Melchisedec

Heb. 7:8
"It is witnessed that he liveth.”
There is really no solid ground for denying that Melchisedec was a man as simply as Abram, Lot, or any other personage that figures in the description of Gen. 14.
The mystery consists not in the person, but in the way in which the Spirit of God records his appearance and action in the scene, so as to make of him a suitable type of the Lord Jesus. Thus not a word is said of his birth, or of his death. There is total silence as to his ancestors, and no hint is given of the lapse of his office, or of any successor.
The Holy Spirit by Paul argues from this silence, which is so much the more striking as contrasted with the well-known pedigree and succession of Aaron. And it thus illustrates Christ's priesthood, which really had those features that are here shown to be typically foreshadowed in Melchisedec. For instance, while verse 8 refers to Melchisedec, the testimony Scripture renders is to his life, not to his death, whereas it frequently speaks of the death of Aaron and his sons. The same principle applies to his abiding "a priest continually.”
The Bible does not speak of his institution, nor of his resignation. When first we hear of Melchisedec he is a priest, and as such we leave him; no son, no successor appears. Each of the following are obviously and eminently typical:
(1) The name, "King of righteousness";
(2) The place, "King of Salem";
(3) His sacerdotal office (especially in connection with so peculiar a title of God), "priest of the most high God";
(4) The circumstances, "met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings";
(5) The character of his actions, "blessed him" (and not merely sacrifice and intercession).
There is scarcely more difficulty as to Melchisedec than as to Jethro, priest and king of a later day, though of course the latter could not furnish so apt an illustration in the circumstances of the case as the former. Both were real, historical persons and not merely mystical.
Two remarks may be made towards the better understanding of this chapter and epistle. The first is that if the order of Christ's priesthood is that of Melchisedec, the exercise is that of Aaron (Heb. 9:11). The second is that in verses 18 and 19 of our chapter, we must take "for the law made nothing perfect" parenthetically. The word "did" is in italics and ought to be left out of the Authorized Version.
Bible Witness and Review