April 12, 2023
Reading: Genesis 14
Focus: Genesis 14:18-20 – Then Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Father God, I am humbled to be able to bow in Your Presence. I lift my heart in praise for all You have done for me and my family. I praise You for the help You have given when we needed it most. Please open my heart and mind to Your words. Open hearts and minds of my readers. Thank You for each and everyone of them. In Jesus Name. Amen.
There were nine kings in the plains around the Jordan. Nine separate cities, each with a king of their own. Now that, in itself, is going to cause some problems. You know that some people with wealth will always want more. In this case, one group of four kings wanted to rule over the other kings in the area. The kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and Goyim banded together against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim and Zoar. For twelve years, the latter group of five cities were paying tribute to the group of four cities. Eventually, the five had had enough. They rebelled by not paying tribute in the thirteenth year.
In the fourteenth year, King Kedorlaomer and his three allies went to war. First, they conquered six different tribes and took over their territories. Then they looked to the five cities who had rebelled and went to battle with them in the Valley of Siddim. Now this valley was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran from the attackers, some of the men got caught in these pits, while the rest ran for the hills. King Kedorlaomer and his allies sacked the cities and took everything. Food, clothing, livestock and captured all of the people in those cities. One of the captives was Lot, the nephew of Abram, who was living in Sodom.
Lot’s desire for the lush lands of the Jordan valley had taken him into sinful surroundings. This choice cost him his freedom and all of his possessions. As a captive, he was subject to the not so tender mercies of his captors. Forced marches, little food, slavery and most probably chains. He wanted the easy life and this is what happened to him. We often are enticed by the seeming prosperity in places and things we think we want and things that are not in God’s plan for us. These things can be very captivating but, in the end, they often leave us enslaved to drugs, drink, greed, lust, overbearing ambition among other things that can be so much worse. Have you ever seen a person who is so ambitious that they will step on everyone on their way to the top? Wealth, social standing, celebrity can be very enticing but is it worth it to lose everything that really counts, like family and friends?
Abram did not have to go after Lot. He could have just left him enslaved. It would have been easier and safer to just stay out of it. But he didn’t. It took courage to go up against the forces of these four kings. He took 318 men to go after them. I find it telling that he took only 318 men to go after four kings. I pretty sure those four kings had armies with them, don’t you think? But Abram had something those kings did not. He had courage that came from God. Courage and the knowledge that God was with him. I have to believe that he was also prepared to protect himself and his people. Lot was part of his family. You can’t just leave family in the hands of the enemy. Abram went after them. He tracked them the length of the Promised Land.
Abram rescued his nephew, Lot. And he did it with only 318 men. He had to be proud of his accomplishment. Not even the four kings and their armies could win against them. And he did it with 318 men. He defeated those four kings and their armies, rescued Lot and all the other people who had been taken captive and recovered ALL the loot that had been taken from the cities that had been attacked. Not only did he rescue Lot, but he chased those kings, and their armies, from Hebron, which is south of Jerusalem, all the way past Damascus; nearly 200 miles to do it. No cars, no trucks, no planes. Just their feet and possibly a camel or two.
He had to be overjoyed with his success. They probably celebrated all the way back to the Jordan valley. All the captives, all their possessions had been recovered and they were on their way home. If there had been ticker tape back then, Abram would have gotten a ticker tape parade when he arrived back home. And as a reward, he was offered all the plunder of the battle.
When he returned, he was met by the king of Sodom and by Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Melchizedek was not only a king, but he was also a priest of God, Most High. The king of Salem brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram. In that blessing, he reminded Abram exactly “. . . who delivered your enemies into your hand.” But Abram only took a tenth of the spoils and gave it to the priest/king of Salem but would not take any of the spoils of battle for himself.
This king of Salem, Melchizedek, is mentioned only twice in Scripture. Once in the Old Testament and once in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. He is never seen or mentioned again. He is one of the most mysterious people in the Bible. There are several thoughts on just who he was. Some think he was just an ordinary priest/king of Salem. Some think the name Melchizedek is a title rather than a name. Still others think he may have been Jesus, in temporary bodily form. Me? I don’t know but it does make one wonder.
What we do know is that Melchizedek was obviously one of a group of people in Canaan who worshiped the Living God. Unlike Abram, they were not Hebrews, but they worshiped the same God. This is telling. Not only were they not Hebrew they lived in Canaan among all the peoples who did not worship God. We can see here that worshipping God is not a genetic or racial thing; it is based on faithfully obeying God’s teachings and recognizing Him as the Most High God.
When I look at Melchizedek’s appearance here, I am struck by the name of the place where he is king. Salem. Salem means ‘complete or perfect peace’. It is related to the word ‘Shalom’ which is ‘peace’ in Hebrew and is often used as a greeting or farewell. The city of Salem is now known as Jerusalem. Hmmm? Melchizedek is the king of ‘Peace’. Sound familiar? Reminds you of one of the names of Jesus, Prince of Peace, doesn’t it? Jesus is our Prince of Peace.
Melchizedek is one of those pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament and he reminds us of Him when he brought out bread and wine and shared it with Abram. Jesus broke the bread and shared a cup of wine with his disciples the night before His death. The parallel is very close.
It really doesn’t matter just who Melchizedek is. He reminded Abram who actually won the victory. I also see a picture of Jesus in Abram’s travel to rescue Lot. He chased the enemy all the way across Canaan to save him. God has done the same for us. Jesus came to earth from heaven and became a man, with God’s own blood in His veins, to save us from the slavery of sin. He “chased” our enemy, Satan, to the very depths of hell to take back the keys to death and hell. His shed blood frees us from spiritual captivity and one day soon, He will take us home to heaven.
The fact of the matter is that God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son, love us. So much so that He doesn’t want any of us to be eternally separated from Him. His love for us is so infinite that Jesus paid the debt for our sin. Your practice of your faith in God may not look like your neighbors. Look for the similarities in your worship of God and those of another Christian churches. Be reminded that worship, faithfulness of obedience and love for the one God, Most High, is most important thing.
Who wins your battles?
Remind me, Lord, who I serve. Keep my thoughts focused on You. Help me not to look down my nose at how other Christians worship you. Remind me that we worship the same God. The one God, Most High. Remind me that You give the victories, that You give the answers to prayer. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Food for Thought.
- Why do you think Abram only took 318 men to rescue Lot?
- Do you think that Melchizedek could have actually been Jesus? Why?
- Why do you think Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils?
- Why did Abram turn down the loot when the King of Sodom offered it to him?
- Has God reminded you of things that you should give Him the credit for? What did you do about that?
