MELCHIZEDEK - KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

Hebrews 7: 1-3 (NIV)

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INTRODUCTION

As a Christian, surely, you are aware of the story of Abraham meeting Melchizedek. Abraham had separated from Lot. He had grown wealthy and become prosperous. He grew in number enough that he had many a body to wage war with. So when news of Lot being taken hostage came, he did not tarry to come to his rescue. I always thought, as many did, that he was merely coming to the rescue of a family member. But texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls indicate there was more to his actions than what meets the eye.

Today, we will take a quick look at the meaning of the word Melchizedek - the King of Righteousness - and the lesser-known and potentially popular interpretation of it, describing not a man but a priestly order of king-priests-prophets predating the Levites and Aaronic priesthood.

PERSONAL NAME OR PRIESTLY ORDER?

Some of you might already be saying, "Stop right there. This can not be true." Yes, we are all familiar with the teachings taught by Rabbis in their Talmud; Melchizedek was merely a man who happened to be a priest. (2)

But texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls teach that the name describes not a man but a priestly order that is before even Abraham was (John 8: 58). Also New and Old testament teach that the Messiah shall be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7: 17 and Psalm 110:4). (2)

While the Hebrew word dibrah in Psalm 110: 4 can be translated as order, cause, manner, suit, and style, the Greek word taxis in Hebrews 7: 17 can mean order, rank, and arrangement. It is clear that it is the meaning of order that the texts are indicating. (3, 4)

THE MEANING OF THE WORD MELCHIZEDEK

The word Melchizedek consists of two Hebrew words. The first one is Melech, which means king. The other one is zedek, which means righteous. The word means King of righteousness. Some claim it can also be translated as King of the Zadok priests. (2)

Wait! The King of the Zadok priests? Yes, the King of the Zadok priests.

WHO ARE THE ZADOK PRIESTS

The Zadok priests were the priests of Qumran. They were direct descendants of the Jewish High Priest Zadok. John the Baptist was one of them. They were considered as Priests of righteousness, who were waiting for the arrival of the Teacher of Righteousness - Messiah. (2)

Upon further study, they are linked to the Essenes, a branch of Judaism that existed at the first arrival of the Messiah. They were ascetic scribes who took care of the ancient texts and believed, contrary to the Sadducees and Pharisees, that the Messiah was to be God incarnate and not merely a man. (2)

Of course, most of this is based on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and some interpret things differently. Some ancient texts describe them as Jewish gnostic ascetics who never married and kept a very strict diet and pious lifestyle devoid of pleasure. Some of them might have encouraged marriage. It is believed that they ushered in the first coming of the Messiah. (2, 6)

Others theorized that because of their lifestyle and presumed consumption of psychedelic mushrooms, they made up the story about the Messiah. Yet a third group claims their story got misinterpreted, and Christianity was born out of that misconception. (5)

From a further study done by Christian D. Ginsburg on the Essenes, summarized in the book The Essenes: Their history and doctrines, we can conclude that Yeshua strongly believed in the majority of the teachings of the Essenes and was ordained into the Melchizedekian priesthood by the Essenes, more notably John the Baptist. He did disagree with them on two major accounts: that one should not eat so much, and that they should not be around sinners. He felt pulled to be around sinners even to the point of sacrificing Himself. He also agreed that it is better not to marry, yet did not prohibit it. (6)

MELCHIZEDEKIAN PRIESTHOOD

The Melchizedekian priesthood was not the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood. The Aaronic and Levitical priesthood ordains one only into the office of priest. Melchizedekian priests were a combination of priests, kings, and prophets. (2)

10 Melchizedekian priests walked on this earth from the very beginning of time, as it is listed in the Dead Sea Scrolls.(2)

THE PRE-FLOOD ERA

It all started with Adam, the first man who walked this earth. Adam was the first King who ruled the whole earth. He was also the first prophet and priest. Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, writes that Adam received a revelation of an approaching apostasy and the two destructions of the world. From the texts, it is also clear that they were practicing sacrificial offerings as priests. (2)

Adam passed on his priesthood and knowledge to Cainan. Then the priesthood was passed on to Enoch. The fourth Melchizedekian priest was Methuselah, while the fifth was Noah. (2)

Steadily, their knowledge and revelation of the upcoming destruction of Earth were passed on. There would be two of them. One by water, another by fire. Those were all the pre-flood Melchizedekian priests. (2)

SHEM AND ABRAHAM

Now, per the majority, the next priest would have had to be named Melchizedek, but we all know there was no one named as such in the line of Noah. It was Shem who inherited the priesthood and passed it upon Abraham through a blessing that fateful day. Abraham rising and destroying Chedorlaomer was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Nimrod of Abram weakening His kingdom, before one of Abram's descendants would destroy it. (2)

It was the sign Shem was waiting for. He approached Abraham and anointed him as the next Melchizedekian priest. (2)

ISAAC AND JACOB

The priesthood was then passed onto the promised child of Abraham - Isaac. Isaac was initially considering passing his priesthood onto Esau, but Jacob was the one chosen. He should not have fooled his father the way he had, it would have belonged to him eventually. (2)

Through circumstances we all already know, the priesthood was passed on to Jacob. He became the ninth Melchizedekian priest. Per God's instructions, the priestly and kingly offices were then divided among Levi and Judah. It was to remain so until the arrival of the Messiah. (2)

THE 10TH AND ETERNAL MELCHIZEDEKIAN PRIEST

In Bethlehem, one faithful night, Yeshua, our Savior, was born. Not much is known about His childhood, but considering newfound texts, it is possible Yeshua spent much of His time among the Essenes. (2)

He was a direct descendant of David, the kingly line. He was baptised into the priesthood by John the Baptist, and when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, he received it and became a prophet. And so the Melchizedekian priesthood was once more recreated in its original form. (2)

CONCLUSION

The Hebrew word Melchizedek means the King of Righteousness. It is not the name of a man who happened to also be a priest, but rather the name of a priestly order of king-priests-prophets predating the Levites and Aaronic priesthood. The word Melchizedek consists of two Hebrew words. The first one is Melech, which means king. The other one is zedek, which means righteous. The word means King of righteousness. Some claim it can also be translated as King of the Zadok priests. They were direct descendants of the Jewish High Priest Zadok and were considered Priests of righteousness. They were waiting for the arrival of the Teacher of Righteousness - Messiah.

There were 10 Melchizedekian priests in the history of mankind, and Yeshua is the final and eternal one.

Application

During this week, let God reveal to us any area of life where He wishes to bring us to another level of righteousness.

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com.

2. Ken Johnson. Ancient Order of Melchizedek. Available at https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Order-Melchizedek-Johnson-Th-D/dp/B08KWP11G3

3. Bible Hub. Dibrah. Available at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1700.htm

4. Bible Hub. Taxis. Available at https://biblehub.com/greek/5010.htm

5. Michael Chary. Was There A Cover Up of the Dead Sea Scrolls Interpretation? September 22, 2019. Available at https://0fj.cc/gaia

6. Christian D. Ginsburg 1864. The Essenes: Their history and doctrines. Available at https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69170/pg69170-images.html