The Priests Who Bless

Introduction

Last week, Irvin began exploring how we are all called to be Priests of the Garden.

From the very beginning, all humanity was designed to be a royal priesthood.

That’s not about wearing special robes and chanting in strange ancient languages.

In the biblical sense, priests are those who rule creation in God's name and authority. We spread God's goodness to others as though God Himself were here.

We are called to be priests who work in a worshipful way. Like Adam and Eve, we are called to tend the garden where God has placed us, and it is a work that brings forth life and goodness.

And we are called to be priests who image God. Humanity is God’s power and spirit and presence and goodness contained in flesh and blood. We're meant to resemble God, to walk and talk and think and behave like God, so that when others see us, they get a glimpse of God Himself.

All these ideas are captured in the word "blessing". To be a priest is to be a person who blesses. A person is always pouring out goodness into the world around them.

So when we say that God has created all of us to be royal priests, that means our purpose in this life is to bless creation and fill the earth with God’s good presence.

Modern Problem

But we don’t see too many people behaving in this way, do we? I mean, we don’t see ourselves behaving this way all the time!

Maybe you heard the sermon last week and thought, “Wah, need to rule, need to work in a worshipful way, need to image God, it’s so hard to live like a priest!" We know God wants us to do this, but we just have so much going on in our lives already!

We feel like we’re too busy to be priests. When we ask each other how are things going, the most common answer we give is that we’re busy. When I meet up with youth, they’re always busy with school. If it’s not exams, it’s CCA. Even on holiday, they’re busy with tuition. Where got time to think about blessing others? Maybe you’re always saying you’re busy with work—there’s always another project to do, another email to send, another client to entertain. If you’re a parent, you’re always busy raising a family. There is no vacation from being a mum or a dad. Where got time to think about blessing others?

Maybe it’s not time. Maybe it’s that we don’t have enough. We’re always feeling tight with our resources. Inflation is a serious issue for some of us. Some of us are raising young families, paying off housing loans, saving for retirement. My home is so messy, I don’t have space to have guests. How can I bless others with so little?

Last week, Irvin challenged us with the thought that we are images of God, so that when people ask us, “What does God look like?” we can reply, “Like me!” And maybe that was a scary thought to you. “Wah, better don’t say God looks like me - I’m so imperfect, my language is full of swear words, I can’t get my family to go to church, I don’t read my Bible or pray regularly.” I don’t have enough faith to think about blessing others.

The thing is, we do want to be a blessing! We want to fulfill God’s calling for us! But we feel that we can’t fulfill it now. We just need more time, more energy, more money, more Bible knowledge and spirituality, then we can bless others.

Today I want to recognise that these concerns are real and valid. And it is a wise thing to make sure you have enough for yourself and those closest to you before looking outside.

But I also want to gently push back on this mindset with this question: where is God in all this?

When we say that we’re too busy, that we don’t have enough, that we’re not perfect enough, that we don’t have this or that thing, or we’re not spiritual enough for this or that reason, where is God in all this?

Today I want to invite us into a story where we can meditate on what it takes to be a priest who blesses, and specifically, how we can become priests of blessing no matter what our circumstances.

Ancient Solution

Let’s go to Genesis 14. This chapter begins with a story of kings going to war, but it’s ultimately a story about what it means to be a royal priest who blesses others.

So the chapter starts off with two groups of kings - there’s one group of five and one group of four. Long story short, they fight, and the group of five wins against the group of four.

Notice that one of the kings in the losing group is a certain Bera king of Sodom. We’ll come back to him later.

In verse 12, we read that Lot, who is Abram’s nephew, gets caught up in the chaos of the war and is taken prisoner. Someone manages to escape and, in verse 13, comes to Abram to ask for help.

Notice that Abram is given the title of “the Hebrew” here. It’s actually the first time that the word ‘Hebrew’ appears in Scripture. We’ll come back to that later as well.

So Abram the Hebrew assembles a fighting force and defeats that victorious group of five kings. And that is a big deal.

In ancient warfare, if you win a war, you get all the loser’s stuff. All their wealth, riches, gold, silver, livestock. And if you think about it, those five kings had already won against the group of four kings and took their stuff. Now Abram defeats that group of five, and now he has the wealth of nine kings and kingdoms!

But it’s not even just material wealth. Abram, by defeating those kings, shows that he is greater than all those kings. He’s gaining influence and a reputation. With this victory, he has almost instantly become most powerful man in the entire region.

And what happens to people who become rich and powerful? Everyone starts talking about them. Everyone starts to try and be their friend or their ally.

And thus we come to 14:17-24.

Genesis 14:17 ESV

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).

We meet the king of Sodom again, who has supposedly come to treat with Abram. But we don’t actually read of their interaction until verse 21. Because in verse 18, the story jumps to talking about someone else!

What’s going on here? As my mum would say, “[Cantonese for no head no tail]”! This looks like bad storytelling!…or is it?

What we have here is actually a literary technique that appears quite a lot in Scripture. The author starts telling you about one story, interrupts that story to tell you about something else, and then finishes it later. Some people call this the ‘sandwich’ method, some call it the ‘burger’ method, I personally call it the ‘tao sar bao’ method.

Basically, you have a outer container, and you have the filling on the inside, which is where the taste, the good stuff really is. And because of the inside, the outside isn’t just plain bread anymore; it becomes flavourful also.

So in Genesis 14, we have an inner story that the author wants us to really pay attention to. And when we know what the inner story is about, we can read the outer story with that perspective.

Ultimately, the author wants us to compare the two stories. What's similar, what's different? Let’s read.

Genesis 14:18 ESV

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

We just read about the king of Sodom coming to meet Abram. Now we meet another king coming to meet Abram, but he comes with something: bread and wine. This phrase doesn’t just mean he comes out with one packet of Gardenia bread and a can of Fanta grape juice! This phrase is a metaphor meaning Melchizedek threw a big feast for Abram and those who were with him! It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet! It’s a party, a celebration for the man who was victorious in battle.

From this verse, we start to see that bread and wine has something to do with being a priest. Bread and wine is a very rich symbol. It’s more than physical nourishment. It’s about community. You don’t go to a buffet alone, do you! When there is a lot of food to enjoy, you bring other people with you!

And when you eat at the same table with someone, especially in the ancient world it means, “We are equals, we are friends, we are brothers.”

Here’s why this is especially important in this story.

Remember how in Gen 14:13, Abram was introduced as “the Hebrew”? What’s the significance of that?

When we hear “Hebrew”, we think of the Hebrew nation, the Hebrew people. The Jews, the descendants of Abraham. But in Genesis 14, Abram doesn’t even have have a son yet! There is no Hebrew people - so “Hebrew” here probably isn’t describing race or ethnic heritage.

The word "Hebrew" seems to come from a root word that means "to go over" or "to cross". It's a word that means "you came over or crossed over from somewhere else", or in other words, "you are an outsider." You are a foreigner, an alien, you have no home here, you don't belong here.

So when Abram is called “the Hebrew” in Gen 14:13, it’s not a compliment. It shows that Abram doesn’t belong there. He is an outsider. He’s not one of us. And now he is defeating the kings of the land, upsetting the balance of power and the status quo, Abram is making a mess!

And here is Melchizedek throwing a banquet for him, sitting with him at the same table, signifying, “You’re my brother and my equal. All my abundance is yours.” And that’s before Abram gives him a tithe of all his possessions. Abram just shows up outside his city, and Melchizedek decides to throw a party for him!

That’s what it means to be a priest of God Most High. It’s not about performing rituals and wearing special clothes that make you exclusive. Being a priest means welcoming the outsider, celebrating the foreigner, honouring the alien.

In verse 21, we return to Bera king of Sodom. So we’ve seen how one king behaves like a priest of God. There is a generous outpouring of both physical and spiritual blessing. How will this other king compare?

Genesis 14:21 ESV

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

Rather than celebrating Abram, the first thing Bera king of Sodom does is make a demand. He sets out terms and conditions. This isn’t a blessing, it's a transaction. Whereas Melchizedek was generous before Abram did anything, the king of Sodom wants something from Abram first. He’s not thinking, “What can I do to honour and celebrate this person?” He’s thinking, “What can I get out of this?”

Abram responds in a way that shows the king of Sodom has an ulterior motive. On the surface, the king of Sodom is actually quite generous. All he wants is the people, and he’s letting Abram have everything else. He is making Abram rich. But that’s exactly what Abram doesn’t want.

Because if he accepts the king of Sodom’s riches, he may become wealthy, but he will be indebted to the king of Sodom. He will be honour-bound to serve the king of Sodom or pay him tribute.

We also live in an honour-shame culture. If someone treats me to a meal, I feel this obligation to pay them back in some way, either by buying them another meal or treating them with special favour or respect. Of course, in today’s culture that doesn’t mean that the other person must have some ulterior motive to get something from me.

So the king of Sodom is being quite sneaky here. He is trying to look generous like Melchizedek, but he’s trying to benefit himself.

It’s like when someone says something really nice about you, like “Wow you look really nice today” or “Wow you’re such a good cook”, and then you’re wondering, “Umm, thanks, what do you want?”

But it gets even more interesting.

Look again in verse 21: “take the goods for yourself.” Where else in Genesis have we seen someone take something for themselves? Something that was rich and abundant, something that they thought was good and pleasing to the eye?

If you've been following with our Bible class at 9:30, we've been talking about patterns and repeated words and motifs. This is one of them!

This scene reminds us of the Garden of Eden, where Eve was encouraged by a serpent to take what she saw was good for her, something that would make her wise.

Abram is now being asked to take the spoils of war for himself. But Abram realises that this king of Sodom isn’t a priest of God—the king of Sodom is a serpent. He is tempting Abram to take these riches for himself, to make himself great rather than allowing God to make him great.

Ancient Situation: Summary

Let’s now take a step back and evaluate our two characters. When we put these two kings side by side, what do we notice about the way they treat Abram the Hebrew, the Outsider?

First, what’s their general posture? Melchizedek blesses the outsider, whereas Bera uses the outsider for his own goals. Melchizedek is interested in Abram’s welfare, while Bera is interested in what he can get out of it.

Second, Melchizedek blesses freely and generously, whereas Bera brings up terms and conditions. Melchizedek throws a feast as soon as Abram arrives, and apparently does not expect anything in return, so it’s a double blessing when Abram tithes to him! Bera expects Abram to give him something first, and even if he did give Abram the riches, he still expects something in the future.

Third, Melchizedek images God by blessing Abram in the name of God Most High, whereas Bera images the serpent in the garden by tempting Abram to take what he sees as good and make himself great.

Two kings, both with power and wealth and influence, but one chose to be generous with what he had to bless the outsider, and the other chose to take everything he could to benefit himself.

As you continue to meditate more on this passage, you will probably find even more points of comparison—both between Melchizedek and Bera, but also across the rest of Scripture. But for the remainder of our time today, let’s consider this:

Page 4: Modern Solution

What would it look like for you to put your name there in place of Melchizedek? What would it look like for you to be a priest in the realm where God has placed you?

We started off by talking about how we struggle to bless others, how we feel we’re not in the right situation to bless others because we don’t have this or that.

Here’s the reality: so long as we’re asking, “Do I have enough to bless?” the answer will always be, “No I don’t have enough.” So long as we make ourselves the source of blessing, so long as we depend on our abilities and our time and our energy and our money, we will never have enough. We will be kings and queens who live like beggars.

But thanks be to God, we don’t have to be the source of blessing. It’s not about our ability, but His. It’s not about our time, but the infinity of God. It’s not about our energy or our money, but the boundless, endless abundance that is in Christ Jesus, which the Holy Spirit pours into our lives today.

Because of Him, we are beggars reborn as kings and queens.

So we can say with the Psalmist,

Psalm 34:8–9 ESV

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

Only when we have tasted and seen the goodness of God for ourselves can we begin to live as priests who bless. And if you haven’t, then don’t stop searching!

This afternoon, when you go for lunch, let’s say you go somewhere that has a big crowd and the restaurant is understaffed. You see the waiters and waitresses running around frantically, but they can’t attend to everyone, and they’re serving other tables before you. And you’re sitting there hungry.

What would a royal priest say and do and think, one who has been filled with the abundance of God? What if you could pray with your table, “God, bless the wonderful men and women in this restaurant whom You have created in your image with joy as they go about their work. Let them be your hands and feet, bringing out a feast that blesses the hungry. Let this space become a place for not only physical food, but for community, conversation, and encouragement.” Wouldn’t that turn a frustrating situation into a priestly moment?

Tonight, when we return home, what would it look like to be a blessing to our families? Some of us are in families that argue and fight a lot, and some of us are in families that barely say a word to each other before everyone hides in their own rooms.

We could say, “I just don’t have a good enough relationship with my family!” Or “They don’t show me the love and recognition that I deserve, why should I seek to bless them?” Or “My kids don’t listen to anything I say anyway!” And that could very well be true.

But what would a royal priest say and do and think, one who has been filled with the abundance of God? Would they look at everything in they don’t have in their family, or would they declare, “God is here in this house. This is God’s garden and I am his royal priest. He will turn the hearts of parents to the children and children to their parents, and I am here to water the seeds.”

Tomorrow you will find yourself in your workplace or school. There are people you don’t like. There are tasks you don’t enjoy. You dread the company audit, the weighted assessment, and the only thing you want to do is leave because it’s just so toxic.

What would a royal priest say and do and think, one who has been filled with the abundance of God? Would they grumble about the toxic environment, and how much they can’t wait to get out? Would they wait and hope for someone else to fix the situation? Would they pray to just lie low, tahan, until they can escape? What if you believed, “This is God’s garden, I am his royal priest, and Christ Jesus my High Priest walks with me.”

Last Monday, I was having lunch with Aidan Pang, and he was telling me about how he was the canoeing CCA in secondary school. And if you know anything about canoeing, it is probably the most demanding sport CCA. Aidan was telling me about how he didn’t always enjoy it - the hours were long, the training was hard, but he desired to do his best anyway. He wasn’t going to do the bare minimum, and his friends noticed. And they began to train harder themselves. Isn’t that a moment of priestly living? To recognise, “This is the garden where God has placed me to live and work, and I will do so with joy, because Jesus lives and works with me.”