Hey y'all, you're listening to the Join the podcast with your host, Emma Daughter.

To learn more about today's reading or to read along with us, check out jointhejurney.com.

Thanks for joining. In today's chapter, we run into this name that's really challenging to pronounce, Melchizedek.

Who is Melchizedek?

Have you ever been in a situation? Maybe you're out at the grocery

store or a coffee shop, and you've seen someone who you recognize, but you don't know why you know

them, like you run into them, and you know you're supposed to know them. They have a full-on

conversation, but you've forgotten their name, or you can't quite figure out why you know them. Sometimes

that happens when we study the Bible.

We encounter a name of a Bible character or a person from the story of Scripture

who we know we've encountered before, but we can't quite remember who they are, if they're

important, what the deal is.

And that's kind of what's happening here with Melchizedek. At the end of the day,

scholars, they have differing views as to who Melchizedek actually is. In fact, no one knows for sure

where he comes from or who he is, but we first meet him back in the book of Genesis, Genesis 14,

to be precise. And the story goes like this. Abraham, who at the time was

actually still called Abram, was on his way back from a military victory. And he's going to meet

two people, the king of Sodom and the king of Salem. So I'm in Genesis 14, starting in verse 17,

reading in the NLT. The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the valley

of Shaiva, that's the king's valley, and Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and a priest of God

Most High brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing.

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth.

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