Jesus is Greater THAN

7 For this Melchizedek , king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. 

This chapter is a little confusing if you don’t break it down and study it a bit.  Well, actually, if I am honest, even after breaking it down and studying it a bit, it is still a little confusing.  I'm going to spend more time than normal explaining some things, because I think the full picture really helps show just how solid God's plan for Christ was from the beginning. Strap on your thinking caps.... Here we go... 

Melchizedek, whose name literally translates to king of righteousness, is the king of Salem, which translates to mean, king of peace.  So, king of righteousness, king of peace… sounds oddly like… Jesus?

Is he Jesus? Is he a man? Is he actually a king? Is he a priest? Is he both? I DON’T KNOW PEOPLE!!! I JUST DON’T KNOW. It is all a little unclear.  Scripture never actually says that Melchizedek is Jesus, but it does say he is a prototype of Jesus. And it tells us that Abraham runs into him after a battle and gives him a tenth of the battle spoils. While in current times, this interaction between these two men seems like something we can just skim over in scripture, it actually holds a lot of historical importance. When you break down their interaction with historical context, you can deduce something life changing no matter what year it is.

So Abraham is often called the “father of all nations”. One nation he “fathered” was the Levites.  The old covenant required the Israelites to give 10 percent of battle spoils to the Levites, but Abraham gave 10 percent to Melchizedek even though Melchizedek was not a Levite (verses 5-6). He was getting priestly honors before Levi was even born.

From this, the author constructs a hypothetical argument: “One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.” Levi didn’t actually pay tithes to Melchizedek, but in a figure of speech he did. The point is that Abraham is greater than Levi, since Abraham is Levi’s ancestor, and Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, since Abraham gave tithes to him, so Melchizedek is greater than Levi. Now don't forget- Melchizedek IS representing Jesus in this moment. 

So roughly 400 years BEFORE Aaron, brother of Moses, began the long line of Levitical priests, this interaction occurred. God was establishing His son, Jesus, as greater than, hundreds of years before these men even lived and ruled as priests.

Church, there is nothing, nobody, no event, no power, thattakes our God by surprise. Whatever it is, He is supreme. Whoever it is, He is superior. ISIS. He is greater than. Hate. He is stronger than. Politics. He is King.

So while it is normal to place other people on a pedestal based on their earthly position or title, it is important to remember that their days and hours are numbered. They are not the one and only everlasting King. They are not where hope comes from, and they are not worthy of your worship. 

While this world, and each of our personal lives, has ups and downs, it is clear through scripture that God has a plan. From the beginning of time to the end of time God has a plan and it is not wavering based on earthly events. No matter who you are: Abraham, the President of the United States, the Pope, a business owner, a famous actor, or an "average" person just trying to make it through the day.  Jesus is greater than. His days are not numbered. He is worthy of your very best, He is more wonderful than anything this world has to offer. 

Church, give Him your battle spoils. Give Him your very best. Honor Him with your possessions, your time, your money, your actions, your business, your family. Give Him the best time of your day, rather than squeezing Him in to your last moments of exhaustion. Turn your hope from fleeting earthly people or things, and place it in the One who stands the test of time and whose days are not numbered.  The more of yourself and your heart that you give Him, translates into that much more of Him in you. 

No matter how you slice it, Jesus is greater than. Always has been. Always will be. 

- Bridget