of Peace, Priest of the Most High God, and made like unto the Son of God. The

Melchisedec priesthood is shown to be infinitely superior to the priesthood of Aaron, and

Melchisedec himself is shown to have been greater even than Abraham.

and the point of this discrimination is reached when we learn that "perfection", the goal

of this epistle, can never be attained under the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7: 11).

Christ, therefore, must not be thought of simply as a king, neither must He be thought

of simply as a priest, He is a King-Priest, and so differs essentially from every king and

every priest of Israel. The prophet saw Him from afar under the title "The BRANCH"

saying "He shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne;

and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6: 13). The "both"

referring to the combined office of King and Priest that Messiah alone can bear.

Psa. 45: 6 tells us that "the King" with His "sword", His "arrows", His "terrible things"

has a "right sceptre". Heb. 1: 8 says that it is a sceptre of "righteousness". Neither the

word "right" nor the word "righteousness" is the one usually employed. In Psa. 45: 6

the word is mishor, from yashar, and in Heb. 1: 8 the word used is euthutes. There is

evidently something distinctive about this "sceptre" and the rule it denotes that we should

seek to understand.

First let us observe that this was the original state of man at his creation, not

"righteous" for that involves positive deeds, but "upright" (Eccles. 7: 29). It is the

character given to Job at the opening of that book; he is described as being "perfect and

upright", although later he was convinced that he had no valid "righteousness". A

number of the kings are said to have done that which was right in the sight of the Lord

(I Kings 15: 5, 11 etc.). The verb is used of paths and ways being "made straight", or the

users of these paths being "directed" (Isa. 45: 2; Prov. 3: 6). The Greek word used in

Heb. 1: 8, euthutes, is one of a group, all of which emphasize either physical straightness

or moral equity; "fit" (Luke 9: 62); "meet" (Heb. 6: 7); "make straight" (John 1: 23);

the street called "Straight" (Acts 9: 11).  Some, reading Esther 4: 11, see in the

holding out of the golden sceptre a suggestion that mercy is blended with righteousness in

the sceptre of the King of kings.

The throne of the Son of God is to be "for the age of the age"; the priesthood of

Melchisedec is "for the age". In the Hebrew of Psa. 45: 7, 8 the time period is

expressed by the words olam va ed "unto the age of undefined limits and yet further";

the priesthood of Melchisedec is "unto the age of undefined limits" l'olam (Psa. 110: 4).

The office of king is to be in operation longer than that of priest. By the time the New

Jerusalem is seen, one of the glories of that heavenly city is that there is no temple there.

But right up to the "end", enemies are dealt with, and not until such are subdued under

Him will the Son relinquish the Throne, bringing both kingship and priesthood to an end,

that "God" may be all in all.