King of Kings, God of Abraham (Genesis 14)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:46.810 So in Genesis Chapter Fourteen we have a lot of very difficult to pronounce names, 2 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:56.399 so be gentle with your servant and and let me start by giving just 3 00:00:56.520 --> 00:01:00.159 a small introduction, as I did with Psalm forty four. Otherwise I think 4 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:10.670 it's easy to get lost quickly. Essentially, you have four kings who are 5 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:18.150 coming to attack another set of kings, five kings north to south, and 6 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:23.900 they beat up a bunch of others on their way. And when these four 7 00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:30.420 kings come to attack these five kings, they win and in the process they 8 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:38.290 take away Abrams, Abraham's relative, is nephew lot, to go and rescue 9 00:01:38.489 --> 00:01:49.519 lot, Abraham allies with more people and they go and attack this great United 10 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:55.599 Force of kings that is just previously defeated this other set of United Kings, 11 00:01:56.079 --> 00:02:02.069 and Abraham Wins. At the end of all of that, this person out 12 00:02:02.150 --> 00:02:06.909 of nowhere comes, we've never heard of him before, and then we'll never 13 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:10.349 hear of him again, and his name is Melchizedek, and we will, 14 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:19.780 and Abraham has an extremely significant encounter with him. So that's genesis fourteen summarized 15 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:22.900 in its content. Let's give our attention now to the reading of God's word. 16 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:30.490 Mask the he blesses it to us. In the days of Amrafel, 17 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:37.610 King of Shinar Arioch King of Alissar, Kettalo Mare, king of Elam and 18 00:02:37.849 --> 00:02:43.210 title King of Goem, these kings made war with Bearah, King of Sodom, 19 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:47.240 Beersha, King of Gomorra, Gomorrah, Shinnab, King of Oddma, 20 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:54.960 Shember King of Zeboween and the King of Bella, that is Zoar, and 21 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:59.110 these all joined forces in the Valley of Sadim, that is the sea, 22 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:06.710 salt sea. Twelve years they had served ked or La Omare, but in 23 00:03:06.789 --> 00:03:14.340 the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year, Ketterlat Omare and the 24 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:20.219 Kings who were with him came and defeated the Refaim in the Astroth, Karnaim 25 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:27.060 and the zoo, the Zuzim in ham the Emim and Chavais Kyria, Thaim 26 00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:30.129 and the horites in the hill country of sear, as fall it far as 27 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:36.210 Elpron on the border of the Wilderness. Then they turned back and came to 28 00:03:36.370 --> 00:03:40.050 end Mishpot, that is Kadish, and defeated all the country of the Malachites 29 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:46.879 and also the amorites who were dwelling in Hazezon Tamar. Then the King of 30 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:49.879 Sodom, the King of Gomorrah, the King of Oddma, the King of 31 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:53.560 Zebowem and the King of Bellah, that is Zoar, went out and they 32 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:59.030 joined battle in the Valley of Siddim with Kettlomet, Ketto Lat Omare, King 33 00:03:59.189 --> 00:04:03.509 of Elam, tidal, King of Goem Amraphel, King of Shinnar, and 34 00:04:03.789 --> 00:04:10.539 Ariach, the King of Elisar. Four kings against five. Now the Valley 35 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:15.539 of Sitaim was full of bitumen pits and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. 36 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:19.500 Some fell into them and the rest fled to the hill country. So 37 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:24.730 the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomora and all their provisions and 38 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:29.610 went their way. They also took lot, the son of Abram's brother, 39 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:33.529 who is dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions and went their way. Then 40 00:04:33.850 --> 00:04:38.920 one who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew who was living by 41 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:44.879 the oaks of memory, the amright brother of ESHCOL and of annor. These 42 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:48.319 were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken, 43 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:53.790 he led forth his trained men born in his house. Three hundred eighteen of 44 00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:58.629 them and they went in pursued as far as dam and he divided his forces 45 00:04:58.629 --> 00:05:01.870 against them by night, he and his servants and defeated them and pursued them 46 00:05:01.990 --> 00:05:06.500 to Hoba, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions and 47 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:12.100 also brought back his kinsman lot with his possessions and the women and the people. 48 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:16.139 After his return from the defeat of Kettalah there and the Kings who were 49 00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:20.649 with him, the King of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley 50 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:26.610 of Chaves, Chaves, that is the king's valley, and Melchizedek, King 51 00:05:26.689 --> 00:05:30.889 of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God most 52 00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:36.040 high, and he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram by God Most 53 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:41.439 High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high, 54 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:46.240 who has delivered your enemy is into your hands. And Abram gave him a 55 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:51.269 tenth of everything. And the King of Sodom said to Abram, give me 56 00:05:51.269 --> 00:05:56.389 the persons, but take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the 57 00:05:56.389 --> 00:06:00.790 King of Sodom, I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most 58 00:06:00.829 --> 00:06:04.379 High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread 59 00:06:04.459 --> 00:06:09.259 or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say I 60 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:13.459 have made Abram rich. I will take nothing but what the young men have 61 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:17.500 eaten and the share of men who went with me. Let an Aner Eshcol 62 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:31.170 and memory take their share. Since the reading of God's word. Well, 63 00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:36.839 the word King appears a lot in this chapter, twenty eight times actually. 64 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:44.879 There are all kinds of kings, kings from the north, kings from the 65 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:47.750 south. This king that appears out of nowhere, the King of Salem, 66 00:06:48.149 --> 00:06:56.310 Mel Kizedek, a WHO's both a priest and a king. Abram acts as 67 00:06:56.389 --> 00:07:00.389 a king, though he is not called one. He's gathering armies, armies 68 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:05.699 and men he has trained. He goes out and he defeats these other kings. 69 00:07:08.259 --> 00:07:11.459 But the other one who is not mentioned, who is of course the 70 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:16.769 king of Kings, is God himself, as he is called by Melchizedek, 71 00:07:17.490 --> 00:07:23.889 God most high. Even the Lord's divine name that is given to Moses, 72 00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:28.649 Yahweh, is used here in verse twenty two, and it says, when 73 00:07:28.689 --> 00:07:32.519 Abram says I have lifted my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor 74 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:40.079 of heaven and earth. So though the events on the ground in the first 75 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:46.069 half of the chapter seem very, very theological or it doesn't have much to 76 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:49.230 do with God, the end of the chapter makes clear that he is very 77 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:54.629 much present in all of that. When it says that he is King or 78 00:07:54.750 --> 00:07:58.819 possessor of heaven and earth, that means he's not only the one who created 79 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:05.819 our world, but he is the one who is active in it. Abraham 80 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:11.699 is in a situation that we all find ourselves in, not as kings going 81 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:16.689 to battle in various ways, but as people who have difficult decisions to make, 82 00:08:18.569 --> 00:08:24.009 living as pilgrims in this world. Abram has been promised the land of 83 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:28.759 Canaan, much like we have been promised heaven. He lives in it in 84 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:33.399 a way, even as we, who have been brought into the heavenly places 85 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:37.600 in Christ live in heaven in a way and yet don't fully possess it. 86 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:43.350 He's still living intense, he doesn't have control of all the land, even 87 00:08:43.389 --> 00:08:50.629 as we still live in tense and find ourselves as pilgrim pilgrims, waiting yet 88 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:58.059 for the full revealing of the Kingdom of God. And so though Abraham has 89 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:01.539 been given this great promise of the Covenant Of Grace, where he will possess 90 00:09:01.659 --> 00:09:07.659 these things and through him God will bring all these blessings. He also is 91 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:11.289 in living in light of another covenant, the Covenant that God made with Noah, 92 00:09:11.809 --> 00:09:16.009 a covenant of Common Grace which all the world is under, even the 93 00:09:16.169 --> 00:09:22.250 animals, God says there earlier in Genesis, which men'sn Abraham has to navigate 94 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:26.519 his life. How does he think about himself under God, in this world 95 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:31.480 and deal with all of these different situations of it he finds around him, 96 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:35.720 and in this per case, a difficult, very difficult situation, one where 97 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:43.470 there are warring kingdoms around him and his nephew lat has been taken. Remember 98 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:48.110 too, that it's a little more complicated because, as we've seen, lots 99 00:09:48.389 --> 00:09:54.059 maybe not the greatest guy his nephew, and yet still still family. At 100 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:58.620 least that's how Abraham treats him and that's how he's described here. When Wat 101 00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:03.779 is described in this passage, the Holy Spirit reminds us that he is the 102 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:09.730 son of Abraham's brother. The word kinsman is used. The family emphasis is 103 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:16.090 emphasized here. So a lot has made his choice. He's decided to go 104 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:22.120 live in this in this these pagan cities, in Sodom and Gomorah. He 105 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:26.960 didn't feel like he could work it out with Abraham and live in peace. 106 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:33.360 They've gone their separate ways this place of Sodom and Gomorah. The more and 107 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:39.629 the further and further we gone in the genesis of the Holy Spirit keeps foreshadowing 108 00:10:39.789 --> 00:10:43.870 what is coming. Sodom and Gomorah continue at every time we hear about these 109 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:48.669 cities, we find out more and more about how evil these places are. 110 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:52.860 Things that kind of make you raise an eyebrow at the beginning will make us 111 00:10:54.539 --> 00:10:58.419 stand with our jaws open in shock and horror when we come to realize the 112 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:05.090 fullness of what is going on in these places. And so sodom and Gomora 113 00:11:05.570 --> 00:11:09.809 have our featured somewhat here, if I could put it in that way. 114 00:11:13.330 --> 00:11:18.559 And so, in light of all of this, Abraham Hays hard choices to 115 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.919 make. What does he do? How does he act? And interestingly, 116 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:28.559 he will act differently than the people will act when they do come into full 117 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:33.950 possession of the land. For example, when the people of God come into 118 00:11:33.950 --> 00:11:37.669 full possession of the land, it will be against the law to ally with 119 00:11:37.870 --> 00:11:45.309 other nations in these ways, in these sort of military ways. Abraham does 120 00:11:45.350 --> 00:11:46.899 it here, though, and he does it with the blessing of the Lord. 121 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:50.299 It's because the time is different, it's a different era, it's a 122 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:54.860 different period. He lives not as one who is in possession of the land, 123 00:11:56.539 --> 00:12:01.059 but he possesses it by faith, as we do. He lives as 124 00:12:01.059 --> 00:12:07.970 a pilgrim, as an exile. So, with those things in the background, 125 00:12:07.129 --> 00:12:15.409 some theological considerations, let's return again to on the particular details of the 126 00:12:15.570 --> 00:12:20.399 story. Why are these four kings going after these five kings? Well, 127 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:26.279 Kettalo mayor the king of Alam, seems to be the leader of this group, 128 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:33.350 because we read in verse four that twelve years they had served this king 129 00:12:33.509 --> 00:12:39.110 ket along there, but in the thirteen year they rebelled. So basically we 130 00:12:39.230 --> 00:12:48.899 have for twelve years these kingdoms in the south being under the authority of these 131 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:54.340 greater kings and cut along. There in particular, are things worked well, 132 00:12:54.419 --> 00:13:00.370 at least from Kintlaw Mare's perspective, until the Kings under him decided we're not 133 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:03.490 going to obey anymore, we are not going to obey. Our kings are 134 00:13:03.809 --> 00:13:09.450 Suserin's are overlords, are masters. We are not going to obey, we 135 00:13:09.529 --> 00:13:18.279 are going to rebel. And so in the fourteen year kettle all mare pulls 136 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:22.639 together a number of forces and they go to put down this rebellion, to 137 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:31.590 retake control of what he believes belongs to him. Well, what happens? 138 00:13:31.509 --> 00:13:39.070 They meet in this valley and the King of Sodom and Gomorrah are featured along 139 00:13:39.149 --> 00:13:43.620 with these other kings and these five kings, or sorry, the four kings 140 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:48.059 with greater strength and without home court advantage, if I could put it that 141 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:54.980 way. They destroy the King of Sodom, the King of Gomorrah and the 142 00:13:54.059 --> 00:14:01.529 others. We read that they are falling into the bitumen pits, they are 143 00:14:01.049 --> 00:14:09.320 running literally for the hills, and the enemy goes and takes all the possessions 144 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:15.240 of Sodom and Gomorah, their provisions and went their way. Verse Eleven, 145 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:20.919 Abraham Gets connected to all this in verse twelve. At to this point he 146 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.629 has had nothing to do with it, but once his nephew is involved, 147 00:14:24.870 --> 00:14:30.870 they take lot, the son of Abram's brother who's dwelling in Sodom, and 148 00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:33.309 his possessions, and went their way. Once they take him and the news 149 00:14:33.389 --> 00:14:41.179 comes to Abram, he decides to go after him. He does this by 150 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:48.580 uniting himself with Pagans, unbelieving kings, but who were nenevertheless allies. He 151 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:54.210 does this with men that he has previously trained. He goes out in accord 152 00:14:54.289 --> 00:15:01.409 with in accord with what he has already done and in accord with natural principles 153 00:15:01.490 --> 00:15:05.289 of warfare. What we see here is Abraham acting as in kind of a 154 00:15:05.809 --> 00:15:11.799 normal way for a man who has as much authority and power and control wealth 155 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.240 as Abram does. He's acting very much as a king, even though he 156 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:22.190 doesn't actually possess of this land. By virtue of his power, by virtue 157 00:15:22.230 --> 00:15:31.629 of his wealth his connections, he is able to rescue his nephew from those 158 00:15:31.669 --> 00:15:37.940 who have taken him away. Not all of the Lord's battles go in this 159 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:45.379 quote normal way. I'm for example, you may remember member in for Samuel, 160 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:50.129 the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. I'm there and for Samuel 161 00:15:50.129 --> 00:15:56.210 it tells how there was not a sword anywhere in Israel because the Philistines had 162 00:15:56.250 --> 00:16:00.289 a corner on the market, on the economy of short swords sharpening, I 163 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:07.240 think it was. And so there's one sword, the Jonathan and his armor 164 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:15.720 bearer have it. And there's a Philistine garrison that is attacking Israel and Saul, 165 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:18.710 who is the king, who should be fighting them, is hiding. 166 00:16:18.789 --> 00:16:22.629 He's hiding, and so Jonathan, his son, says, enough of this, 167 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:26.909 we're going to go take care of these guys. We have the Lord 168 00:16:26.070 --> 00:16:30.870 on our side, much like David did when fighting Goliath, and so he 169 00:16:30.950 --> 00:16:37.580 says to his armor bear, let's go, and they crawl up this rocky 170 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:41.659 mountain side while the fills. Is Not a good military strategy right. The 171 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:45.940 PHILISTINES are on top yelling down at them. They can see them coming. 172 00:16:47.889 --> 00:16:49.850 They have one sword and they're yelling at them. They say, come on 173 00:16:51.009 --> 00:16:53.049 up, why don't you come after us, you dogs, and things like 174 00:16:53.210 --> 00:16:56.090 this. They mock them and they can see them coming right. There's no 175 00:16:56.250 --> 00:17:02.799 sneak attack here. They get up to the top and the Lord kills them 176 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:10.599 all, all Philistines. Just done. And it says something like Jonathan is 177 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:14.799 armorverago and kind of clean it all up, sort of. They put people 178 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.509 to death and but it's very clear that the Lord just takes out a whole 179 00:17:18.549 --> 00:17:22.910 garrison of people, of his enemies and his people's enemies, in this way. 180 00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:29.750 This is not normal warfare right, no weapons, no secret attacks, 181 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:37.099 way much stronger. And yet of course the Lord wins. Abraham stories different. 182 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:41.220 This is all very sort of typical warfare, typical principles, typical, 183 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:49.009 typical kinds of things, but there are things that are not typical about it, 184 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:56.970 particularly in the way that Abraham thinks about all of this. So he 185 00:17:57.210 --> 00:18:02.960 pursues all of this and the sort of normal ways, according to what we 186 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:07.160 might call the common kingdom, but he does it with a view towards the 187 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:15.829 king of kings. How do we know this? One of the ways we 188 00:18:15.029 --> 00:18:18.910 knows this is that when he returns from the his defeat of kettle of Maire, 189 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:29.819 the Lord's high priest, Melchizedek, comes out to him and blesses Abraham 190 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:34.380 and he blesses Abraham and he says in Verse Nineteen and Twenty, blessed be 191 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:40.099 Abram, the God by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 192 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:44.769 and blessed be God most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. 193 00:18:47.049 --> 00:18:52.250 So God pronounces that, even though Abraham did all the right things, 194 00:18:52.289 --> 00:18:55.289 as we would normally perceive them to be. You know, he worked with 195 00:18:55.490 --> 00:18:59.119 others, he amassed his forces, he trained people ahead of times. He 196 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:04.200 won the battle. Nevertheless, he gives credit to God. Even though it 197 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:12.029 wasn't a miracle in the way that we would normally think of miracles, he 198 00:19:12.190 --> 00:19:17.470 still gives credit to God. This is what the Lord's people do because they 199 00:19:17.670 --> 00:19:22.190 know. We know that even when we act and accord with wisdom and and 200 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:29.539 and and the principles of this world as God has ordered it, it's still 201 00:19:29.539 --> 00:19:33.299 all of grace, even if it's common grace, it's still grace, isn't 202 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:37.730 it? In other words, if you go and you work hard, all 203 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:41.049 you every day, and you show up to work on time and you write 204 00:19:41.089 --> 00:19:44.890 your thank you notes and you look your boss in the eye and you ask 205 00:19:44.970 --> 00:19:47.650 how can I help you, and you do, you check all the right 206 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:52.279 boxes and you grow in your job and then you get promoted, the Christian 207 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:57.960 will still say the Lord has provided this, because we know how easily all 208 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:03.400 things for all apart. We Know How god is providentially controlling all things. 209 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:07.910 We know how he is the ruler and the king of Kings, the Lord 210 00:20:07.950 --> 00:20:11.430 of Lords. No matter what all the other kings of this world and the 211 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:18.390 powers of this world would say, the Pagans that are all around Abraham. 212 00:20:18.549 --> 00:20:26.220 They boast in their own strength. Abraham recognizes that what he has is from 213 00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:30.980 the Lord, and so we see this in his actions. Abraham, and 214 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:36.569 verse twenty, gives a ten of everything that he has to the Lord. 215 00:20:36.730 --> 00:20:41.529 This plunder that has, that he has gotten through of these battles, he 216 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:52.039 gives it, gives it to God. Now, in contrast the king of 217 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.559 Melchizedek or the side of the King of Salem, we have the King of 218 00:20:55.799 --> 00:21:02.519 Sodom. One commentator notes that when the King of Salem we'll kiss it, 219 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:08.549 it comes out, he brings something, says he brought bread and wine, 220 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:12.470 but when we get to the Kingdom of Sodom, the first words that he 221 00:21:12.630 --> 00:21:18.619 says are give me, give me, and this is we have seen. 222 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:26.019 Is the ethic of Sodom and go Mora as a way of helping us to 223 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:30.420 understand how all this world works. When this world separates themselves from God, 224 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:36.049 the God who is over all the world, they become kings, or try 225 00:21:36.089 --> 00:21:40.170 to become kings, rather unto themselves. Give, give, take, take. 226 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:42.970 Everything is about now in the moment, and what they can have. 227 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:52.240 Abraham gives freely to the Lord a ten of everything he has. But even 228 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.359 after victory. Right, Abram is just one this victory on behalf of Sodom. 229 00:21:56.400 --> 00:22:02.670 He's beaten back these kings on behalf of this pagan nation. For his 230 00:22:02.829 --> 00:22:07.390 lot, or stories kinsman lot, most immediately, but this is benefited Sodom. 231 00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:11.470 Right. Is Abram in a position? Are Is Sodom in a position 232 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:17.619 to make any demands on Abram? He has just rescued them, he is 233 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:22.420 just beaten back their enemies. He has just conquered the people that they were 234 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:26.779 being attacked by. Does he have any right them to go to this great 235 00:22:26.819 --> 00:22:30.730 man Abraham and say give me the person's and take the goods for yourself? 236 00:22:32.529 --> 00:22:40.049 He's not in a position to bargain, but nevertheless he does. This is 237 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:44.170 whw the world works. It grabs, it holds, it takes, it 238 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:51.640 uses whatever it means it can to get the things that it wants. And 239 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.880 then, in verse twenty two, we come to understand more of Abram's perspective 240 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:59.349 and His Holiness in this situation. Abram says to the King of Sodom, 241 00:22:59.390 --> 00:23:03.710 I have lifted him my hand, to the Lord, to Yahwe God, 242 00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:07.630 Most High Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread 243 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:12.140 or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say I 244 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:19.099 have made Abram rich. In other words, Abram, though he is acting 245 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:27.089 in a world alongside his neighbors. Nevertheless, as I said before, he 246 00:23:27.210 --> 00:23:33.289 has his eye very clearly on God, who is the king of kings, 247 00:23:33.730 --> 00:23:37.769 and even in talking to Sodom he wants to make it clear to him and 248 00:23:37.289 --> 00:23:44.960 everyone else that he is not obligated to Sodom. It's a confession of faith 249 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.119 in a way. He makes a promise, he chooses to act in a 250 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:52.839 certain way so that, on the one hand, though he is working with 251 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:57.390 Pagan Kings, he is not going to become ammeshed with them. He is 252 00:23:57.509 --> 00:24:02.789 not going to live out his life, even as an exile in this land, 253 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:07.190 in a way that ties himself too closely to them, in a way 254 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:11.259 that allows them to have control over over him and have claims on him. 255 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:15.660 So he says, I will take nothing but what the men have eaten in 256 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:19.380 the share of the men who went with me. Let Ann or escal and 257 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:22.460 memory take their share. Doesn't that sounds similar to the way he dealt with 258 00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:27.210 lot. You take the right hand or the left, I'll take the other. 259 00:24:30.250 --> 00:24:34.730 Where does this kind of generosity come from? He comes from the Lord. 260 00:24:36.970 --> 00:24:42.559 Where does this kind of big heartedness come from? To rescue his unworthy, 261 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:49.039 we might say, nephew, to save and protect, by extension, 262 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:56.829 these other unworthy kingdoms, to simp to give the the spoils of his great 263 00:24:56.950 --> 00:25:03.029 effort to his lesser allies. Let Ann or ask Coll memory take their share. 264 00:25:04.470 --> 00:25:10.140 It's because he doesn't have to worry about the things of this world, 265 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:14.099 like the people of this world think they have to worry about the things of 266 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:18.019 this world. Right, Jesus tells US similar things. He says don't store 267 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:22.329 up your treasures in this world. Moths eat it, rust destroys it, 268 00:25:22.569 --> 00:25:29.289 thieves take it away. He calls us to see our time in this world 269 00:25:29.650 --> 00:25:33.569 through a heavenly perspective. With him is the king of Kings, who knows 270 00:25:33.730 --> 00:25:38.079 how to give all things. Remember Abraham, not long ago, went into 271 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:45.000 Egypt during a famine and comes out with all kinds of wealth. The white 272 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:52.230 not doing very well there. Abraham perhaps is learning, and hopefully we are 273 00:25:52.269 --> 00:25:56.750 learning, that God knows how to bless his children, God knows how to 274 00:25:56.750 --> 00:26:02.349 fulfill his promises, God knows how to keep us, even in very difficult 275 00:26:02.430 --> 00:26:08.619 situations. And so, rather than trusting in our own power, in our 276 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:12.019 own strength, rather than trusting in the things of this world, rather than 277 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:18.930 grabbing and grubbing and trying and striving and meshing ourselves with everything that is here 278 00:26:18.089 --> 00:26:23.849 and now, we take a deep breath, we look to the Lord of 279 00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:27.369 Heaven and earth, the one who possesses all of these things, whose sovereign 280 00:26:27.410 --> 00:26:37.480 over all of this, and we trust him. Abraham's receives this good word, 281 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:48.190 this blessing, through the priest King Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews will 282 00:26:48.269 --> 00:26:55.390 tell us that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. He says 283 00:26:55.470 --> 00:26:57.470 this for a number of reasons, but one of them is this, this 284 00:26:57.869 --> 00:27:03.140 priesthood that Melchizedek has. It doesn't come from Aaron. It seems to come 285 00:27:03.220 --> 00:27:07.180 out of nowhere, and it does. We've never heard him before, and 286 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:14.099 then he disappears, bought or Hebrew says Jesus is priesthood, is of a 287 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:18.849 different order than that of errands. It's after the order of Melchizedek, and 288 00:27:19.049 --> 00:27:26.089 it's with this same kind of a blessing that Jesus, that Melchizedek gives Jesus 289 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:34.119 gives to us and, most amazingly, he also is the one who fights 290 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:41.440 the battle on our behalf. In this story, in the bigger story, 291 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:48.750 we are lot, we are the unworthy nephew that's made bad choices and chosen 292 00:27:48.750 --> 00:27:52.390 to live in a bad place and have gone after the things of this world. 293 00:27:53.630 --> 00:27:59.500 and Jesus comes and he with great victory and great power, he rescues 294 00:27:59.579 --> 00:28:03.980 us. Except he doesn't do it in the way that all the world was 295 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:10.019 expecting. He doesn't do it with great armies and great power and allying himself 296 00:28:10.220 --> 00:28:14.769 with the Roman government and whoever else. He does it by going to a 297 00:28:14.970 --> 00:28:21.609 cross. He does it as a priest, by offering his own body as 298 00:28:21.690 --> 00:28:27.640 a sacrifice for sin. And in doing this, Jesus does achieve a victory, 299 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:34.960 a victory ten thousand times tenzero greater than the victory that Abraham had. 300 00:28:36.119 --> 00:28:41.710 Here. This victory will come and go. Abraham will continue to live as 301 00:28:41.789 --> 00:28:45.309 an exile, he will continue to struggle, he will have ups and downs 302 00:28:45.390 --> 00:28:51.230 and before long his people will all end up as slaves in Egypt. But 303 00:28:51.349 --> 00:28:57.019 the victory that Jesus achieves as our great priests is our great king, as 304 00:28:57.099 --> 00:29:02.819 the son of Abraham, this promised one that God promised to bless the world 305 00:29:02.900 --> 00:29:08.740 with. His victory is final, his victory is complete, and he does 306 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:15.529 rescue us. He blesses us in that. So as we live as exile 307 00:29:15.690 --> 00:29:18.289 says, we live as Peter says, is resident aliens in this world, 308 00:29:21.410 --> 00:29:25.920 we can learn a lot from genesis fourteen. We can learn to look to 309 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:30.359 the God of Heaven and earth. We can learn to look to Jesus, 310 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:34.519 whom God provides for us, to bless us and to keep us. We 311 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:40.509 can learn to work wisely and be smart and do our best to get along 312 00:29:40.549 --> 00:29:44.349 with our neighbors and do the right things, but at the same time know 313 00:29:44.589 --> 00:29:48.789 that all good things come to us by the grace of God, and in 314 00:29:48.869 --> 00:29:55.299 these things we find a Christian way, hoping not in the things of this 315 00:29:55.539 --> 00:30:00.779 world but in the things to come through the one who has come and we'll 316 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:00.339 come again.