Genesis
Genesis 14:17-24
Abram’s Encounter with Two Kings After the Victory
Wow! There is so much to unpack in these 7 verses. Please read and reread this passage, and you will make interesting discoveries for yourself. This is a great lesson on how to handle a victory.
We begin this passage with Abram still having to deal with Lot. Lot was actually there due to Abram bringing Lot, his nephew, with him, originally out of Abram’s own disobedience. There is a lesson here that our disobedience can affect us long after the act. Thank God for grace. Abram rescues Lot and defeats the enemy Kings, hence VICTORY. We may see ourselves in this story of Abram’s rescue of Lot, as we learned last week, I am Lot, You are Lot, We are Lot. We were those off in sin and shame, rescued by one who left his safety and happiness. Our kinsman redeemer, Jesus, went to great trouble and distance, and with His courage defeated the mighty enemy that had put us in bondage, and He took all the enemy’s spoil. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Abram meets with the King of Salem (Peace)
In the portion of Genesis that we consider in this lesson, a man who was called Melchizedek seems to appear out of nowhere. He is introduced as the King of Salem (Peace), and his name means “King of Righteousness”; he blessed Abram with bread and wine, which is symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus in the New Testament. Melchizedek received a tenth (tithing before the law) of the spoils Abram had won in the battle, and then he disappeared as quickly as he arrived. The name Melchizedek is referred to again twice in Scripture, once in the Old Testament (Psalm 110) where he is described as "a priest forever,'' and once in the New Testament (Hebrews 7) where he is described as a priest of God "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life. There is much debate as to who this most mysterious King is, but we will put that on the shelf for now and just say we can see Jesus in the rear-view mirror and windshield of this scripture.
While it may be entertaining to spend time discussing who Melchizedek really was, we must be careful not to let our discussion hinder us from discovering the importance of the encounter between the two men of God, Abram and Melchizedek. While we may not know many things about Melchizedek, we certainly do know a few things about him. Much like us today, He and Abram lived in a day and age known for its corruption and violence. The kings in the plains were kings of unrighteousness, ruling over cities that were known for their promiscuity and perversions ( Does this sound familiar?). In their midst was a man whose name means "King of Righteousness." He was the king of Salem, considered by many to be the future site of Jerusalem. "Salem" means "peace." After giving great details of an incredible battle, Genesis introduces us to a man of peace. Melchizedek had not been part of the battle, nor was he among those who had been defeated.
In addition, Melchizedek was identified as a priest, and again, just as the tithe is introduced before the law in this passage, Melchizedek, as a priest, was before the Levitical priesthood was introduced. He brought bread and wine to celebrate Abram's victory and then blessed Abram by bringing praise to God Most High. Melchizedek celebrated with Abram and declared that it was Abram's God who had given the victory. Abram returned from battle the same way he went into battle: a humble servant of God.
Abram meets with the King of Sodom (any very sinful, corrupt, vice-ridden place)
Instead of offering bread and wine, Bera, king of Sodom, acknowledged the power of Abram and approached him with a way in which Abram could divide the spoils. He came with what appeared to be a most generous offer: "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself".
For a lesser man, this would have been a great temptation. Bera had offered him a very practical solution that would leave Abram with great wealth and fame. He would have been recognized as a gracious warrior by not keeping the people as slaves, as King Chedorlaomer would have done. He could have reasoned that this was the way that God was going to make him the possessor of the land. Whereas the King of Salem focused on Abram's dependence on God for victory, the king of Sodom focused on earthly success.
Abram refused the offer. He saw the offer from Bera as a temptation. It was an attempt by the king of Sodom to gain for himself some of the glory of Abram's victory. Abram saw very clearly, however, that it was not his victory, but God's victory. If he kept any of the goods from Sodom, he would never be able to say that he had depended entirely upon the Lord for his blessings. Abram wanted to stand out as a man who prospered, not because he was given possessions by an earthly king, but because of his faith in the heavenly King. He made very clear that it was God who was to receive all of the glory, not Bera or Abram. So emphatic is the commitment of Abram to God Most High that in his reply to Bera, he twice said, "I will take nothing." There was absolutely no way the King of Sodom would be able to take any credit for anything that happened in Abram's life.
Abram was determined to give God all the glory for defeating the enemies in this battle and every battle that we fight and win; the glory belongs to God. To God Be The Glory!