Psalm 110 is a short psalm of seven verses written by David which was well known among the Jews in the first century. Jesus referred to the first verse when He had been questioned by the Jewish teachers. He asked them, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?” They responded, “The son of David.” Jesus answered, “How then doth David in the spirit call him Lord saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make all thy enemies the footstool of thy feet.’ If he is his Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:41). The Jewish teachers had no answer for this and from that day forth “Durst ask him any more questions.”
In Psalm 110:4 David said also of his Son, “The Lord hath sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” This reference to Melchizedek is the second (and last) time he is mentioned in the Old Testament (the first reference is in Genesis 14). There is the record of Melchizedek and Abraham’s interaction with him. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had been taken captive by a king named Chedorlaomer who had, with his three confederates, taken five cities and many of their citizens captive, along with much spoil from those cities. Abraham had heard this news from one who had escaped from his captors and had rushed to tell Abraham. Abraham, with allies from several cities and 313 servants of his own, joined battle with those who had taken Lot and others captive, and defeated those captors and were in the process of carrying the captives back to their homes when Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem) carried bread and wine to Abraham, and who in turn gave him tithes of all the chief spoils and was blessed by Melchizedek. Aside from these two passages (Genesis 14 and Psalm 110), nothing more is written of this man identified as a priest of the “most high God” in the Old Testament.
We are indebted to the Hebrew writer for further information which added other details about Melchizedek and of this interaction with Abraham. In Hebrews 7:2-3 the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote that Melchizedek “blessed Abraham,” and then said, “To whom Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation King of Righteousness, and then King of Salem, which is king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.”
The Hebrew writer continued, “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the chief spoils” (7:4). Notice that the writer calls Melchizedek a “man,” and if he was a man (albeit a great one), then he had a father and mother. He was born and did die. But because there is no mention of Melchizedek’s father or mother, nor of his birth or death, nor of any other that might have preceded or followed him as a priest, he became symbolically a type of the Son of God. Jesus did not have beginning nor ending of days, nor had any to precede or follow Him in His priesthood because Jesus “… ever liveth to make intercessions for us” (Hebrews 7:25).
As previously mentioned, Melchizedek was a great man. The writer made this observation: Melchizedek blessed Abraham “and without dispute, the less is blessed of the better” (Hebrews 7:7). We must not miss that here is another of the number of things the writer introduced which, when contrasted with Jesus, were shown to be inferior to Him. These included angels, the covenant angels ordained (Acts 7:53), Moses, and Aaron. And now the writer will show the Levitical priesthood was also inferior to Jesus’ priesthood. Since when Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, he had no children, symbolically Levi, born of the seed of Abraham but still in his loins, gave tithes to Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:5-7).
Literally, the function of Melchizedek as a priest could provide no greater blessing than the order of Aaron, for neither could offer blood other than the blood of animals which blood could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). The record is silent regarding Melchizedek’s parents, and his birth and death. And all of that makes him a type of the Messiah who was to come. Additionally, Melchizedek was also both priest and king as is the Lord Jesus.
The Spirit intended this comparison should be made between Melchizedek and Jesus, inspiring David to write, “The Lord hath sworn and will not repent: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4).
Jim McDonald