The Epistle To The Hebrews - Executable Outlines

Mark A. Copeland
C. WHO IS THIS “MELCHIZEDEK”...?
1. Some have suggested that he was:
a. An angel (Origen, Didymus)
b. Enoch (Husius, Calmet)
c. Shem (Jerome, Luther)
2. Others have taken the statements in v.3 to suggest that Melchizedek was a theophany (a
pre-incarnate appearance of Christ), for the following reasons:
a. The name Melchizedek, meaning “king of righteousness” (v.2)
b. The designation “king of peace” (v.2)
c. The possibility that the lack of recorded genealogy mentioned in v. 3 is due to actual
lack of ancestors, rather than the mere absence of historical record
d. He is said to remain “a priest continually” (v .3c)
e. He is contrasted with “mortal men” (v. 8a)
f. Of him “it is witnessed that he lives” (v. 8b)
3. Most take that he was simply a man (note v.4), but because he appears suddenly in
Scripture as a priest...
a. With no mention of parentage or genealogy
b. With no mention of his birth or death
c. With only a mention of him as a priest of “God Most High”
...that he is a “type” of Christ, and what His priesthood would be like
[While the true identity of Melchizedek may remain a mystery because of the brevity of scriptural
information, his importance as it relates to the superiority of Christ’s priesthood becomes very clear as
we consider...]
II. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MELCHIZEDEK (4-10)
A. MELCHIZEDEK RECEIVED TITHES FROM ABRAHAM... (4-6a)
1. Abraham paid a tenth to Melchizedek
2. Just as the nation of Israel would later pay a tenth to the sons of Levi
-- Thus Abraham, great as he was, showed his deference to Melchizedek
B. MELCHIZEDEK BLESSED ABRAHAM... (6b-7)
1. Melchizedek blessed him “who had the promises” (Abraham)
2. There is no dispute that “the lesser is blessed by the better”
-- Thus Melchizedek is clearly “better” than Abraham
C. MELCHIZEDEK’S SERVICE WAS NOT AFFECTED BY DEATH... (8)
1. In the priesthood under the Jewish system (i.e., the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood), tithes
were received by “mortal men” (whose service ended at death)
2. But it has been witnessed that Melchizedek “lives” (“remains a priest continually” - He 7:3)
3. How he lives and remains a priest continually, the Bible does not say
-- But in this way Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priests (a point made concerning
Jesus later in the chapter)
D. EVEN LEVI PAID TITHES TO MELCHIZEDEK... (9-10)
1. Levi was “in the loins of his father” Abraham when Melchizedek met him
2. Thus Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes “through Abraham, so to speak”
-- Again illustrating the greatness of Melchizedek, as one greater than Levi!
Sermons From Hebrews 52