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.
Les explains that Melchizedek was the High Priest of Salem, the village that later became Jerusalem. He was not a High Priest of the Jews because the Jewish nation had not even been formed yet. This encounter with Abraham, after Abraham recaptured the people of Sodom, carried prophetic impact. Melchizedek brought bread and wine, which was not what they normally used in sacrifices of Abraham's day. Les teaches this was a subtle prophecy of the resurrection and the Lord's Supper, which Jesus administered in Matthew chapter 26 and which is addressed in I Corinthians chapter 11.
More Questions
What was the setting when Melchizedek came out to meet Abraham?
Abraham had assembled a small army from his servants and had recaptured the people of Sodom who had been taken captive, and he was returning after that victory when Melchizedek met him.