Worship and Giving

Worship is the idea of ascribing worth to God, or another way of putting it appreciating God’s worthiness.  In Genesis 14:19-20 we see an important character show up in Old Testament, Melchizedek.    Melchizedek here is clearly a type of Christ.  A ‘type of Christ’ is someone in the Old Testament who points us to Jesus.”

In Genesis 14:18, Abram is greeted by Melchizedek, who shows us the same three qualities as Jesus Christ.  First, He a King.  The text tells us that he was the king of Salem.  The word Salem means “Prince of Peace” and his name, Melchizedek, means “Son of righteousness.”  In the same way Jesus is also a King, in fact the King of kings, the Prince of peace, and the Son of righteousness.

The text goes on to tell us that Melchizedek was also a High Priest.  The High Priest throughout the Old Testament was someone who mediated between God and man, and opened the way for sinful man to approach a Holy God.  The High Priest throughout the Old Testament would offer up the blood of animals to gain forgiveness for God’s people and gain access before God in the Holiest of Holy places in God’s temple. 

The High Priest in the OT was looking forward to what Jesus would one day do for us at the cross.   We see in Genesis 4:18 that Melchizedek as a High Priest, brought the bread and wine, which foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that would one day bring us forgiveness of sin with God. 

And finally, we see that Melchizedek, like Christ, was a Prophet, who blessed Abram and reminded Abram of God’s covenant to protect him and curse any nation who would oppose him, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God most high… who delivered Abram’s enemies into his hands …”

The book of Hebrews, which is in the NT gives the clearest insight into this character Melchizedek.  In Hebrews 6:20, the writer tells us that Jesus is “a High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek….”    Just as Melchizedek was without lineage and appears to be without any human origin, so in the same was Jesus came, God in the flesh.

In Genesis 14:20 we see that Abram gives a 10th from his spoils to Melchizedek or a tithe.  This is the first time tithing appears in the Bible and because it proceeds the Law of Moses, we understand it as a principle that God wants us to understand apart from the Law. Tithing is an act of worship—when we give to God we are invited to give not out of guilt, but it is an expression of our worship to God. 

Perhaps one of the more poignant NT passages on this is from II Corinthians 9:6-8, where we are reminded that, “Whoever gives sparingly will reap sparingly, but whoever gives generously will reap generously.  Each one is to give what he has decided in his own heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion.  For God loves a cheerful giver and is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things you may abound in every good work.” 

Here we see that God blesses us as we give.  Why?  That all grace may abound to us.  This means that God will ensure that as we continue to give to the ministry of God He will be faithful to provide for our needs that our ministry of giving and the ministries we invest in may abound in every good work.  How are we to do this?  Not reluctantly or under compulsion or out of false guilt, but from a heart of worship and joy.