Read with Me
Genesis 14:17-24 (HCSB)
After 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 ). Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and I give praise to God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”
Listen with Me
As Abram and his party passed by Salem, the stronghold of the Canaanite city of Jebus, later Jerusalem, he was met by a most unusual character. Melchizedek enters history only briefly. Though he is a Canaanite, he is not only the king of Salem, he is a priest of the one true God, whom he calls “’El Elyon”, “God most high”.
Much ink has been spilled trying to figure out the true identity of this enigmatic figure, including in some of the New Testament letters. They see in him the pattern for the Messiah, Jesus, who was both the true king of the Jews, as well as the perfect high priest who came from the tribe of Judah not the tribe of Levi (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:13-7:28).
But Melchizedek is not merely a pattern or foreshadowing of the Messiah. He played a significant role in God’s history himself. At precisely the right moment, God moved him out of his city to provide bread and wine to Abraham and his large company of weary travelers. He also brought a message from God reminding Abram that He was the one who had given him the victory over the superior forces of the four northern kings.
Abram took this message to heart. A few days later, the group made it back to the Plain of the Jordan where they were met by the king of Sodom. He offered to let Abram keep all the goods he had brought back from the battle as his fee for returning the captives. But Abram refused, claiming as his own only the food that he and his crew had consumed on the campaign, as well as an appropriate share for his allies, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre.
But Abram didn’t just refuse to be enriched by these pagan kings. He swore before his God, whom he now calls by the title given him by Melchizedek, “God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth”. Abram wanted to ensure that not only those present at that time, but those who would come later as well, would never be able to think that Abram had been successful in his own strength, or that his wealth had come from those pagan kings. He wanted everyone to know that it was God who had given him everything he had.
Pray with Me
Father, I wish I could say that we, Your people, had grown to the point that such reminders are unnecessary. But we haven’t. There is still a tendency to accept praise for what we have accomplished, and to accept riches regardless of their source, so that others beside You can take at least partial credit for what You have done in our lives. That is so tragic. It usurps the glory that is due to You for Your goodness, Your power, and Your grace. Lord, help me to approach such things as Abram did, so that whatever happens, whatever I achieve or win, You receive all the glory. Amen.