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From the study on blessing and cursing, which reveals the possibility
that Melchizedek, priest –king of Shalem, blessed Abraham,
and the Hebrew indicates this means he bowed the knee to Abraham
and gave Abraham a gift from the tithes of the people (Genesis
14), there needs to be a new assessment of the meaning of Psalm
110.
This psalm is attributed to David. But as so often happens our
English translations do not give the full understanding – especially
where the word " lord" comes in.
Some do have Jehovah and Lord – but by putting the capital
letter this signifies some one divine to us ; but the Hebrew uses "adonai" which
means "my lord" or master.
This can be anyone the writer respects and sees as a superior.
If David wrote this psalm : why did he write it, what did it mean
to him and other people of his day, what did Melchizedek signify
to them? It is hard to believe it is purely a prophecy about a
Messiah priest to come in the distant future who would make the
Levitical priesthood obsolete and come from another tribe i.e.
the king tribe of Judah. This person was a priest of an eternal
priesthood going back before the law of Moses. This is what the
writer of the book of Hebrews makes of it – using it to say
Jesus came to be a superior priest who made the Levites and the
law of the tabernacle obsolete.
It is interesting to see what Jesus himself is reported to say
on the matter in Matt 22, Mark 12 and Luke 20. He asks the Pharisees
from whom they expect the Christ to come, and they say from the
house of David – which was common belief then, and anyone
(and there must have been many when you think of all the children
David and Solomon had!) who could show their genealogy included
David was a possible candidate). The people were calling Jesus
a son of David, but he never said he was the one they looked for,
and in his comment on psalm 110 he still does not say he is the
fulfilment of it. On the contrary he says " how can the one
who is Messiah be descended from David, when David calls him lord?"
Some have said Jesus shows Kabbalist tendencies and this could
be an example, because they believe the Messiah sits at the right
hand of God until all God’s enemies are under his feet. This
person has always been there and awaits the time to come in the
flesh.
It is not reported that Jesus makes any comment about being like
Melchzedek!
So where does the writer of Hebrews get it from? This writer is
determined to find "proof" that Jesus is a better way
and the law of Moses finished.
The argument is that the tribe of the priests of the Mosaic law,
the Levites, were still in Abraham’s body when he gave tithe
to Melchizedek, who has no genealogy – useful when they obviously
had trouble finding a suitable one for Jesus and those provided
by Matthew and Luke do not agree or even make sense!
But IF the truth is that it was the other way round : that Melchizedek
gave tithe to Abraham, then this argument falls flat!
How could Abraham tithe from what was not his? But the people
could tithe to Melchizedek as a "thank you to God" and
he, then gave a reward "thank you" to Abraham.
Now, as Melchizedek was a Canaanite he was a Gentile, so it seems
there was a priesthood to God before, as there was in Midian with
Jethro, Moses father-in-law.
In 1 kings 5 v17 Solomon says he could not build a temple for
God until his father had " put all the enemies under his(Solomon’s)feet".
David had promised Bathsheba Solomon would be king after him – for
he which needed reminding.
And he made Solomon king whilst he was still alive. Could it be
that David wrote this psalm with Solomon in mind – foreseeing
he would be a king with a peaceful reign, with all his enemies
under his feet, and who would put together the temple, drawing
in the tithes from the people, and also with a place for the gentiles,
which shows so beautifully in Solomon’s prayer of dedication?
One could argue that David would not address his son as "lord",
but perhaps he saw his reign would be superior to his own, which
had been continual warfare.
So father and son were like Abraham (the messiah warrior who saw
off the enemies -see Genesis 14) and the priest king Melchizedek
who, in the same manner, belonged to an older priesthood than the
Levites that encompassed everyone – both Jew and Gentile.
next section : Questions around the communion
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