Scripture: 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). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “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 yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
Genesis 14:17-24 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Friday’s Daily Focus, Moses provides background information regarding a two-year-long turf war between nine kings who fought over the various cities/regions around and including Sodom (where Lot dwelled). As the two coalitions fought back and forth in one last battle in the Valley of Siddim, the invading forces defeated the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. Capturing the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (including Lot, who dwelled in Sodom at the time), they looted the cities and returned to their homeland. Thankfully, an escapee found Abram encamped by the oaks of Mamre and told him all that had transpired. So, Abram sprung into action, commandeered 318 trained men born under his care, and pursued Lot’s enemies as far as Dan. At nightfall, Abram divided his forces and launched an attack, routing the enemy, who fled to Hobah (north of Damascus). Abram returned with Lot, his family, the women of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the stolen possessions.
Today’s reading presents an epilogue to Abram’s team victory. Upon their return, the king of Sodom greets Abram at the Valley of Shaveh (King’s Valley) and requests the return of all his people while offering Abram to keep the loot stolen from him during the invasion. But Abram swears before God that he will not give this king any reason to take credit for Abram’s mounting wealth and proclaims that he will only take what his young men have eaten and the share owed to his alliance partners Aner, Eschol, and Mamre. In contrast, Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Lord, greets Abram with bread and wine, blesses him, invoking the Lord’s name as God Most High and Possessor of heaven and earth, and praises God for delivering Abram’s enemies into his hand (i.e., granting him victory). So, Abram offers Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
Syntax note: While the sequencing of this passage appears disjointed, Moses intentionally applies a chiastic structure similar to what we read in the Psalms to create contrast and emphasis. In general, a chiasm presents a mirrored sequence of clauses (A-B-C-B-A), with its center clause (C) conveying what is most important (C). In this story, what is paramount is Abraham’s interaction with Melchizedek.
Takeaway: Exploring Abram’s interactions with the two kings, we see that Abram wants no relational ties to the pagan king of Sodom and thus refuses to accept any of the spoils that initially belonged to the king of Sodom and his people. But Abram’s interaction with the king of Salem, who also acted as high priest of God Most High, is marked by mutual gratitude to the Lord. Acting as the Lord’s high priest, Melchizedek appropriately presents sacramental gifts from the Lord, invoking and praising the Lord’s name. As God’s covenant child, Abram rightly tithes a tenth of everything to Melchizedek—holding nothing back from God’s appointed priest. For Moses’ original audience (the wilderness-wandering Israelites), this story corroborates his presentation of God’s command to give a tithe to the Levites for their service in the tent of the meeting (Numbers 18:21). Moreover, given that Melchizedek greeted Abram with a blessing acknowledging that God granted victory, Moses will echo this statement in various forms to encourage Israel to be strong and courageous in their conquest of the Promised Land (e.g., Deuteronomy 20:1-15).
Our takeaway? The author of Hebrews builds on these principles of our faith by explaining what Melchizedek represented in part (as the priest of “God Most High”) Christ fulfilled (Hebrews 5:10) as foretold by David: “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4a ESV). Indeed, Christ has ushered in a superior New Covenant of Grace in which we find salvation (Hebrews 7:11-22). Thus, Christ intercedes for us as the guarantor of this covenant (Hebrews 7:25) to ensure that no one will snatch us out of his hand (John 10:28).
Our Part? Like Israel, we must embrace these truths of our faith and be strong and courageous when facing our enemies—within or outside us. So, whether we fight diseases of the mind or body or face persecution and trials, we will rise above these mortal battles and find peace for our weary souls if we cry out to the Lord for help and show good faith by giving him our tithes (the best of praises and possessions).
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your Son, who fulfilled the order of Melchizedek by perfectly adhering to your law and offering his body as a final sacrifice for our sins—past, present, and future. Still, as we await his return, we struggle to remain strong and courageous in our faith amid this fallen world. So, would you please help us to cry out to you and lean on your Holy Spirit, our Helper, to appropriate your Son’s supernatural peace and tithe our praises and possessions? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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