Hebrews 7:3
Melchizedek, a Type of the Son of God
"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually" (Hebrews 7:3)
There are some who identify Melchizedek as the pre-incarnate Christ. That is, they believe that Christ Himself appeared to Abraham in Genesis 14. This seems to be based primarily on a misunderstanding of the verse cited above (Heb. 7:3).
Melchizedek is identified in the Genesis record as an earthly ruler, the king of Salem, and as a priest of the most high God (Genesis 14:18). There is nothing in the text to suggest that he was not a genuine human being who lived on earth in those days.
It is better to understand Melchizedek as a type of Christ. He is not said to be the Son of God, but He is said to be "made like unto the Son of God" (Heb. 7:3). Christ was a High Priest, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20). It does not make sense to say that Christ was a High Priest after the order of Himself! No, Aaron and Melchizedek were both men who lived on earth, and Melchizedek's priesthood was a type of Christ's priesthood.
What is of interest is the lack of information given to us about Melchizedek from the Old Testament account. He appears out of nowhere. He is mentioned in one chapter in the Bible. And then we hear nothing about him again in the Old Testament record, apart from one verse in the Psalms. We are told nothing about his father and mother or his genealogical records. This does not mean he had no father or mother or ancestry, but the Genesis account is silent about this. We are also told nothing about his birth or his death. Such omissions almost make it seem like he was eternal.
"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually" (Hebrews 7:3)
The strong testimony that this verse presents for the eternal Sonship of Christ must not be missed. The blessed Spirit of God guided the pen of Moses in such a way that the biography of Melchizedek says nothing about his parents or his birth or his age or his death. These deliberate omissions were for the purpose of presenting Melchizedek as a type of the Son of God: "He was made 'like unto the Son of God,' and the similarity lay in this, that he had 'neither beginning of days nor end of life.' Accordingly it was as the Son of God that Christ was without beginning of days. His Sonship was therefore unoriginated and eternal." [W. E. Vine, The Divine Sonship, Part 2, pp. 16-17]
In His incarnation He was not "without mother." As the "Son of Man" He was "made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). As the "Son of God" He was "without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life." His Sonship has nothing to do with human parents, human lineage, human birth or time measurements. It is eternal.
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