King David wrote about how God would honor the Messiah. “Sit thou at my right hand,” God says, “until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1). Then, he adds something rather cryptic:
The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4
What is this “order of Melchizedek,” and why is it such an honor to be part of it?
The Old Testament tells us very little about Melchizedek. He blessed Abraham, and Abraham paid tithing to him. (See Genesis 14:18-19.) His name means “king of righteousness.” and he was king of Salem, which means “peace.”
We learn more about him from the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon:
Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;
But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem.
Alma 13:17-18
In the epistle of Hebrews we read more about the priesthood which Melchizedek held:
This Melchizedek was ordained a priest after the order of the Son of God, which order was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. And all those who are ordained unto this priesthood are made like unto the Son of God, abiding a priest continually.
Hebrews 7:3, Joseph Smith Translation
So even though David said the Messiah would be a priest “after the order of Melchizedek,” both Alma and Paul clarify that the roles are actually reversed. Melchizedek was a priest “after the order of the Son of God.”
Unlike the Levitical priesthood in ancient Israel, this priesthood is not dependent on lineage. It is “without father [or] mother.” In other words, it is available to you regardless of who your ancestors were. It has no “beginning of days, nor end of life” because it is the eternal order of God.
What does it mean that priests are “made like unto the Son of God?” The phrase might simply mean that those who act under the authority of the priesthood represent the Savior. But Elder Craig A. Cardon provided a more expansive interpretation:
The priesthood also has the power to change our very natures. As Paul wrote, “All those who are ordained unto this priesthood are made like unto the Son of God.” This likeness is not only in ordination and ordinance but also in the perfecting of individual hearts, something that occurs “in process of time” as we “[yield] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and [put] off the natural man.” When a man is ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood, he enters into an “order” by which he may be refined through service to others, especially his own family, and blessed by the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
“Moving Closer to Him,” General Conference, October 2006
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all faithful adult men may receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Furthermore, both men and women are endowed with priesthood power in temples. (See Russell M. Nelson, “Spiritual Treasures,” October 2019.) Women also receive priesthood authority when they are given leadership or teaching responsibilities. (See Dallin H. Oaks, “The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,” General Conference, April 2014.) So this process of being refined by acting within the order of the priesthood applies to both men and women. President Russell M. Nelson said, “The heavens are just as open to women who are endowed with God’s power flowing from their priesthood covenants as they are to men who bear the priesthood (“Spiritual Treasures,” October 2019).
Today, I will be grateful for the sanctifying influence of priesthood service. As I fulfill my priesthood responsibilities, I will remember that God’s power not only enables me to do His work but also helps me become more like Jesus Christ.
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