Genesis 14, beginning with verse 17. After his defeat, then after his return from the defeat of Chedorah Lomar, and the kings were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Sheba, that is, the king's valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, Now, he was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram, of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies in your hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself. Abram said to the king of Sodom, I was sworn to the Lord God most high, possessor of heaven and earth. They will not take a thread or a thong or sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich. I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me, Anar, Ashkel, and Mamre. Let them take their share. and going in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Chapter six. Fourteen twenty four and a few Bible. This whole. we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast, and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. 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. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually. Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choices for us. My understanding, I've never been to one, but in the wax museums they pride themselves on the figures looking exactly like the person that they're representing in real life. And so they have these people, and maybe it's the Queen of England, or the President of the United States, or someone famous, an actor, an actress, or whatever. And they specifically have this wax figure that's to be identical, to be as close to the original as it can be. In fact, I remember reading of one that was so close to original that the person wanted to find out what the waist of this certain princess was. And so she went to a wax museum and jumped over the cord and then measured the waist to find out what it was. She was convinced that that wax figure would be identical in terms of the waist. as well as height and the other things that would go on. And they pride themselves, that they, as you see that figure, you would know immediately who it was, and you would go away saying, boy, that was so lifelike. But the figure, as good as this, is not the reality. The reality is the person, the queen sitting in Buckingham Palace and talking on the phone. That's the reality. That image in the wax museum, it's just a representation, an image of the true found elsewhere. And perhaps some of you children have done the same. Maybe you have that situation where they've asked you to put your hands into some wet plaster. And you do that very carefully and pull your hands out, and left behind, and when it dries, is the outline of your hands. Those aren't your hands, but the outline, the representation of it, and if we were to fill those things in with wax, we could have some sort of symbolic hands for you. And children, you may even want to just leave it on your paper to draw with your pencil or whatever the outline of your hands. because that too would represent your hand and what it's like. It's not the reality, but it symbolizes the reality. Well, as we consider the Word of God, the Bible has a similar type thing. Just as that wax figure would represent the Queen, or the outline of your hand represents your hand, In the Bible, we have what are called types and antitypes, the things being represented and what's used to represent them. And so we have the reality, which is called the type, and then the things that they are represented by, which is the antitype. And one of the important ones is found in the Pentateuch is the priesthood of Melchizedek. The reality is Jesus Christ. in his priesthood, in his kingship. But the one who looks forward to him, the one who in some way signifies him, is Melchizedek, in his priesthood, in his kingship. And so as we look at the verses that we read this morning, we'll see that. We'll see the reality, which is Jesus Christ, and we'll see the one who symbolizes all that reality in Jesus Christ. And so the first point is to look at the one who represents Christ, the person who is there in scripture who points beyond himself, points to Jesus Christ. And that person is Melchizedek. He's made to imitate Jesus Christ in some specific ways. Now, surprising as we look, at his life and what's said about him, how little is said in the Old Testament because of that. We've read the three verses in Genesis 14 that talk about him. There's one verse in Psalm 110 that we'll sing in a few moments. But that's all. This entire lifetime of this man is summarized in four verses. And in two of those, he's pronouncing a blessing on Abraham. You know, sometimes said of a small town, that if you blink, you'll miss it. Well, it'd be easy as you're getting, maybe embark on reading the Bible, and I don't know how many of you started at this year, and if you're still doing it, but if you're reading through, and you're reading chapter after chapter, and trying to do three chapters a day, it'd be easy just to kind of pass over Genesis 14 and those verses toward the end of the chapter that mention Melchizedek. And perhaps if you read it through, you'd say, well, there's something maybe significant there, but as you're reading on, you say, oh, then Abraham, and it talks about the covenant and the rest. It's the briefest of narratives, if you would think about it. Much less space than Noah and the flood, or even the Tower of Babel, or God's dealings with Abraham. Just a very brief message. And yet, it's something that's incredibly important as we look at who he is and his importance in the history of redemption. You know, it sort of reminds me when I was in junior high and I was reading Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days. And Phineas Fogg makes this trip and he's got his servant with him and his servant keeps his watch on the same time and halfway around the world, the time is right. except he was 12 hours off. And as I read that, I remember thinking, there must be something important to this. But I didn't figure it out. Well, at the end of the book, I realized what the significance is, and for you who have not read it, I won't spoil it by telling you what it is. There's just a little detail put in there, but it was incredibly significant for the outcome of the whole story. And so through here, It just seems like a significant, insignificant detail along the way. And yet, when we get to the book of Hebrews, we see how important this Melchizedek is. He was, in verse 3 of chapter 7, who was made like the Son of God. He was made to resemble Jesus Christ. He was that wax figure that drew attention to Jesus Christ. And if you consider that, there are six things you can notice about this Melchizedek. First, that Melchizedek was the very first priest mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 14, 18 is the first mention of priesthood. Now there have been offerings before, as the incident with Cain and Abel indicates, But this is the first time we see that there was someone who was set apart to serve as a priest, whose mission, whose life was involved in serving as a priest before God. And so it's the very first mention. Now, if you read through, you would find in the Old Testament, even a brief scan, that there's much mention of the Levitical priest, of Aaron and his son, of what their duties are, the sacrifices that they had, the clothes that they wore, the garments, the crown and what was to be on it, and all the rest. But the point for us to see is that Levitical priesthood was not the original priesthood. Despite the amount of space and time that's devoted to it in Scripture, the original priesthood was that of Melchizedek, Aaron and his sons. were the second priest and in some sense of secondary priesthood to that first one. Second thing we can see is that the Melchizedek was a priest of the true God is described as a priest of God most high. And that term, God Most High, that's used several places and then is found again in Hebrews, is to imply that He is the One who is supreme, sovereign over all things. And in the context of Genesis, as we've been looking at the fact that He's the Creator, He's the One that made everything. He's over the host, in heavens and on earth. He is God Most High over all. And as you'd look, and as he's said to be a priest of God Most High, in verse 18, verse 22, it mentions how Abraham swears by God Most High. Same term that's used. Leaving no doubt in our minds that the God that Abraham served is the God that Melchizedek served. And we might wonder, you know, how can that be? Abraham was commanded to leave his home, the paganism that was so prevalent in his land. How could there be a priest of God most high? And you consider the fact that after the flood, those emerging from the flood would have been eight persons who would have a knowledge of God, who would have seen the mighty acts of God. and the salvation of God, and saving them through the flood. And so at that point, all of mankind would have had awareness of who the true God was. And they'd have to fall away. There'd have to be those who would need to begin worshipping false gods and idols. In fact, if we look closely at the genealogies, it's likely that Shem, one of the occupants of that ark, was still alive when Abraham and Melchizedek were here on the earth. In fact, in Jewish legend, Melchizedek was Shem. It doesn't make sense and there's reasons why we wouldn't think that. But he would have spanned the time from that emerging from the ark to the time of Melchizedek. And so there would have been those who would have remembered, who would have heard Noah and Shem and the others speak about God, and would be aware of God Most High. The third thing to see is that Melchizedek is an eternal priest, at least as he appears on the pages of Scripture. The silence in the book of Genesis is deafening. because it speaks of no successor, of no death ending his term as priesthood. We were given this impression of a continuous and uninterrupted priesthood. You know, in these early chapters of Genesis, one of the refrains that comes out is, and he died, and he died, and he died. But there's no, of Melchizedek, and he died. And the contrast would be, of course, with Aaron and the sons. That we know this genealogy. We know this early life. We know when he ascended and took on a priesthood. We know when he died. And the mourning that took place when he died. And how Eliezer, his son, became priest in his place. And when Eliezer died, how Phineas became priest in his place. But not so with Melchizedek. his priesthood was perpetual. The fourth thing that we can see is that Melchizedek was a superior priest and had a superior priesthood to that of a Levitical priest. This is really shown in two ways in Scripture. First of all, a tithe was given by Abram to Melchizedek. As Abraham and his allies returned to the battle with all that from defeating the other kings, Abraham gave a tenth of the spoil to Melchizedek. It's incidentally the first mention of tithing in Scripture. We have on Abram's part a clear recognition of the validity and the high dignity that Melchizedek had as a priest of God Most High. He recognized in Melchizedek something extraordinary. Something extraordinary about this priesthood. The second thing is that Melchizedek blessed Abel. And we read it, there are two verses there that talk about it. In the book of Hebrews, it talks long, and we didn't read those verses, it talks about how it's the superior one who blesses the inferior, bestows the blessing. And this too would support the idea that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham and to the one who descended from him, Levi, and his sons. Fifthly, we see that Melchizedek as he appears on the pages of the Old Testament as the eternal king as well. And what we could said about his priesthood is equally true for his kingship. In scripture, we see no beginning to his reign, no end of his reign. We could look and we could look at Saul, the first king, and see when his kingdoms and his reign started and when it ended. David, when his kingship began and when it ended, and so on. Not so with Melchizedek. And lastly, we see that Melchizedek was a king of both righteousness and peace. The word Melchizedek is a name that contains two very important, very key Hebrew words. Melch is the word king, and zedek is righteousness. So the name means king of righteousness. is from this place called Salem, which is related to the word shalom that many of us know that means peace. He's from a place called peace. And so at least symbolically in terms of his name, he was king both of righteousness and of peace. And the interesting thing is he was combining both priest and a kingly rule. That was something forbidden in Israel. And you may remember when Hezekiah took the priestly role to himself, how he suffered leprosy. It wasn't permitted, but he was both king and priest. And in all these things, Melchizedek is a foreshadowing, is a looking forward to one who would come later. And so the second point is the fulfillment, the one who is being represented, the one who is the reality, the one whose fulfillment of all that Melchizedek stands for is of course Jesus Christ. Melchizedek is important as long as he looks forward to the reality of Jesus Christ. And so what we see reflected in the life of Melchizedek is true, and the ultimate sense of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has a superior priesthood. He has an effective priesthood. There was a priesthood that's eternal. You know, verse 4 of Psalm 110, I'll be singing, says, you are a priest talking about Jesus Christ forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. It's saying that Jesus Christ ever lives to be a priest for us. He's still our high priest, and it has numerous implications. That he doesn't have to be replaced by anyone. That he can still be in prayer for us daily, for our needs. His work of salvation was completed at the cross. His blood was sufficient. There was no need for more sacrifices. His priesthood is complete and eternal. Second thing we can see is that this priestly work was done not here on earth, but it was done in heaven before the Father. Hebrews 9.24 says, For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands. You know, the earthly temple, he didn't go into the Holy of Holies. like a human high priest, a Levitical high priest would do, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. The earthly temple was a shadow of the heavenly one. And that's where Jesus Christ served on our behalf, not here on earth, but in the presence of God himself. And third, we see this high priest, Jesus Christ, becomes a forerunner, one who leads us into the presence of God. You know, you can look at Aaron and what his sons did. Once a year they would symbolically go into the Holy of Holy place, that place where God's presence was represented. But they would go in, only in certain conditions, only one day a year, and no one else could go in. No one could follow along behind. But Jesus Christ has opened the way after the Father, so that we can boldly come to the Father, boldly come to the throne of grace. to receive mercy and help. So his priestly work is superior to that of Aaron and his sons. Second, Jesus Christ also has a superior kingship. We know from other portions of Scripture that he is King of kings and Lord of lords, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth that the father is subduing all his enemies under his feet. And such is the nature of his kingdom and his kingship. And here we see in addition that his kingship is eternal. Death never prevents him from continuing on as king. You know, a human king dies. Even a human dynasty of kings will die out or be overthrown. Not so with the kingship of Jesus Christ. He is and will remain forever King of King and Lord of Lords. And His kingship is marked by righteousness and peace. You know, the names associated with Melchizedek means righteousness and peace. But we see in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom that perfecting harmony of righteousness and peace. A righteousness that's established before the Father. A righteousness of Christ that is given to his children. A righteousness that we receive by faith in Jesus Christ. And with that we have peace. Not peace of this life, but peace with our Heavenly Father. And so that righteousness and peace that is part of Christ's kingdom points to that salvation and redemption that he has purchased for his people, which we're able to enjoy. What a blessing it is to be part of that kingdom, of Christ's kingdom. And of course, as we look to Christ, as we place our trust in our priest-king, and we can enjoy the blessings of His kingship. For application this afternoon, we should notice at the end of chapter 6 of Hebrews, verse 19, talks about hope and says, We have a sure anchor for our souls, a sure and steadfast anger. It's saying to you and to me, as we go through this life, as we face the uncertainties of this life, as we sometimes go through the trials and storms of this life, the ups and the downs, we have something sure to hold on to. That's Jesus Christ, the Eternal Priest-King. In Genesis 14, Abram is offered two things. He is offered by the King of Sodom great wealth. He is offered by the King of Salem a blessing from God Most High. He chooses wisely. He refuses the wealth of the king of Sodom. What he wants is the blessing of that priest king of Melchizedek, that forerunner of Jesus Christ. And we, too, are faced with that similar choice. Do we choose the world and the things of this world, or do we choose Jesus Christ and His blessing? Abram chose wisely. Whether each one, whether child or older, choose wisely to trust in that ultimate priest-king. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this man, Melchizedek. He's just briefly on the pages of Scripture, and yet he has an incredible role in pointing to the one who would come after him, the one who would be the eternal priest-king, whose priesthood would be a superior priesthood that's enacted on better promises, that has a better sacrifice, that is of Jesus Christ himself, who gave himself for us. whose kingdom is the ultimate kingdom as well, who is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords. And I pray that each one here would be looking and be trusting in that priest king, in Jesus Christ alone. I pray these things in his name. Amen.