In Genesis 14, Abraham encountered Melchizedek the Priest for the first time. Melchizedek was a cherub who was once Adam’s guardian archangel and had permission from God to continue in the form of a man, after Adam’s death at the age of 930 years old, until he passed on the anointing to Abraham. Melchizedek was without father or mother and without genealogy because he was not a human being but only took on the form of a human (as angels are able to) to complete the ministry of Adam (Hebrews 7:3). He was not Shem, as is mostly assumed by scholars and in visions, his look was sharper and more angular (he had sharp nose and chin, slightly shorter than Shem, who had rounded nose and fuller chin) and very different from Shem. On the day of the encounter with Abraham, Melchizedek, who of course had open visions, saw in visions the meeting and took bread and wine to meet Abraham. Archangel Uriel who was with Abraham also appeared as a man on that day, and Abraham with about twenty of his servants saw just two men who were like priests. No burnt sacrifice was given but rather tithes from Abraham which included garments, gold and food. After receiving tithes from Abraham, Melchizedek blessed him and laid hands on him and on that day, Abraham received and anointing from God and had gifts imparted upon him. Abraham was visibly changed and transformed on that day and all that took place in his encounters with God and the covenant he made with God flowed forth from this impartation.
The first thing that Abraham was aware of was a need of a son to inherit all his blessings and God made a covenant with him by which Abraham released his faith for a child of his own, which points prophetically also to our Lord Jesus (Genesis 15:4-18). When Isaac was old enough, God brought Abraham into a prophetic act of being willing to sacrifice his son and provided a ram for them. In releasing this prophetic act which points to God giving our Lord Jesus as a sin offering for us, a completion of the encounter with Melchizedek took place, the possession of the gates of the enemies by Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 22:17-18). The Melchizedek blessing involves three areas:
- The blessing of tithes and offerings from Abraham and his seed (The tithe was instituted in Abraham’s time as a blessing covenant, and in Moses’ time became part of the temple worship of holiness – Leviticus 27:30; Hebrews 7:5-9).
- The establishment of victory and vanquishing of the enemy under our feet. Abraham had just experienced his first war victory in rescuing his nephew, Lot, when Archangel Uriel told him to prepare himself to meet up with Melchizedek to bring all his tithes and offerings (Genesis 14:14-20). The place of meeting was specially revealed to Abraham. The blessing of Melchizedek over Abraham especially mentioned that God has delivered his enemies into Abraham’s hands (Genesis 14:20). Generations later, David, another mighty king warrior in the Lord, understood what this blessing involved and sang of triumphing over his enemies as the Melchizedek blessing, the priesthood of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4-5). The enemies of God under the feet was a special blessing of Abraham that King David invoked upon (Psalm 110:1-2). This became a prophetic fulfilment when our Lord Jesus triumphed over our last enemy, death himself, in His resurrection from the dead (Hebrews 1:13). In His resurrection, Christ Jesus took on the priesthood of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:5-6).
- The establishment of praise and worship as the method to release the victory of Christ into our personal lives. Upon His resurrection, Christ made all the enemies of God His footstool and seeks to bring many sons to share the same glory (Hebrews 1:13; 2:10). Through oneness with Christ in worship this victory is now experienced and continued perpetually in His Name (Hebrews 2:10-13).
It is ONLY in the continuance of praise and worship in Jesus that we experience the total and perfect victory that Christ has bought for us by His precious blood and by the power of His resurrection. Thus we are taught to continue to offer to God the sacrifice of praise and worship as an offering (Hebrews 13:15). The book of Psalms prophesy of a time when praise and worship become the very instrument for the defeat of the enemy (Psalm 149:6-9). With the high praises of God in our mouth and the sword of the Spirit in our hand, we bind the enemies of God with chains and fetters and execute judgment on the forces of darkness.
For those of us in the New Testament, we need to understand that it is a lot of work to do all the daily temple animal sacrifices. Whether the priests feel like it or not, there is always the daily grind of sacrifices to do from early morning to evening. It involves the daily killing and cutting of animals and this increase when there are festivals plus the yearly feasts which require very specific and special ceremonial preparations. Feelings do not determine what is to be done daily but rather religious love and devotion to the commandments of God. In that light, all Christians in the New Testament should be grateful that we no longer need animal sacrifices but still there are daily sacrifices to be made to God each day, plus special occasions of meetings that God ordained to be carried out. We should treat the lifting up of our hands that worship that flows as the fruit of our lips be as the daily morning and evening sacrifice to God (Psalm 141:2).
The New Testament is full of exhortations to give thanks and to praise and worship our God continually (Philippians 4:6; Colossians 2:7; 4:2; Revelation 7:12). Paul himself is always giving thanks to God and exhorts us to do so continually (2 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 1:16; 5:4, 20; Colossians 1:3, 12; 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 3:9; 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:1; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 4:9; 11:17). It is the apostle Paul who exhorts that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men (1 Timothy 2:1). And who exhorts that in everything give thanks for this is the Will of God in all situations in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We also have the example of King Jehoshaphat whose mighty singers brought a victory for all of Israel through their worship and praise without a single arrow being fired or a single sword swinged against the enemy (2 Chronicles 20:20-22).
Note that Jehoshaphat faced an enemy that was great in multitude and who were physically stronger than his kingdom (2 Chronicles 20:2). They admitted that they had no power against this great multitude (2 Chronicles 20:12). The exhortation to them from God was that:
- The battle is not theirs but the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15)
- They do NOT need to fight in this battle but just position themselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:17)
- They are to believe the Lord, believe His prophets and they will be established and prosper (2 Chronicles 20:20)
- They were to appoint singers to sing to the Lord and praise the beauty of holiness, saying, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever”
As they sang the same song as the dedication of the temple, which was ‘For He is good, for His mercy endures forever’ when the glory cloud came (2 Chronicles 5:13). God caused thousands upon thousands of the enemies to be killed.
The greatest weapon of the New Testament believers is the power of thanksgiving, praise and worship. By the same mouth that made confession of our Lord Jesus being Lord and Saviour and the same heart of believe, we were all born again (Romans 10:8-10). By the same power of faith in our Lord Jesus and in the power of the spoken word, we move mountains (Mark 11:22-24). By the same power of praise and worship, the fruit of our lips, we release the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus (Hebrews 13:15). The power of the spoken word is what defeats the enemy (Ephesians 6:17 sword of the Spirit, word of God is rhema of God, the spoken word of God). Whoever believes on God will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, delivered, blessed, triumphed (Romans 10:11-13). We need to open our mouth and filled it with thanksgiving and praises to the Lord every day.
Our Lord Jesus foresaw this New Testament era when He said the ‘hour’ will come when they shall worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24). It is the ‘last hour’ and the glorious church of God is called upon to rise as a people powerful in thanksgiving, praise and worship (1 John 2:18; 1 Peter 2:5). We are living stones being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood (of Melchizedek) to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to our Lord Jesus. This is not just something we do in our strength. It has to be done through being completely one with our Lord Jesus, and then through Him and in Him giving glory to our God the Father. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all ONE (Hebrews 2:11). And our calling is that we will yield in this oneness with our Lord Jesus such that our Lord Jesus literally sing praises to the Father through us (Hebrews 2:12). Then God will release a glory that the world and the Universe has never ever seen before. The glory of God revealed to Christ from the foundation of the world! (John 17:24). It is this glory of inheritance which God worked in Christ in resurrection power, which He now uses to put all things under His feet, and gave Christ to be the head of the church, His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23).
It is out of our new born again spirits that God has perfected praise (Matthew 21:16). This is the hour when God pours out His Spirit upon all flesh and gives all the ability to praise and worship Him perfect in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24; Acts 2:1-4, 11; 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14-15). We are growing into a holy temple, being built together to be a habitation of God, where continual daily praises flow forth day and night (Ephesians 2:21-22). Like the four living creatures who do not rest day and night, always praising and worshipping the Lord, our new born spirits are birth to give continual twenty-four-hour praises and worship to our Heavenly Father (Revelation 4:8; 7:5). The highest, deepest, greatest worship will be that which rises from the glorious bride of our Lord Jesus, the Melchizedek generation, who defeats all the enemies of God, even death, through the power of praise and worship in the beauty of holiness. Amen.