Tithing and Melchizedek—The Revelation!

Check the genealogies of both Genesis and the Chronicles. Everyone in scripture with whom God has something particular to do can be traced back to Adam, except Melchizedek. Why? Why was Melchizedek’s genealogy allowed to be purposely hidden by the sovereign, omniscient, all-wise God? Proverbs 25:2 lends some insight. It is for the express purpose of the omniscient God to say, through his foreknowledge of things to come: “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” What is Melchizedek’s order? Obviously, it is not his priestly functions because nothing is written about priestly functions with regard to Melchizedek. Again, there were no people, there was no law, and there was no imputed sin. God simply is too wise to have a priest in place without people or law in place. What was this priest doing for God? The more I think of it, the more absurd it sounds. This supposed priest of God—with no people, no law, and no sacrifices for sins to make an atonement—has absolutely nothing to do for almighty God! Praise God! Can you follow that? Remember that the scripture never says that Melchizedek was God’s high priest; the scripture says Melchizedek was priest of the most high God. There is a difference. Again, at that point in history, all nations were pagan and served multiple false gods, one of which had to be considered their most high god (Zeus, Osiris, Baal, etc.). Given that Melchizedek was king and priest in a land that served pagan gods (false gods), one of which was their “most high god,” it had to be that Melchizedek served as a priest under a pagan god. During that period in biblical history, before God chose to reveal himself to Abram, all nations were pagan in their religious worship and served multiple false gods, even Abram and his father, before God chose to speak to him (Joshua 24:2–3). When God spoke to Abram “on the other side of the flood”, Abram, his father, and his brother were serving false gods. The other side of the flood is after the flood waters of Noah receded, and the earth was again replenished with people. The scripture in Joshua 24:2–3, referenced above, describe the time when Abram and his family served false gods. It also notes when the LORD spoke to Abram; it was while he was serving other gods, when rightly divided and connected to Genesis 12:1. We must consider that this scripture uses past tense, using the phrase “had said,” signifying when the LORD actually spoke to Abram. He spoke to him while he was still in his father’s house in Ur of the Chaldees and while they served other gods. We can conclude that Abram heard the voice of the LORD when the LORD called to him while he was in the midst of serving “false gods.” Abram had to believe the voice was one of the false gods he was then serving and therefore obeyed. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8, emphasis added) Abram could not have known it was the LORD who called him because up to that point, there was no manifestation of the LORD, no revelation or appearance of the LORD given to him. In Genesis 12:7, however, this is when the LORD actually appeared unto Abram and spoke. Abram now has a voice and a presence with which to identify the LORD, and he builds him an altar. The focus in Hebrews 11:8 is on the fact that Abram obeyed God, even though he must have thought it was the voice of the false god he was then serving, and not the LORD, the God of heaven. Additionally, when the LORD appeared to Abram, Abram’s knowledge of the LORD was a little more enhanced. No one can know the LORD except that the LORD reveals himself first. With no appearance or manifestation from the LORD, Abram could not have known it was the LORD, the God of heaven, who told him to leave his father’s house. God must reveal or manifest himself and introduce himself in order to make himself known before anyone can know him. The way God manifests himself as the word of the LORD (Genesis 15:1) and then identifies himself to Abram (Genesis 15:7)—by telling Abram that it was he that brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees—confirms that Abram did not know who spoke to him while he was in Ur of the Chaldees until the LORD spoke with him and revealed and identified himself. After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1) And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. (Genesis 15:7)