Hebrews 5:5-10
Above Men
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. (Hebrews 5:5)
As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 5:6)
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Hebrews 5:7)
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:8)
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9)
Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 5:10)
Two Views: God’s View and Man’s View
The Holy Spirit awakens our spiritual senses as we look over the ocean of prophecy contained in the holy scriptures; it is what is hidden beneath the waves that connects the truths on the surface. In these few verses we have both the glories of Christ and the sufferings of Christ. We have the glory of God the Son as the Son of God on earth, and we have the glories of the great high priest manifested both in heaven and on earth in the Son of God. Could there be in the divine mind a distinction between God the Son, and the Son of God? In the eyes of the Father would it not be God the Son? In our eyes, and in His earthly pilgrimage we declare for all the world to know that He was, and is, the Son of God. On God’s part there has never been a doubt of the glory, the obedience, and the sacrifice of God the Son. On our part, we come to a Man in heaven who we humbly worship as the Son of God. This is my beloved Son was the voice from heaven, truly, this was the Son of God was the voice from the earth. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. (Mark 15:39) (Matthew 27:54) The eternality, the everlasting life, the Creator of all things, God the Son, the man Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world, the perfect servant, the obedient Son, and we say, The Son of God. There is a distinction, although we don’t understand all the divine meanings, we see a difference even in the arrangement of the words.
Two Views: God the Son — the Son of God
In Hebrews Chapter 5, verse 5, So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. we have the reecho of prophecy from Psalm 2:7, I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee, God the Father repeats this in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. The echo resonates as the voice of the Spirit of God through eternity. Verse 5 casts us back to the prophecy of Psalm 2, and as we progress through our text, the Spirit of prophecy casts us back to Isaiah 53, as well as other prophecies. The life that the Lord Jesus lived as a humble servant of God, who had formed the very world, He who possessed all things, glorified not Himself, but glorified the Father, and humbled Himself.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (Philippians 2:6)
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:7)
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)
In the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, God the Son became the divine Son of God, the divine servant of God, and the divine Savior of men. We see this humility in men of God’s choosing. One particular text stands out while studying the Scriptures, (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)(Numbers 12:3) The light of a mere man, and yet, a devout servant of God for this man Moses was known for his meekness and his humility, but Moses was by no means a weak man for he not only interceded between God and man for Israel, but even at his death the strength of his character and will was reflected through the witness of God. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (Deuteronomy 34:7) The humility of Christ is one of great importance to each and every Christian. We are to stand for God’s undivided truth, and in our personal character stand as humble servants of the most high God. Christ humbled Himself as a servant; the servant of the most high God. He had purpose, and this purpose was to always do the will of the Father.
The Dual Roles of Christ
In verses 5 through 10, we see His divine role as Son of the Father in the redemption of the children of God; as well as His divine role as the High Priest of our profession. (Hebrews 3:1) Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. In the spirit of prophecy, Psalm 2:7, I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee, this text becomes the eternal echo in the eternal purpose of God, and this prophecy was fulfilled in the fullness of time with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. That all must be fulfilled and completed in the determinate counsels of God, as the Lord Jesus told John in Matthew 3:15, And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. Each step of the Son of God must be placed in the exact footprint of eternity, each step must be in complete subjection to the righteousness which is God. His body that was prepared before the foundations of the earth must fulfill, and complete the divine plan in the total righteousness of God. His body must function according to the complete will of God.
The Volume Speaks
Wherefore when he cometh into the world , he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Hebrews 10:5)
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. (Hebrews 10:6)
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7)
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; (Hebrews 10:8)
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. (Hebrews 10:9)
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:10)
In Chapter 10 of Hebrews we have the voice of the Son speaking from eternity past about the present reality of His manifestation on earth. This is one of the most unusual Scriptures, for we hear the voice of the Spirit of Christ telling us that in the volume of the book it is written of me. He is clarifying and authenticating the complete volume of the holy Scriptures. Hebrews 10, verse 7 is the eternal voice of the Son, His obedience throughout eternity is declared in that He delights to do the will of the Father. (Psalm 40:7) Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, His message reecho’s into the New Testament Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7) This has been His determinate purpose throughout eternity, and it is His character and purpose that we see in the manifestation of the Son of God on the earth. It is Christ (in the spirit of prophecy) who opens the volume of the book. In further prophecy and revelation, we see in Revelation, Chapter 5, that it is Christ, as the Lamb of God, who is found worthy; and He is revealed in that worthiness to open the volume of the book: the volume of the revelation of His Son.
This voice of the Spirit of Christ found in Hebrews, Chapter 10, confirms what was recorded in Luke 24:44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. In this text we have the voice of the resurrected Man, Jesus Christ. He affirms that the Old Testament spoke of the divine things of His very Being. We know, in fact, that the prophecies that were given concerning His life, and sojourn on earth were completely and accurately fulfilled. This gives us complete confidence in that which is, and is, and is to come: for the Scriptures cannot be broken. In Luke 24 we have the validation of the Old Testament, in Hebrews Chapter 10 we have the confirmation of the whole canon of Scripture as the ‘volume of the book,’ It is this wonderful volume of God’s revelation to us that we hold in our hands. The Bible, the supernatural breath of the Spirit of Christ confirms all that is contained within its pages by its supernatural proofs of what it embodies, and what it has performed. Within this supernatural book we are told that there is a supernatural voice, and this supernatural voice is the Spirit of Christ.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (1 Peter 1:10)
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.(1 Peter 1:11)
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.(1 Peter 1:12)
The supernatural voice of the Spirit of Christ confirms all the words of the prophets in the Old Testament. The authenticity and the infallibility are given by the supernatural Spirit of Christ. In Hebrews Chapter 10 we listen to that same Spirit of Christ, it is His voice that asserts that He, Himself, and His manifestation, and His life are contained in the holy Scriptures. This is a supernatural book about a supernatural Man, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest. He came not to this earth to be a priest under the law, but to display the divine priesthood from heaven above upon earth beneath. He came to be in both sacrifice and priest as the Savior of the world. The Lord Jesus, in His divine body that was prepared for Him, came to be the divine sacrifice to put away sin, to overcome death, to destroy the works of the devil, and to give eternal life to as many as believed in Him (who are not born of blood, nor the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of the eternal Spirit of God.) In the humility of His life, and in the sacrifice of Himself, we see the movement of the divine priest Melchisedec. His life as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is also the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of man. This connects both heaven and earth. And this, the Holy Spirit draws out in Hebrews 5:6, As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. The Holy Spirit links the Lord’s eternal sonship with His eternal priesthood through the 2nd Psalm and Psalm 110.
The Dual Role: Eternal Son/Sonship — Eternal Priest
In Psalm 2 we have the proclamation of His eternal sonship in verse 7, and in Psalm 110 we have the proclamation of His eternal priesthood both found in the Man, Jesus Christ; and yes, in both of these psalms there are still yet prophecies to be fulfilled. The majority of Psalm 2, and Psalm 110 was fulfilled in the fullness of time. It was fulfilled by Christ Himself. In the case of His eternal sonship, it is documented by the very words of Christ Himself in John 8:58 when Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. In the case of His sonship, and His redemptive work we have the words from heaven, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. These words were not spoken at the finished work on the cross. This was the eternal voice of God speaking of the eternal Son of God, or God the Son. He was always the Father’s delight; all eternity contained this delight in God the Son. For He (before all things were made) was the eternal delight of the Father. We could say of the Son in His close relationship inseparable from the Father, I am Thy will. This is the force who controls all existence of all the creation. As the Lord Jesus said to the leper, I will; be thou clean. The eternal will of God was manifested in His very Person.
He walked upon this earth in the shadow of His eternal priesthood. He walked as the obedient Son and cloaked His eternal priesthood after the oath of Melchisedec. The oath of Melchisedec supersedes and precedes all earthly priesthood, in fact, the oath given of Melchisedec was given before the foundations of the world. (John 17) His first recorded revelation as Melchisedec was to His servant Abraham in Genesis, Chapter 14. The authority of His sonship is authenticated in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and the four gospels are ratified by the Spirit of God in Acts and in the epistles and finalized in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. His eternal priesthood as Melchisedec, while on earth as Jesus Christ, is revealed in the miracles that He performed especially in the cleansing of the leper. Only the high priest could pronounce a leper clean! Christ, in the spirit of Melchisedec, declared to those who were present concerning the lepers, I will, by thou clean.
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (Mark 1:40)
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. (Mark 1:41)
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:42)
And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; (Mark 1:43)
And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. (Mark 1:44)
A Role of The Priest: Seen in the Law of the Leper
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; (Leviticus 14:3)
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: (Leviticus 14:4)
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. (Leviticus 14:7)
In the book of Leviticus, we have the law of the leper. From the book of Leviticus we understand that it was only the high priest who could announce the leper clean; therefore, Christ as the great High Priest (although His priesthood was veiled) He was still fulfilling His priesthood after the oath of Melchisedec. In the words, I will; be thou clean, we have the will of heaven to release the leper from his bondage. As soon as the Lord spoke the words, Be thou clean, the leper was immediately cleansed. The Lord, wanting to conceal His priesthood of eternity, told the man to say nothing, but to show himself to the priest; however, the man went out publishing what great things God had done for him. In Chapter 5, verse 12 of Luke we have the statement that the one who came to Jesus was full of leprosy. And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. This was the peak of this disease, the last stage before death. The Spirit of God led this leper not to the priesthood of the Jews, but to the eternal priest, the priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. In this stage of leprosy, the earthly priests could do nothing, it would take the divine priest after the order of Melchisedec to completely remove the leprosy, and to announce, I will; be thou clean. At these divine words all signs of the leprosy departed from the leper. He who was cleaned was now new, there were no signs of tissue damage incurred by leprosy, even though the leprosy had been at it’s peak. It was the eternal hand of the High Priest who had touched him. He was touched by the eternal hand of God. And the voice of Melchisedec, the sympathetic priest spoke, I will; be thou clean.
In the day of Christ, the entire controlling priesthood was corrupt. It could have possible been that the law of the leper was completely put aside. For even the Lord Jesus spoke of the cleansing of Naaman the leper, even though there were many lepers in Israel (Luke 4:27). The corruption of both law and ordinances of the Jews was brought to light by the condemnation against them. In the cleansing of the ten lepers, we see the frailty that was the law, and that in man, the law was not upheld. It is interesting that in Leviticus, Chapter 14, it is not the ordinance of the leper, but the law of the leper. This put the leper, himself, under the judgment of God as we saw in Miriam. The priest in the day of Christ by not upholding the law could not have any effect in the miracle of the cleansing of the leper. They had betrayed their trust, and God’s divine hand was removed from them. It would take a priest of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth to perform this miracle in a supernatural way, and in a moment of time, yes, you guessed it: a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
Now consider how great this man was . . . .
I am going to tell you now how great this Man was. (Hebrews 7:1-4) Aaron was given as a high priest, but he was specifically given to the nation of Israel. He had no connection to the Gentile world. In the cleansing of the ten lepers (the number ten representing the broken law) God chose one leper to return and worship the Lord Jesus. The Scripture tells us that he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:12-19) This clarifies that this one leper was a Gentile, and he stood before, and bowed down and worshiped the only great High Priest, who is both for the Jew and the Gentile. Yes, again: a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
Remember when Melchisedec met Abraham that Abraham was a Hebrew taken by the determinate counsels of God from the land of the Gentiles. (Genesis 14:13) And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. This of course, was before the law, before Israel became a nation, before all the history of the Jews: Abraham was a Hebrew. This is the first mention of the word ‘Hebrew’ in the Bible. We have the meeting of Melchisedec, and the affiliation of Abraham as a Hebrew showing the divine priesthood of Melchisedec is a priesthood to all men. To every nation, to every race or people, Melchisedec is the eternal priest of both heaven and earth.
The Lord Jesus wanted to clarify and to expose the corrupt priesthood of the Jews; therefore, He instructed the leper to show himself to the high priest. This would, of course, shake up the priesthood; for at this point in their history they had no power over leprosy, nor had they the ability to pronounce a leper cleansed. It also confirms the Lord’s knowledge of their corruption, and how He would expose them by a miracle that He performed for this man. They would see their own insufficiency and they would have to admit or deny the powers of Christ. This was the system of the priesthood under Caiaphas, the high priest. In the cleansing of the leper by the Lord Jesus, at the end stage of leprosy, Christ pronounced the man clean.
The Office of the Priest
Dealing now with the sacrifice, as you know, there were many sacrifices. Each one depicted the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it was the burnt offering, the meat offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, or the trespass offering, all came under the jurisdiction of the high priest Aaron who was the first high priest appointed and anointed of God.
For your own information: only the priest and the king of the line of David were anointed with oil. The difference of the anointing of Saul and David’s anointing was that Saul was anointed with the oil from a vial, and David was anointed out of the horn: a symbol of divine strength in the horn, and the vial is a symbol of judgment. The Lord Jesus is both King and Priest, and according to Hebrews, Chapter 1, He is anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows.
In His earthly life, therefore, we see both King (Matthew 1) and Priest, for God has anointed Him for both offices. As King, the Lord Jesus came to deliver Israel, but they refused their own deliverance. As Priest, the Lord Jesus came to free all men from sin, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. He as the Lamb of God offered Himself as the eternal Priest.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Colossians 2:14)
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (Ephesians 2:14)
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (Ephesians 2:15)
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Ephesians 2:16)
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:21)
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Colossians 1:22)
In this collection from the word of God, the Spirit’s voice declares the submissive acts of the sacrifice, and the deliberate acts of the priest; for Christ (as the Lamb of God) submitted Himself to the death of the cross; as the Priest forever, He nailed His own body to the tree. This was the ultimate act of the great High Priest of God, after the order of Melchisedec. He not only brought the offerings, but He offered the offerings by His own hand. In Romans 8:32, we see the total of the Godhead in the appendage of the Son, the fortitude of the Father, and the work of the Spirit of holiness in the direct work of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? All this relates directly to the Godhead bodily which we have been told is in Christ Jesus.
To simplify the Godhead, I will draw a circle, within this circle I will place a triangle, the triangle has equal sides, at the top we have the Father, at the right hand of the Father we have the Son, and to the left on the triangle we have the Holy Ghost. 
Notice all three are contained in the circle, nothing can separate them from the circle. The triangle connects them all to each other in both will and purpose. All three are connected to the circumference of the circle: making a whole. In the middle of the triangle, we have the fullness of all three, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Neither the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost can separate themselves from their own will and the determinate counsels of God. They are bound by the eternal essence of their own righteousness. There is no shadow, or variance in their will and purpose. All is contained and upheld in their own inherent righteousness. I realize that the illustration has probably been used by many others, and I realize the simplicity of the design; somewhere in my memory I recall the statement, Simple is what simple does. So now you know the simplicity of this author. Let’s now return to the voice of the Spirit.
The Voice of Prophecy
In prophecy the Spirit of Christ is the voice of all prophecy. Verses 5 and 6 of our lead text is a voice of that Spirit calling out to us from before the foundations of the earth. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. (Hebrews 5:5) As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 5:6) In Psalm 2:7, and in Psalm 110:4, we are given sonship and priesthood completely fulfilled in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 2:7, we have the divine authority of the sonship of Christ. In Psalm 110:4, we have the divine authority of the heavenly Priest. I might remind you that in John, Chapter 3, the Lord Jesus spoke of His omnipresence. That as the son of man He was manifested both on earth and in heaven at the same moment in time. In both earth and heaven, He was the divine administrator of the new covenant. This covenant was ratified by His own blood. In Psalm 2, we have God’s divine appointment of the Son to rule over the earth. From verse 7 onward we have the Son’s dominion over the world, especially in the words of verse 9, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. In Psalm 110, we have a similar structure, after declaring the Son as the divine Priest after the order of Melchisedec, verse 5 confirms His rule over the nations. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. Through both of these revelations as Son, and as Priest after the oath of Melchisedec, He will inflict His judgments on the world and on His enemies.
In the events of Genesis 14, God inflicted judgment on His enemies using His servant Abraham. Then after the defeat of the armies of the nations of the world (a type of the last battle before Christ sets up His throne and His kingdom for a thousand years) we see not only the end of a battle, but the beginning of a new realm realized through the appearance of a marvelous priest, Melchisedec.
Before His thousand-year reign, there will be a supernatural battle as it was for Abraham. Abraham was outnumbered, outclassed, out supported, out supplied; yet the sword in his hand belonged to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. This was truly the first supernatural battle recorded that God performed through one of His servants, even though, Abraham was a mere tent dweller. He who lived in tents with no earthly dominion took on the dominions of this world, the chief kings of the chief cities of the known world were defeated and dispersed by the supernatural hand of God. In projecting our thoughts in this great defeat, we turn to the Spirit of prophecy in Isaiah 63:1-6.
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (Isaiah 63:1)
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? (Isaiah 63:2)
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. (Isaiah 63:3)
For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. (Isaiah 63:4)
And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. (Isaiah 63:5)
And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. (Isaiah 63:6)
In the book of Isaiah, we have two profound questions: one question is asked in Isaiah 53:1, Who hath believed our report? This is in relationship to the Lord’s first advent when He was manifested upon earth to take away the sin of the world, and to overthrow death with life eternal. The second question is the one in our text in Isaiah 63:1, Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? (Ten chapters apart revealing the same Person, the Lord Jesus Christ). Isaiah 63 is, of course His victory in His second advent. He comes to defeat the nations of the world and fulfills the type that we saw in Abraham (Genesis 14) in His supernatural destruction of the kings of the earth.
Only Christ is King of Peace, and Righteousness
We have further comparisons, after the tremendous battle Abraham met with the King of righteousness. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; (Hebrews 7:2) He came to Abraham as both the King of righteousness and the King of peace which is confirmed in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ by God’s statement that His Christ is the King of kings. He is the King of peace, and He is the King of righteousness, and only God’s Son wears these two crowns of peace and righteousness.
Christ: Bread and Wine
It is the King of peace who ministers to Abraham for He displayed His own sufferings and death in the bread and the wine.
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
It is do this in remembrance of me, for in doing so you show forth the Lord’s death as a memorial of His great sacrifice in bearing the sin of the whole world in His body on the tree. We are to participate in this remembrance till the Lord comes. This is not the translation of the saints, but His second advent as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and as a Priest forever after the oath of Melchisedec.
Christ: King and Priest
We confirm this with the prophecy of Zechariah. Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Zechariah 6:13 Also, we confirm His meeting with Israel after the defeat of the nations in Isaiah 63:7-9.
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. (Isaiah 63:7)
For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. (Isaiah 63:8)
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:9)
We now see another contributing scripture to both the Kingship and priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. After His defeat of His enemies in Isaiah 63, we have the ministry of the great High Priest to the nation of Israel. As He states In all their affliction he was afflicted, and to further this enlightenment by the Spirit of God, we find the dual image of both the angel of his presence and the priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. In type as Aaron was afflicted so to He (who Aaron represented) was afflicted.
And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually. (Exodus 28:29)
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. (Exodus 28:30)
And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. (Exodus 28:38)
In the fullness of this text in Isaiah 63 we see the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ over His people (Israel) and the affliction for that people in the priesthood upon the throne. In His first advent, He was afflicted with their affliction. In Isaiah 53 resonates with those afflictions. Both Isaiah 53 and 63 are monumental pillars in God’s prophetic word. In building our case for the supremacy of the priesthood of Melchisedec we must now turn to Isaiah 9:6 and 7.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:7)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. This is the prophetic reference to the Son of God being born, and to His relationship with the nation of Israel, that as a Son, He has been given to them. Even though they refused Him, God always saw His Son as a gift to Israel, and a gift to the world. If we were to describe this first part of Isaiah 9:6 we would truly say that this was the Son of God.
Many miss what follows: and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Under the priesthood of Aaron, God had ordained and anointed Aaron not only for offering sacrifices, but to also be the administrator of God’s counsel to Israel. For God truly was their King in Jesurun. To show the authority that God had bestowed upon Aaron he carried the nation of Israel upon his shoulders in two stones. In each of these two stones were the names of 6 of the sons of Jacob to cover the whole nation (12 tribes) of Israel. In the issue of Melchisedec being a high priest forever, in the wonder of God’s counsel, the total government of the world shall be upon His shoulders. Now in Isaiah 9:6 we go to a list of wonderful names for the same God: Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. These names also reflect Melchisedec, for in Hebrews, Chapter 7, the Spirit of God gives us many names and several different positions of Melchisedec, the man the Spirit of God wants us to consider. (Hebrews 7:1-4)
Behold, The Man Melchisedec
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; (Hebrews 7:1)
To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; (Hebrews 7:2)
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. (Hebrews 7:3)
Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. (Hebrews 7:1)
In Isaiah 9:6 and 7 we have many similarities, the Son carries the government upon His shoulders, and He in His Person is the full expression of all wonderment. He is also a Counsellor, which the high priest was to the nation of Israel. He was also to be worshiped as The mighty God, the only true God of heaven and earth. And now we have a remarkable sequence in Isaiah referring to the Son as The everlasting Father. This we see also in the realm of Melchisedec in His ministry and His endless life. For Melchisedec was Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. As the Spirit of God gives the eternality and endless life of Melchisedec He also compares this life to the life of the Son of God; that He abides a priest forever after the oath of Melchisedec. That as the Son of God has neither beginning of days, nor end of life, also, this man called Melchisedec has neither beginning of days, nor end of life.
Now let us return to Abraham (Genesis 14). The fact that there is no information given further about the birth, the existence, the history, the genealogy, or even the description of His personality of this man called Melchisedec: we find His Being fully supernatural. The fact that we see no altar built, nor sacrifice offered is evidence that it was the divine Lamb of God who was going to take away the sin of the world, and He came forth with bread and wine as a memorial of the future sacrifice of Himself for sin.
I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (1 Corinthians 10:15)
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)
For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:17)
In 1st Corinthians the Spirit of prophecy links us back to the days of Abraham as in John 8:56, the Spirit of prophecy reveals the truth of Melchisedec in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56)
JThen said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? (John 8:57)
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18)
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. (John 10:33)
We are faced with the same hypocrisy of the Jews in the professing world Church today. The political world and the religious world have become blind to the spiritual things of Christ because of the ministration of the Nicolaitans and the preaching of the ambassadors of Satan. The Lord Jesus (in John 8) is linking us with Abraham in Himself. Why is He taking so much time to reveal that He is the God of Abraham. It is because He is the eternal Priest who met with Abraham in Genesis 14. 1st Corinthians 10 is linked to Genesis 14 in both the bread and the wine. And they are both linked together by the Lord’s day, or the fullness of time, and Abraham rejoiced and was glad in it ,Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. This is divine revelation, and it is only recorded in the gospel of John. This one verse of John 8:56, spans the history of man from Abraham to the fullness of time in Galatians 4:4.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:4)
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (1 Corinthians 11:23)
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27)
We have covered a lot of ground so far, and because of the complexity of the subject: the Son of God and His eternal priesthood; we need to continue to look at both the bread and the wine. The Lord specifically gave this divine revelation before His death. Even Paul, most likely, understood the fullness of it in the revelation that he received in the presence of the Son of God. In verse 27 of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 11, we see the divine warning of being unworthy to participate in remembering the Lord’s death till He comes. I ask this question, being so many years before the fullness of time was Abraham unworthy? No, he saw the Lord’s day, and rejoiced in it, as he looked forward to the fulfillment of the revelation that he received from Melchisedec. We look at Abraham as under the same judicial blood as we are under. Redemption, remember, comes through faith, and this Abraham displayed, God stated in the New Testament that Abraham’s faith was added to him for righteousness. We are also a long distance from the cross, as Abraham looked forward to the cross, we look back to the cross. We are called to walk by faith, we are called to obey and submit ourselves to the divine ministry of our great High Priest after the oath of Melchisedec. Abraham and his faith stretched across the ocean and history of faith in Jesus Christ. There is still prophecy to be fulfilled, and we have been made aware of these prophecies that will be fulfilled in the future. And we ourselves rejoice in our spirit and are glad (like Abraham) that these things will come to pass. In relationship to Melchisedec Abraham designated that He was the most high God. This would stand in complete revelation to the God of Abraham. For the Lord Jesus stated of Himself that He was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He was God of the living, and not God of the dead. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:32)
And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:4)
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exodus 3:5)
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exodus 3:6)
The Lord Jesus proclaimed that within Himself was all the essence of life. He was the Author, and the Sustainer of all life. He proclaimed this when He declared Himself to be the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He who holds life and sustains life stated to the confusion of the Jews that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were yet living. Further references in this order:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25)
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)
Christ is the greater life than temporal life. All the essence of true life is found in Jesus Christ, and this life is a never ending life
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:10)
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11)
So then death worketh in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:12)
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; (2 Corinthians 4:13)
Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. (2 Corinthians 4:14)
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: (2 Corinthians 1:9)
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; (2 Corinthians 1:10)
These verses found in 2 Corinthians not only apply to us but apply to all those who have walked by faith; whether it be the view that Abraham had looking forward to the day of Christ, or our view looking back to the day of Christ. The common factor that has woven the children of God together is the gift of faith from Jesus Christ our Lord, who loved us and gave Himself for us. This Abraham knew, as they both (Abraham and Melchisedec) communed together concerning the Lord’s death and resurrection in both bread and wine. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:(Luke 9:30) Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31)
In the unbelief that many have in the Melchisedec of Genesis 14, they are of the same breed that denies the Man in heaven for us today who is the great High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. In Luke’s gospel, Chapter 9, we are not after the cross, we are before the cross. We are not in the Old Testament, or even in the New Testament, this is a divine window open from heaven to reveal the glory of the One who was the Son of man. Only in Luke’s gospel do we have the extent of this vision, and this revelation for both Moses (who was of the tribe of Levi) and Elijah (who was the first prophet to raise the dead) and they both talked with the Lord Jesus concerning His death upon the cross of Calvary that He would accomplish at Jerusalem. Even though these men were transfigured out of heaven to meet with the Lord, the very purpose of their names and their positions is applicable to the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ is both the Author of the law, and the complete Author of prophetic testimony.
In Moses we have his knowledge in all the divine articles that were in the tabernacle, all the divine knowledge of the priesthood; for it was Moses under the command, and direction of God who anointed the first high priest in the line of Aaron, Aaron himself.
In Elijah we have the first prophet of judgment, as well as the second man to journey to Mt. Sinai to receive divine revelation from God Himself. They (Moses, and Elijah) both understood the full impact of the fullness of time when Christ would offer Himself a sacrifice for sin on the cross of Calvary. Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. (Luke 9:44)
The Divine Truth That Abraham Understood – We Understand
To say that Abraham could not be a receptacle of divine revelation is complete foolishness, for we see in the life of Abraham, even in the call by the God of glory, that it was through divine revelation that Abraham left Ur of Chaldees. His whole life was in subjection and led by divine revelation. At specific times in Abraham’s life God appeared, God spoke, and God directed. So to say that Abraham took bread and wine from the King of peace, and there was no other conversation is sheer foolishness. This was before the law, yet, the Lord Jesus stated that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that he (Abraham) in his declaration about the most high God proved to the world, and to the king of Sodom that Abraham worshiped the one true God of heaven and earth. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, (Genesis 14:22).
Abraham in this testimony revealed that there was only one true God. This was a contradiction to the world at that time. For Sodom had many gods. This is so important for this declaration of Abraham, I believe, this was the first time that man verbally acknowledges in the Scriptures that there is one true God of heaven and earth. Even in our age, the world is running after many gods, whether they be material gods that they worship, or religious gods from the fabrication of the hearts of men. There is still only one true God. (Exodus 20:3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me. In this text the Almighty God is not making a request of man, He is commanding man that they should have no other gods before Him.
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18)
Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. (Isaiah 45:21)
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22)
The Spirit of God gives us divine evidence not as requests, but as a divine command. Notice in the texts in Isaiah that the only true God connects Himself as the only Savior, and He also commands that the world would look unto Him for their salvation. And yet, how many walk around with a cloud over their heads in unbelief in the divine Creator of both heaven and earth. It was the Lord Jesus, as Melchisedec, who appeared to Abraham in Genesis 14. He had called him out of Ur as the God of glory. (Acts 7) And He had given Abraham the land as the God of promise. And now God comes to Abraham as Melchisedec, the God of divine salvation. God had just defeated the enemies of Abraham. These were the enemies of God’s righteousness. Would He allow a pagan priest to come in and defile Abraham? Would He allow the occult to rule His servant, or represent another god? No, it was God Himself revealed to Abraham as the revelation of Melchisedec to His servant Abraham. The God of the living with the symbols of God’s own victory over sin and death, the bread and the wine. This great stream of prophecy that was give to Abraham comes to its fullness in the fullness of time. For God, Himself, would be the sacrifice and the Savior.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? (Genesis 22:7)
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:8)
Abraham understood the sacrificial death of the Son of God as he stated to Isaac that God, Himself, would give Himself for a sacrifice. Abraham knew and believed in the God of resurrection and life, and his faith was counted unto him for righteousness; if all this could be understood by Abraham before the cross, why are we so dull of hearing? Consider how great this man Melchisedec was: Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For in the days of His flesh He spoke with the divine words of God. He spoke with God’s voice. He witnessed as the divine witness of the truth of the one God of heaven and earth. As the eternal Word, Christ walked in His own creation. As the Son of God He performed all supernatural miracles. As the divine light and life of man, and as the Son of man, after displaying His power and the truth of His full ministry in fulfilling the righteousness of God He humbled Himself to the death of the cross. This darkest day in the history of man gave way to the bright and morning star. The deepest night gave way to the day star in our hearts. In evidence of all this, the whole world should cry out from their hearts How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation. (Hebrews 2:3) How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
If Abraham could see into the future and see the day of Christ and understand the words of the Son of God in Melchisedec, and utter by the word of the Spirit of Christ by the prophet, can we not see (with brighter eyes) all the fullness and glory of Christ? Not only now, but in faith in the worlds to come. We have been asked by the Son of God to behold and receive His gift of faith. He has given this gift to every believer, and in this faith of the Son of God He has confirmed our hope. We look into the future based on passed revelations of past prophets that God’s prophecy will be fulfilled in our future. Our lives are based on the cross of Calvary and the divine sacrifice that was offered by Melchisedec. When we (as the body of Christ) meet together we meet with the divine Priest, Melchisedec; we take the bread as we remember His smitten body for us; we take the cup (for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin); we look into the distant future till He comes because the divine truth that Abraham understood we also understand. Amen.
© Copyright 2017, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)
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