From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 31 of a series. Read part 30.

The King of Salem of Genesis 14:18-20 prefigures the Prince of Peace of Isaiah 9:6.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

As we noted in our introduction to the final words of this passage, all of the characteristics and works entailed in the Messianic title Sar Shalom, the Prince of Peace, clearly combine in the person and work of Jesus. Let us now begin to examine them in greater detail.

One of History's Most Misunderstood Personages

In Genesis chapter 14 we find Abraham, who according to Romans 4 and Galatians 3 is our father in the faith, paying tithes to a man named Melchizedek, whose name means "King of Peace." The Holy Spirit's own commentary on this event in the book of Hebrews declares that Melchizedek prefigured Jesus the Prince of Peace in several cosmically vital respects. But before we consider the climactic words of Hebrews, let us understand more about this individual, who is one of the most misunderstood historical figures in Scripture.

We find the first and only mention of Melchizedek in the historical record in the book of Genesis:

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all. (Genesis 14:18-20)

Who is Melchizedek? He appears in history, as it were, out of nowhere. He is never mentioned in the Old Testament again, except in one of its most vital prophecies.

King and Priest

He is "King of Salem" - that is, of ancient Jerusalem - after that place and its surroundings had been promised to Abraham and his descendants as their inheritance, but long before they possessed it.

He is also "priest of God Most High." Clearly, Melchizedek performed a unique function in the worship and service of God, long before the Levitical priesthood, tabernacle, or temple were instituted. Furthermore, Melchizedek was priest at ancient Jerusalem, the location that God would choose as His dwelling place on earth when His promise of that land to Abraham's descendants was fulfilled.

This was the same location - Mount Moriah - where Abraham would prepare to sacrifice his son Isaac when God tested him (Genesis 22). Mount Moriah was later the site of the Temple in Israel. This was the place in which the infant Jesus was circumcised; where Anna and Simeon prophesied His imminent work; where Jesus at the age of twelve amazed the teachers of the Jews with His questions and answers (Luke 2). It was also the place where Jesus frequently taught during His earthly ministry, and the place from which Jesus drove the livestock sellers and money changers both at the beginning and end of His ministry (John 2:13-16, Luke 19:45-48).

As Melchizedek met with Abraham he "brought out bread and wine" - the very elements that Jesus would offer to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)

Prophetic Significance

In previous articles in this series we have already seen that the earthly place known as Zion, Jerusalem, or Salem has cosmic significance:

In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. (Psalm 76:1-2)

In type and figure, Salem on earth signifies the true Zion, God's dwelling place in glory.

Two particular Messianic prophecies are the most quoted in the New Testament. Both are from the opening verses of Psalm 110, and both speak of the One of whom Melchizedek the King of Salem is a figure:

The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn and will not relent, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:1-4)

Verse one, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool,' is found five times in the New Testament (Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:43, Acts 2:35, Hebrews 1:13). Verse four, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," is found six times, all in Hebrews chapters 5 through 7.

Jesus quoted the first of these to the Pharisees and asked them of whom it speaks.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David." He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'? If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. (Matthew 22:41-46)

Clearly, Jesus was identifying Himself as the One who is spoken of in Psalm 110 as the "priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek". He is the cosmic Prince of Peace who was prefigured by the one whose earthly title was "King of Salem" or "King of Peace." Melchizedek prefigured Jesus' present reign in "Jerusalem above" (Galatians 4:26) as both King and Priest. He is the one who "must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25) thus restoring perfect, eternal, and universal "peace through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).

Next: The One Who Occupies the First Position

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