After peaceful old Abraham returned to the land of Canaan, he suddenly found himself having to take up the mantle of a warrior leader.
What happened was that several city-state rulers descended from an area east of Canaan and decided to wage war against five Canaanite kings in the region where Abraham was living.
Now normally Abraham would have avoided the conflict but these invading kings also sacked Sodom and Gomorrah and that’s where Abraham’s nephew Lot was living.
Once Lot ended up being kidnapped Abraham had to respond because as they say blood is thicker than water.
Abraham wasted no time in hiring 318 able-bodied men and off they went to hunt down these renegade kings of the east.
Long story short, they caught up to the raiders, overcame them, rescued Lot and took back all the goods that had been stolen.
This event made Abraham a hero.
Upon returning to the cheers of the people, Abraham was honored by a mysterious figure whom the Scripture calls Melchizedek.
This character was the strange King and High Priest of a city called Shalem.
Hundreds of years later this city would be renamed Jerusalem.
So who exactly was this Melchizedek figure?
According to Hebrew tradition, he was none than Noah’s son Shem.
This is totally possible.
First of all, Melchizedek is NOT a name but a title that means “king of righteousness”.
Second, even though Shem would have been a couple of centuries old by this time, when we examine the table of generations, we can see that Shem was alive during the same period Abraham was residing in Canaan.
The conclusion that Melchizedek was indeed Shem does connect a lot of mysterious dots about this otherwise cryptic Bible character who later in the New Testament will be likened to the Messiah.
No, there is no way this was Shem. In Hebrews where a more expanded description is given, we can see clearly that this was a pre-appearance of Yeshua. Just as He appeared to the parents of Samson, and other times.
Although scholars have highly debated his true personhood, most, like Matthew Henry in his commentary, have concluded that he was, in fact, a man and not the Son of God.
When you do the math concerning birth and death time-span comparisons between Shem and Abraham; Shem was a contemporary of Abraham with at least a 70 year overlap. Melchizedek is a title as opposed to a name and I do believe that Shem was (or should we say “is”) the king/priest…Melchizedek. Very difficult to hermeneutically see, “Yeshua” – then, as a preincarnate (or pre-appeared) physical “king” of a natural city “Salem” here on earth at that time. What happened to Him when David conquered “Salem” from the Jebusites? Why would Yeshua give up His Kingship and Kingdom to mortal men? Or better than that, who is that powerful to do it? Why would the Son of God whose Father is the Creator of the Universe, all of mankind, and all of the Angelic Host of Heaven need a mortal man on two occasions to save his kingdom?
It was not for the purpose of “saving His kingdom”. Compare His answer to the parents of Samson with the words of Isaiah 9:6. It is very obvious.
Please share your scripture reference for “the words of Samson” I love Isa 9:6. Yes, He Yeshua is “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace…..and His dominion shall be sustained forever”. Where did He go when David captured “Salem or Jerusalem” in 1 Chron 11: 1-4 and 1 Chron 15:3. If “Yeshua was Melchizedek” then?
In Hebrews 5″1-11 It is clear that Yeshua was Melchizedec. He is the only One who qualifies for this post.
In another place, it describes Him as having neither father or mother, and that is certainly not true of Shem.
You’re referencing a title determing it to be a name. “Melchizedek” is a Title of The High Office of Priesthood in which Shem then, and Yeshua now operate in. Like the Office of the Presidency, it last as long as the Kingdom (or Nation) exists, yet names may change. King/Priest Yeshua’s position in this Office will never change, because His Kingdom is forever, far different from what happened in 1 Chron 11: 1-7. Read the original Greek and Hebrew at Heb 5:5, “You are a Cohen forever, to be compared with Malki-Tzedek” (also Ps 110:4). I see we will be going back and forth on this, so let’s agree to disagree. But it was very nice corresponding w/ you.
Yes, you are right, we simply do not agree on this one. That’s fine. I enjoyed the exchange too, and thanks.
you asked for a Scripture reference regarding Samson. Judges 13 especially verses 18 and 23. This is one of the theophanies of the Lord, and in the case of Melchidezek and Avram, the greater blesses the lesser and tithes are given to the greater.
In my opinion it is by no means possible that Melchizedek was Shem, for one simple reason: Scripture clearly says that Melchizedek was not of Abraham’s lineage (Hebrews 7: 6), and Shem was indeed an ancestor of Abraham.
Furthermore, I don’t even believe that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnation of Yeshua. The New Testament says that Yeshua was a priest according to “the order of Melchizedek” not that they were the same person.