Called of God- An High Priest

Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Melchizedek

King of righteousness, the king of Salem (q.v.). All we know of him is recorded in Gen_14:18-20. He is subsequently mentioned only once in the Old Testament, in Psa_110:4. The typical significance of his history is set forth in detail in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb. 7. The apostle there points out the superiority of his priesthood to that of Aaron in these several respects,
(1.) Even Abraham paid him tithes;
(2.) he blessed Abraham;
(3.) he is the type of a Priest who lives for ever;
(4.) Levi, yet unborn, paid him tithes in the person of Abraham;
(5.) the permanence of his priesthood in Christ implied the abrogation of the Levitical system;
(6.) he was made priest not without an oath; and
(7.) his priesthood can neither be transmitted nor interrupted by death: “this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”
The question as to who this mysterious personage was has given rise to a great deal of modern speculation. It is an old tradition among the Jews that he was Shem, the son of Noah, who may have survived to this time. Melchizedek was a Canaanitish prince, a worshipper of the true God, and in his peculiar history and character an instructive type of our Lord, the great High Priest (Heb_5:6, Heb_5:7; Heb_6:20). One of the Amarna tablets is from Ebed-Tob, king of Jerusalem, the successor of Melchizedek, in which he claims the very attributes and dignity given to Melchizedek in the Epistle to the Hebrews.


Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.


Obviously Melchisedec was unique. Christ was and is unique as well. Not High Priests from the established priesthood but rather High Priests uniquely called to be so of God.


Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.


Before God established the priesthood, there were priests. Most of the priests were worshippers of false gods. Priests that would offer sacrifices of all sorts to their gods, priests that had their own ranking orders. The idea of priests was not foreign and newly introduced. Priests were those who offered sacrifices.


What made Melchizedek unique was HIS God. The God He sacrificed to. He didn't sacrifice to false gods. He knew of the ONE TRUE God, the Most High God above all others. He knew of the reality of God in a world teeming with false gods. Not looking to any man, to any king, to any other to work his office of priesthood for, Melchizedek looked solely to God. The priesthood He embraced was for God and God alone, doing God's will. He didn't need to be ordained by any other because He was accepted by God- His priesthood was accepted by God. When He sacrificed to God His sacrifices were accepted. God ordained Him just as God ordained His Son- accepting His, the greatest of sacrifices.


We choose to follow the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We accept Him as our High Priest, the One who sacrifices for us, His sin-filled people.


People were instructed by God to live under the sacrificial system so that even though they were sin-filled they could be forgiven of those sins and no longer be separated from Him by those sins. When Melchizedek offered a sacrifice His sacrifices were accepted by God- His heart was pure, He made atonement for His sins that separated Him from God. Jesus was accepted of God, Jesus was without sin, the sacrifice He made was for OUR SINS, sins He took on Himself willingly so we could be at one with God again. No sacrifice we could make on behalf of ourselves would be accepted- the sacrifice of the innocent Lamb, the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice EVERY lamb offered, every bullock, every dove, every single sacrifice offered pointed to the ultimate sacrifice--


Christ the Great HIGH PRIEST ordained of God, not of man.


Let us contemplate this as much as we can, understanding how blessed we are to have such a High Priest, a pure, incorruptible High Priest, a High Priest forever ordained by God Himself. When people are searching for acceptability by God they often seek for it in many, many ways but there is only ONE way for us to be accepted by God and that is through His Great High Priest- Jesus Christ. We can only go to our High Priest and seek His intervention with God on our behalf, only then can we be accepted- because HE is accepted and HE loves us and willingly offered Himself for us. We need to trust FULLY in Him and what HE'S done, HE alone saves.


By His mercy!
By His grace!
By His love!
By His sacrifice!
By His righteousness now and forever!



Amen.