King of Righteousness and Peace – Hebrews 7:1-3
Oct 7, 2025 91
Hebrews 7:1-3
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 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.” (ESV)
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A Mysterious Priest-King
Melchizedek appears suddenly in Genesis 14 as a priest of God Most High, who blesses Abraham after his victory in battle. Then, just as quickly, he disappears from the story. His name and titles, though, speak volumes. Melchizedek means “King of Righteousness.” Salem means “Peace.” This man is both the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace.
That combination doesn’t exist anywhere else in the Old Testament. Kings came from one tribe, priests from another. But here stands someone who unites the two. Hebrews highlights that Melchizedek has “no beginning of days or end of life”, not because he was eternal, but because Scripture deliberately leaves those details out to make him resemble the Son of God. He’s like a sketch drawn centuries before Jesus, a shadow cast forward toward the true and better priest-king who was still to come.
The One Who Brings Righteousness and Peace
Every human heart longs for these two things: righteousness and peace. Righteousness means being right with God, standing unashamed and unafraid before him. Peace means wholeness, life as it should be, reconciled and secure. But sin ruins both. It separates us from a relationship with God and disturbs every relationship around us.
That’s why Melchizedek matters. He points beyond himself to Jesus, the only one who can make sinners righteous and restore true peace with God. Isaiah foresaw this priest-king when he wrote, “The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever” (Isaiah 32:17). Jesus fulfils that prophecy. He is the King of Righteousness who lived the perfect life we never could and died the death we deserved. And he is the King of Peace who reconciles us to God by his blood, calming our chaos and securing our future.
Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Good News is…
You don’t have to earn righteousness or chase peace – both are already yours in Christ. Through faith in him, your record is clean and your relationship with God is secure. The King of Righteousness reigns, and the King of Peace welcomes you into his kingdom.
So when your conscience accuses you or your world feels unsettled, remember this: you have a priest and a king who reigns forever – and he reigns for you.
Reflection
Father, thank you for sending your Son, the true King of Righteousness and Peace. When guilt or chaos threaten, help me rest in his finished work and keep drawing near to you. Amen.
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