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could have found an opportunity to have returned. As they did
not, it is obvious that such pilgrims and strangers, with such
promises apparently unfulfilled, yet with such triumphant faith,
must have had a heavenly country and a heavenly city in view,
for there is no other alternative.
We must now consider some of the statements made by the
apostle with reference to Melchisedec in Hebrews 7. We first
meet Melchisedec as `Priest of the Most High God', in Genesis
14:18. Nothing more is said of him in the Old Testament until
we reach Psalm 110, where we read:
`The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make
Thine enemies Thy footstool ... Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek' (Psa. 110:1,4).
When this Psalm was written, there was in existence the
divinely appointed Aaronic priesthood. The greatness of
Melchisedec's order of priesthood is proved from several
statements made by Moses in the Book of Genesis.
(1) The fact that Melchisedec had `no father or mother' (i.e. no
`pedigree'), and no specific end to his ministry, is in strong
contrast with the law regulating the Aaronic order. In these
things Melchisedec fore-shadowed the Son of God, `Who
abideth a priest continually' (Heb. 7:3).
(2) Genesis 14:20 records the fact that Abraham gave tithes to
Melchisedec. In Hebrews 7 Paul states that `without all
contradiction the less is blessed of the better' (Heb. 7:4-8).
(3) `If I may so say', continues Paul, `Levi, who was in the loins
of Abraham, paid tithes to Melchisedec'. This shows that the