Who in the world is Melchizedek? Scholarship, teachers, preachers, and little old ladies in the pew have long pondered who this mysterious figure is. Why does he occupy only a few verses in Abraham’s story (Gen 14:18–20)? What was so special about him, and how did David know this in order to write about him in Psalm 110:4? The author of Hebrews apparently thought this connection was legitimate because “Melchizedek” appears six times in Hebrews 6:20–7:17. In addition, the New Testament quotes Psalm 110 more than any other Old Testament text. In order for this to make sense, they must have known something we don’t.
Matthew Emadi—senior pastor of Crossroads Church in Utah—wrote his dissertation on this topic at SBTS. This book is an edited version of his dissertation. Emadi’s aim “is to develop a biblical-theological case for how David came to the conclusion that the Messiah would be a royal priest after the order of Melchizedek” (5). This involves arguing “that the Melchizedekian priesthood of Psalm 110 builds on the meaning and purpose of Adam’s royal priesthood associated with the Abrahamic covenant and redemption” (5).
To say it in another way, God meant for Adam to be a servant priest-king, a role Adam lost when he sinned. Melchizedek’s priesthood, unlike the temporal Levitical cult, is able to mediate the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant to the nations. Emadi, in agreement with Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum’s understanding of the biblical covenants, argues that “the union of priesthood and kingship in Psalm 110 fits perfectly into this larger storyline” (6).
Emadi doesn’t focus on Genesis 14 alone. He argues that the entire Torah provides the theo-logic for David’s messianic understanding in Psalm 110. That is to say, David knew God’s torah (Psalm 1:2). Emadi uses a canonical approach (understanding the final form of the Old Testament and not being led astray by JEDP theories) and typology to show how David arrived at his understanding.
The Flow of the Book
Chapter two presents Adam as the prototype priest-king, a status reflected in Noah, Melchizedek, and Abraham. Emadi focuses on how Melchizedek fits into the narrative of Genesis and how he relates to Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant. Chapter three examines Israel’s royal priesthood and contrasts the Aaronic and Melchizedekian lines. Chapter four covers Psalm 110 in its Old Testament setting and its links to the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants. Chapter five offers a verse-by-verse exegesis of Psalm 110, connecting it to Psalms 1–2, 8, and to sections of 1–2 Samuel dealing with patterns in David’s life and the content of the Davidic covenant. Chapter six traces Psalm 110’s influence in intertestamental literature, especially 11QMelchizedek, the Enochic literature, and the Testament of Levi. Chapters seven and eight focus on the New Testament use of Psalm 110 in Mark and Hebrews and their royal-priestly Christology. Chapter nine concludes with a summary of Emadi’s arguments and additional theological reflections.
Emadi’s thesis isn’t made of one silver bullet argument but on a cumulative set of biblical-theological insights. Some insights will seem like a stretch, but when paired with other insights they seem more plausible. For example, Emadi argues that Melchizedek was a king-priest of a covenant superior to and given earlier than the covenant with Abraham. One piece of evidence is that Melchizedek gave Abraham bread and wine (Gen 14:18). The only previous occurrences of those terms are when God told Adam he would eat bread by the sweat of his brow (3:19) and when Noah got drunk from the wine of his vineyard (9:21). I do believe this is a likely connection, because both Adam and Noah were covenant heads and these terms show up in connection with their moral failings. This may seem like “much ado about nothing,” but Emadi highlights narrative clues that fill out who Melchizedek was.
However, this book is very academic, and while Emadi clearly has a handle on the intertextuality of Scripture, as the argument progressed it was quite difficult for me to remember all of the many connections. This is partially because I found Emadi’s connections between Melchizedek and Abraham (and the Abrahamic covenant) in chapter two somewhat uncompelling. It was actually later chapters that helped solidify Emadi’s argument in chapter two for me.
Recommended?
I was surprised at how many connections Emadi was able to draw together to show how this mysterious figure plays a pivotal role within Scripture because of his connection with the Abrahamic covenant. There will always be some pieces of interpretation that either don’t make sense or aren’t explained fully (is Ps 110:4 really looking back to Chedorlaomer?). Emadi clearly showed how Jesus lived as a priest through how he cleansed people of their impurities or unclean spirits. He also provides a very thorough discussion of the entire letter of Hebrews, explaining how the author reasoned from Scripture to prove Jesus’ position as the eternal enthroned priest-king-Son. Emadi shows that both David and the author of Hebrews knew their Bibles, and they didn’t make things up. His book helps us understand the Bible better. Highly recommended.
Buy it on Amazon or from IVP Academic
Lagniappe
- Series: New Studies in Biblical Theology
- Author: Matthew H. Emadi
- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: IVP Academic (November 2022)
Disclosure: I received this book free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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