EXPLORING GENESIS SERIES.
 |
THE BIBLE: EXPLORING GENESIS SERIES ICON. |
CHAPTER 14
After one of Abraham’s
campaigns against an enemy coalition, Melchizedek, king of Salem and
priest of the Most High, came out to meet the patriarch and blessed him. Jewish
tradition recognised in Salem the city of Jerusalem, the future
capital which is already linked with the history of the ancestor the race.
The connections of this
chapter with other sections of the Old and New Testament are important. Psalm
110 presents this Melchizedek as a figure of the Messiah, king and priest: ‘You
are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek’. The letter to the
Hebrews teaches the superiority of Christ’s priesthood (in the line of
Melchizedek) over the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. Patriotic tradition saw in the bread and wine brought by the priest of the Most High a
figure of the Eucharist. We find an echo of this tradition in the First
Eucharistic Prayer ‘… and the bread and wine offered by your priest
Melchizedek.’
Hebrews 5 and Hebrews 7 are
wonderful accounts that describe and emphasise the nature of Christ’s
priesthood and the connection with Melchizedek to which Genesis 14 eludes.
We also continue to see
Abraham’s generosity and gratitude demonstrated. He is fully aware of the many
blessings God has poured upon him and ‘gave Melchizedek as God’s
representative, tithe of everything’. Perhaps this is the origin of
thanksgiving campaigns and church collections.!!
However, we can all learn to
live more fully in gratitude to God and like Melchizedek pass on the
blessing to others.
What gift will you give this
week?
No comments:
Post a Comment