Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

16 January 2026

Reading From Genesis 12-15

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

—Genesis 14:18-20

     Melchizedek is a mysterious figure in the Old Testament.  His name means, “King of Righteousness” and he ruled Salem which means “peace.”  The city-state of Salem later became Jerusalem. Some believe that this was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, similar to the Angel of the Lord who appears many times in the Old Testament, and at least one of the three visitors who told Abram and Sarai they would conceive, the One who wrestled with Jacob, the Figure who passed by Moses while he hid in the cleft of the rock, and the fourth figure who appeared in the flames of the fiery furnace that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into.  In that story, those who had thrown the three Hebrew children into the inferno saw a fourth person who look like a “son of the gods.”^[1]

     We have further light and knowledge from the Psalms and the New Testament.  In Psalm 110, King David wrote, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”[2]  This passage is prophetically speaking of Jesus as it begins with the phrase “The LORD says to my lord.”  The order of Melchizedek is one that combines the roles of priest and king.  This is superior to the Levitical priesthood of Aaron and his descendants (which included John the Baptist, the earthly cousin of Jesus) in that Aaronic priests were priests only and not kings.

     Psalm 110 is further unpacked by Jesus Himself in Matthew 22, “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied.  He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”[3]  Jesus was telling them that He was the one who David was speaking of.  Jesus is a Priest in the order of Melchizedek. 

     In John 8, Jesus has a curious interaction with the Jews.  “At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”[4]  We know that whoever places their faith, repentance, confession and surrender in Jesus will have eternal life.  Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, the souls of the faithful who have gone before us,[5] we know that they see what is happening on the Earth today from an eternal perspective in the spiritual realm, a different dimension existing in the same space as our physical one.  This could also mean that the one Abram paid a tithe to was actually the Lord Jesus in preincarnate form. 

     Hebrews provides the most elaboration on Melchizedek.  Chapter 7:3 tells us, “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”  The English word for resembling can in the Greek mean literally or figuratively.  Because the text describes Melchizedek as having neither beginning of days nor end of life, I’m inclined to believe that this was Jesus as no other being can be described in this way.  Being from everlasting to everlasting is an attribute of God alone.  He is infinite, from eternity past to eternity future.  The same yesterday, today and forever.  Melchizedek brought Abram bread and wine, symbols of the Lord’s Supper, the communion, the oneness that we have with God through Jesus and with one another in His eternal family.

“Wonderful Jesus, You are our Matchless Prophet, Great High Priest, and King of Kings.  You have blessed Your sons and daughters of Your eternal family with power and authority through the Presence of Your Holy Spirit at work within us and through us.  Show us what that means in our present reality.  Makes us more aware of Your Presence in our everyday lives.  Bring more of Heaven to Earth.  May Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  In the strong and mighty Name of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords I pray these things.  Amen.”

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

—Hebrews 7:26-28

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[1] Daniel 3:25

[2] Psalm 110:4

[3] Matthew 22:41-46

[4] John 8:52-59

[5] Hebrews 12:1