Genesis 14:17-24

Redemption comes by a righteous king of peace.

This week I had an encouraging conversation that sparked deeper thinking on existence, why we are here. This is why we mine Scripture for meaning and eternal hope. All the more meaningful in days of uncertainty.

But by faith we have a firm foundation and resilient hope, because this faith is not in us, it is in our hero, Jesus.

We stir each other up by way of reminder toward that end. And over the history of the church some have established catechisms (set of questions and answers) to bury deep the truths of Scripture in our hearts. While we are not part of a tradition where that’s the norm, we agree with the truths!

B.B. Warfield: “What is “the indelible mark of the Shorter Catechism”? We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer of the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of bearing, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: “What is the chief end of man?” On receiving the countersign, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” – “Ah!” said he, “I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!” “Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,” was the rejoinder.

Anchoring truths that hold you steady!

New City Catechism: Q1 What is Our Only Hope In Life and Death? That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

These things are truths that carry us through life, truths we realize when we rightly see the characters in the redemptive story of Scripture, and recognize who the main character really is.

When we see it we realize with great relief…

Redemption comes through the righteous king of peace.

Abram. Covenant to make his name great, a nation, to bless him to be a blessing, eventually for all the families of the earth.

From there, faithful going, the promise of the land to his offspring. Then they travel to Egypt. Testing the promise to bless those that bless and curse those that curse, when fearing for his life because of the beauty of Sarai, Abram convinces her to say they are brother and sister - so Pharaoh takes her as a wife. And he dealt well with Abram. Sheep, oxen, donkeys, servants, camels.

God afflicts Pharaoh, so he sends them away.

Genesis 13:2 “Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” (ESV)

Abram will separate from his nephew Lot as the land couldn’t support both of their entourages. Lot settles in Sodom… And God gives Abram a reminder of his provision.

Genesis 13:14–17 “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, [15] for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. [16] I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. [17] Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” (ESV)

So he settles at the oaks at Mamre and we get to chapter 14, to trouble and war, to heroism and humility.

Know Yourself, and Know Lord, God Most High.

Redemption comes through the righteous king of peace.

Know Yourself

What do we know of Abram at this point? Called by God, obedient. Imperfect. Old. Rich. No children. Lots of people with him.

In the land, cities are ruled by kings, most had spent 12 years under the thumb of Chedorlaomer and kings with him. Those occupied rebel and are free for one year, then in the 14th year Chedorlaomer and the kings with him returned and defeated a slew of cities. Eventually Sodom and Gomorrah and a few other cities join the battle only to be defeated.

Genesis 14:11–12 “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.” (ESV)

Abram heard it, and like the “Taken” movie franchise, when Liam Neeson’s character frees children or others abducted… Abram led forth 318 “trained men” born in his house.

By night they defeated Cheddar and the others and brought back Lot and women and all the people and all the possessions looted from the cities.

This gets us to our text.

On return two kings come out to meet Abram.

Now, what does he know of himself?

Same things we know, called by God to have a great name, “Abram the Hebrew.”

More than that, he had a record now, a significant military victory. All the cities of the Jordan valley owe their freedom to him. This is a potential moment for machismo! They could build golden statues of Abram and dance in the streets!

But that’s not his vibe.

The two kings come, one to bless, one to make a deal. And Abram has to know himself well enough to respond appropriately.

The King of Sodom, whose possessions and people are being returned, comes out to meet him, and another, King of Salem (Jerusalem). This king comes with sustenance, bread and wine, and we are told he is a priest of God Most High. And he blesses Abram.

Genesis 14:19–20 “And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor 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.” (ESV)

In what we know of Abram’s life, this battle was the high point and when the blessing comes, it gives perspective.

We don’t know what was going on in his head, I just know what I would be thinking. I would be thinking how cool I was, how I had led these soldiers to victory. How I should get a parade!

He doesn’t take the higher place. He sees Melchizedek as superior and gives him a tenth of everything. A worshipful response. Confirming that yes, it was God Most high who delivered the enemies into my hand.

He is not only the possessor of heaven and earth, I belong to him.

Abram is faced at this moment with the question of who is going to make his name great. Will it be Yahweh who promised, or will it be his own achievement, skill, resource, help of others?

When the king of Sodom offers all the loot, Abram essentially says, ‘No, my help comes from the Lord, I won’t let you say you made my name great.’

“By his oath the patriarch affirms his faith in the Lord who will bless him; he will not be indebted in any way to the foreign king for his success, lest he boast he “made Abram rich” K. A. Mathews

“The arrangement of Abram’s confrontation is chiastic: (a) the king of Sodom met Abram (Gen. 14:17), (b) the king of Salem met Abram (v. 18), (b) the king of Salem blessed Abram (vv. 19–20), (a) the king of Sodom offered Abram a deal (v. 21). The fact that the offer from the king of Sodom came after Melchizedek’s blessing helped Abram keep things in perspective.” Allen P. Ross

He has hope in the promise of God, not himself, this helps him see clearly, humbly.

“The truth is that Melchizedek was the godly, residing Canaanite priest-king of Jerusalem. Whereas Abram was a descendant of the blessed Shem, Melchizedek was a descendant of the cursed Canaan (cf. Genesis 9:24-27). Nevertheless, Melchizedek, like Abram, had come to believe in the one true God. Abram had found him to be a true spiritual brother and therefore accepted his provision and blessings — and then gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. In effect, Abram bowed before Melchizedek in paying him tithes. “Abram bows only to Melchizedek, in a story filled with kings” (Von Rad).

Abram sees another as superior. He has had direct revelation, conversation with Yahweh, yet he receives this blessing and blesses and honors the Priest King as a sign of honoring God.

Abram knows himself, he has won a battle but he gives credit to the Lord, he knows he needs God’s help, guidance, provision for all of life.

“He wanted something far more enduring than possessions and wealth; he wanted the fulfillment of God’s miraculous and enduring promise. Faith looks beyond the riches of this world to the grander prospects God has in store.” Allen P. Ross

We are faced with the same types of questions all the time, maybe not kings giving us loot after winning a battle, but knowing ourselves enough to say ‘I belong to God’ or take the bait from the king of Sodom, that of worldly provision… Will I be the main character or will God?

1 Peter 5:6–7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV)

Romans 14:7–8 “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. [8] For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” (ESV)

Tattoos… I tend to take them seriously, and enjoy engaging others when they have religiously inclined tattoos. “Only God can judge me!” God is greater than the highs and lows… Is he greater than me?

At small group this week, one of the questions was ‘what does a life of response to the gospel practically look like?’ and the answer came, “surrender.” Exactly what Abram exemplifies here, surrendering resource, pride, power… to the one above it all.

Abram knows himself, his need, his reliance, his hope, because he knows Yahweh.

Know Lord, God Most High

I am not sure Abram is even the star of the show in the text, it is the king of Salem. Mysterious. Comes out of nowhere. Melchizedek, only time he is mentioned in the narrative portion of the Old Testament.

Priest, mediates relationship between God and man, administers offerings, represents others.

Eventually other priests will come, descendants of Aaron, Levites. Those that will descend from Abram will rely on the priestly order to maintain the relationship with Yahweh, to make offerings, to keep the calendar… This priest is different.

Somehow he knows God. Though he uses a new name for him, El El Yon, God Most High. Possessor/Creator of heaven and earth. Creates ex nihilo, out of nothing, brings a priest out of nowhere! A priest king that will point forward to redemption that will feel like it came out of nowhere.

The significance of the names Salem (“peace”) and Melchizedek (“king of righteousness”) with the absence of earthly origins subtly anticipates the final bringer of peace and king of righteousness (cf. Heb. 7:2).

The seed promised in the garden… a king to come, from the nation of Abram…

David will write of this king and his order in a song.

Psalm 110:1-4 “The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

[2] The LORD sends forth from Zion

your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

[3] Your people will offer themselves freely

on the day of your power,

in holy garments;

from the womb of the morning,

the dew of your youth will be yours.

[4] The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind,

“You are a priest forever

after the order of Melchizedek.” (ESV)

David is writing of the Messiah, the king to come, One who like Melchizedek will be a king of righteousness.

David is not writing of himself, “The Lord says to my Lord,” indicating superiority. There was a need for one yet to come, as promised by the prophets, to bear the iniquities of us all, to be innocent, stricken, and lifted up. God was orchestrating, even from this encounter between Abram and the priest on the plain, and throughout the redemptive story, every person, every plotline, every character, every promise, to point to him.

And Jesus would quote this very Psalm to make his messianic claim. All the promises of God find their yes in him… the better priest and king.

Hebrews 6:19–20 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, [20] where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (ESV)

Hebrews 7:1–3 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, [2] and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. [3] He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” (ESV)

The other priestly order would be insufficient, for perfection was not attainable through that law or levitical priesthood.

Hebrews 7:15–19 “This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, [16] who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is witnessed of him,

“You are a priest forever,

after the order of Melchizedek.”

[18] For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness [19] (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:22-28 “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

[23] The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, [24] but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. [25] Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

[26] For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. [27] He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. [28] For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (ESV)

Verse 25 is key: “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

What do we need to be saved from?

Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (ESV)

Goes along with knowing ourselves, our need.

“The eternal, superior priesthood of Jesus is our only hope of eternal salvation. God's wrath never changes. There is only one hope for sinners like us. We must have a faithful high priest, who will intercede for us forever. We need a king of righteousness (verse 2). We need a king of peace (verse 2). We need someone without beginning and ending (verse 3). Someone who has an indestructible life (verse 16) and will never die and need to be replaced (verses 23-24). We need someone greater than Abraham and greater than Levi—something like Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham, (verses 6-7) and who received tithes from Abraham and, in a sense, from Levi in Abraham (verses 5, 6, 8-10). We need a new and greater priest—so much greater that verse 11 says there was no perfection through the Levitical priesthood. All the Old Testament priesthood could do was point toward the One superior priest (after the order of Melchizedek, Psalm 110:4), whose sacrifice of himself and whose eternal intercession would guarantee eternal salvation for all God's people.

Because this is true, we can know ourselves differently, under his care, his blood, redeemed.” Piper

God's way of solving that problem is priesthood. This is not ours to figure out or solve. God has to do it for us. And he has done it. He ordains a Priest, his Son.

“God the Father ordains the priesthood for our salvation. It is his idea. He sends the priest. It is his own Son whom he sends. And he loves him infinitely. All this is the love of God rescuing us from the wrath of God, in such a way that the justice of God is vindicated and the glory of God is exalted.” Piper

Second implication of verse 25 is that it is dependent on the ongoing work of Christ - intercession… our future salvation depends on the active work of Christ forever and ever, not just on the past work of Christ or on our past decisions and commitments. It says that Christ is able to save forever . . . since he always lives to make intercession for us.

His intercession is doing two essential things. Applying his atonement before the Father (representative). But then also praying for us to “draw near.”

Luke 22:31–32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (ESV)

For standing… and believing.

Larry Sanger, founder of Wikipedia. Before conversion he had “been a devotee of rationality, methodological skepticism, and a somewhat hard-nosed and no-nonsense (but always open-minded) rigor. I have a Ph.D. in philosophy, my training being in analytic philosophy, a field dominated by atheists and agnostics. Once, I slummed about the fringes of the Ayn Rand community, which is also heavily atheist. So, old friends and colleagues who lost touch might be surprised.”

Grew up in a Lutheran family, that eventually stopped going to church, stopped believing in God in his teens. Philosophy classes… a pastor threatened by questions, confirmed unbelief. “Converted to methodological skepticism.” Reed College. Grad school. Becomes agnostic. Doesn’t like the arguments of the new atheists.

“Perhaps I had misunderstood things I only thought I had understood. Perhaps I had not been exposed to the best representatives of the faith. In short, perhaps, I had not given Christianity a fair shake.”

Purposely exposing his sons to the Bible (literature). View on morality began to change. Then started really studying the Bible for himself. YouVersion app, 90 day, ESV study Bible. Found the Bible could “sustain interrogation.”

“I found myself positively ashamed to realize that, despite having a Ph.D. in philosophy, I had never really understood what theology even is. Theology is, I found, an attempt to systematize, harmonize, explicate, and to a certain extent justify the many, many ideas contained in the Bible. It is what rational people do when they try to come to grips with the Bible in all its richness. The notion that the Bible might actually be able to interestingly and plausibly sustain such treatment is a proposition that had never entered my head.”

Fairly soon started “talking to God.” “I certainly did, eventually, come to better appreciate my own sinfulness and why one of our deepest obligations is to be thankful to God for adopting me into his family and forgiving my many sins.”

No explosive conversion experience, but a steady drawing close.

At salvation, the work the Spirit does in us. In our walk with Jesus, as he sanctifies us, draws us closer… it is his intercession.

The priest king on the plain is God drawing close to Abram. The story shows us how he draws close to us that we would draw close to him.

This mysterious king reminds us of the great security of our salvation because Jesus is able to save to the uttermost.

“This means our salvation is as secure as Christ's priesthood is indestructible. This is why we needed a priest so much greater than any human. Christ's deity secures his indestructible priesthood for us.” Piper

“The living Christ, our Great High Priest, appears in the presence of God on our behalf and presents his finished sacrifice in intercession for us sinners “who draw near to God through him” (v. 25). The Father, then, will never reject us.

The refusal of Sodom’s offer of gifts (Gen. 14:21–24) confirms powerfully that Abram is trusting in God’s provision above all. Similarly we too today are free to resist all that the world tantalizingly holds before us and instead receive the offer of “another priest [who arose] after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:11). This priest-king, Jesus Christ, offers us no material guarantee but the promise of eternal life itself, restoration to God—he offers us the only thing that truly satisfies.”

And when we know Him, we offer what we have, just like Abram.

Melchizedek points Abram to the main character who cares for him. He points us to the main character who gave himself for us, who meets us with the sustenance of his body and blood, a new covenant of grace. The forgiveness of sin. Belogning, real life with him.

Jesus is the righteous king of peace that brings redemption.

And because that is true we can say to the world “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is your - I will not take you anxiety, your insecurity, your shame. I have a better high priest.”

Know yourself as the one in need of a savior. Know Jesus as the Lord, God Most High, the king who gives himself for you.

The field of battle will look different for us. It may not be against kings, we may not even “win.” In Christ, by his life, death, and resurrection, we are redeemed, forgiven, made his forever. Let that shape everything about you.

That when you walk through the turmoil of our day they will notice otherworldly confidence and hope. That you have a different king.

May it be so in us.