06/03/2008 Genesis 14:17

06/03/2008

Genesis 14:17 - 23 (HCSB) ¹⁷After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). ¹⁸Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. ¹⁹He blessed him and said:
    Abram is blessed by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth,²⁰and give praise to God Most High
    who has handed over your enemies to you.

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

²¹Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.” ²²But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, ²³that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, “I made Abram rich.”

At this point in the life of Abram (Abraham), he and Lot have parted company because their respective flocks have grown to such a size that the land cannot support both of them. Lot chose to move into the Jordan valley which was well watered and speckled with cities while Abram went eastward into the arid regions now known as Jordan.

As was common in those days, each city was ruled by a king and occasionally those kings would band together to attack other kings in order to expand their control (and their tribute). Several kings had attacked the region in which Lot was living including Sodom where Lot had his residence. Sodom was overrun and Lot and his household were taken captive. Abram and his allies then pursued these kings and freed Lot. As they return from the battle, they encounter Melchizedek.

Melchizedek is described as both a King and a Priest to God Most High. It was not uncommon for the king to be a priest, that is, a theocracy. However, this is the very first mention of a “priest” in the Bible. This king comes out to greet Abram and blesses him. There are three things that I notice in this passage.

First, Melchizedek brought bread and wine. While at first glance, this seems insignificant, remember that Jesus used these same elements to represent his blood and body that were given to atone for our sins. Also, when the rites for the tabernacle and temple (which are yet to come) are defined, bread and wine play a significant role as well. We have no further explanation about why these were chosen by Melchizedek. They are both simple foods and likely simply given to Abram and his men as sustenance. On the other hand, I believe they were chosen by God on purpose. We know that the redeemer will come through Abram and thus, the bread and wine take on meaning as they are presented to the patriarch of the Jewish people.

Second, Abram gives a tenth of all his possessions to Melchizedek. This is the first mention in the Bible of a tithe. We don’t know if this was a practice at all before this, but later in the Mosaic Law, the people will be commanded to give a tithe. Abram apparently recognized Melchizedek as a priest and thus presented the tithe to him.

Thirdly, look at the interaction between Abram and the king of Sodom. When Abram overtook the kings that had taken Lot, he also released all the people and possessions that had been taken from Sodom. The King of Sodom offers a reward to Abram but Abram refuses. He says “Let it never be said that Sodom made Abram rich.”

Abram apparently was aware of the detestable morality of Sodom even then and wanted nothing to do with them. I think this should be an example for us as well. Abram was already blessed by God with great flocks, servants and possessions. We too should consider ourselves blessed, that is, what God has given us we should consider sufficient.

If we allow ourselves to receive gain from Sodom, as it were, then we cheat God out of the glory of being our provider. We will fail to acknowledge Him as the One who cares for all our needs. Others will look on and see the stuff of the world and not recognize what God has done.

Are you relying solely on God for your daily needs? When others look at your life, do they see your faith in a God who loves you and provides for you?

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