Week 30, Day 4: War of the kings
Today’s Reading: Genesis 14:1-24
Some thoughts from the reading…
Chapter 14 tells us about a war between certain kings who had been serving King Chedorlaomer but then rebelled against him and his allies. The battle involved 9 kings total. Keep in mind that the kings of this day usually would have been rulers over a city and a small area nearby. After this battle Lot is taken captive and carried away. Abram goes to rescue his nephew. This account indicates to us the level to which Abram has been blessed by God. He is able to take with him 318 men who were born in his house. That is a lot of servants under one man’s household. God has blessed Abram greatly.
Abram attacks at night the four kings who have taken Lot captive. Abram is victorious and returns back with all the goods and people. It is noteworthy to see that Abram does not keep anything except what the young men have eaten a share for his allies, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, and the tenth portion which he gave to the priest Melchizedek. But Abram keeps nothing for himself lest someone would say that the king of Sodom made him rich. That is an interesting thing to be concerned about. Abram wanted no one to be able to say that a man had made him rich. Rather it would be clear to all that God was with him and blessed him with all these things.
Do we make sure that folks know where our blessings come from? God has been so good to us, let us make sure to give Him the thanks when talking to others about what we have or enjoy in life.
We also have a passing mention to the king of Salem, Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a priest of God Most High. Abram gave him one tenth of all the spoils from the battle. Melchizedek blesses Abram and blesses God who delivered Abram’s enemies into his hand. Melchizedek is a person we know little about and in the OT is only mentioned later in Psalm 110:4. Melchizedek is one of those examples that God had priests among the heathen nations. What he did or what he said is unknown. But we have some more information given about him in the book of Hebrews. In the book of Hebrews it is mentioned that Jesus was a priest after the order of Melchizedek because Jesus is a perpetual priest. Jesus was not of the Levitical priesthood but rather came from a different tribe, from the tribe of Judah. Jesus belonged to a higher priesthood than the Levitical priesthood because of what happened here in Gen 14. Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek. Levi was still in the loins of Abram at this time and therefore Levi paid tithes to this priest. Also Melchizedek blessed Abram. The greater blesses the lesser. Therefore the priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the priesthood of Levi. Jesus being of the priesthood of Melchizedek is therefore of a higher, greater priesthood. It is interesting how this comes up in the NT to emphasize that Jesus is of a higher and better priesthood, see Hebrews 7.
Popularity: unranked [?]