Genesis 14:17-20. King Melchizedek, whose name means my king is righteous, was the King of Salem and a priest of God.
Salem means peace. Jebusites named the city Jebus. The two names were later joined together to form Jerusalem, which means Habitation of peace.
Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the booty he had gathered after a great battle. By this act, Abraham indicated that he acknowledged God’s hand in his victory over his enemies.
Melchizedek’s existence shows that there were people other than Abraham and his family who served the true God.
Background Reading:
The Blessing of King Melchizedek
17 After Abram’s return from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with them, the king of Sodom went out to meet with him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine, since he was serving asm the priest of God Most High. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram and said,
“Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies
into your control.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:17-20
Other slides in this module:
- In the beginning, God created the earth
- The 7 or Seven Days of Creation
- Adam was the first created man specifically named in Scripture
- Eve the first woman specifically named in Scripture
- Tree of Life
- Cain the first human murderer and older brother of Abel
- Abel a righteous man
- Seth
- About a 1100 Year gap between the birth of Adam and the birth of Noah
- Enoch did not die
- Noah built an ark with God’s instructions
- The Ark, God’s way of saving people from the Flood
- The Tower of Babel
- 400 years between Noah and Abraham
- Abraham the father of nations
- Sarah was the wife of Abraham
- Lot is rescued by Abraham
- Melchizedek was the King of Salem
- Hagar, an Egyptian slave given to Abraham by the Pharaoh of Egypt
- The birth of Isaac Abraham’s son
- Ishmael the son of Hagar and Abraham
- Rebekah married Isaac
- Esau the son that Isaac loved
- The birth of Jacob the son of Isaac
- King Abimelech a local king and Isaac
- Questions and Answers 1-11
- Questions and Answers 12-26
- Genesis Part Two » »
- Time Line for Genesis part one »
- Resources – The book of Genesis