Today’s scripture: Hebrews 7:11-17 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (John Seksay):
When it comes to the being guided by the spirit, I have my good days and I have my bad days. Yet I have known a few people for whom the right path seems to be an automatic, spontaneous constant. I have admired their ability to endure adversity and rise above pettiness. These are the people I think of when I read today’s passage. The mystery figure Melchizedek seems to be such a person.
Digging deeper, I found that the evolution of the name as one word occurred with the early Christian bibles. In the original Jewish reference, the name is a phrase “Malki Tzedek”, meaning “My king is righteous(ness).” In Genesis, Abram’s nephew Lot had been captured in an attack on Sodom, and Abram had launched a counterattack that rescues the captured city dwellers. At the victory celebration, we have mention of a priest-king, Malki Tzedek, from the city of Salem (Peace), presumably the early Jerusalem. He is presented as a monotheist dedicated to the same God worshipped by Abram and, in some undefined way, was more important than the king of Sodom to Abram’s tribe. The Jewish scholars had evolved several lines of speculation about the scripture, some ascribing it to a real person and some to an idealized force for good. In many ways, he did become a role model for the future kings of Israel, who were to fulfill both temporal and spiritual roles in their kingship.
It is from Psalm 110, attributed to King David, that the linchpin of today’s reading arises. The psalm speaks of a different order of priesthood, preceding the Levitical priesthood of Aaron, which had been established by Moses to perpetuate the ordinances given to him by God. It is a state ordained directly by God’s presence in the individual, rather than by any formal education in the Mosaic law. These individuals, like the kings themselves, were apparently anointed directly by God.
For me, this description summons up the story of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles in tongues of flame, as Jesus had specified. From the King of Righteousness, a new priesthood arose from an eternal foundation — the Holy Spirit. The old rules now had a new context that breathed life into God’s chosen!
Thought for the day: Lord, may the Holy Spirit give my heart and my head clear direction!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.