0904. Christ Our King-Priest
Christ Our King-Priest
"The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psa_110:4).
Our ascended Lord is a priest after the order of Melchisedec. This includes kingship as well as priesthood. Melchisedec was priest of the Most High God. He was also King of Salem, which is "king of peace."
In the Psalm from which we take our "key verse" there are some striking things in connection with the proclamation of the Melchisedec order of the priesthood.
1. In Psa_110:1 of Psalms 110, Christ is seen sitting at the right hand of God, until His enemies are made His footstool.
In the 1st chapter of Hebrews in connection with Christ, as the "first begotten," coming again into the inhabited earth, this quotation from Psa_110:1 is used. See Heb_1:6, Heb_1:13.
In Heb_10:11-13 Christ is strikingly contrasted with the Aaronic priesthood thus: "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool."
Thus we see plainly that Christ, in fulfilling the larger type of the Melchisedec priesthood is sitting, even now at the Father's right hand awaiting the hour of His throne rights.
Peter, as recorded in Act_3:19-21, called upon Israel to repent that so God might send Jesus, Whom "the Heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things."
Christ our High Priest, is surely anticipating the taking of the Davidic throne, and His reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. This throne will give to our Lord both an ecclesiastical and a governmental reign, fulfilling perfectly the type of the king-priest, Melchisedec.
2. In Psa_119:2 and Psa_119:3 of Psalms 119, we read: "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day to Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou hast the dew of Thy youth." Here again we see Christ the perfect Melchisedec type, exercising His Kingly rule. His enemies will be overwhelmed by the "rod of His strength" which Christ will send out of Zion, (Jerusalem). His own people, Israel, will be willing in the day of His power. Israel, who once cried, "Away with Him!" will, receive Him with open arms.
He will come "in the dew of His youth," for He is the eternal of the Father, Whose years fail not.
He comes in the beauty of holiness, for He is the sinless and holy One of Israel.
He shall reign until He has put all things under His feet. His Kingdom shall be an everlasting dominion.
3. In Psa_110:5 and Psa_110:6 of Psalms 110, following the Melchisedec statement, we learn how Christ is to secure to Himself His Kingly heritage. The verses read: "The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries."
These passages, as all others describing the inauguration of the reign of Christ, show that His Kingdom is to be established through fiery judgments and overwhelming catastrophes.
In this connection we do well to read Psalms 45-47. The 2d Psalm is another Scripture in point. In fact the Prophets present many statements and many types of the coming of Christ to take upon Himself the Melchisedec king-priest rule. All of these statements foretell terrific judgments from the hand of God. Nebuchadnezzar's dream with the little stone grinding to powder the whole colossus; while the little stone, in turn, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth, is a most graphic picture of how Christ will take the Kingdom.
Revelation 19, and its Rider on the white horse is another striking revelation of this hour. Surely Christ, when He comes, will wound the "heads over many countries; He shall fill the places with dead bodies." In all of this terrible conflict He shall never grow weary nor be discouraged. Like the three hundred of Gideon's band, He shall "drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up His head."
God hath sworn and will not repent; Christ shall reign as king-priest, after the order of Melchisedec.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR