“But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed” (Hebrews 7:6-7 NLT).
The word “truth” can be defined as “that which corresponds (or conforms) to reality.” A “self-evident truth” is a truth that is so obvious and undeniable that it requires no further explanation or support other than itself. The author of Hebrews identifies one example of a self-evident truth when he says, “Without question, the less important person is blessed by the more important person” (CEB).
With this in mind, let’s reconsider what transpired between Abraham (then known as Abram) and Melchizedek upon Abraham’s return from a significant military victory…
“King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram, and said, ‘Blessed is Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth. Blessed is God Most High, who has handed your enemies over to you.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20 GW).
Our author uses that historical event to reiterate the self-evident truth mentioned earlier: “…it is beyond all dispute that the one who blesses has higher status than the one who receives the blessing” (CJB). The following commentators identify several important repercussions that emerge from this passage…
“Now if Abraham is greater than Levi and Abraham subordinated himself to Melchizedek, then it means that the priest Melchizedek is greater than Levi and the entire line of Levi. The conclusion is clear. The priesthood of Melchizedek is a higher order of priesthood than the Levitical priesthood. This gives supreme dignity to the high priestly office of Christ.” (1)
“When one man blesses another man, it is understood that the superior blesses the inferior. This does not signify any personal or moral inferiority, of course, but simply an inferiority of position. As we read these arguments based on the OT, we should try to picture the reactions of the Hebrew readers. They had always revered Abraham as one of their greatest national heroes, and rightly so. But now they learn that Abraham acknowledged a non-Jewish priest as his superior. Just think! This was in their Bible all the time and they had never noticed it.” (2)
(1) Sproul, R. C. (1986). Chosen by God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Page 35-36.
(2) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary Edited by Arthur Farstad Thomas Nelson Publishers (Hebrews 7:7)