Havasu Christian Church
September 20, 2026
Character Studies in Genesis
A return to Melchizedek.
INTRO: A couple of weeks ago, saw Abram, visiting Melchizedek. As promised, today we are going back to talk about this man. Let’s re-read Genesis 14:18-20, just to refresh our memories.
Genesis 14:18–20 (NASB95) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
19 He blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
He gave him a tenth of all.
Here, we meet Melchizedek. He seems to be almost an “Extra” in the story of Abraham. He just kind of appears out of nowhere, Abraham interacts with him, then, he’s gone. POOF! Like an accident victim in a cop show. Once the ambulance crew shows up and transports, he’s out of the picture!
If this was the only place Melchizedek is mentioned in the Bible, he would just be a “minor character” in Genesis. There would be very little to learn about and from him.
But then we move on to, of all places, the book of Psalms in our Bibles we find a Prophecy about the Messiah that also includes Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:1–7 (NASB95) The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power;
In holy array, from the womb of the dawn,
Your youth are to You as the dew.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge among the nations,
He will fill them with corpses,
He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
7 He will drink from the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He will lift up His head.
Can you imagine; David has just settled down to relax one evening… All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit prompts him to write this Psalm….
When David is done, you have to wonder if he really had much of an idea what he had written. Maybe he does… I suspect he knew he was writing about the coming Messiah.
- David calls Him “My Lord.”
- He writes that God will make Him “Co-Ruler.”
- Then he gets down to verse 4, and here’s that Melchizedek guy…
- The Messiah will be a Priest, “after the order of Melchizedek… FOREVER!
This new information about Melchizedek, and his tie to the Messiah, is interesting.
But now, we come to the Book of Hebrews, and we learn even more interesting things about him, and how he ties to our Messiah, CHRIST!
Hebrews 7:1-2 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.
- Melchizedek, is the king of Salem.
- So what? He’s the king of some place I’ve never heard of… Wait, there’s more.
- His name means Righteousness!
- He is literally, King of Righteousness!
- The name of the city, where he is king, Salem, means Peace.
- He is literally King of Peace!
- Does this sound like anyone you know?
- Melchizedek is also the “priest of the Most High God!
- He is God’s representative in this place, at this time.
- God did not leave the people of Canaan without the chance to know Him.
- The next few verses continue to lay groundwork to lead us to Jesus.
Hebrews 7:3-10 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.
5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.
6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.
9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,
10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
- Melchizedek is “without father, without mother.”
- This points to his lack of genealogy.
- Many of the people we see in the Old Testament have their “pedigree” listed.
- This person is descended from this person, who is descended from this person.
- Not so with Melchizedek.
- He is not given any “backstory.”
- This gives him a link to Jesus.
- He isn’t a descendant of Abraham, so he can’t be a Levite. (the tribe of the Priests)
- With no beginning or end to his life given, he is, in a sense, a perpetual Priest.
- So, Jesus can be a Priest like Melchizedek.
- Melchizedek, this King of Peace and Righteousness, is greater than Abraham.
- A tithe is given by Abraham, to Melchizedek.
- They writer of Hebrews makes the point that this is going from the lesser, to the greater.
- How is Melchizedek greater?
- Abraham is given a blessing by Melchizedek.
- Blessings were given by people of greater importance, to people considered to be of lesser status.
- Apparently, he has importance as a Priest of God.
- He is God’s representative.
- He is also King of Righteousness and King of Peace!
- Now we bring this all around to Jesus!
- Jesus is our King!
- Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, a direct descendant of David!
- He has every right to be King!
- David Proclaims the Messiah King, in his Psalm!
- He reigns eternally!
- God called Him to sit beside Him on His throne, FOREVER!
- Like Melchezidek, Jesus is King of Peace.
- He brings peace into lives of turmoil.
- Someday, maybe soon, He will bring Peace forever!
- Like Melchezidek, Jesus is King of Righteousness!
- No other King could ever match the Righteousness of Jesus!
- He KNOWS what is right… Always!
- He DOES what is right… Always!
- There is not, nor has there ever been and sin in Jesus!
- Unlike most Kings, who use force to make you be a subject, Jesus invites us to willing follow Him!
- If we choose not to follow the true King, there will be consequences, but it is our choice to make!
- Jesus is our Priest!
- The Levitical Priests, (descendants of Levi) could not perfectly get rid of sin.
Hebrews 7:11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?
- The Levitical Priests were not perfect men.
- They were men who sinned.
- Some of them (Samuel’s sons for instance) were horrible people!
- The Sacrifices offered by the Levitical Priests were sinless, only in the sense that animals aren’t capable of sin because they lack understanding of what sin is.
- So, imperfect sacrifices, offered by imperfect men, just couldn’t truly get rid of sin.
- There had to be a change!
Hebrews 7:12-19 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.
13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.
15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,
16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
17 For it is attested of Him,
“YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER
ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness
19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
- Jesus brought a new way to live!
- He’s a different kind of Priest.
- He’s a Priest like Melchizedek!
- The fact that Jesus is from the tribe of Judah does not hinder His Priesthood.
- He is our Priest because He has an “indestructible life!”
- Jesus lives forever!
- We don’t need any other Priest!
- Jesus is our “Forever Priest!
Hebrews 7:23-25 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,
24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
- Jesus is, and always will be there to intercede for us!
- These other Priests, even the good ones, only lived for a lifetime.
- Jesus is there, interceding for us FOREVER!
- Jesus will always be a Perfect Priest!
Hebrews 7:26-28 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
- Jesus is Holy!
- He is separated from Sin!
- Jesus is innocent!
- He never sinned!
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NASB95) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Even though He never sinned, Jesus, was tempted like we are.
- He sympathizes with our weakness.
- He knows it’s hard to stay faithful!
- He’s there to help us through our times of temptation.
- Jesus is there to pick us back up after we fall prey to temptation.
- Because He is sinless, Jesus’ sacrifice took care of our sins, once and for all!
- He offered Himself!
- No one took his life, He gave it willingly!
- In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled with this decision. But he CHOSE to be the sacrifice for our sins!
- Knowing all this, should lead us to lives of Service to our King and our Priest!
Conclusion: I want to finish, not with my words, but God’s Words from the book of Hebrews, Chapter 8, verses 1-6. Let this ring in your ears as we leave today !
Hebrews 8:1-6 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
