Genesis 14:1-24 "The Battle of the Nine Kings"
Notes
Transcript
Good evening, Calvary Chapel Lake City!
Congratulations to IU on her first National Title AND 16-0 season… which is huge…
A perfect 16-0 season hasn’t happened in 131 years… not since Yale in 1894! Big night for the Hoosiers!
Well… we have a big night too… because we are about to enter God’s eternal word!
Please open your Bibles to Genesis 14. Genesis 14:1-24 this evening.
We left off where Genesis has shifted to look at the life of the Patriarchs.
Beginning with Abram, shortly after he came into the promised land, a famine came and he went down to Egypt to weather the storm.
This was a bad move as leaving the Promised Land was not directed by God… and in Egypt he found himself lying about Sarai being his wife…
Pharoah was going to take her as his wife, and began to give Abram many treasures, slaves, and livestock, but then God plagued Pharoah…
Thus Pharoah confronted Abram, “What is this you have done to me?” And sent Abram away even with the treasures of Egypt.
Which may seem like a blessing, BUT in Chapter 13 the excess of livestock led to strife between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot and caused the two camps to separate.
Lot chose to go East towards Sodom… bad move as well see ahead…
And the LORD revisited Abram promising him and his descendants all the land… north, south, east and west… as far as the eye could see.
And Abram moved to Hebron… the highest point in Israel and built an altar to worship and sacrifice to the Lord.
Tonight we pick up in Chapter 14… where war breaks out in the land four pagan kings verses five… Lot becomes a captive of war… Abram rescues him… and then meets Melchizedek.
So… there you have it… that’s that chapter.
Which we are still going to read and chew on… for it’s a blessing and a privilege to enter God’s word.
Let’s do that now… in a message titled “The Battle of the Nine Kings.”
Which… for you Tolkien fans… while this title may sound like a Tolkien reference… it is not.
This is NOT the “The Battle of Five Armies”…
And it’s not a reference to the nine rings given to the kings of men.
So… just park those thoughts… this is the biblical account of the Battle of Nine Kings.
Let’s Pray!
In reverence for God’s word, if you are able, please stand as I read our passage.
Genesis 14:1–24 “And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.
8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”” ”
Praise God for His word. Please be seated.
V1 begins with the words “And it came to pass” which seems to indicate some time had passed since Abram’s separation with Lot.
We don’t know for how long… but it would seem that Abram lived high up in Hebron… in peace.
Morris wrote that archeological evidence testifies that this was a peaceful and fruitful time.
However… peace was broken… an alliance of kings from the lands Northeast of the Promised land… what would become known later as Persia and Babylonia… these four kings…
Make war with five kings in the area around the Dead Sea.
And this is not a fiction… even the Jewish Historian Josephus devotes a chapter to this war.
You can read Josephus’ rendering in Antiquities Book 1 Chapter 9… the chapter is titled “The Destruction of the Sodomites by the Assyrian War.”
I have a map to help us visualize the geography of Genesis 14. The top red arrow points to Hebron where Abram dwelled… due west of the Salt Sea (or Dead Sea)… which was outside the battle ground.
The bottom red arrow points to the Valley of Siddim and the cities of the Five Kings of V2… who would war with the four kings in V1 who were foreign invaders… again from that Persia and Babylonia area far to the Northeast… in modern day Iraq.
Which were near the origin lands for Abram and Lot in fact… as they hailed originally from Ur of the Chaldeans according to Gen 11:28, 31.
And forgive me if I don’t re-read all the names and cities in vv 1-2… but again the four kings in V1 are the foreign invaders…
And the five kings in V2 are those native to the land of Canaan.
And so… four versus five kings… thus “The Battle of the Nine Kings.”
And what that tells you is I know how to add.
And keep in mind… these are ALL pagan kings. There’s no “good guys” and “bad guys” here in the eyes of God.
This is pagan alliance versus pagan alliance… all of whom will eventually be thrown down by Israel… or other nations…
And at this time these were smaller tribal nations… not the might of the future kingdoms of Israel, Assyria, Babylon, and the Media-Persian alliance.
These smaller city-states here in Genesis 14 are glimmers of what would later come… and yet they still war for land… mineral resources… and to put other tribes in servitude.
The primary resource around the Dead Sea may be what we read in V10… the valley was full of asphalt pits.
The Salt Sea or Dead Sea (a second century name) was also called the “Asphalt Sea” by early writers.
Josephus referred to it as “Lake Asphaltitis.”
This tar (or bitumen) was used in Gen 11:3 as cement or mortar for building with bricks… so for sure this was valuable… and would motivate foreign invaders to subjugate the people… to pay tribute to maintain peace.
V3 details the location of this battle… the Valley of Siddim… which is marked at the bottom of our map… south of the Salt Sea.
And V4… tells us the motivation for the invasion… for twelve years the five kings in the land of Canaan… led by Chedorlaomer… were served by the five kings in the land of Canaan.
But… now in the thirteenth year… they rebelled. No longer would they pay tribute.
This is the first mention of the number thirteen in the Bible. Interesting that some consider it the “unlucky number.” Here we see it is associated with rebellion.
The word “rebellion” is used 23x in scripture, and is often associated with rebelling against God in foolishness.
Pardon me as I get on a little soapbox here… but there are some good lessons regarding rebellion… because so often those in rebellion come against those who are living righteously…
And scripture assures us that God will defend the righteous and judge the rebel.
Proverbs 17:11 reads, “An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.”
To the false prophet Hananiah who contradicted Jeremiah’s warning… we read in Jeremiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.’ ””
I love what David rights about those who rebel and oppress the righteous…
Listen to all of Psalm 64 “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, 3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words, 4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. 5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?” 6 They devise iniquities: “We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. 7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. 8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. 9 All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing. 10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.”
David learned to trust in the Lord when being oppressed… when evil devisers… and rebellious schemers came against him…
This Psalm encourages that God will uphold the righteous… He will be the defense to the righteous… and come against the workers of iniquity.
Then all will revere the Lord and testify of Him.
And the righteous will be glad, trust in Him… and praise Him.
In my devotions this week I’m going through 1 Peter…
Peter wrote about having a good conscience that when you are defamed as an evildoer… those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
And then wrote in 1 Peter 3:17–18 “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”
If suffering must occur… if it is the will of God… then much better to NOT do evil and bring non-virtuous suffering upon ourselves… because of sinful behavior.
It is much better to do good and suffer virtuously as Christ did for us.
And then God may put to shame those who slandered and abused your good conduct in Christ.
His vindication is perfect. When we try to vindicate or defend ourselves… so often we just make matters worse.
So… meditate and study deeper on what the word says about rebellion… and rest in and trust in the Lord to be your shield and high tower… your defender in the time of need.
So… in year thirteen they rebelled… and the foreign kings respond by invading… which I have a map of.
This maps shows what we begin reading in V5 and beyond…
I couldn’t quickly find another map for this invasion, so please take this map as a general guide…
I question the location of the battle being north of the Dead Sea… as the Valley of Siddim seems to be to the south… though locations of ancient geography is often debated… and “Siddim” only appears in Genesis 14.
So, again… this gives us a general guide.
It is the fourteenth year… Chedorlaomer and the three other kings of the Northeast… invade and go on a warpath attacking not just these rebellious kings, but all others in the region.
Beginning in V5 with Giant Clans (Rephaim, Zuzim, and Emim)… possible tribes of the Anakim (giants) who descended from Anak
Attacking Giants may seem like a bold move and dangerous, but this was likely a tactical decision to avoid a potential attack from the rear.
The Zuzim are likely the Zamzummin spoken of in Deuteronomy 2:20 “(That [speaking of the land of Ammon] was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,”
Giants in Gk. is Rapha… it’s the same Hebrew word for Rephaim… the other giant clan.
There are actually two Strong’s numbers for “Rapha”, though they share the same root word…
And the other Rapha is translated typically as “dead”… as in wicked unbelieving dead.
So there is a theory that the Rephaim and other giants are connected to the unbelieving… the occult… a godless and rebellious tribe.
Which is supported in V5 by the city of the Rephaim… “Ashteroth Karnaim”…
Ashteroth was the pagan moon goddess (Astarte in Greek)… and linked to Babylonian Ishtar… goddess of love and sexuality.
Again… no righteous tribes are involved in this war until Abram steps onto the scene.
On Emim Deuteronomy 2:10 “ (The Emim had dwelt there [Moab] in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim.”
There is potentially a link between these giant clans and the giants of Genesis 6… who were 1/2 human and 1/2 demonic.
Giants in Genesis 6 in Nephillim. Which is translated as Giants… but in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), the word actually means the “fallen ones.”
Interesting… the sons of Anak… whom Israel shuddered over and would not enter the Promised land over are also called Giants or Nephillim.
Numbers 13:33 “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.””
Based on these references, some scholars wonder if there was another post flood demonic invasion, perhaps around the time of the Tower of Babel… and certain Canaanite tribes became demon controlled… and a giant race was again on the land.
Of course we can’t be dogmatic about that view, but there is enough in the word studies to imagine this as so.
And if so, these invaders of four kings did a service to those dwelling in the Land of Canaan.
And it would help us understand why Moses and Joshua were instructed to to later utterly wipe out these tribes.
It’s not that God doesn’t like tall people… but evil demonic infested tribes… they have no place on this earth.
After Chedorlaomer defeated the giants… we read in vv 6-7 that he than attacked the Horites in the mountain of Seir…
Let’s pull up our map again of Chedorlaomer’s invasion…
And I’m sorry, but does not his name remind you of Cheddar Cheese?
I just want to acknowledge that for any of you who have minds that keep getting drawn there.
If he was a football fan… he would have to be a “Cheesehead” a Packers fan.
It’s only logical.
Anyhow… the Horites are to the far south on this map… below the Salt Sea… and then the invaders turn north attacking the Amalekites and Amorites…
Tribes who would become eventual enemies of Israel.
In the next chapter, Gen 15, God reiterates His covenant to Abram… and prophecies that his descendants will be in a foreign land (Egypt) and leave after four generations (four hundred years)…
The LORD states this delay is because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Gen 15:16
God extends them time… just as He extended Assyria time in Jonah… Assyria repented for a time… they would return to evil and be judged.
And God did this for the Amorites as well… and they took that time and wasted the grace God extended to them.
They grew more and more wicked over 400 years… and then God sent Israel to rid them of the land as their iniquity became complete.
These nations are a broader picture of what can happen in the heart of any person… especially an unbeliever.
Roman 1 testifies that as an unbeliever continues to suppress the truth of God… eventually God gives them over to sinful deeds… and ultimately gives them up to a debased mind.
There is a threshold… God is very patient as 2 Peter 3:9 declares, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
But there is a point where God knows a person or nation has hardened their heart and solidified their position against Him… there is a point where God knows iniquity has come to full maturity… and He judges…
Sometimes to overthrow… which I believe is what we are witnessing in countries like Venezuela… and I’d hope that for Iran… though it’s unlikely because they remain in the prophetic picture of coming against Israel.
And sometimes God’s judgement is not to overthrow, but it’s the judgment of abandonment… giving the one over to a debased mind.
This is a bad place to be… pray for people in your life who fight against God… that their heart would soften and they would believe in God’s provision for sin… Jesus Christ.
Picking up in vv 8-9… once again the names of all the kings and their cities are listed…
The four kings are the invading armies… and the five kings are those who lived around the Salt Sea and rebelled against Chedorlaomer…
They joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim… four kings against five.
And in V10… we read that this Valley was full of asphalt pits… and that the battle is not going well for the defenders…
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled to the mountains or fell in battle.
So… ‘To the victor go the spoils’… and in V11 we read that the invading armies pillaged Sodom and Gomorrah…
Which as you recall in Genesis 13… is where Lot was camped near, but here in V12 we now see Lot dwelt in Sodom.
Psalm 1:1 reads, “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”
Lot unfortunately did the opposite and progressively drew closer to Sodom… even serving in her gates… which we’ll read in Genesis 19:1.
In Genesis 13… Abram gave Lot the first pick of land… not wanting strife… and Lot chose by sight…
His choice was absent of any note of prayer or making an offering to the Lord and seeking Him…
He saw the all the plain of Jordan… it was lush… and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
And now… he and all his goods become another man’s possession.
But… for all his carnality… according to 2 Pet 2:7-8… Lot three times is declared as a righteous man…
And God delivers the righteous from bondage.
Which manifests as a physical deliverance in our scene tonight, but definitely has spiritual implications as well… as God delivers the righteous from the bondage of sin.
And Lot would be delivered… we read in V13… that there was “one who had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew”…
It is recorded in V12 that Lot was “Abram’s brother’s son”… Abram’s nephew…
So this one who escaped informs Abram of Lot’s captivity.
I would suggest Lot was already in voluntary captivity in Sodom… but now captivity is forced upon him.
And interesting Abram is referred to as “Abram the Hebrew” which is the only time he is called that… and the first mention of “Hebrew” in the Bible…
And what this tells us is that Abram made the coffee in the family… “He-brews.”
It’s biblical for the man to make the coffee.
What Hebrew actually means is “He who passed over”… potentially referring to foreigners who crossed over teh Euphrates river… which Abram did coming from Ur of the Chaldees.
So this testifies of Abram’s status as a foreigner or sojourner in Canaan…
He was distinct from the local tribes… which was good… and will be further emphasized at the end of this account.
It also points back to Abrams descendent Eber (Gen 11:14)… and a Hebrew would thus be a “descendent of Eber.”
Most often it is simply synonymous with the people of Israel… and is simply an ethnic or ancestral label.
So, Abram the Hebrew… was spared being involved in the war… but once he chooses to enter and save Lot… we’ll see that no one can stop his men.
Which had to testify to the people of the God of Abram as being the one true God.
Continuing in V14… Abram hears “his brother was taken captive”…
Brother or countryman… brethren… many translations read his “nephew or relative”… which is what we read in V12… “Abram’s brother’s son…”
Abram “hears of his nephew’s capture and armed his 318 trained servants.”
So… add women, children and those beyond fighting years… and we can easily imagine Abram had a group of about 1,000 people.
Whether 318 men were literal or symbolic is uncertain.
One Scholar wrote 318 is “A realistic number for an armed force, but two extrabiblical examples suggest it may be a symbolic number indicating a large group. In an Egyptian text, Princess Giluchepa of Mitanni arrives with 317 harem attendants. In the Greek work Homer’s Iliad, 318 men die in a four-day battle. The number 318 is the sum of the 12 prime numbers from 7 to 47, so the number may have symbolic meaning.”
Regardless… this is a relatively small number and God likes to work with small numbers so He get the deserved credit for the victory.
We read in Judges 7:2 “And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”
So the LORD added various criteria… let those who are fearful depart… so that reduced the number from 22k to 10k…
Still too many… so the LORD told Gideon to lead the people to the water… if they drink like a dog… let them go home.
If they drink putting their hand to their mouth they can stay.
And only 300 drank that way… similar in number to Abram’s fighting force… and God liked those odds… 300 against 135,000 Midianites according to Judges 8:10.
The lesson there… and the lesson here in Gen 14 are the same… when a small minority of faithful and obedient warriors of God are given victory over hoards of ungodly forces… God gets the glory and proves His Sovereign power… and faithfulness to His people.
God was with them. As we peer out into the wickedness of the world today… with hoards of evil agendas… liberal forces and Islamic forces… and unbelieving hoards…
Know that God is with His people. Scripture testifies so.
Let’s pull up our map again… and we can see as V14 indicates that Abram’s men “went in pursuit as far as Dan.”
Our map has Dan north of the Sea of Galilee… and V15 tells us Abram ‘divided his forces’… apparently to flank them… to attack from different directions…
And ‘attacks by night’… a guerilla warfare… surprise attack.
Likely the enemy armies had their guard down… were enjoying their spoils of war… and the idea of being attacked was far from their minds.
Thus… the enemy is caught off guard and the 318 men of Abram… is whooping the armies of four kings.
V 15 testifies they attack and drive the invaders to Hobah… (north of Damascus)… modern day Syria.
This is the first mention of Damascus… it’s a city that still stands today… and is likely the second oldest city in the world next to Jericho.
Isaiah 17:1 prophecies “The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.”
This hasn’t happened yet… many dispensationalists hold that the ultimate fulfillment of this is likely connected to the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion of Israel.
Even the Syrian Civil war in 2011 onward caused heavy damage to parts of Damascus, but it’s not a “heap of ruins.”
Some feel with the 2024 fall of the Assad regime… time is close.
Now I have a date to predict when…
No I don’t… because Jesus said of His coming… in Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Jesus said to His disciples when they asked if He was setting up His kingdom… Acts 1:7 “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”
Jesus told them they didn’t need more information… they needed the empowering of the Holy Spirit to be powerful and bold witnesses for Him. (Acts 1:8)
And that’s what happened time and again in Acts.
And we live in the same age… the church age…
So we don’t stick our heads in the sands… we should be aware of the times…
And knowing time is short… we should be bold and powerful witnesses for Christ.
We may be raptured before Damascus becomes a ruinous heap… but it’s not difficult to look at all the turmoil there and imagine how even overnight it’s a very real possibility of this ancient city which dates even prior to Genesis 14… falling once and for all.
Continuing in Genesis 14:16 “So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.”
So Abram… better the LORD stands victorious… and restores all that was taken by the invaders.
And then Abram will meet with two kings in a most interesting scene and Abram will need to make a decision about allegiances… and standing with light or darkness.
Look at V17… now that Abram was victorious over Chedorlaomer and the kings with him…
… ominously we read of the king of Sodom heading to the meet Abram at the Valley of Shaveh… which is a valley near Salem…
Which you can see on our map… and where the red arrow is pointing is essentially where Jerusalem is today.
Josephus wrote that Jews believed Salem to be the same as Jerusalem… and that’s very likely accurate.
Especially as we consider who comes out of Salem… the king and priest Melchizedek.
Look at Genesis 14:18 “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.”
And this is a huge contrast… here Abram has the king of Sodom… leader of the Sodomites… the infamous city that was destroyed in Gen 19.
Even in the NT… Paul declares in 1 Cor 6:9 that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God… and gives several examples including sodomites… which reflects on the example of the men in Gen 19… how they wanted to have forced relations with the Angels…
Paul also told Timothy in 1 Tim 1 that the law is not made for the righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners… and Paul gives many examples including sodomites.
And here before Abram are now two kings… the king of Sodom… and the king of Salem.
Melchizedek (which may be a title more than a name)… in Heb. is malki-tsedeq meaning “my king is righteous” or as translated in Heb 7:2… “king of righteousness.”
He is also the king of Salem… Salem meaning peace…
Thus He was the king of righteousness and peace.
He brings out “bread and wine”… even in the time of Abram, bread and wine was common in communion.
Jesus took bread broke it… stating this is my body; and said of wine… this is my blood.
And he is described as both king and priest… which were not shared roles. If you were king… you were not priest.
king Saul lost his kingdom for performing a priestly sacrifice in 1 Sam 13. .
But this King… Melchizedek is both king and priest.
Some think this is a theophany… literally Jesus in the OT.
If not a theophany, certainly a type of Jesus.
Hebrews 7:3 states, Melchizedek was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”
So in Genesis… a book filled with genealogies… comes this anonymous king of Salem… without family records to link him to any person in that day. But He is remembered as a priest.
Just as Jesus is a priest forever. Hebrews 5:6 and 7:17 declares of Jesus, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;”
… quoting Ps 110:4 where David prophesied his descendent would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek… thus David looked beyond the Levitical priesthood which would be done away with.
So, there was this ancient order of priests… which has no end… a priestly order which predated Abram… and predated the Levitical priesthood that would come from the descendants of Abram… the Tribe of Levi.
And notice in V20 that Melchizedek blesses Abram…
On this, Hebrews 7:7 declares, “Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.”
The greater (Melchizedek) blesses the lesser (Abraham).
And the blessing was… “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; V20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And then V20 closes with Abram giving a tithe (a tenth) of all the spoils to Melchizedek.
And because Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek, the order of Melchizedek is superior to the Levites, who descended from Abram.
Hebrews 7:8 “Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.”
That verse declares Melchizedek is living… and remember we read earlier in Hebrews that He was “having neither beginning of days nor end of life”…
So… the theophany argument is strong… and at least, the type is perfect of Christ.
And here Abram… honors Melchizedek with a tithe… and is blessed by him.
Such a glorious moment.
So no wonder… this is when the king of Sodom… who reappeard from the asphalt… or slimepits… now he chimes in. V21 “Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.””
Seems like a generous offer. Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.
Generous offers from evil sorts always come with strings attached.
So Abram wisely replies to the king of Sodom… in vv22–24 “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.””
Abram took an oath to God that he would take nothing… as the victory was God’s not his…
Abram likely learned his lesson in Egypt that he should not take treasure from evil hands.
And Abram recognizes that the king of Sodom would later hold this gift over his head.
Abram would be indebted to him… as a "free gift" from the wicked will later yield a price.
Abram wants no appearance of evil… no appearance that he was a mercenary for Sodom or in league with the wicked… so he declines the wealth of Sodom.
Abram only wants what is fair… for the young men to have their right to a share.
But for Abram… he has come to a place where he looks to God, not men, for blessings and provisions… especially not wicked men.
The treasures of Egypt caused strife and separation in his camp. And he was done with that.
He wants nothing to do with evil… he wants no yoke around his neck attached to unbelievers and darkness.
As Paul exhorts believers today… and let’s close with this reading and application from 2 Corinthians 6 (worship team please come)…
2 Cor 6:14-18“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
Amen. Let’s pray!
If you need prayer for anything, we are here to pray with you before you go.
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’”
God bless you as you close out this week.
