Abraham, Part 6 - Melchisedek and the King of Sodom
Genesis 14v17-24
16th October 2010
It had been an amazing victory, Abraham and his friends had beaten the four invading armies and had rescued their captives, including Lot, Abraham's nephew. As they returned, the were met in what later came to be known as the King's Valley, near Jerusalem:
Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came
out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
But someone else also came out to meet Abraham:
Genesis 14:18-20
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,
and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Salem was the old name for Jerusalem. "Salem" means "peace" and, as Hebrews 7v2 tells us, First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace". In Melchizedek then, we get a picture, a forerunner (sometimes called a "type") of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 7v3 says of Melchizedek Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest for ever. The writer of Hebrews is not saying that Melchizedek literally had no parents; he's observing that Genesis (a book full of genealogies) doesn't include Melchizedek's genealogy, in order to make the "type" more complete. That is, to make him a more perfect picture of Jesus. Also, five times Hebrews quotes Psalm 110v4 which calls Jesus a priest in the order of Melchizedek. It does this to show that the priesthood of Jesus is greater than the priesthood of Aaron, which was only for a period of time, after Melchizedek and before Jesus.
Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, foreshadowing the Lord's Supper that Christians share. And he blessed Abraham, the father of all Christians, in the Name of God Most High.
Abraham's response to this gift of a sacred celebratory meal was to tithe to Melchizedek ("tithe" means "tenth"). Some Christians get confused about tithing, and wonder if it was part of the Law of Moses, and whether that means we should disregard it. This is mistaken. Firstly, "Thou shall not steal" is also part of the Law of Moses but no Christian thinks that means we can disregard that. The Law of Moses doesn't justify us but it does teach us right and wrong, and we should listen carefully to it. Secondly, Abraham wasn't under the Law of Moses - it hadn't been written then! And he tithed as a response to God's blessing. All Christians have been blessed by God, who gave His Son for us. And so all Christians should follow the example of our father Abraham, by tithing. For four thousand years, Tithing has been one way God's people give thanks to Him and acknowledge His lordship and provision. And no-one ever lost out by tithing. God is no-one's debtor. Whatever we give to Him, He gives back more.
Notice that Abraham's relationship with Melchizedek is one of giving. Melchizedek gave bread and wine, Abraham gave a tithe. His relationship with the King of Sodom was very different:
Genesis 14:21-24
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven
and earth, and have taken an oath
that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will
never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'
I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with
me - to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."
The king of Sodom wanted to make a bargain, to agree to share the spoils. Abraham refused to take anything from him - not even a thread or the thong of a sandal.
See the difference between godly relationships and worldly relationships. Godly people give, worldly people negotiate. Jesus said:
Luke 6v32-34
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend
to 'sinners', expecting to be repaid in full.
Luke 14v12-14
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers
or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."
God doesn't just call Christians to be honest, to do our share, to pull our own weight. God calls us to give. Jesus gave freely to us. We should give freely to Jesus, and to others. We can trust God to provide for us.