Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek was king of Salem, kohen of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,
Hebrews 7:7 Now it is beyond dispute that the lesser is blessed by the greater.
Our life, the life of faith, is pervaded by paradox. Life faces us with apparently irreconcilable conditions and realities that we struggle to understand and integrate, sometimes throughout an entire lifetime. The Lord himself exemplifies this reality in his dual identity as the expressed image of God and a fully human male who suffered the worst consequences of sin...without deserving them. We live daily within the paradox of God's perfect holiness and our fundamental human imperfection, constantly needing to accept His grace as we strive toward His perfection.
Much of the life of faith is learning to abide in love and peace within our paradoxical existence, and Yeshua gave us His Holy Spirit to make it possible. He also offered us a pile of "paradoxical" advice exhorting us to behave or respond opposite to human nature. Do you want to be great in the Kingdom? Become a servant to all. An enemy strikes your left cheek? Turn to him the right one. Overcome evil with good. There are many of these if you look for them, and they begin to describe a lifestyle that distinguishes a true believer in ever-increasing uniqueness.
This passage in Hebrews reveals that Melchizedek blessed Abraham according to this principle: the lesser is blessed by the greater. Given the greatness of Abraham, we might be surprised to discover the dimension of Melchizedek's status. His name means "My King is Righteousness," suggesting that he is a type of Messiah and quite (paradoxically) qualified to bless the father of faith.
This paradoxical life, perplexing, frustrating, tempting, tormenting as it is, incites most of us to react badly in one way or another, producing endless cycles of revenge, hatred, retribution, and remorse. But God, who is the greatest of all, blesses us who are "lesser." And He also invites us to the greatness of blessing...our neighbors, our children, even our enemies. The temptation of paradox is overcome by the opportunity to bless. It's a way of God whose life and heart are full of blessing. If we desire to be like Him, increasing in stature and overcoming evil, we'll seek the Spirit's power to bless others.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Nature provides us with an illustration that closely parallels the insidious tactics employed by our adversary. According to scientists, Arctic polar bears feed almost entirely on seals. To enjoy such a meal, they sometimes resort to a cunning bit of trickery.
Whew! What must the disciples have felt back then as they saw the waves crashing against their boat? They we’re being swayed from side to side in the deep dark sea. They were afraid for their lives! But our Lord was there all along. He just wanted them to trust.
One of my heroes of the faith, Watchman Nee, once said something profound about entering the rest of God. He said, “Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors, they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40) is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.”
Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
We arrived at the airport late Thursday night with our bags and our kiddos only to find out that our flight was canceled because of a freak accident — a tractor ran into the plane, of all things! So we repacked our ourselves tightly into a small rental car to make the two hour drive to get back home to Arad in the middle of the night. Our flight was postponed till Sunday.
There was a man who had four sons, and he wanted them to understand the importance of not rushing to judgment. So, he sent each one on a journey to view a pear tree that was far away. He sent the first son in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest in the fall. After they all returned, he gathered them together to hear what they had seen.
The Hebrew letter mem, equivalent to our English letter “M,” has a fascinating characteristic: it has two forms. The “open mem” appears at the beginning or middle of a word, with a small opening in its design. The “closed mem,” however, is used exclusively as the final letter in a word, fully sealed in its appearance. This distinction is consistent throughout the Hebrew language—except for one extraordinary exception found in the Bible.