Melchizedek met the man whose lineage would eventually produce a Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the Second Person of the Triune Most High God. Little did Melchizedek know that the brief description of His encounter with Abraham in Genesis and the legitimacy of His priesthood recorded in the Psalms would be used to make the case that Jesus is better than everything. Melchizedek is preserved in the pages of Scripture as a man whose life and purpose was used to describe Christ.

For further consideration:
Why do you think we are more familiar with some biblical characters than others? What did you know about Melchizedek before reading Hebrews 7? Read Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 and consider what these passages reveal about Melchizedek. How do these references to Melchizedek relate to and inform the priesthood and kingship of Jesus? No ruler in Israel carried both titles of king and priest. Read 1 Samuel 13 to discover what happens when a king tries to function as a priest. How do the titles given to Melchizedek prepare us for the kingdom that Jesus is preserving for us? In the meantime, how do we keep the government form imposing itself on the church and as equally important, how do we keep the church from imposing itself on the government?