Genesis 14 is a story of alliances. And of war. In verse 1, we see what we will call alliance A. How many kingdoms were there in alliance A? As we look at the places from which these kings hail, we may not know all the locations but we should recognize one. Do you remember what happened in Shinar (Gen 11)? The kings in this alliance are from the north of Canaan up near Babylon.
In verse 2 we read about what we will call alliance B, the kings against whom alliance A went to war. How many kingdoms were in alliance B? Do you recognize the names of some of the places from which these kings hailed? Alliance B was from east of where Abram lived in Canaan. They were from the area where Lot had settled.
Verses 3-4 tell us the reason for the war. The five kingdoms, at one time, must have been conquered by King Kedorlaomer and had been paying tribute to him for twelve years. Somewhere along the way, the five kings had formed an alliance and, in the thirteenth year, had decided to stop paying King Kedorlaomer the tribute.
Verses 5-7 tell us that in the fourteenth year, alliance A brought a retaliatory war against alliance B and that they defeated a great number of their adversaries. In verses 8-9 we see the 5 kings of alliance B bringing their armies to make a stand against the 4 kings of alliance A. Perhaps they thought the odds of 4 against 5 would work out in their favor. What do verses 10-11 tell us of the outcome?
The battle obviously did not go well for alliance B and we see the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fleeing. It must have been a frenzied retreat as we see some of their men falling into tar pits and the rest going to hide in the hills. Before leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, the four kings of alliance A plumaged all the goods in the city as well as the food stores.
Verse 12 tells us of Lot’s fate. He and all his possessions were carried off as plunder since he was living in Sodom. Let’s compare Gen 14:12 with Gen 13:12. In the last chapter we saw Lot pitch his tents near Sodom but in this chapter, he is living in Sodom. He has allowed himself to be pulled farther under the influence of these ungodly people and now he has suffered their fate with them. What dangers are inherent in allowing ourselves to associate and be influenced by worldly people?
In verse 13 we read about a man who escaped the battle. He was obviously someone who knew the family and had come to inform Abram of Lot’s fate. The Bible, here, notes that Abram is a Hebrew. He and Lot are not of the local people. Yet we see from the verse another alliance. Abram has formed an alliance with some of his neighbors so he is not totally on his own. In those days, it was always important to protect yourself against the possibility of wandering conquerors. How might Abram’s association with his neighbors have differed from Lot’s association with his?
Verse 14 tells us of Abram’s response. He had, apparently, 318 men who had been born into his household, most likely slaves, and who had been trained to fight. This was probably a necessary thing for routine security. Abram took his men and they went to pursue Lot’s captors as far as a place called Dan. Verse 15 tells us that there, Abram divided his men for the attack and pursued Lot’s captors until they succeeded against them just north of Damascus. This seems an amazing victory in view of taking on such a strong alliance. To what might you attribute such a victory (Rom 8:31, Dan 4:17)?
We must remember here that Lot was a very close relative of Abram. This was Abram’s nephew. He was a nephew who had lost his father at a young age and Abram had raised him as his own. It is understandable that Abram would take this very personally and go out after his captors. Review God’s promises to Abram in Gen 12:3. God has promised to curse those who curse Abram and He was keeping His promise by allowing Abram this victory.
Verse 16 tells us that Abram recovered everything and everyone. He did not just restore Lot; he restored the captives and goods from Sodom and Gomorrah. This was a complete victory.
We see in verse 17 that, after Abram defeated the enemy, the king of Sodom came out to meet him. Abram has done him a great service. But we see in verse 18 that someone else comes with him. Who is that?
We have not heard of Melchizedek before this. We are told two things about him in this verse. First, that he is the king of Salem. We should note, here, that Salem is the site of the future city of Jerusalem, a very important city in Biblical history. Second, he is a priest of God Most High. This short mention in Gen 14 is the only place in Scripture that we see Melchizedek but he is a very important figure because he is the first high priest mentioned in the Bible. Later, in Exodus, we will see God establish the priesthood among his people Israel. Only Moses’ brother Aaron and his descendants could be priests. But we see here a priest, way before there were even Israelites. He is a foreshadowing of Christ, who became the Great High Priest, though Christ was of the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi as were the descendants of Aaron. Thus Melchizedek, like Christ, was a High Priest who was not a Levite, descended from Aaron.
Read what the Bible has to say about Melchizedek in Heb 6:19-7:17. In particular, what does Heb 7:3 tell us about Melchizedek? We can see from this Scripture that he represents Christ. Let’s look at some other verses where Scripture refers to this (Psalm 76:2, 110:4, Heb 5:6). We see also in Gen 14:18 that Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, the same as Christ did when He established the New Covenant with the New Testament believers (Luke 22:14-20).
The last thing we see in Gen 14:18 is Melchizedek referred to as a priest of God Most High. This is translated from the Hebrew words ‘El Elyon’. The word ‘El’ means ‘God’ and ‘Elyon’ means ‘Most High’. Can you see anything in verses 19-20 that might give some context to the meaning of God Most High? Let’s look at some other verses in the Bible where El Elyon is used (Dan 4:17, Psalm 21:7). What context do they associate with this name for God?
We have already encountered a couple other Hebrew names for God in our studies. In Gen 1:1 we have seen the name ‘Elohim’, or ‘Creator God’. We have also seen two names which are always translated as ‘Lord’. The first is ‘Yahweh’ which we first saw in Gen 2:4. This is known as the tetragrammaton as it was always written by the Hebrews sans vowels (there were no vowels in their alphabet), thus using only four letters as ‘YHWH’, making the original pronunciation unknown to us in modern times. It is considered the ineffable name of God and was never spoken except by the High Priest and then, only on very Holy occasions in order to avoid accidentally using it in vain. This name means ‘Covenant God’ and always has covenant implications. We also have ‘Adonai’ which means ‘master’. You can tell these two words in most NIV or KJV translations since ‘Yahweh’ is always translated ‘LORD’ with all capital letters and ‘Adonai’ is always translated ‘Lord’ with mixed case. You can see where both words are used in Psalm 8:1. Since the name YHWH was considered unspeakable, the Israelites referred to Him as ‘HaShem’, the name (2 Sam 6:2). I suggest you start a list in your journal, now, of the Hebrew names for God, and we will add to it as we go along. You will be surprised how many there are.
We see something else here in Gen 14:20. Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe. This is the first example of a tithe in Scripture. As you study the Bible you will see many examples of tithes and many commands from God to give back to Him from what He provides (Deut 26:12). But as we cannot give directly to God, we must give our tithes to those who perform His work so that His work can continue. This is what Abram did. He gave his tithe to Melchizedek, who represents Christ, the Great High Priest and King of Jerusalem, which the New Testament tells us represents our future Heaven (Rev 21). Are you giving back to God out of His provision that His work might continue?
Now, in verse 21, we see the king of Sodom making an offer to Abram. What is it? He wants to reward Abram, but what is Abram’s response (vs 22-24)? Abram does not want the king of Sodom to ever receive credit for what he has in life. He makes sure that credit can always be given to God. He does, however, allow for the compensation of those who have helped him.
Responding to God: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live a life separate from worldly influences that you may be able to resist sin and to help others who are in its hold. Praise God that He is willing to come to your aid. Thank Him for the things He has given you, acknowledging that all good things come from Him. Pray about what God would have you give to His work.
Further Research: If you would like to learn more about the tithe, use a concordance or online Bible to search for the word ‘tithe’.
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