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The Priest upon His throne
Melchisedec was both king and priest. These two offices were kept distinct under the economy of the law. We
may remember the awful judgment that fell upon Uzziah when as king he sought the priesthood also. In Christ
alone can these two wondrous offices meet. Zechariah 6:12,13 says:
`Behold the Man Whose name is The BRANCH ... He shall be a Priest upon His Throne'.
The epistle of `suffering and the glory that follows' names those who thus overcome `a royal priesthood' (1 Pet.
2:9), and Revelation, that book of the overcomer, speaks of Christ as:
(1) Prince of the kings of the earth - KING.
(2) One Who looses from sin by His blood - PRIEST,
and as a result constitutes those thus blessed:
`Kings and priests unto God and His Father' (Rev. 1:6).
Melchisedec is the priest of the victor, and the Lord is seen in that capacity in Revelation 1. This is shown by
noticing what particular incident of Melchisedec's history the apostle next mentions.
CHAPTER 7
THE PRIEST OF THE OVERCOMER.
`Who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings' (Heb. 7:1)
Genesis 14 gives the names of these kings, and describes the battle which they fought. Lot, type of the worldly
believer, type of the one who would not `lose his soul' as Abraham did, became involved in the fate of Sodom,
becoming a prisoner.
It is suggestive that the one who escaped and came with tidings tells `Abraham the Hebrew', `Abraham the
pilgrim', a title that suggests the very opposite of Lot's condition. He it was who overcame these kings, brought
back the spoils and rescued Lot. It is here, at this moment of victory, that Melchisedec appears. The effect of this
meeting is seen in Abraham's reply to the king of Sodom:
`I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from
a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made
Abram rich' (Gen. 14:22,23).
Hebrews 7 verses 1 and 2 does not mention this effect upon Abraham, but says:
`And blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all'.
Both these items are expanded by the apostle in verses 4-10. We leave them for the moment to learn a little more
concerning this great priesthood. The apostle now proceeds to interpret the meaning of the word Melchisedec:
`First being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace' (verse
2).
Many of the names of Old Testament characters seem to be prophetic of their place in the Divine scheme.
Adam, Noah and Peleg are examples. Abraham is an example of a man's name being changed to fit changed
circumstances. The inspired writer finds design in the order of the titles here:
First, King of righteousness
Then, King of peace.
This he repeats in another form in Hebrews 12:11, where he speaks of the peaceable fruit of righteousness, the
righteousness evidently coming first:
`Without father, without mother, without descent' (verse 3).