Genesis 14 has some exciting stories to tell within its story. Several kings were fighting amongst each other in and around where Abram and Lot lived.
It's interesting to point out that Jesus didn't speak out against war. He really remained pretty much apolitical. He talked about the army as if it was a given: "If a soldier asks you to carry his pack 1 mile, carry it 2..." He never spoke out against war, as if His new covenant was going to abolish it. Men seem to always find a way to quarrel with one another. Peace is wonderful and should be persued, yet wars continue to happen...I guess because all men will never come and surrender to God's love. Not everyone is going to get saved.
Anyway, four kings went against five. The four won, with some of the kings' men fleeing and falling into tar pits (gross). The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were carried off, including all the goods and food. Abram heard about this and called out 318 trained men born in his household to pursue and rescue Lot. In a place called Dan, Abram divided his men at night and routed his enemies. They did so and recovered all the goods, too. After returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet Abram.
Then this strange-named fellow named Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. "He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, '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.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
This is another Messianic passage. Jesus is called "a priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 7) This priest had no lineage, no geneology, "but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life." His name is akin to "king of righteousness" and "king of peace." Isn't in uncanny that he brought out bread and wine?! I'm not making this stuff up. Every Jew's Torah has this passage and these details. If there were people that made up a story and "invented" Christianity, they couldn't have snuck passages like this into the Old Testament. The Bible is real, folks! This is intense stuff.
It's also interesting that Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. He tithed to him before the Law was given to Moses several years later. This underscores the principle that tithing is something that Christians should do -- giving God 10 percent of your income, because it's not "Old Testament Law" that they are "free from." It's a principle of God's kingdom that we would do well to follow. Will we forfeit salvation and go to hell if we don't? PLEASE...that's a silly question (of course not). Should we tithe? Absolutely.
Later on near the end of chapter 14, Abram is asked for "just the people...keep the goods" from the king of Sodom. Abram basically says, "No way. I won't keep anything of yours. I don't want you to be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'" Later on there comes trouble with that king and his city, which we've heard before.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 5, 2006 09:13 AM