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<\/a><\/p>\nOn the surface, Gen. 14 seems to be a hodge-podge of several sources, with Abram having to undertake a Seal Team 6 rescue mission when Lot and his lot are taken captive by rulers trying to take over the territory that involved Sodom and Gomorrah among other areas.\u00a0 \u00a0Abram is able to get some of his new friends in Hebron to help him in this mission, which seems to have a surprise ending, with the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, whose name means righteous king, and whose reign is in Salem, (probably Jerusalem cf. Ps. 76.2).\u00a0 This latter story, which was likely independent from the traditions in the earlier part of the chapter clearly fascinated later Jewish scholars of the Hebrew Bible, including of course the author of Hebrews (see below).\u00a0 \u00a0What is important to say is that while we cannot track down the other named kings, nevertheless, both Philo and Josephus, as well as the author of Hebrews take him to be a real historical figure. This stands in striking contrast to 11QMelch where he is seen as an angelic or heavenly savior figure doing battle with the sons of Belial (i.e. Satan).\u00a0 \u00a0There are various signs that these stories were independent traditions not the least of which is that Abram is introduced as Abram the \u2018Hebrew\u2019 at one point, as if we didn\u2019t know who he was before Gen. 14.\u00a0 In part this story is support for the old adage that \u2018a man can be known by the company he keeps\u2019, in this case Lot hanging out with the King of Sodom and his morally suspect folk, whereas Abram is depict as a pious man building altars and sacrificing to God, not a city dweller but a nomad, and not interested in fighting to take over land.\u00a0 \u00a0As Bill Arnold says \u201cMelchizedek\u2019s name itself \u2018King of Righteousness\u2019 signals a figure of outstanding personal character, a worthy ally for Abram, in contradistinction to the literary names Bera and Birsha, kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, which denote \u2018evil\u2019 and \u2018wickedness\u2019 respectively. Melchizedek presented himself before Abram, acknowledge the latter\u2019s superior status, offering bread and wine, and blessing Abram. That Melchizedek blesses Abram is perhaps the first fulfillment of the ancestral promises of 12.3. Melchizedek himself will be the recipient of blessing, and three occurrences of the\u00a0 verb \u2018bless\u2019\u00a0 (brk) <\/em>in vsss. 19-20 invite the reader to reflect on ways in which the families of the earth are already finding blessing through Abram.\u201d (p. 148).\u00a0 In addition Melchizedek is a priest of \u2018God most High\u2019 (el elyon<\/em>) and he blesses Abram in the name of that God, who gets credit with delivering the enemy into Abram\u2019s hands.\u00a0 \u00a0The phrase \u2018most high\u2019 was often used in polytheistic settings in the ANE to refer to the top god in the pantheon of deities.\u00a0 BUT, Melchizedek is said to worship this God as the maker of heaven and earth.\u00a0 Abram does not object, and offers a tithe of war plunder to Melchizedek.\u00a0 Later, Abram equates this god that Melchizedek speaks of with the Biblical God. He even uses Melchizedek\u2019s own words \u201cI have sworn to the Lord [Yahweh] God most High maker of heaven and earth\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0This seems to legitimize the cult in Salem, as a precursor to the national cult of David and Solomon. This could be said to make Melchizedek the precursor to those two kings (see Ps. 110.1-4).<\/p>\nIn a master stroke, the author of Hebrews take\u2019s this story and Ps. 110.1-4 as an indication that Christ\u2019s priesthood is not the Levitical priesthood, but an earlier and higher one\u2014 he is \u2018a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.\u00a0 \u00a0What we are dealing with here in the case of Hebrews is typology, not identification.\u00a0 Melchizedek is a precursor of Christ, Christ is not a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ on earth.\u00a0 \u00a0Latter Jewish tradition pondered why we hear absolutely nothing of Melchizedek\u2019s genealogy or his progeny, and in a remark suggestion it is concluded he seems to be a person without origins or offspring\u2026. rather like Christ.\u00a0 In any case, this story serves to present Abram in a positive light unlike his nephew, and as such it prepares us for the sequel.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the surface, Gen. 14 seems to be a hodge-podge of several sources, with Abram having to undertake a Seal Team 6 rescue mission when Lot and his lot are taken captive by rulers trying to take over the territory that involved Sodom and Gomorrah among other areas.\u00a0 \u00a0Abram is able to get some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":68563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15152],"class_list":["post-68996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-a-priest-after-the-order-of-melchizedek"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n