After his return from the defeat of Ched-or-laomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most Hight, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
Genesis 14: 17-20
In Genesis 14, we are introduced to the mystical figure of Melchizedek. He is king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. He meets Abraham (Abram at the time) returning from battle and blessed Abraham. In return, Abraham gives him a tenth part of all that he has, a tithe. The king of Salem means “King of peace,” which is a title later ascribed to Christ, who is called “the prince of peace.” St. Paul writes in Hebrews 7 that Melchizedek had no father, no mother, had no genealogy, no beginning and no ending. St. Paul writes that Melchizedek was “made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.” (Hebrews 7:3) Melchizedek was such a great figure that even the Patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of all that he had. This foreshadowed the priests of Levi who received tithes from the people.
In Genesis 14, the encounter between Abram and Melchizedek is very priest. It is revealed in these few verses that Melchizedek brought up bread and wine and blessed Abram. This prefigures Jesus Christ, offering the bread and wine as the Eucharist, the New Covenant and blessing all those who partake of Him in the Eucharist.
The priesthood of the Levites involved four things—First, all the priest had to be from the tribe of Levi, a group of people that were not representative of all people, just one tribe. Second, there needed to be an ordination, but the power of the priest was fairly weak, because the priest had to offer sacrifice of animals continually in order to connect the people with God. The priesthood of the Levites was not permanent—priests would die and new priests would need to be ordained. And fourth, even though there were moral and spiritual requirements in order to be ordained, because the priests were not perfect, no one could actually attain the perfection needed to be one with God.
The priesthood of Melchizedek had no earthly genealogy, no ties to a tribe or a people. The power of Christ required no ordination, He is perfect and draws us to God. There is no need for Him to sacrifice animals, because He is the sacrifice, and sheds His blood once for all. His priesthood is eternal, He is the eternal high priest. And He is holy and perfect.
The Old Testament Law is enacted by the priesthood of Levi. In the New Testament, the New Covenant is based on the priesthood of Christ, Who supersedes in every way the priesthood of Levi and the Old Testament Law. In the Old Testament, there was a curtain over the Holy of Holies, so that the people couldn’t see into the altar the way we do today. The high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies very infrequently. No one would see what he did in there. Today the curtain of the altar is open during the service, except for specific reasons, such as during the Great Compline and Pre-Sanctified Liturgies of Great Lent and at some specific moments of Holy Week. Otherwise, the curtain is opened allowing us a degree of visual access to the altar and to the clergy who are serving at it.
In Hebrews 4:14-16, we read:
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is the consummate high priest, who not only offers perishable sacrifices for the people. He offers Himself as the sacrifice for all people. Before the time of Christ, the priest was the offerer of blood sacrifices, like bulls, rams, and pigeons. After the crucifixion of Christ, there is no need to more bloodshed in sacrifice. In fact, in offer the Divine Liturgy, at the prayer of Consecration, the priest prays, “Once again we offer to You this spiritual worship without the shedding of blood.” Jesus has shed His blood once for all of us. Further, Jesus does not represent one tribe or one group of people, but is Savior for all people. He doesn’t assume His role at a particular moment in time, such as with an ordination, but He stands in this role at all times, as He is the eternal God, without beginning and without ending. Finally, the Old Testament priesthood was replaced by the New Covenant. The priesthood of the Levites was replaced with the priesthood of Melchizedek. Since the priesthood of Melchizedek is perfect, the priesthood of Christ/Melchizedek is permanent. It will never replaced, or altered or improved upon. The priests of today enter into the priesthood into the permanent priesthood of Melchizedek.
O Lord, keep us this evening without sin. Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Your name to the ages. Amen. O Lord, let Your mercy be upon us for we have set our hope in You. Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments. Blessed are You, Master, grant me understanding of Your commandments. Blessed are You, Holy One, enlighten me with Your commandments. Lord, Your mercy is forever. Do not despise the works of Your hands. To You is due praise, to You is due song, to You is due glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The priesthood of Levi was superseded by the priesthood of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the foreshadowing of Christ, and is the consummate High Priest.
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