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Melchizedek
Priest of God
Most High
Story 24
by jennygrace77
The
kings had decimated the corrupt cities of the Jordan River Valley, and now they
had taken his own nephew captive. It was time to act.
Under
the cover of darkness, Abram divided his soldiers into two groups and attacked
the four kings from two directions.
Imagine
Abram’s men moving in deft silence, sneaking up on the clueless soldiers.
Imagine
the cry of attack and the roars of Abram’s men as they descended on the armies
of the four kings. How terrifying their fury must have been.
Abram’s
men utterly defeated Kedorlaomer and his allies that night.
They
claimed Lot’s freedom along with all of his possessions.
They
also brought back all of the men, women, and children from the five kingdoms
that had been plundered. They had rescued them all from abject poverty and
enslavement.
Abram
and his men were the great heroes of the entire region. They had utterly saved
the day.
And
because they were the ones who won the battle, all of the booty that was taken
now belonged to Abram.
According
to the rules of their day, all of the animals and gold and silver and even the people that the four kings had captured were now
Abram’s.
What
would he do with this lavish new wealth? Would he use this turn of events to
rule over the region? Would he grasp for power or trust the Lord?
The
King of Sodom came out to meet with Abram along with a man named
Melchizedek.
Melchizedek’s
name meant “my king is righteous.”
He
was the king of Salem, a region that would one day become the home of another
great city: Jerusalem.
He
was also a priest of the Most High God.
When
the Bible tells of this mysterious and righteous man, it is the first time a
priest is mentioned.
He
had come to bless Abram for the wondrous victory he had brought to the people
of the land. He had come to celebrate the warrior who fought by
faith.
He
said:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of Heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
Who delivered your enemies into
your hand.” Genesis 14:19-20
Let’s
stand here for and think upon this high and holy moment.
Here
was a man whose position before the LORD was so great that he could bestow
blessings down upon Abram, God’s chosen servant!
This
priest of God came to place the name of God on Abram.
We
might be in danger of thinking that this blessing was just a polite way to
honor Abram. It was much, much more than that.
This
blessing was powerful and potent to affect the life of Abram and to cause great
good to move forward into his future.
God’s
blessings move in history and make things happen.
God
was moving in power to take the divine blessings that Noah had blessed on
Shem’s line and focus them in on Abram and his descendants!
The
line of Japheth would one day find salvation through Abram’s descendants. The
line of Ham through the Canaanites would one day become Abram’s slaves.
These
blessings were from the one true God, the Creator, who made all the wondrous
things of the entire universe burst out in a dazzling array by speaking
words.
He
is the one that continually brings life and newness to the hours of each day by
His powerful Word.
God’s
Words are a magnificent, effective force, and now His Word was being spoken
through Melchizedek.
He
declared that Abram had the blessing of God. The same God Who made heaven
and earth promised before kings that His creation power would move on Abram’s
behalf.
After
Melchizedek’s splendid blessing, Abram gave him a tenth of all the
plunder. This priest was a king to his Lord, and he would pay him
his dues. What a meeting of greatness this was!
These
were two men of incomparable honor and nobility, and they stood together in the
midst of the cursed and chaotic world with the dignity and blessings of God’s
divine hand.
But
the king of Sodom was an entirely different story. He ruled over a land
of wickedness and horrific sin, and Abram would have nothing to do with
him.
This
contemptible king came to Abram with a command. His entire city had been
plundered in the war. His cowardly men had run from the battle scene and
allowed an army to invade their city.
By
the courage of his men and the work of his God, Abram brought all of those
things back, including the men, women, and children of Sodom. He saved
them all. He was their true hero.
But
the king of Sodom did not come with a grateful attitude or a humble
spirit. He came with arrogant demands.
It
would have been right for him to wait and listen to Abram, the man to whom he
owed so much.
Instead,
he jumped in and told Abram that he could keep all of the plunder, but asked
him to return his citizens to him.
He
had no right to give any instructions, it was not his role to tell Abram what
he could keep or not. He had lost the privilege of rule.
Abram
looked at the despicable king and said, “‘I have raised my hand to the LORD,
God Most High, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and have taken an oath that I will
accept nothing belonging to you, not even the thread of a thong of a sandal, so
that you will never be able to say, “I made Abram rich”’” (Genesis 14:22-23).
Wow.
Abram knew that the King of Sodom was not a man of honor. This king’s
promises meant nothing; only a fool would trust him.
He
was a ruler who led his own people into filth and shame. Abram wanted to
make sure that the glory of all his victories and his wealth went to the
LORD.
This
horrific man would have no chance to take credit. Abram was willing to
give up any fortune or wealth to protect the honor and image of God.
The
blessing of Melchizedek was worth far more than the gold and silver of Sodom!
Abram’s
righteous life would continue to reflect the strength and character of God to
all the nations that knew his name.
By
now, every city and nation of people far and wide would have heard of the
righteousness of God’s servant.
Their
eyes would have been watching his life. They would have known his
ways.
God
was giving the wicked nations of Canaan a bright example of His goodness in
Abram. Would they turn from their wickedness and sin?
Would
the king of Sodom think twice about the violence and perversion of his
city?
Would
Abram’s rebuke cause him to repent and change? Or would the rebellion
continue?
JENNYGRACE777
There
are many things about Christianity that are so arrestingly beautiful...a God
who came to die for His people, for example, that I have never been able to
move away from a love for Jesus. However, I had a number of years when many
parts of the Bible were terribly confusing, even angering to me. How could God
tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? How could God command the Israelites to commit
genocide against the Canaanites? At times I used these questions as a reason to
walk away from the faith entirely. Then I had the privilege of going to a
university with scholars who understood God's story. They helped me see His
goodness and justice as he has worked over thousands of years to reach a dark,
fallen, sinful race of humans with His plan of salvation. My deep desire is to
give others a chance to see God's glory in His story...the story that is our
story...as well.
Genesis 14 English Standard Version (ESV)
Abram
Rescues Lot
“14 In the days of Amraphel
king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam,
and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 these kings made war
with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king
of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is,
Zoar).
“3 And all these joined
forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they had
served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
“5 In the fourteenth year
Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim
in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in
Shaveh-kiriathaim,6 and the Horites in
their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the
wilderness. 7 Then they turned back
and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of
the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
“8 Then the king of Sodom,
the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of
Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 with Chedorlaomer king
of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of
Ellasar, four kings against five.
“10 Now the Valley of
Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah
fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.
“11 So the enemy
took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions,
and went their way. 12 They also took
Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his
possessions, and went their way.
“13 Then one who had
escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks[a] of Mamre the Amorite, brother of
Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
“14 When Abram heard
that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained
men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far
as Dan.
“15 And he divided
his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and
pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all
the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his
possessions, and the women and the people.
Abram Blessed by Melchizedek
“17 After his return
from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of
Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's
Valley).
“18 And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most
High.) 19 And
he blessed him and said,
“’Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor[b] of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
Possessor[b] of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
“And
Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
“21 And the king of Sodom
said to Abram, ‘Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.’
“22 But Abram said to
the king of Sodom, ‘I have lifted my hand[c] to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven
and earth, 23 that I
would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you
should say, “I have made Abram rich.”
“’24 I will take
nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went
with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.’”
Footnotes:
a.
Genesis 14:13 Or terebinths
b.
Genesis 14:19 Or Creator; also
verse 22
c.
Genesis 14:22 Or I have taken a
solemn oath
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