Who was Melchizedek and what was Salem?
Melchizedek was the High Priest and King of Salem, a position not belonging to the Jews, who had not yet been formed. Salem was the little village that later became Jerusalem. He brought forth bread and wine, a subtle prophecy pointing to the resurrection and the Lord’s Supper.
Les explains that Melchizedek appears after Abraham had assembled a little army from his servants and recaptured the people of Sodom who had been taken captive, and he was coming back after their victory. This aside is loaded with prophetic impact. Melchizedek was the High Priest of Salem, and he was not a High Priest of the Jews, because the Jews had not even been formed yet. Salem was the little village that later became Jerusalem. Melchizedek was also the King of Salem, and he brought forth bread and wine. That was not what they normally used in the sacrifices of Abraham’s day, so Les teaches this was a subtle prophecy. The bread and wine point to what Jesus administered in Matthew chapter 26 and to I Corinthians chapter 11. The subtle prophecy was the resurrection, and that is the whole idea of the Lord’s Supper, that it is to be a constant reminder.
Why was Melchizedek not a priest of the Jews?
Melchizedek was not a priest of the Jews because the Jewish nation had not yet been formed at that time. He served as High Priest of Salem, which later became Jerusalem. His priesthood predates the Jewish people and their priesthood.
What did Abraham do after the people of Sodom were taken captive?
Abraham assembled a small army from his own servants and recaptured the people of Sodom who had been taken captive. He then returned after the victory, and Melchizedek, the High Priest of Salem, brought forth bread and wine of all things.