- 80-
around Hebron belonged, followed in pursuit of Chedorlaomer and his allies.
Probably, as is common in such warfare, victory had made them careless. They may
have feasted, or their bands, laden with captives and spoil, may have been straggling,
and without order. Certainly they were ignorant of any coming danger, when Abram,
having divided his force, fell upon them, in the dead of night, from several sides at
the same time, inflicted a great slaughter, and pursued them to close by Damascus.
All the spoil and all the captives, among them Lot also, were rescued and brought
back. As the returning host of Abram entered the valley of Shaveh, close under the
walls of what afterwards became Jerusalem, they were met by two persons bearing
very different characters, and coming from opposite directions. From the banks of
Jordan the new king of Sodom, whose predecessor had fallen in battle against
Chedorlaomer, came up to thank Abram, and to offer him the spoils he had won;
while from the heights of Salem - the ancient Jerusalem - the priest-king Melchizedek
descended to bless Abram, and to refresh him with "bread and wine." This
memorable meeting seems to have given the valley its name, "the king's dale;" and
here, in later times, Absalom erected for himself a monumental pillar.(2 Samuel
18:18) But now a far different scene ensued, and one so significant in its typical
meaning as to have left its impress alike on the prophecies of the Old and in the
fulfillment of the New Testament. Melchizedek appears like a meteor in the sky -
suddenly, unexpectedly, mysteriously, - and then as suddenly disappears. Amid the
abundance of genealogical details of that period we know absolutely nothing of his
descent; in the roll of kings and their achievements, his name and reign, his birth and
death remain unmentioned. Considering the position which he occupies towards
Abram, that silence must have been intentional, and its intention typical; that is,
designed to point forward to corresponding realities in Christ. Still more clearly than
its silence does the information which Scripture furnishes about Melchizedek show
the deep significance of his personality. His name is "King of Righteousness," his
government that of the "Prince of Peace;" he is a priest," neither in the sense in which
Abram was, nor yet "after the order of Aaron," his priesthood being distinct and
unique; he blesses Abram, and his blessing sounds like a ratification of the bestowal
of the land upon the patriarch; while Abram gives "him tithes of all." There is in this
latter tribute an acknowledgment of Melchizedek both as king and priest - as priest in
giving him "tithes," and as king in giving him these tithes of all the spoil, as if he had
royal claim upon it; while Abram himself refuses to touch any of it, and his allies are
only allowed to "take their portion."
This is not the place to discuss the typical meaning of this story; yet the event and the
person are too important to pass them unnoticed. Twice again we meet Melchizedek
in Scripture: once in the prophecy of Psalm 110:4: "Thou art a priest for ever after the
order of Melchizedek;" the other time in the application of it all to our blessed Savior,
in Hebrews 7:3. That Melchizedek was not Christ Himself is evident from the
statement that he was "made like unto the Son of God" (or "likened unto" Him,
(^)