“And blessed by God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands.”’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
– Genesis 14:20
Hi James and Ellen,
Would you like to be one day a king or a queen? What would it mean to you if you were to be one day a king or a queen? What would you do if you were one day a king or a queen? What would it mean to you if you were to be one day Newark’s mayor or Delaware’s governor and/or the President of the United States? What would you do if you were to become one day Newark’s mayor or Delaware’s governor and/or the United States President? What do think that a kid needs to do if he or she wants to be one day a community activist or state legislator and/or national leader? What do you think that a guy or gal needs to do to become a local crusader or regional spokesperson and/or country’s monarch? What do you think that a district area’s organizer or statewide representative or people group’s figurehead will need to do to retain the oversight position that he or she has been ascribed to hold by a consensus of his or her acquaintances or elected to hold by a majority of his or her peers or using intimidating force to maintain control of what he or she claims is his or hers to hold? Would you prefer to live in a place where public leadership positions are filled by guys and gals who are selected and elected through vetting and voting or live in a place where national leadership roles are filled by guys and gals who have an unbending loyalty and a hardnosed allegiance to a self-appointed and dictatorial kingpin?
Would you prefer to listen to a politician who uses allegations and incriminations to disparage and/or demean his or her opponent or would you rather listen to a politician who uses expertise and experiences to promote his or her plans for making new and/or changing existing policies? Do you sometimes wish that there was a different way for electing or choosing government officials? How do you think that a guy or gal became a leader 4,000 years ago? Abram was born 4,176 years ago in the community of Ur. The community of Ur is in what is now southern Iraq. When Abram and his nephew Lot moved from the community of Ur, God led them to settle in a region that was known as the land of Canaan. When Abram gave his nephew the choice between settling an area that had plenty of grazing opportunities for his herds or an area that was less fertile, Lot opted for the lushier area. Abram ended up setting up his tents near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite. Abram allied himself with Eshcol and Aner. Eshcol and Aner were Mamre’s bros. Genesis 14 is Moses’ historical recount of power gambits in Abram’s days. Your grandpaa believes that the land area of Canaan 4,000 years ago was monopolized by different power players/kings with each guy trying to one up the next guy. Your grandpaa thinks that there is a real possibility that each emerging community in the land area of Canaan had a king who had either inherited the position, been ascribed the position or usurped the position. Moses sets up his narrative having four kings – Amraphel – the king of Shinar, Arioch – the king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomar – the king of Elam and Tidal – the king of Goiim, deciding to fight together against five kings – Bera – the king of Sodom, Birsha – the king of Gomorrah, Shinab – the king of Admah, Shemeber – the king of Zeboiim and Zoar – the king of Bela. The four kings – with Kedorlaomar leading the clashes, were able to someplace near the Dead Sea – which is also called the Salt Sea, defeat the five adversarial kings. The five defeated kings remained subject to Kedorlaomar for the next twelve years. When the five kings rebelled against Kedorlaomar and Kedorlaomar’s allied kings, Kedorlaomar took on and defeated the Rephaite, Zuzite, Emite and Horite people groups armies before turning back and conquering all the land area and city holdings of the Amalekite and Amorite people groups. After conquering probably most of the other people groups that were residing in the land of Canaan, Kedorlaomar set his sights on the five kings who he and his allied kings conquered fourteen years earlier but who had rebelled against him the prior year. When Kedorlaomar and his three cohort kings overran the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, they kidnapped Lot and his family – who had been living in the town Sodom, taking them and their possessions to . . . when word reached Abram via a guy who escaped the raid that Kedorlaomar and his three king subordinates had made on the town of Sodom that his nephew had been captured, Abram left with 318 trained guys to track down and rout Kedorlaomar and his minions and to rescue Lot and his family. Abram was able to catch up with Kedorlaomar and his three allied kings north of the city of Damascus near the town of Hobah in the land area of the tribal clan of Dan – which is now Lebanon and the region from where Hezbollah today harasses Israel.
When Abram returned to his tents near the great trees of Mamre – Abram got a visitor. Abram’s visitor was Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the king of Salem. Salem is another name for the city of Jerusalem. Melchizedek arrived at where Abram was living with bread and wine as a show of friendship and hospitality. Verse 20 sums up Melchizedek’s visit with Abram, “And blessed by God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands.”’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” Adversaries clashing, people groups brawling and nations warring have always been norms. What is rarely a norm – which Abram modeled, is to return to God – as God the Father, a minimum of a tithe versus using rank or status for the purpose of taking money and things from other guys and gals.
Genesis 14 (1085)