In Genesis Melchizedek blessed Abraham (then called Abram). But who is Melchizedek? He was the king of Salem. At some point in Salem the people became very wicked and had gone astray. Melchizedek preached repentance to his people and they did repent. They had peace in his days and he was also called the prince of peace.He received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God. He was a high priest and he took upon him the high priesthood forever. I don't know if those last two sentences are the same thing. It also says that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek and he received it through the lineage of his fathers. Now the Melchizedek priesthood is named after Melchizedek because he was such a great high priest. Before it got that name it was called "The Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God." In Doctrine and Covenants 107:4 it says, "But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood." I think that is so interesting that, that is the why they called it that.
Among all of God's ancient high priests none were greater than Melchizedek. He held such a high position in the eyes of the Lord that he was like unto that of Abraham. And we know that Abraham was the angel Gabriel who told Mary that she was going to give birth to the Son of God. Something that I found very interesting is that Melchizedek's position was so high and exalted in the eyes of the Lord AND his people that he stood as a prototype of the Son of God himself. That is such a powerful statement. A prototype is a model of something or something that illustrates another object. He is a model or example of the Son of God. I find that amazing and yet, I really didn't know anything about Melchizedek or even that it was a person. I just knew it was a name for the higher priesthood. I also noticed that he was called the prince of peace which is also what we can refer Jesus as and so now it all kind of makes sense. One more interesting thing. Shem, the son of Noah, is thought to be Melchizedek. We don't know for sure but there is a lot of evidence suggesting this. I am so glad that I have learned this about the Melchizedek priesthood. It is so much more important now than it was to me when I knew nothing about it. I also think the manuals are so useful for helping us to understand the scriptures better especially if you are someone like me who has a hard time understanding them and the things that are not exactly visible when just reading them.
