Day 51: The Way Of The Warrior

In our previous devotion, we saw Abram was a merciless wildcat, who flattened four invading armies, after they themselves had ground to a pulp, rebels in the land of Canaan. Abram was ferocious, after: the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. (Gen. 13:14, 15).

Abram was transformed from a deceptive, manipulator with Pharaoh (12:10-20), into a junkyard dog: And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. (14:15).  When the Lord empowers you, and gives you a vision, then your mission is to fulfill His call. Abram: Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. (14:16). Whoa, he’s a different guy!

With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our enemies. (Ps. 60:12).  Never think that the Lord is impotent.  He could have wiped out the invaders Abram faced, but God partners with believers to do extraordinary things, so they become bold.  Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” (Gen. 14:20).

Abram had been timid before Pharaoh, the man/god: and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. (Gen. 12:12).  Then Pharaoh took Abram’s most precious possession without a fight: they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. (12:15). Pharaoh bribed Abram with stuff: And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. (12:16).  Then Pharaoh dismissed and ostracized Abram: And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. (12:20).

The difference between Genesis 12 and 14?  Abram and the Lord had a come-to-Jesus meeting: 13:14-17.  The Lord did not rebuke Abram, he blessed him with majestic visions of the land he set aside for Abram.  It was a genuine appearance of the Lord to him, and Abram turned from a wimp, into a warrior. When you and the Lord hang-out, you can change into a spiritual juggernaut, a ferocious, Saber-tooth Tiger.

David, the young shepherd who saw Goliath: For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26).  Well King Saul heard about David and listens to him: And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1 Sam. 17:32).  Goodness, thousands of Israelite warriors wilted when they saw Goliath, one young man saw victory.  Will you?

Well, back to Abram after his stunning victory.  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). (Gen. 14:17).  Wickedness never takes a day off.  Right after victory comes opportunity, from a very evil man, the King of Sodom: Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. (Gen. 13:13).  With great victory, comes great temptations.  Note that the king of Sodom went to meet Abram.  Manipulators want their foot in the door.  Notoriety brings opportunity.  When Abram was before Pharaoh, he folded like an old lawn chair (Gen 12:10-20). How does he respond to this king’s power play?

And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” (14:21).  This seems like a generous offer.  Is prosperity now Abram’s Achilles heel?

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  (1 Tim. 6:10).  How’s Abram going to answer this seemingly lavish offer?  It seems Abram discerns the king from Sodom’s real intentions: But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ (Gen. 14:22, 23). Abram had made a vow to the Lord, not to the king of Sodom.

Abram wants the Lord to get the credit, while dismissing the king’s manipulations.  Somehow, Abram judges the king correctly, while also desiring glory going to the Lord. He did not do this with Pharaoh in Genesis 12, he openly took goods from Pharaoh (12:16).

But there is another king that came out to meet Abram when he returned from his military mission: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) (14:18).  This king humbly let the king of Sodom precede him, but unlike the king of Sodom, he served Abram.  Melchizedek ministered to Abram’s need, after an arduous fight and journey: Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. This king intuitively understood that ministry supersedes glory, that humility surpasses honor.

Melchizedek, a person of greater stature than Abram, serves him. Not only was he a king, he also was a spiritual leader, a priest, training others in the ways of the Lord.  He was a king/priest, a vaunted position of respect and honor, yet he served Abram.  He was in contrast to the king of Sodom, who wanted to give Abram wealth, but not service. The king of Sodom wanted to maneuver Abram, for his own use. Melchizedek, was not in the business of taking, but of giving – unlike Pharaoh or the king of Sodom.

And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; (14:19).  Here we have that word ‘blessed’ again.  It’s the same word that the Lord used in 12:1-3, indicating blessing comes from the core attitudes of affection and adoration.  Melchizedek knows that God is in the blessing business.  How did he learn that?  You see, Abram was not unique.  There were other believers because Melchizedek was recruiting and training others in spiritual life: (He was priest of God Most High.) (14:18).

If you are a genuine believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in Melchizedek’s priesthood. He gave kindly and humbly to Abram, even blessing him.  That will be part of your mission, to serve and to bless. We will explore this further, since it will open vistas of spiritual understanding for you, giving you a deeper concept of the life to be lived.

By Nathan Werner