“Genesis 14:17-24”

Sunday, November 24, 2019

“Then 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; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' He gave him a tenth of all. The king of Sodom said to Abram, 'Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.' Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, “I have made Abram rich.” I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.'”

---End of Scripture verses---

“The king of Sodom went out to meet him... (verse 17) Verse 10 tells us that “the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into” the tar pits, so evidently Bera, the king of Sodom survived that ordeal. If so, and the king mentioned here is not his successor, it is understandable why he would willingly forgo all the spoils of war, from a newfound appreciation for his own, precious life that he had narrowly escaped with. “The valley of Shaveh” means “the valley of the plain,” where King David's son Absalom would later erect a monument to himself in this “King's Valley” (2 Samuel 18:18), which was located somewhere near to Jerusalem.

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine...” (verse 18) The king of “Salem” is set in contrast to the king of “Sodom” (verse 17). “Salem” is the Hebrew word “shalem” which means “peace,” and is indicative of goodness and blessings. The word “Sodom” only evokes thoughts of depravity and carnage. Psalm 76 equates “Salem” with “Jerusalem” (the city of peace), and there is no good reason not to assume the same is true in this verse. “God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion. There He broke the flaming arrows, The shield and the sword and the weapons of war.” (Psalm 76:1-3)

Melchizedek bursts upon the scene with no previous introduction and there is no subsequent allusion to him in the entirety of the Old Testament except an obscure reference in Psalm 110:4. There is really no way to understand this character's existence and significance within the biblical framework without using the New Testament as our guiding light. The Hebrews writer presents Melchizedek as an Old Testament “type” or “prefiguring” of Jesus, and uses his abrupt entrance into and exit from the annals of inspired revelation as a symbol for the eternal nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” (Hebrews 7:1-3)

Melchizedek was both “king” and “priest of God Most High.” As a prefigurement of Jesus, he is the only other individual in Scripture to share the combining of these two offices with the Christ, only doing so as an inferior “foreshadowing” of the glory and splendor with which Jesus holds these truly eternal titles in divine and spiritual power and perfection. As “priest of God Most High,” he stood alone in the pagan land of Canaan, as far as the Scriptures reveal, as a servant and worshiper of the One True God of heaven, along with the immigrant Abram and his household. We can only assume and hope that his great example influenced others in the area to bow down to the Creator of the universe and serve Him in love and obedience. What we know for sure is that God had a presence for truth and righteousness residing within the boundaries of Canaan even before the arrival of Abram.

Melchizedek received Abram, the victor in liberating the captives of the region and defeating the enemies of its people, by bringing “bread and wine” to honor him and the Most High God who “delivered” the victory unto him (verses 18 and 20). As Melchizedek is a type of Jesus, some people see prophetic symbolism for the Lord's Supper in this offering, and that certainly exists within the realm of possibility. It seems more than merely food and drink offered to an exhausted and famished army for physical refreshment and sustenance. Whether it was meant to be emblematic of the Lord's Supper or not, there seems to be something symbolic and spiritual in the essence of this “meal”. Subsequently, Abram “gave him a tenth of all.” (verse 20) Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.” (Hebrews 7:4)

“I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours...” (verse 23) Abram made sure that Melchizedek got a tenth of the spoil due to a man of his status, and his three Amorite associates received a fair portion for risking their own necks to save his kinsman. But as for himself, Abram wouldn't accept the slightest trifle as gift from the king of Sodom. “For fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich.'” Abram would allow no one to receive the credit and praise for his blessings save “God Most High” alone. I think we see the maturing of the man who had willingly received ample wealth at the hands of Pharaoh while previously dwelling in the land of Egypt (Genesis 12:15-16). His only concerns at this point are for the wellbeing and provision of others: for Melchizedek, Lot, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, and that his men had plenty to eat.

Putting others first is one of the hallmarks of the faith of a true disciple of Christ. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:3-8)

Please read Genesis 15:1-6 for tomorrow.

- Louie Taylor

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