“Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”
– Hebrews 7:26
Hi James and Ellen,
While browsing 17 years ago (now going on 32 years ago as of the editing of this missive) in a small bookstore in Canada that sold Christian books, your grandmaa pulled a book off a bookshelf to flip through. As your grandmaa began putting the book back where she had taken it from, your grandmaa had a guy approach her. The guy told your grandmaa that she would really like the book if she bought it. Your grandmaa immediate called your grandpaa over from where he was about ten feet away looking through books that were randomly scattered on a table to tell him what a guy had just said to her about the book that she was holding. Your grandmaa and grandpaa bought the book. Because your grandmaa and grandpaa found the book so helpful, they decided to give this book as Christmas gifts to your dad and ma and to your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn. The Christmas that your grandmaa and grandpaa gave this book as Christmas gifts for your dad and ma and for your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn was the first Christmas after your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn were married. Because your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn were living in Holland, Michigan – with Holland being more or less between where your grandmaa and grandpaa were living at this time in Guelph, Ontario, Canada – where your grandpaa was the Executive Director for Canada South America Mission and where your dad and ma were living near Chicago, your dad and ma and your grandmaa and grandpaa met up where you Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn were living in Holland to celebrate Christmas together. After your dad and ma and your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn opened their Christmas gifts – including the book, your grandmaa had your dad and ma and your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn go through the book with her. Your grandpaa does not know if your dad and/or ma or if your Uncle Chris and/or your Aunt Lynn found it helpful going through this book with your grandmaa titled ‘Discover Your God-Given Gifts’ by Don and Katie Fortune. Your grandpaa has heard guys and gals who your grandmaa has gone through the book with over the past 17 years (past 32 years now) say that they have been really helped through this book and through your grandmaa going through it with them.
As Abraham (Abram) was heading back to the tent that he lived in in the land of Canaan with his 318 trained, in-house fighters after they put a real hurt on the four kings and their fighters who had taken Lot, Lot’s things and the guys, gals and kids from where Lot lived – which was in the city of Sodom, Canaan – recovering Lot, Lot’s stuff and the guys, gals and kids, Abraham (Abram) had an atypical out of the norm guy – Melchizedek, meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (the King’s Valley). Melchizedek was the king of Salem. As Salem means peace, Melchizedek was the king of peace. Melchizedek was also recognized as the priest of God Most High – making Melchizedek the priest/king of righteousness. After Melchizedek had given Abraham (Abram) some bread and wine, Melchizedek blessed Abraham (Abram). Abraham (Abram) then gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything that he had with him.
Who do you think Melchizedek was who Abraham (Abram) had meet him at the Valley of Shaveh? Do you think that Melchizedek prefigured Jesus Christ? Do you think that Melchizedek was a manifestation of Jesus Christ? Do you think that Melchizedek was an actual literal guy even though there is no mention anywhere in the Bible of Melchizedek’s parentage, if he had any kids, where or when he was born and when he died? The Hebrews Book author – in what is now Hebrews 7, took on explaining what Melchizedek’s role was on planet Earth. The author of the Hebrews Book identifies Melchizedek as a symbolic high priest for God who God placed on planet Earth during the time when Abraham (Abram) was living on planet Earth in anticipation of sending His Son – Jesus Christ, to planet Earth. The author’s short treatise on Melchizedek in his Hebrews Book has him comparing Melchizedek against the functions of Levi tribal clan priests. Even though both Melchizedek and Levi tribal clan priests were to be given a tithe that was to be equal to a tenth of what a guy earned or had, the Melchizedek priesthood line passed through Judah tribal clan while the Levi tribal clan priesthood line passed through Aaron and his Levi tribal clan. The Hebrews Book author’s thesis’ bottom line is that the Levi tribal clan priesthood’s mandate of fulfilling the commands and laws that God gave to His specially chosen guys and gals through Moses at Mount Sinai can never be met because these commands and laws were works driven that required Levi tribal clan priests to offer sacrifices. Because there are always imperfections and flaws in anything that is guy, gal and kid driven, the bondage to sin can never be broken because guys, gals or kids can never do enough through their own efforts to break sin’s hold on them. Melchizedek’s apparitional persona took on the forerunner, priesthood role for Jesus Christ who per verse 26 was, “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Just as Melchizedek never needed a priest to make an animal sacrifice for him because . . . Christ-follower guys, gals and kids had Jesus Christ make an everlasting sacrifice for them. When your grandmaa turned to thank the guy in the bookstore in Canada who had told her that she would really like that book if . . ., there was no guy in the store. Your grandmaa is now preparing to soon take a group of gals through ‘Discover Your God-Given Gifts’.
Hebrews 7 (1154)