Post 22 "War" "Lot" "Tithes"

Genesis chapter 14. The entry would be too long to go verse by verse in this chapter. I will give a summary, then point out a few things.

There was a group of kings and their followers who served a king called Chedorlaomer. There came a time when they no longer wanted to and so rebelled. The next year that king brought his king friends and fought with the rebels. The rebels lost even though the king of Sodom came to fight, it seems, near the end of the conflict. Many of the king of Sodom's troops fell into slimepits that were in the area. King Chedorlaomer and his company took the people of Sodom and scooped up Lot and his people and stuff in the process. Up to this point Abram had not been involved. Now, he goes to rescue Lot.

Verse 14 "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen and pursued them unto Dan." Verse 16 "And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people."

Up to this point Abram was accumulating wealth and people. Abram was 75 years old in a couple of chapters back. By todays age that would be pretty old to be going off leading a rescue party. I find it interesting that King Chedorlaomer defeated the whole neighborhood of kings but was defeated by only 318 of Abram's troop. You just can't beat a good nighttime surprise attack.

Now we introduce Melchizedek king of Salem. He "brought forth bread and wine..." and blessed "Abram of the most high God..." Here is where Abram gave to God via Melchizedek his tithes. Let me quote a portion of Hebrews chapter 7 (I'll use small print to conserve space: For this Melchizedek, king of salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness and after that also King of salem which is King of peace: Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

It goes on to tell how the Levi's were not yet born when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek and how Levi paid tithes to Abraham at some point. Hebrews goes to great length to compare the Melchizedek priesthood to that of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe they were one and the same. It is another study which will not fit here. Remember Melchizedek was before the law was given. We will find later that Jesus fulfilled the law and so enters grace for everyone. Before the law was given Abram " And he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness." Verse 6 Genesis 15. Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"
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"time line"

"before the law" "the law" "grace"
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The king of Sodom offered Abram a reward for the recovery of the goods but Abram refused anything except what the young men had eaten. He in essence told the king that he did not want to take any favors to give the king room to claim credit for Abraham's prosperity. One sad note we will find in following passages is that Lot went back to Sodom.