Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: Hebrews 7:1–3
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From the Word: 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham returning from the felling of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham allotted one tenth of everything to him. First, by translation, he is king of righteousness, and then king of Salem also, that is, king of peace. 3 He is fatherless, motherless, without a genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but being like the Son of God, he remains a priest evermore. (Hebrews 7:1–3)
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism
The Conclusion
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
What does this mean?
It means that I should be certain that such petitions are acceptable to our heavenly Father and are heard by him, for he himself has commanded us to pray in this manner and has promised to hear us. So we pray with confidence: “Amen,” meaning, “Yes, it shall be so.”
Pulling It Together: God has made believers a kingdom of priests (Isa 61:6; Exod 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6). Priests are the ones who receive the tithe from subordinates, as Melchizedek did from Abraham. Though priests, our blessings nonetheless come from a higher power than ourselves, so we give back a portion. The kingdom and the power and the glory are entirely his; we are dependent upon him, offering in tribute a portion of his blessings.
See how God turns common practice on its head: the sovereign priest giving to his inferiors. Giving back the tithe is our “amen,” our confident assent that a higher sovereignty, might, and wonder will always bless his people. In God our King, “righteousness and peace kiss each other,” (Psa 85:10), and the result is everlasting blessing.
Prayer: O righteous King, you are our everlasting peace. Amen.
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Fulfilled In Him is a five-part Lenten drama series, focusing on five pairs of characters — one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament — who demonstrate in their witness the fulfillment of God's promise. Presented with a kind of before-and-after perspective, the pairing of characters examines how Christ is the key to Scripture — "the founder and perfecter of our faith."
Author
Rev. Mark E. Ryman serves as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. Previously, Pastor Ryman has served other congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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