Abram and The Two Kings

Intro-

This morning we continue our sermon series on the life of Abraham. Last week God commanded Abram to leave his country and his land and his people to go to a land that God would show him. And God promised that if Abram would do this that He would make Abram into a great nation and He would bless those who blessed Abram and He would curse those who cursed him, and He would give that Promised Land to Abram’s offspring. And we saw Abram show great faith as he left all the comforts of home and country and people and set out to follow the call of God on his life.

But Abram didn’t follow God alone. He had his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot by his side. Lot was the son of Abram’s brother who had died and it’s possible that Abram was more like an adoptive father to Lot than an uncle. Once Abram reached the Promised Land, God blessed him and Lot so much and they grew so wealthy and their camps so large, that they needed to separate.

You may remember that Abram generously gave his nephew first choice of the land and that Lot chose the plain of the Jordan which was well-watered but was also near the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. As we come to Genesis chapter 14 we learn that Lot has chosen to live in Sodom and that his association with that sinful city has made him a captive of war. Here is how it happened.

Five cities of the Jordan plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah had been subject to the King of Elam, a man named Kedorlaomer, for 12 years. In the 13th year they rebelled against him and now in the 14th year he marches against them with four other kings, his allies, to reassert his dominance. So this battle is a battle of five kings against four. The passage tells us Kedorlaomer and his allies win, that Sodom and Gomorrah are conquered, and that Lot is taken captive (along with many other residents of the city) and led away most likely to become a slave in Kedorlaomer’s country of Elam. This is where Abram enters the story.

Genesis 14:8–12 (NIV) Page #

Transition: Earlier in chapter 14, we are told that these five kings of the Jordan plain had been subject to Kedorlaomer for 12 years. In the 13th year they had rebelled against him and now in the 14th year he marches against them with his allies to reassert his dominance. The passage tells us that by this time Lot was living inside the city of Sodom. So, when the city was conquered, he was taken captive along with the others in the city and led away most likely to become a slave in Kedorlaomer’s country of Elam. This is where Abram enters the story.

Genesis 14:13–16 (pg 11)

A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

1. Help Family (v13-16)

Let’s take a brief glance at the situation Abram is faced with. First, Abram must have known that this wasn’t just one army but a coalition of 4 armies that had taken Lot captive. And this coalition hadn’t just conquered Sodom and Gomorrah, if you read the entire chapter you find that they had cut a warpath down through the Promised Land and conquered 11 people groups. Now they are marching back to their homeland with their plunder and captives, including Lot. What can Abram hope to do against such an army? He is no king. He has no people group, and he has no army. What can he do? What should he do?

Abram, bravely goes to war. He gathers his 318 trained servants and then reaches out to his allies. Apparently Abram had made a treaty of some sort with three brothers who lived near him. This treaty bound them to fight with Abram in his hour of need. So, Abram calls on them to honor their agreement and then marches out to rescue Lot. The passage tells us he pursued them as far as Dan, which was some 120-140 miles away. Think of how long it must have taken them to track this army down. Think of what great lengths Abram went to to rescue his family!

When Abram catches up to this vast army, he catches them off guard by attacking them at night. They panic and flee. And Abram pursues them all the way to Hobah which is another 100 miles or so away. [Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 53.] Eventually, Abram gives up the chase having recovered not only Lot but all of his possessions and the other captives as well.

App- What I want you to see here is that when Abram heard his family member was in trouble, he dropped everything to help him. Abram left his own possessions, flocks, family and home unprotected. He risked losing even his own life to save Lot. And in this way, he is a model for us of what we ought to do.

Scripture consistently teaches that you have a responsibility to take care of your family. I Timothy 5:8 says, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” You ought to be willing to go to any lengths to care for your family! That is your responsibility and it is your privilege. Take holy pride in providing for those in need in your family.

Transition: As we continue reading in the chapter we find that Abram was met by two kings on his way back from this great victory: the king of Sodom and the king of Salem. Now, these two men couldn’t have been more different from one another. One represents righteousness, the other wickedness, and the way Abram interacts with each is an example to us. Let’s look first at Abram’s interaction with Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

Genesis 14:18–20 (NIV)

Then 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 praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

2. Melchizedek A Better Priest/King (v18-20)

Melchizedek was not only the king of Salem, he was also a priest of God Most High. Somehow, God had revealed himself to Melchizedek and this man, like Abram, was a faithful servant of God. So Melchizedek comes out from his city, Salem with most people believe is actually Jerusalem, to congratulate Abram on his victory. He meets Abram with both gifts and blessings. He brings bread and wine for David’s men, and he speaks a blessing over Abram in God’s name. Then he glorifies God, giving Him the credit for Abram’s victory.

And Abram responds to Melchizedek warmly. He gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he has there with him. That’s interesting because Melchizedek is the first priest in Scripture and this is the first example of tithing in Scripture. This tithe, this gift seems to be Abram’s way of acknowledging that Melchizedek is right and that God is the one who gave him the victory and all these spoils. So Abram gives a portion of them back to God as a thanks offering to Him. And that is the very same heart with which we still tithe today. When we give we are acknowledging to God, “Lord you have given me everything I have. All of it belongs to you, so I give a portion of it back to you, often 10% or more, as a thank offering to you.” That is how we ought to give. And if you aren’t giving like that you are missing out on a blessing.

But there is one more thing we must notice about Melchizedek and that is that he is a picture of Jesus. Many years later, as King David ruled from Jersualem (the same city which Melchizedek is thought to have ruled), the Holy Spirit inspired him to write Psalm 110 in which David revealed that the Messiah would be a priest king like Melchizedek was. Psalm 110:4 says, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

This idea is later picked up in Hebrews 7 which was our Scripture reading earlier in the service. Hebrews 7:1–3 says, “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”

The writer of Hebrews points several things out to us about Melchizedek to draw a comparison between him and Jesus. First, he points out that Melchizedek was both priest and king. Second, that his name means “king of righteousness” and his title means “king of peace.” So he was a man of righteousness and peace. Lastly, he points out that the Bible gives no record of Melchizedek’s birth or death. As a literary figure, he was a man without beginning or end. That’s not to suggest that Melchizedek was never born or never died, but rather to point out that as a literary figure, he shares something in common with Christ. Christ is also without beginning or end in His own way.

So, Scripture presents Melchizedek as a picture of Jesus. Jesus is also a priest and a king. As a priest He becomes the mediator between God and man. He sets aside the OT law to make a new covenant between God and man, a covenant of grace. And as the great High Priest, Jesus was a man of righteousness and peace. He lived a perfectly righteous life so that He could offer a once-for-all sacrifice for our sins so we might be forgiven. This is why we must come to Jesus asking forgiveness for our sins, because He is our priest. But like Melchizedek He is also our king. So, we cannot simply come to Jesus looking for forgiveness, we must also stop rebelling against Him and bow the knee to Him. We must submit to His reign in our lives.

App- That is what salvation is. It’s coming to Jesus the priest for forgiveness, and bowing the knee to Jesus the King. If you haven’t done that yet, then do that this morning.

Transition: And now, in verses 21-24, we read of Abram’s interaction with this second king.

Genesis 14:21–24 (NIV)

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

3. Two Kings (v22-24)

The King of Sodom comes out to meet Abram and he could not be more different from Melchizedek. You notice it first with his name. Where Melchizedek's name means king of righteousness, the King of Sodom’s name is Bera which sounds almost like the Hebrew word for evil. [John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ge 14:2.] Add to that the fact that he is the king of Sodom which is renown for its wickedness, and you can already see the contrast between these two men.

But there is also a great difference in how they approach Abram. The Word Biblical Commentary points out that “the meannness (or stinginess) of the King of Sodom stands in stark contrast to Melchizedek’s warm generosity. Sodom brought nothing, whereas Melchizedek brought out bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram. [Bera] makes a short, almost rude demand of just six words in the original language: ‘Give me people, take property yourself.’... Even the word order reflects his ungracious self-centeredness as he mentions what Abram must give to him before he mentions what he can take for himself.” [Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 1-15: Volume I. in the Word Biblical Commentary series. Word Books Publishers (Waco, TX: 1987) p318] This king should have run out to thank Abram for rescuing his people and likely his own family. Instead, he makes demands of him.

But what I really want you to see is how Abram responds. With Melchizedek, the righteous man, the priest of God, a man like Jesus- Abram is generous. He shares God’s gifts with him. But with Bera, the wicked man, the King of Sodom, Abram wants no part. He gives him his goods back not as a sign of friendship like with Melchizedek, but to be completely free of him. Abram is unwilling to be associated with this wicked man in any way.

It brings to mind James 1:27 which says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Abram fulfills this standard in this story. When he rescued Lot, he didn’t have to rescue the rest of the captives. He could have freed them and left them to fend for themselves. But the Bible even mentions that some of them were women. In fact, many of them were likely women and children, orphans and widows whose husbands and fathers had been killed or fled in the battle. Abram cared for them and got them home safely. He took care of the orphans and widows. And then when he finally got them back home and was met by this wicked man, Abram fulfilled the last half of the verse. He resolved to keep himself unspotted from any association with a worldly, wicked man like the King of Sodom. He would not give the king of Sodom any chance to gloat over him or his God.

Again, Abram is an example to us. I think we can look at these two kings as a metaphor. Each day it seems like we are met with people of righteousness and people of wickedness, the people of God and the people of the world. And each day we must choose who to associate with, how we will respond to both. Remember what James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Be careful who you associate with, who you are friends with. Keep yourself from being polluted by the world. Don’t let the enemy gloat over you or your God.

PRAY-