and the father of the faithful, and on to Isaac and Jacob and the divided blessing. The royal weeks show the scepter that would not depart from Judah, David the priest-king after the order of Melchizedek, and the kings of Judah who were meant to serve the same way.

The study ends at the Jordan. John the Immerser, son of an Aaronic priest, stands in the water, and Jesus comes to be immersed to fulfill all righteousness. There the placeholder priesthood is retired with the One who carries the original forever.

Each week includes teaching, Key Term boxes, and questions for reflection. A glossary completes the study.