Interesting Inferences

[Jonaitis]

The title says it all. What have you found?

Melchizedek, king of Salem (Genesis 14:18), was also "priest of God Most High." Abraham gave him tithes, recognized his divine calling immediately (vv. 20). This means that there were believers congregated in Salem that owned him as a priest in their earthly worship, despite the paganism that was prevalent at that time. Abraham was a new believer, he may have visited him (and the church there) for fellowship while living there, but for Melchizedek to be "priest" there must have been a considerable number of believers already living in Canaan. It also implies that God restrained his judgment in the land of Canaan at this time, not only because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Genesis 15:16), but that there were still a burning wick among them that gave light to them. It may also imply that as "priest of God Most High," and the fact that he recognized Abraham immediately, he must have been a prophet for the believers in Salem. It was not uncommon for priests to communicate with God. Likely, he was "spoken Scripture" to a church in that place, at that time, that had not "written Scripture" to glean from. We are talking before the giving of the Torah. It makes sense.

It is also argued that this Salem is the same Jerusalem, that has significance.

Another significant detail is that he provided Abraham with "bread and wine" (vv. 18), but how strong of evidence that this referred to some sort of proto-Lord's Supper, I do not know, and that he encouraged Abraham's faith in Christ with it...I do not know. It is plausible. Or he simply gave him food.

 

[Monna]

Salem means peace. He was the King of Peace. Jesus is prophetically called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
His (Jesus) life, death and resurrection are the means by which we can have peace with God, and true peace with one another.
Jesus is referred to in Hebrews as our Priest "after the Order of Melkizedec." He is our Priest, interceding for us at the "right hand" of God. He offers "bread and wine" - His own body and blood - as an offering, but He is both our Bread and our life-giving "blood" - the New Covenant with God is through this Bread and Wine.
Hebrews mentions that nothing is known about the genealogy of Melkizedek - it's like he always was (no earth parents we know of), - and he left no children that we know of. Where he came from and where he went, or what happened to him, nobody knows ... very much like the wind as a metaphor for the Spirit that Jesus used when talking to Nocodemus (John 3).

 

[Hank77]

I think you've done a good job of fleshing out a lot of information without too much speculation. I'll just add one thing that you might agree with.

Abram gave tithes from the spoils of the war, I think those tithes were not just because Melchizedek was a priest but also to give thanks to God for the victory, in winning the war and saving Lot, his people, and his possessions.

I think this scripture supports the statement that Salem is Jerusalem.
Psa 76:1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
Psa 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

 

[Jonaitis]

What other inferences can you find throughout Scripture?

I know so many, some of them I stumbled upon in my private devotion, others by reading it from different authors who briefly touch on it.

If you follow the Masoretic text, you will notice that Shem outlived Abraham, and that he* was alive to see Joseph as a teenager.

Edit: I changed Abraham to he* to refer to Shem.

 

[Jonaitis]

Methusaleh's name means "man of the dart," and he lived the longest in the Old Testament. It is argued, depending on which manuscript you use, that Enoch, who was declared a prophet in Jude 1:14, named him this as a sign of judgment to the people living in his time, and that at the end of 120 years as stated in Genesis 6:3, he would die and the flood of judgment would begin. Enoch departing before this time, without seeing death, left his son as that sign.

I read this from Nehemiah Coxe, very insightful.

 

[Josheb]

The title says it all. What have you found?

Melchizedek, king of Salem (Genesis 14:18), was also "priest of God Most High." Abraham gave him tithes, recognized his divine calling immediately (vv. 20). This means that there were believers congregated in Salem that owned him as a priest in their earthly worship, despite the paganism that was prevalent at that time. Abraham was a new believer, he may have visited him (and the church there) for fellowship while living there, but for Melchizedek to be "priest" there must have been a considerable number of believers already living in Canaan. It also implies that God restrained his judgment in the land of Canaan at this time, not only because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Genesis 15:16), but that there were still a burning wick among them that gave light to them. It may also imply that as "priest of God Most High," and the fact that he recognized Abraham immediately, he must have been a prophet for the believers in Salem. It was not uncommon for priests to communicate with God. Likely, he was "spoken Scripture" to a church in that place, at that time, that had not "written Scripture" to glean from. We are talking before the giving of the Torah. It makes sense.

It is also argued that this Salem is the same Jerusalem, that has significance.

Another significant detail is that he provided Abraham with "bread and wine" (vv. 18), but how strong of evidence that this referred to some sort of proto-Lord's Supper, I do not know, and that he encouraged Abraham's faith in Christ with it...I do not know. It is plausible. Or he simply gave him food.

Yep.

It is important to note that Mel was not only priest, but also king. When God establishes His preferences the roles of king and priest are unified. We see this in Melchizedek, the Judges, Christ, and the Church. These roles get separated with Moses at the burning bush when he refuses to return to Egypt alone as God's voice and instead asks for Aaron to accompany him and be his voice. From that moment on the civil rule and religious rule were separated. This becomes even more divided when the Jews ask for a king in 1 Sam. 8. God states quite plainly they are rejecting Him as king. God let's them have an earthly king and the divided civil and religious rule with human king informed their theology - their theology of the Messiah - so egregiously they completely missed him when he stood before them in human appearance.

Jesus is King of Kings and the great High Priest in the Order of Mel, and we, like him, are royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9).

And you are correct Jerusalem is Salem. "Jeru" means city and "salem" means peace. Mel was the king and priest of the city of peace and Jesus is the same. The former was a temporal city here on earth and the latter is the bride that comes from heaven with Christ as its foundation, cornerstone, and capstone.

 

[Hank77]

and that Abraham was alive to see Joseph as a teenager.

Did you mean Jacob as a teen?

 

[Jonaitis]

Did you mean Jacob as a teen?

Nope. Check it out, it is strange.

 

[Hank77]

Nope. Check it out, it is strange.

Correct my mistakes, please.
Abraham died at 175.
Issac was born when Abe was 100.
Issac was 60 when Jacob was born, making Abe 160 then.
Jacob was 15 when Abe died.

Jacob didn't start a family for several yrs., I think he was 40?

 

[Jonaitis]

Did you mean Jacob as a teen?

My apologies, I meant Shem, not Abraham. He outlived Abraham and was alive when Joseph was a teenager. I edited the previous post.

 

[Hank77]

My apologies, I meant Shem, not Abraham. He outlived Abraham and was alive when Joseph was a teenager. I edited the previous post.

OK. Thanks, this information about Shem is new to me.

 

[Jonaitis]

OK. Thanks, this information about Shem is new to me.

Having been the last pre-flood generation, he lived a considerably long time than his descendants afterward. But back to the inference, this must mean Shem was around when Abraham was still a pagan, yet God chose him. Likely, Mel was a child of Shem, but it is not entirely certain, but his name is in Hebrew is it not? King of Righteousness it translates, this is post-babel. Did they make contact, Abraham and Shem?

 

[Hank77]

Having been the last pre-flood generation, he lived a considerably long time than his descendants afterward. But back to the inference, this must mean Shem was around when Abraham was still a pagan, yet God chose him. Likely, Mel was a child of Shem, but it is not entirely certain, but his name is in Hebrew is it not? King of Righteousness it translates, this is post-babel. Did they make contact, Abraham and Shem?

It's said that Mel had no father or mother, they were unknown. Shem's family line was well known, so I don't think Mel was Shem's son.
Abraham and Shem may have known each other but that's pure speculation, isn't it?

 

[Jonaitis]

It's said that Mel had no father or mother, they were unknown. Shem's family line was well known, so I don't think Mel was Shem's son.
Abraham and Shem may have known each other but that's pure speculation, isn't it?

True.

But wait, Abraham came from Ur, a well-known and documented Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia. How ironic, since the oldest known recorded civilization (outside of Scripture) surrounds this region.

Noah's family settled on Mt. Ararat immediately after the flood, correct? "Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there" (Genesis 11:1-2). Shinar is the Hebrew equivalence to Greek term for Mesopotamia and Babylon. This is the same region where Nimrod ruled (Genesis 11:10), same region of Ur. Babel happened at Babel.

Abraham is called a "Hebrew," and is a direct descendant of "Eber," and one directly and paternally to Shem. The Hebrew community is Post-Babel. It is possible that Abraham left this Hebrew community, as we read in the following words,

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1).

His kindred? The Hebrews, who spoke Hebrew (Post-Babel).

I suppose you could still insist it is speculation, but there is strong evidence that they at least saw each other, being so close to each other at one point in their lifetime.

 

[Hank77]

True.

But wait, Abraham came from Ur, a well-known and documented Sumerian city-state in Mesopotamia. How ironic, since the oldest known recorded civilization (outside of Scripture) surrounds this region.

Noah's family settled on Mt. Ararat immediately after the flood, correct? "Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there" (Genesis 11:1-2). Shinar is the Hebrew equivalence to Greek term for Mesopotamia and Babylon. This is the same region where Nimrod ruled (Genesis 11:10), same region of Ur. Babel happened at Babel.

Abraham is called a "Hebrew," and is a direct descendant of "Eber," and one directly and paternally to Shem. The Hebrew community is Post-Babel. It is possible that Abraham left this Hebrew community, as we read in the following words,

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1).

His kindred? The Hebrews, who spoke Hebrew (Post-Babel).

I suppose you could still insist it is speculation, but there is strong evidence that they at least saw each other, being so close to each other at one point in their lifetime.

It's certainly possible that Abe and Shem had met.