Jesus Christ, our Only Sovereign
Sovereign LORD = the LORD God
The phrase “Sovereign LORD” is used 209 times in the Bible; only 7 times in the New Testament. Out of the usages in the New Testament, only once does the phrase refer to the Emperor, King Agrippa*; therefore, we know there is yet only one Sovereign King of kings and LORD of lords of the heavens and the earth, and that is the LORD God Almighty Himself. Do we have more than one heavenly Sovereign King and LORD? Some people think so: that being the Father and the Son, or maybe not the Father, but the Son or vise versa. What do you believe?
- *As an answer to Arians or others who want to argue that Jesus is just another 'sovereign lord' (Agrippa in Acts 25:36) or as with Artaxerxes, 'king of kings' (Ezra 7:12), you are making Jesus equal with man and not equal with God (Phil 2:6). There is only one King (Divine Deity) of all kings (created) and LORD (Divine Deity) of all lords (created). Man is not equal with 'the' God or 'the' God equal with man. Do NOT dethrone the LORD.
- Even to put Jesus on the throne of David and not on the throne of God is making Him equal with man. David did not shed His blood for you. David did not rise from the dead or ascend to the heavens (Acts 2:34).
In the Old Testament, only one Sovereign LORD spoke to His people; He is known also as the Word of God, Who at the proper time was manifest as the Son, in the flesh, named “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6), Immanuel (Isa 7:14; Mat 1:23), Yeshua – Iesous – Jesus (Mat 1:21; Luke 2:31), the Christ of God (Luke 9:20; 23:35). How do we know this? Let’s review these six passages that have to do with the Sovereign LORD in the New Testament:
The ONLY Sovereign
Luke 2:29
“Sovereign Lord [despota], as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.” This was a prayer by the Jewish priest, Simeon, as He beheld the Son of God before he died. How is it Simeon would pray to the Sovereign LORD, yet be holding the Sovereign LORD? Is Jesus the Sovereign LORD or not?
Let’s go on:
Acts 4:24 (post-resurrection of Christ)
“When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord [despota],’ they said, ‘You made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” This rejoicing followed the healing of a cripple and the subsequent arrest and release of the Apostles Peter and John, who were preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
- Isa 43:11 “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.”
- Hos 13:4 “Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.”
1 Timothy 6:15
“which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign [dunastés – Sovereign], the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Cross-reference with 1 Tim 2:6: “Who gave Himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.”
You might notice the different Greek word for Sovereign here: dunastés, instead of despota. To see if dunastés is yet speaking about the LORD, Jesus Christ, let’s compare a few more scriptures:
- Deut 10:17: “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”
- 1 Tim 1:17: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
- Rev 17:14: “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers."
- Rev 19:16: “On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
*Is this speaking of someone equal to Artaxerxes? NO!
They DENY The Sovereign LORD
We’ve just witnessed the truth of the Scriptures, declaring the LORD your God, the great God, mighty and awesome, the only God is the only Sovereign, the King of kings and LORD of lords and He is the Lamb! Do you believe this? Not everyone who claims to know God does; thus, the reason for the warnings found in the following passages:
2 Peter 2:1
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord [despota] who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.”
“The Sovereign LORD Who ‘bought' them”? Let’s look at Acts 20:28 “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God [Theos], which He bought with His own blood.”
*Did king Agrippa purchase us? NO.
Jude 1:4
“For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign [despota] and Lord [Kurios/Yehovah].”
And the final New Testament verse using the phrase “Sovereign LORD” is found in
Revelation 6:10
“They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord [despota], holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’"
Here’s a very refreshing translation of the judging of the inhabitants of the earth, found in Ps 9:8: ”And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”
Judge is the Hebrew word shaphat: avenge, that condemn, contend, defend, execute judgment, be a judgment
World is the Hebrew word tebel: confusion in the earth (as moist and therefore inhabited); by extension, the globe; by implication, its inhabitants; specifically, a partic. Land, as Babylonia, Palestine -- habitable part, world.
Ezekiel 33:11 states, “Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD [LORD God], I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'”
The BIG Question?
I asked earlier, “How is it Simeon would pray to the Sovereign LORD, yet be holding the Sovereign LORD? Is Jesus the Sovereign LORD or not?”
There’s only one answer to that question: Simeon was holding the Almighty, Sovereign LORD in the flesh – God our Savior, the Lamb of God! Is there any doubt? Can you imagine what it’s like to HOLD that newborn babe in your arms? Will you hold Him now?
I remember the words to the song “Mary, Did You Know?” ~ “This child that you delivered will soon deliver you”…“When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God”…“This sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great I AM” – Hallelujah to the Lamb!
Related hubs by Judah's Daughter
- With His OWN Blood
Does God ordain child sacrifice? If so, why would He contradict His own Word by asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering (completely consumed by fire)? Does Isaac represent the Son of God? You might be surprised. - Come to JESUS: Salvation
Are you feeling drawn to your Savior? This hub is to share with you what it is to be saved and the simple prayer of asking Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Savior today. He accepts you just as you are and freely forgives all of your sins. Are
Related
Comments
Hi Judah's daughter,
Well written article! When you brought up the words to "Mary, Do You Know," -- she did know that which was conceived in her was from God, and in the first chapter of Luke in her prayer, she says, "My soul [ag]exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." I don't know how much she could really comprehend the scope, but she did see her need for a savior!
- Author
AHHH!! That is SO beautiful and so confirming, sister Donna Sundblad! She rejoiced in God her Savior, even as she was chosen to bear Him ~ AMEN! She received and conceived our very Sovereign LORD Jesus Christ. How blessed she was and how blessed we are who receive and conceive tHis Truth in our hearts. Wow ~ thank you!
I just came in from under the stars. I go out every evening about this time to spend time with our God, and I saw the notice that you'd written this hub. Good job JD. Pray for me. He'll know.
jim
- Author
The LORD loves you, TheManWithNoPants ~ He's had the path for you ordained even before you were born. I would say to you, you know that path and you know if you've wandered off of it. How you know is by the gentle prodding of the Shepherd's staff, guiding you back to the path that leads to blessing and life. He wants to bless you more than you know!! I pray the LORD's perfect, sovereign will in your life; that you understand no One in heaven and earth loves you as much as He. Receive and 'conceive', brother ~ God bless you!!
"The Lord our God is one Lord," but people sure can get confused. Like, in the book of Revelation both the Lamb and God are seen in John's vision. It can easily be taken as seeing two separate beings. But at the end in chapter 22 the river of living water flows from the throne--one throne. It is called the throne of God and the Lamb. This suggests to me that God and the Lamb are one and the same being who sits on the throne. I think we can simplify the confusion by thinking of God wearing different "hats" just like many of us wear different "hats"--we have roles that vary dependent on what the situation calls for. Thanks for addressing this issue so well, JD!
- Author
Amen, sister Dee! You know, I had a type of 'vision' or 'understanding' recently. It went like this: I saw that people are reading the Bible with bi-focals, maybe even tri-focals; God not only wants to make His identity crystal clear, He wants to remove the glasses altogether and make those blind eyes SEE! Only sharply focused passages, such as these and the study of the 'First and the Last' (for example), even as the singular Throne in Revelation, bring those bi-focal and tri-focal blurs back into sharp focus. Praise our Sovereign LORD, Jesus Christ! He is so faithful to those who seek to know Him. God bless you always!!!
Judah's Daughter, dear sister, indeed Christ Jesus is "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" Christ Jesus is "Supreme above all. Yet we must still remember that even He, remains subservient to Almighty God Father of Christ and on the "Last Day" Jesus will in obedience relinquish the earth back to The Father Holy God.
Hi, I still insist we cannot understand God.
That's a great vision/dream, JD!
- Author
Brother Dave,
Considering the clarity of this study on the ONLY Sovereign, Jesus Christ, we must take passages that appear contradictory to the rest of the Word and subject them to the same (the rest of the Word), in order to reconcile the Truth. What I’m about to share with you was ‘strong meat’ for me; may be for you, too ~ or maybe it’s baby food (Heb 5:14; Eph 4:14).
I’ve written an entire hub on the subject of the subjection of the Son, the link of which is connected to the words “subject to the Father” in Section 3 of this hub. Just click on the words and you’ll be there. For now, I will provide some reconciliatory passages to clarify what 1 Cor 15:28 means:
(KVJ) 1 Cor 15:27-28 “For He hath put all things under his feet. But when He saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” Cross-reference God being all-in-all with Christ being all-in-all in Col 3:11.
Let’s now go back to Psalm 8:6-8: “Thou madest him [man] to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” Does this sound familiar? Let’s go back even further to Genesis 1:26 “…and let them [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
The ‘Son’ mentioned in 1 Cor 15:28 is not Jesus Christ; it is we, believers ~ in our Divine state (post-resurrection). The word used here is ‘huios’ and is found also in the words of Jesus Christ in Revelation 21:7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son [huios].”
To confirm even this point, look at Daniel’s vision in chapter 7:13-14 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power.” Daniel asked the angel for the interpretation of this vision, found in vs. 22 & 27 “until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom…Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High.”
2 Cor 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Amen.
- Author
Vladimir, that's okay ~ God is forever patiently teaching us, as long as we remain teachable. In Luke 24:44-45, after His resurrection, "Now He [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."
You might enjoy my hub called "Jesus Spoke in Parables", which expounds on His reason for doing so as found in In Matthew 13:10-11 “The disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted…"
1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." Be blessed.
- Author
Thanks, sister Dee! Call it ""ddoouubbllee vviissiioonn"" to "I can see clearly now" ~ AMEN; Hallelujah!
I am still insisting:
we cannot understand God
with five physical senses
but we can believe in Him
and love Him with heart
I love yea sis.
- Author
As long as insistance doesn't become resistance, brother. Blessings.
Judah's Daughter: I understand what you are saying here. Maybe wrongfully so, I have always understood the reference to the "SON" in l Corrinthians 15, 27-28 to be referring to Christ Jesus, but since I neither have a Hebrew nor a Greek book of reference to validate from, I could be wrong.
- Author
Hi brother Dave, what you DO have is the scriptures I've shared with you that I discovered in my study on this topic. One thing's for sure, Daniel's vision of the 'son of man' standing before the Ancient of Days has been interpreted by churches for centuries as Jesus...yet, it does NOT align with the angel's interpretation given to us in the same passage. I believe the New Testament is rightfully interpreted by the Old, and not vise versa. It is not by the traditional doctrines birthed by man's understanding we grow; in fact, by them we can stagnate in error. Continue in His teaching and be blessed.
Judah's Daughter dear sister: Your reference To Daniel:7: 13-14, serves to confirm my belief that The Son of Man is Jesus. But you are right the interpretation by the angel in verses 22-27 definitely is not referring to Jesus, but to Lucifer.
This causes me to think and to worry, because in the New Testament, Jesus is referred to by himself as the "Son of Man",never the "Son of God" Only God refers to Jesus as His Son and only at Jesus Baptism by John in the river Jordan. MATTHEW: 16: 13; When Jesus seems to refer to the "Son of Man" as with Peter's acknowledgement of Jesus being the Christ, who is Jesus referring to?
- Author
Brother Dave, so you are saying that "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power" in Dan 7:14 and the interpretation "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High" in Dan 7:27 is speaking about Lucifer? No. What I'm trying to show you is that the 'son of man' mentioned in Dan 7:13 is the saints (the saved children of God), not Jesus ~ the same way 'he will be My son' is speaking of the saints (believers) in Rev 21:7. In NO WAY is this talking about heylel (whom the Catholic church named 'Lucifer').
Lucifer, a Latin proper name, was inserted into the Hebrew text in Is 14:12 and is specifically referring to the king of Babylon in that passage (vs. 4). That name is only found in that one verse and none else. I don't know if you've read my hub "Is Lucifer the Devil?", but I invite you to come by.
Let's look at what Jesus said in Luke 22:70 (NAS) "And they all said, 'Are You the Son of God, then?' And He said to them that 'I AM' [ego eimi]." Peter confessed Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Mat 16:16) and later as "God and Savior" (2 Pet 1:1).
· Jesus referred to Himself as "I AM" [ego eimi] (Ex 3:14; John 8:58) – “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”
· Jesus claimed to be God "I and My Father are One" (Deut 6:4; John 10:30) – “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.”… “The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
· Jesus forgave sin (Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7) – “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Bottom line is Jesus is God incarnate...Immanuel, God with us...our ONLY Sovereign.
amen sis
The bottom line is that Jesus, is God, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is King of kings, and Lord of lords, He is Immanuel, is The Christ, is the Messiah, is the lamb of God, is supreme Sovereign.
- Author
Yes, AMEN, sister jesusmyjoy!!
- Author
Brother Dave, "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). Praise Him forevermore.
AMEN! dear sister and thank God fro providing you to be the instrument to open my eyes wider to His Word.
Hello Judah's Daughter and blessings!! GREAT WRITING! Voted-Up! I have missed you, I pray that all is well. God be with you always! Much love....
- Author
Hello, drpastorcarlotta! I appreciate the complement and the vote up ~ thank you! You have some GREAT WRITING, too! I miss you, also ~ wish we could have a get-together in the LORD, sister! God is with us and may we persevere in the Truth. Our Sovereign God is in control. Love you always, JD
So thankful for our Sovereign Lord Who is indeed sovereign over all things!Indeed there is no other! He is I AM!
God bless!
- Author
My heart REJOICES with you, His Daughter!!!! And you KNOW Whose Daughter you are, amen! Oh, how He loves us so!!!! Indeed, there IS NO OTHER - HE IS 'I AM'. Praise be to Him, our Sovereign LORD!!!
this is just amazing thank you
- Author
Yes, our God is Amazing, sister jesusmyjoy! Thank you so much and feel His great love for YOU today :-)
Hey Judah's Daughter, what a powerful article. Your knowledge and able to write what is in your heart is truly a gift from God. I am thankful that your sharing this beautiful gift.
Be Blessed.
- Author
Oh, bless your heart, bettybarnesb ~ thank you so much. I do write what is in my heart, no doubt, and I'm thankful our hearts are united in the LORD. He gives beautiful gifts and they are meant to be shared for the edification of the saints. God bless you, too sister!!
Bless you Sister in Christ Jesus, I really like reading your hubs. They're sooo interesting. Sixty plus writers/historians can not be a coincident. The truth can never be a lie. Keep the light shining brightly.
- Author
Thank you, brother Artin2010! I'm so glad you enjoy reading my hubs. I love hearing from you, too!! You are such a blessing to all who know you. Yes, the Truth can never be a lie ~ let's keep on shining His Light and love ~ may Jesus Christ, the Sovereign LORD, be praised forevermore!!
Loved listening to the song as I read through the interesting comments. With whatever different slant of opinion, we all search together for Truth! Power through His Guidance!
- Author
Amen, frogyfish ~ that song is so awesome, isn't it? Yes, we all continue to search together for Truth, the only Truth ~ and He alone is our Teacher. Praise God! God bless you, frogyfish.
Indeed, Jesus Christ is the only sovereign and Lord. He is our Father, our God, the Rock our Savior.
More scriptures that clearly identify Jesus Christ as the Father and Spirit.
Jude 4 "For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."
Deuteronomy 32:6 "Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?"
Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 63:16 "But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name."
Isaiah 64:8 "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Jeremiah 3:19-20 "I myself said, How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me. But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD."
Malachi 2:10 "Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?..."
John 14:9 "Jesus answered: Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?"
Jesus speaking in John 15:12 says "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
2John 4-6 "It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."
1Peter 1:13-17 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy because I am holy. Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."
1Corinthians 4:4-5 "My conscience is clear but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes."
___________________________________________________________________________
Acts 9:5 "Who are you Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, he replied." Verse 15 "But the Lord said to Ananias, Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."
Acts 11:20-21 "Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord."
Acts 13:2 "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 16:6-7 "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to."
2Corinthians 3:14-18 "But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
1Timothy 1:12 "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service."
Revelation 2:8-11 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death."
__________________________________________________________________________
Hosea 13:4 "But I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me."
Jude 5 "Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe."
1John 2:27 "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him."
As the words of the song say, He is all I need, Jesus is all I need....
What about the Father or Spirit?
Jesus is all we need because He is all of these.
The scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ is more than the Son
- Author
HalleluYah, brother STEVE. I REJOICE in the Word you have shared here!! I can't get enough of reading the Word, understanding WHO our God IS. We have only ONE Sovereign LORD (YHWH) and it is my prayer that He, the Holy Spirit, open the understanding of those who truly LOVE Him that they come to KNOW Him and that the scales of indoctrination fall from their eyes. Truly, the Truth of Who God IS can only be revealed by God Himself. I can't reveal it; you can't reveal it - this baffles me how many reject the Truth due to indoctrination. They are unwilling to learn from God, but rather hold to the doctrines of men. Help me in this quest, brother. I so appreciate your anointed contribution to God's ministry here. I praise and thank the LORD that He brought you here. Thank you!!
Who was Melchizedek? There are only two references to him outside of the book of Hebrews
(Gen.14:18; Ps.110:4). In the Genesis account, he appears in the context of a conflict between
nine kings (four against five). The area of battle was Sodom and Gomorrah. The winners, under
King Chedorlaomer of Elam, carried off the spoil of Sodom and Gomorrah, including Abram’s
nephew Lot and his family. When Abram heard about it, he set out after Chedorlaomer with an
army of 318 trained men. He pursued the king to the upper Galilee region and defeated him in
the area of Dan. On the way back, Abram met the King of Salem, Melchizedek. Melchizedek
blessed Abram, and Abram responded by giving him a tithe of all he had gained in defeating
Chedorlaomer. In the Psalms reference, David, looking ahead to the rule of Messiah, sees him as
“a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”.
Now, let’s attempt to trace the writer’s thinking in Hebrews about Melchizedek as he relates to
Jesus. I use the verb “trace” because that’s something we can do, whereas understanding his
thinking may be something else.
The writer speaks of Melchizedek as “without father or mother, without genealogy, without
beginning of days or end of life...” (v.3). What is he telling us here? If he intends us to take it at
face value, he’s telling us that Melchizedek is God (for only God has no parents, no genealogy,
no beginning or ending). We can reject that interpretation outright. The only alternative is that
Melchizedek is a mystery because there are no extant records of his history. And, as a mystery,
he becomes an excellent figure or “type” of the greatest mystery of history: Jesus Christ, the
God/Man/King/Priest.
Because he’s writing to Hebrew believers, the author now attempts to help them over a major
hurdle — the fact that this new “Priest” is not of the priestly tribe of Levi but of the tribe of
Judah. In chapter six, he has already reviewed the promise (or covenant) God made to Abraham.
He speaks of God’s oath, where He “swore by Himself”, that is, God “signed” the contract with
His own Holy Name. These “two unchangeable things” (God’s promise, and God’s oath) are the
basis for the hope which “anchors” the soul (vv.18-20). Jesus has become both the mediator and
the personification of that hope — He has “entered the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” and
“has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”.
The writer uses the typology of Melchizedek purposely. In Hebrew tradition, only those of the
tribe of Levi had the calling and right of priesthood. But, when Abraham gave a tithe to
Melchizedek, he was giving it to someone “who did not trace his descent from Levi” (7:6). Well,
how could he? Levi hadn’t been born yet! That may be true, says the writer, but Levi was there
- Author
I greatly appreciate your commentary, Chayot HaKodesh. I guess my question is, the genealogies of all God's people were recorded since Adam. It's a mystery where this king of Salem came from. Is there any way to say he's a forefather of the later tribe of Judah - somehow related to Abraham? I mean, Jesus is of the tribe of Judah, the King and Priest not from the Levites, though He was of Israel (David). I understand that Salem was later known as Jerusalem, so that is a pretty awesome alignment as well. Jesus did say in John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." I have aligned this to Gen 18:22, but perhaps He was also there in Gen 14:17-18. God did manifest Himself in many ways throughout history, so I wouldn't put it past Him! Thank you again for sharing this! God bless you!
Hello JD, It's been a while! Just wanted to say Blessings to you and hey. God is great and magnificent, Jesus IS our hope and Mercy, Amen. Happy Easter too !
- Author
Hello Artin2010! Good to see you! I don't celebrate "Easter" (pagan), but "Resurrection Day" - hopefully, we'll all come around to abandoning the pagan holiday name of "Easter" (Ishtar). God bless you, brother. Good to hear from you!!
42