The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 282

Shem hy his proper name, nnd because that would not upply wliid, i~ said of Mel- chizedek, in Heh. vii. 3-thnt he was "witliout father, without mother, witl10ut descent, having neither beginning· of dnye, nor end of life." We know the ancestry of Shem, but not thnt of Melchizedek. The difficult passage, the third of the seventl1 chopter of Hebrews, means, probably, merely this-that his descent was 1,ot known, nnd that his priesthood wns not inherited or derived from others, b11t one resting in his individual character. Thus Nooh, Job, Hobab or Jethro, and nalaarn actAcl as independent priests, and their..offerings were recognised by God. Melchizede,:C, in his maintenance of the worship of God, came to be accepted as a priest, and hi~ life was like a star shining omid the general heathenism of C,,naan. He also came like a streak of light, neither the coming nor the going of which could ea~ily Le discerned, We are told of him that he was" without beginning of days or encl of life,". Some have therefore thought that Melchizedek was an angel or a pre-incarna- tion of Christ; if so, Christ would have been the type and the antitype. Ilut that which is thought to be spoken of the man refers to his office; it was without definite beginning or ending. The Leviticnl priesthood had a definite beginning and ending; that of Melchizedek is never ended. The one stood in camn\ ceremonies, the other in the power of o. holy charo.cter. The Levitical was introduced because of tl,e unfitness of all to become "kings and priests unto God;" but that of Melchizedek, being according to character, has no "end of days." It foreshadowed the priest- hood of Christ, whose work never passeth away, but who abideth a priest continually. Melchizedek was a type of Christ, the one great High Priest, the holiest of all on earth, and who enters for us into the holiest place. The omissions concerning parentage or the beginning of his priesthood were probably designed by God, that in Melchizedek-the most prominent of patriarchal priests-there might be a more significant typo of him who is n Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. This would explain the force of the prophecy in Ps. ex., and the words in Heh. Tii. Indeed the Levitical priesthood could not supply a perfect type, for it had no one who was at once a priest and king. Moses claimed not to be priest or king. Davi,! ventured not to intrude into the priestly office. Solomon, ut the dedication of the temple, when he blessed the people, gave sacrifices for the priests to offer, but he slew them not. Uzziah attempted to intrude into the priestly office, but was stricken with leprosy. Under the Jewish dispensation there was no one who in his person could represent the twofold character of Chiist as the only High Priest and uni ,·ersal King. Under the patriarchal dispensation, and in Melchizedek, there is this very plai11 type of Christ in his priestly and regal character. Melchizedek may never have iurngined how great was the dignity put upon him ns a type of Christ_ Living a quiet, pure, and devoted life, he becomes accepted by his fellows as a priest of the Most High, und becomes the type of him who was the Saviour of the world. II. THE SIGNIFICANCil IN THE Rl!:COilDED ACTS OF MELC!lIZEDEK. 1. Refreshing the weary. "Brought forth bread and wine," that Abraham might eat and be strengthened. Possibly part of the wine was poured out as an oblation. When those who met wished to seal a friendship, they brake bread or partook of a mertl together. Thus the Lord's Supper is the indication of our union with Christ-of a friendship on his prtrt for us sinners, cemented by his suffering. lie grt,-e himself to be the Bread of Life for us, We are in I\ spiritual sense to eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, or we have no life in us. Christ oft thus comes forth to meet the wenry pilgrims and soldiers of the cross. ,ve must remember that it is the previous weary march, the confusion and the conflict, that fits us for the cnjoymenL of the sucred ordinance of the Lord's Supper. We have had to battle with tempta- tions of various kinds, and come stained with the dust nnd blood of brtttle to the table of our Lord, and here he meets us and refreshes us. ,ve begin here to see the meaning of nil the conflict and burden of life. His word acquires more meaning, and his Spirit rests upon us with greater power, us, just outsido the gates of tlw leavenly Jerusalem, we sit and rest awhile ere pursuing our way and battling ngai,1 with sin. What thoughtfulness there was in this act of l\Ielchizedek ! Single 11ct1 like these tell what is the character of a man. How it hints nt the thoughtfu\nes~ of Christ for us in nil our spiritual struggles! 2. l\lelchizedek also "blessed" Abralu1m. He pronounced upon him the blessin!! which belongs to nn unselfish  214 TilE BOOtt OE' GENESIS. trn. XII', 17-24.