ABRAHAM MEETS MELCHIZEDEK
Genesis 14: 17-24
When Abram returned from his victory over the kings of the East, he met Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a very interesting type of Christ. In this lesson, we will not only study Melchizedek, but we’ll also study the tithe and Abram's separation from the king of Sodom.
Melchizedek
Look at the comparisons between Melchizedek and Jesus Christ.
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Similarity
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Melchizedek
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Jesus Christ
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| Bread and wine | Genesis 14:18 | Matthew 26: 26-29 |
| Priest | Genesis 14:18 | Hebrews 7:26 |
| Blessed Abram | Genesis 14:19 | Luke 24: 50-51 |
| King of righteousness | Hebrews 7:2 | 1 Corinthians 1:30; Rom. 10: 1-4 |
| King of peace | Hebrews 7: 2 | Luke 19:38; Isaiah 9:6 |
| No beginning, no end | Hebrews 7: 3 | Revelation 1:8 |
Melchizedek is probably a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. He foreshadows the Lord's Supper, is greater than Abram, has no father, mother or earthly descent and is eternal (like Jesus, who is God). The only difficulty with this is that he is like unto the Son of God. But that may not be a problem (see Revelation 1:13). Before He was born of Mary, He was called the Son of God, prophetically (Dan. 3:25), but He was the Word of God (John 1:1), doctrinally. Melchizedek's appearance established a priesthood that is superior to the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7).
The Tithe
In verse 20, Abram gave Melchizedek one tenth of all the spoil, Hebrews 7:4. This tithe was given before the law and it is the Lord’s (Lev. 27:30). There are some comparisons between the Old Testament tithe and New Testament giving.
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Comparison
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Old Testament
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New Testament
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| Place | Storehouse (Mal. 3:10) | "laid by him in store" (1 Cor. 16:2) |
| Content | Livestock, produce (Lev. 27:30-32, Matthew 23:23) |
Money (1 Cor. 16:1-3, Rom. 15: 26) |
| Purpose | Support priests & Levites (Num. 18:24) |
Support ministers & saints (1 Cor. 9:9-14, Rom. 15: 25) |
| Time | Every third year (Deut. 26:12) | First day of week (1 Cor. 16:1-2) |
| Quantity | A tenth & offerings (Mal. 3:8-10) | According as he purposeth in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity, but cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7) |
Separation from Sodom
The king of Sodom wanted Abram to keep the spoils and only return the people. Abram did not want the king of Sodom to be able to say that he had made Abram rich. So, Abram had made an oath to God that he would not even accept a shoestring from the king's spoils. After this victory, he didn't want any "strings" attached. Otherwise, Abram would have been obligated to the king of Sodom. Likewise, we are to maintain a separation between unbelievers and ourselves that would cause us to be "unequally yoked together with" them (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
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