The Gospel Story of Melchizedek and Abram

The Gospel Story of Melchizedek and Abram.

“The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” (St. Augustine).

The “Old” Testament? Actually, I don’t think I agree with Augustine’s long-accepted claim. First of all, can’t we Christians start referring to the “Old Testament” as the “First Testament” (FT), or the Hebrew Bible, or the Earlier Testament, or the Jewish Scripture, or simply the Torah? “Old” implies something that is outdated, hobbled by age, past its usage date, irrelevant, antiquated, expired… none of which is true of the Hebrew Bible. The Old Testament is the First Testament, Act One of a Two-Act Bible, and the New Testament is the Newer Testament, the Second Act of that Two-Act Drama. The First Testament anticipates and lays the foundation for the Newer Testament, which fulfills the earlier Scripture. If I were a Jewish believer, which in many ways I am since I follow the Messiah Jesus and am thus grafted onto the Jewish tree (Romans 11), I would be offended by those who assume that the Jewish Scriptures are unnecessary or past its prime. Of course, the Bible of the completely Jewish Jesus, the Scriptures read daily by Him and considered by Him to be the eternal Word of God, was the First Testament. We who follow Jesus don’t have the right to consider the FT as irrelevant or past its usage date.

The First Testament! The other reason I disagree with the claim that the NT is concealed in the OT is that that there are countless stories, teachings, and prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures that very clearly point directly to the gospel story. These mini-gospel vignettes are fascinating and inspiring, and they fertilize the ground for the Good News, preparing the way for us to welcome in a fresh way the story of salvation and deliverance. Many of these mini-gospels are not well-known, while many are quite famous. So some of the stories in this series might be vaguely familiar, while the reader might be tempted to skim over others because of their familiarity. Either way, the gospelettes in the Jewish Bible deserve to be unpacked. The criteria I try to use as I choose these FT stories include… the story has to include gospel themes such as sacrifice and death; resurrection and life; redemption and deliverance; punishment and hope; forgiveness and healing. And each gospel vignette in the Hebrew Scripture needs to be a preparation for Christ in some way, pointing to Jesus Messiah as the fulfillment of the story. In other words, if the FT story is the only story you know from the Bible, would it prepare your imagination and spirit for the story of Jesus? Would this vignette make the story of Christ less unexpected and more feasible? If you happen to hear the full gospel story after first hearing the FT story, would the gospel story in the NT remind you in some way of the FT story?

“In the King’s Valley, Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, El-Elyon, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” (Genesis 14:18-20).

El-Elyon is a name for God that means God Most High, and this is the first time in the Hebrew Bible we hear of that holy Name. El is the shortened version of Elohim, the Hebrew generic name for God. Elyon means most high, uppermost, supreme to all creation. The name of God is elevated when referenced as Elyon, highly exalted, majestic, holding supremacy in the universe. Elyon is the only legitimate One that we could truly say is “above it all.” And amazingly, in the midst of His Lordship, Elyon desires our friendship. Elyon is a God who exists in the highest realms, but is willing to stoop to the lowest. He is somehow meek in His exaltation. He is out of our reach, but He is pleased to come within our reach.

The compound name El-Elyon appears in the Hebrew Bible twelve times. An example is Psalm 78:35: “They remembered that God was their rock, their El-Elyon, their redeemer.” The name Elyon is found in the Hebrew Bible 34 times, frequently in the Psalms. A particularly poetic appearance of Elyon is in 2 Samuel 22:14, “Yahweh thundered, Elyon uttered His voice.” 

One of the most fascinating mysteries in the Hebrew Bible is the person of Melchizedek in Genesis 14. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere. He briefly stepped through history’s curtains without advance notice onto the Bible’s stage. And then he just as quickly walked off the stage without any fanfare, never to appear personally in the Bible again. We don’t know much about him, but here’s what we do know:

(1.)  He met with Abram in what looks like a religious ceremony after Abram had confronted some local kings and rescued his nephew Lot;

(2.)  He unexpectedly appeared from his kingship in Salem, a Canaanite region that was the future site of Jerusalem;

(3.)  His name means “king of righteousness,” and he can also be called the “king of peace,” since that’s the meaning of Salem (Hebrews 7:2);

(4.)  He was the first priest-king to appear in Scripture… king of Salem and priest of God Most High;

(5.)  There is no record of his genealogy, of any history to his life;

(6.)  No one preceded him in the priesthood, and no one succeeded him. There is no apparent explanation for either his kingship or his priesthood. His priesthood was based on himself, someone evidently supernaturally appointed by God. His credibility was assumed;

(7.)  Nothing is said of his birth, and nothing is said of his death;

(8.)  He was not Jewish, since he came from Canaan and was not in Abram’s line;

(9.)  Abram considered him a superior, since Abram tithed a tenth of what he had to Melchizedek during their brief encounter. The lesser always tithed to the greater, because he owed him homage;

(10.) Melchizedek was the subject of a messianic prophecy in Ps. 110:4, in which the Davidic messiah was promised to be a “priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek“;

(11.) In Hebrews 5-7, he is seen as a picture of Christ, an eternal priest with no apparent beginning or end, with no human lineage, no earthly history, a priestly line superior to that of Aaron and the Levites.

Melchizedek points to the gospel story at the very beginning of his encounter with Abram, offering bread and wine. His liturgy with Abram anticipates the Eucharist, the Communion elements of the body and the blood. No explanation is given for the bread and wine. Was it merely for Abram’s nourishment? Was it what priests traditionally offered in a ceremony such as this? Was it intended to point towards the suffering and death of a future Redeemer, suggesting the future memorial of the new Passover? We don’t know. But it sure seems to point to something profound, beyond this scene with Abram.

Melchizedek offered a two-fold priestly blessing in Abram’s presence, a blessing of Abram, and a blessing of God. He pronounced God’s favor and joy over Abram, and an exclamation of praise and adoration to the Most High God. Abram recognized Melchizedek as a representative of God, and he treated Melchizedek with respect and honor. Through his blessing and his very presence, Melchizedek preached the gospel of El-Elyon that points directly to Abram’s blessed covenant with God.

Some Biblical scholars even suggest that Melchizedek wasn’t simply a type of Christ, or an ancient picture of Christ as priest and king, but instead that he was actually Christ himself in preincarnate form. We do know Melchizedek anticipated Jesus and His gospel story and eternal priesthood. But his brief appearance with Abram in many ways remains a mystery that underlines the holy, timeless, permanent presence of a special Mediator for God’s people. As David says, the Messiah was ordained a priest after the manner of Melchizedek, and so was tied to Christ in Biblical history (Ps. 110:4; Hebrews 5:10, 7:11-21). Melchizedek is certainly in a unique fellowship with Christ, and clearly points us to Jesus the Messiah, the priest-king, “a high priest fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.” (Heb. 7:26).

Gospel Fulfillment. While Jesus was never referred to as God Most High, He was called the Son of the Most High a number of times. The angel Gabriel’s birth announcement to Mary was notable: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33).

There are many Scripture passages that point to Jesus having a higher status than everyone and everything. He was Son of the Most High, in union with the Most High, and was given responsibilities and status with He who is Highest. Jesus, the incarnation of Yahweh, fleshed out the true meaning of that name of God:

(1.) “And Jesus came and spoke to His disciples, saying, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”  (Matt. 28:18).

(2.) “Therefore God also has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11).

(3.) “… according to the working of his mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that age which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:19-23).

(4.) “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dromions or rulers or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:15-18).

The Son of the Most High is the incarnation of the Most High. Jesus fulfills a description of God’s name, El Elyon, fleshing out the very nature of Yahweh. Like Father, like Son.

A Prayer to El-Elyon (el-el’-yon);

We lift our eyes to you, El-Elyon, God Most High, for you are the uppermost King of kings and Lord of lords. You are the highest Sovereign in the universe, the creator and possessor of heaven and earth. We will speak of your wondrous Kingdom. Great is your grandeur and glorious is your reign, your Royal Majesty. We are your loyal subjects. For you are the high and lofty one, who lives in a high and holy place, but also with those who are lowly and contrite in spirit, and with those who tremble at your word. We thank you that despite your position in the highest heights, in your humility you reach out to us in our lowliness. We thank you that your Son is now at your right hand on your mighty throne, receiving the honor due His Name. As your children of the Most High, we exalt you, El-Elyon, and glorify your majestic Name. Amen.