Godly Character is not Passive

 

 

Godly Character is not Passive

Abram might be seen as passive,

when he offers his nephew Lot,

the choice of the land

in order to avoid conflict.

But when we read,

Abram had 318 men trained to fight,

we see a man ready

to take a stand when needed.

Abram took aggressive action

when his nephew was captured.

After winning the battle,

Abram does some remarkable things.

The King of Sodom offers everything,

but the people,

to Abram as a sign of gratitude

for rescuing him and his people.

Abram’s response reveals

he was not impulsive

when he heard about Lot’s captivity.

Abram went before the Lord,

 and out of that time with God,

Abram makes an agreement with God.

He determines not to take

anything for his efforts

other than what is commonly expected

for those who go out to battle.

Abram’s agreement with God is simple,

no one, but God,

will get the credit for his prosperity.

Abram reveals to us the tithe principle.

The King of Salem, the Priest of God,

brings refreshments after the battle to Abram.

The bread and the wine

(symbols of the Lord’s supper)

are offered to Abram by this priest

that has no beginning and no end.

Heb 7:1-3 NIV

 “This Melchizedek was king of Salem

 and priest of God Most High.

He met Abraham returning

from the defeat of the kings

and blessed him,

 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.

First, his name means

"king of righteousness";

then also, "king of Salem"

means "king of peace."

3 Without father or mother,

without genealogy,

 without beginning of days or end of life,

like the Son of God

he remains a priest forever.”

 Abram gives a tenth

of what he plunder to this Priest.

This act of tithing,

becomes a model for Israel

and the Church.

It becomes clear Abram

was a man of action.

Action born out of

his faith in God!

Scripture Reading

 Genesis 14 NIV

14:1 At this time Amraphel king of Shinar,

Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim

2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah,

Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea).

4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer,

but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5 In the fourteenth year,

Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out

and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim,

the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim

6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir,

as far as El Paran near the desert.

7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh),

and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites,

as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah,

the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)

marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim

9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim,

Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five.

10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits,

and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled,

some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.

11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah

and all their food; then they went away.

12 They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions,

since he was living in Sodom.

13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.

Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite,

a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.

14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive,

he called out the 318 trained men born in his household

and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them,

pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot

and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

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).

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem

brought out bread and wine.

He was priest of God Most High,

19 and he blessed Abram, saying,

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

20 And blessed be God Most High,

who delivered your enemies into your hand."

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram,

"Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."

22 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

 23 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.'

24 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."