We are studying the life of faith as portrayed in the Abram stories in Genesis 12-25. Last week, we saw the blessing of peace that Abram and his family are privileged to bring to a world in turmoil and conflict. This week, the Abram narrative takes a different turn. He ends up involved in a political skirmish, recovering what was lost to an invading army. When he returns with the spoils of war, he is met by two kings, and we are invited to see a contrast in how they each responded to his victory.

It would be difficult, I think, to read this chapter and not see the political implications of Abram and his family of faith. The lesson here is that family of faith is supposed to be a force for hope in a world filled with war and violence. The biblical story—and the hope of the gospel—is all about the salvation of the world from the politics that so often tears the world apart.

Notice Abram’s power, his commendation, and his resistance as we follow along in this story.

Abram’s Power

Notice, first, Abram’s power. God’s promise to Abram and his family—the promise in Genesis 12 which Galatians 3:8 calls “the gospel”—this promise makes Abram and his family a faith a rival power to all earthly powers, to all the kingdoms of men.

An Ancient International Conflict

What we have here in Genesis 14 is an account of an ancient international conflict.[1] This is a real-life political war story, a conflict of “four kings against five,” as the end of verse 9 puts it. The four kings are an alliance of eastern nations: Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, and Goiim. Not all of these places are easily recognized, but some of them are. Shinar, for example, is the place in which Babel is located, according to Genesis 10:10. Elam is a known powerful kingdom from the ANE located in modern-day Iran.

‌This eastern alliance of nations is in a conflict with the five western kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. The place names here locate these 5 kings and their territories near the south side of the Dead Sea. These five western kings rule over independent city states that were in close proximity to each other, which does fit what we know about the politics of pre-Israelite Palestine.[2]

There are multiple battles described here. Verses 1-4 tell us about the first battle coming after the five western kings had been under the subjugation of the king of Elam for 12 years. Verse 4 says that “in the thirteenth year they rebelled,” and there appears to have been a decisive battle, according to verse 3, “in the Valley of Siddim,” which is near the Dead Sea, the home turf of the western nations. Although the text does not explicitly say so, we can see, from what follows that the eastern kings won this battle and put to rest the rebellion.‌

Verse 5 speaks of “the fourteenth year” so it would seem that the rebellion was silenced but not eliminated. The eastern kings are coming back in this chapter to deal with the uprising more definitively. Verses 5-7 show their might as they route the nations standing in their way. The eastern alliance appears to be a formidable alliance of nations that effectively are ruling the known world at the time.

Picking up in verse 8, we are told again about the five western kings and a return to battle in the Valley of Siddim (cf. v. 3). The detail in verse 10 is interesting. The Valley of Siddim “was full of bitumen pits,” we are told. The substance here is something like tar that in ancient times was used to make cement or mortar. This detail is told because of what follows. The battle is won by the eastern kings who chase the armies of the western alliance, some of whom “fell into” these tar pits. The narrator would have us see “the invisible hand of Providence” conspiring against the western alliance.[3] And we know why that would be. We have already been told that “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Gen 13:13). This is one of the theological messages being sent. Here the wicked are being judged by God through the hands of a foreign army.

Abram Gets Involved

‌But this is not the main point of the story. We keep reading in verse 11. The enemy (from the perspective of the western kings anyway) plunders the defeated peoples, takes away their possessions as well as their provisions, and leaves them vanquished.

“They also took Lot,” verse 12 says, “the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.” ‌A refugee informs Abram of what has happened. It is the fact that Abram’s “kinsman had been taken captive” that gets his attention and ours. Abram will now become involved in the politics of his day and this international conflict.

This is the fifth of nineteen episodes in the Abram story. Its uniqueness is noted in that it is the only time we find him engaged in world politics.[4] But surely it is told because this is a key point. The gospel, being about a promise that God will bring salvation to the world through Abram and his family of faith, is not a message that can be labeled “religious” and separated from the realities happening on earth.

In verses 13-16, Abram is portrayed as a warrior going into battle. He has his own allies, his own trained soldiers, and, according to verse 15, a successful war plan. He defeated the powerful eastern alliance, chased them out of the Promised Land, and recovered everything that had been taken by the mighty nations of the east.

The Battle of Faith

What is the message for us today? One can see how we might come up with all sorts of applications from this story, many of which divide Christians to this day. Is this a text for “just war” theory? Is it meant to give fuel to Christian nationalistic impulses?

The New Testament does use warfare language to describe our situation as members of Christ’s church. One thing’s for sure: the faith family is indeed involved in the real-life struggles of life on earth. Yet the battle we engage in is always with different weapons. That is what gives us power.

That is signaled to us here as well. In verse 13, Abram is called “Abram the Hebrew,” the first time that descriptive term appears. In the Old Testament, it is usually not a self-descriptive term. It is used to distinguish Abram and his family from other residents already living in Canaan.[5] Abram is an outsider, a “third party” on the international scene described here. He is not on the side of the eastern alliance, but neither is he on the side of the western kings, though his actions in this instance are for their benefit.

And so it remains for the church today. Our message is a message of hope, of salvation, for the real-life world in which we live. We, like Abram, cannot be passive about the things that really do matter and affect our lives. And yet, what we bring to the table is a power unlike the power of any human alliance. Our power comes from a different source, so we must guard against being allied with some inferior kingdom, power, or political party. Abram is portrayed here as being his own kingdom, with his own allies, who seem to have recognized already that Abram was the mediator of blessing for the world.[6] That’s what God’s people today are meant to be as well.

Abram’s Commendation

Now, in the second half of the chapter, Abram is met by two kings, both of whom recognize his achievement and commend him for his victory. The narrator is signaling to us that Abram’s actions in verses 13-16 are commendable, in case we had any doubt. But why does Abram succeed? Why is he commended for his success?

The Rescue of Grace

One observation we can make about Abram’s actions in this chapter is this: it’s not just that Abram rescued his kinsman; it’s that the kinsman he rescued was Lot. Remember that Abram had given Lot the first choice of where to settle, and Lot had chosen to make his dwelling right up next to Sodom, where the people are descried as being “wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Gen 13:13). In this account, Lot is captured when Sodom is defeated, but here in verse 12 we are told he was no longer near Sodom; he was “dwelling in Sodom.” There’s a subtle but important difference, signaling the spiritual decline that Lot is in, and preparing us for the climactic story in chapter 19.[7] It’s really his own fault, isn’t it?

But what is portrayed for us here is the radical grace of Abram. His concern is rescue, helping those in need, even those who do not deserve it. He is not trying to build his own kingdom, but he is interested in the more important kingdom realities of grace and redemption. This is what salvation in the Bible is all about. Salvation is not about how we can escape the world and our bodies at death and make it home to heaven. Salvation has to do with being rescued right now, rescued by grace. Rescued from the corruption that is in the world through the great promises of God, as 2 Pet 1:4 says. Lot needs this salvation. And this is the salvation he gets, the rescue of the “precious and very great promises” of God. It is the rescue of grace.

Mysterious Melchizedek

This is a fine story, which invites us in to imagine what God’s plans and intentions are in the gospel story as it begins to become expounded in the life of Abram. But what comes next is filled with mystery and intrigue.

“After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him,” verse 17 begins, Abram is met by two kings. First we are told about Melchizedek, king of Salem, in verses 18-20. Salem is another name for Jerusalem, according to Psalm 76:2.[8] But its city and king appear here out of nowhere, and then vanish without any fanfare, leaving us to wonder what this interaction is all about.

We must begin by letting the text of Genesis speak for itself. Melchizedek comes out to meet the victorious Abram with bread and wine. Bread and water represent a staple diet of the time, but bread and wine represent a kingly banquet.[9] Thus, Melchizedek is recognizing that Abram is worthy of a king’s banquet. Melchizedek is recognizing Abram to be a king just like he is.

But Melchizedek is not just a king. He is also a priest, and it is this that gets the most attention here. It is not shocking to find an ANE king who is also a priest; what is shocking is to hear he is priest of “God Most High,” El Elyon in Hebrew. But “El” is the name of the supreme Canaanite god in this time period; the “highest god” is what Elyon means. In the unfolding of progressive revelation, it is impossible for us to know precisely what this Melchizedek’s theology was. But he understood El Elyon to be the supreme God, the “possessor of heaven and earth,” verse 19 says, and many scholars contend that the word possessor ought to be translated “creator” here (see the NIV translation). ‌

The point is this: Melchizedek sees that Abram has been victorious because the “highest god” has blessed him. And on that point, Abram agrees. His power has indeed come from the blessing of El Elyon. Melchizedek, in his role as a priest, offers up the blessing in verses 19-20. Abram, in his role as one who has been blessed, responds in worship, sacrificing a tenth of the spoils of war. What Abram says in verse 22 (the third direct speech of Abram) confirms that Abram understands the whole thing as legitimate worship, a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving to the highest God for giving him success in this battle.

Our Eternal Priest-King

And with that, Melchizedek is gone from the scene. But not from the imagination of later biblical authors.

Psalm 110:4 mentions him, when the God of Israel, Yahweh, is reported to say to some “Lord” of the king of Israel, David, that he will be “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” From this citation there developed a Messianic expectation of a coming king-priest who will not only have an eternal kingdom but also an eternal priesthood.[10]

The author of Hebrews, unashamedly and categorically, states that Jesus has fulfilled that expectation. “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” he writes, “a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 6:19-20). What the author of Hebrews is doing is instructive. He is re-reading the Old Testament in light of Jesus and seeing all the ways Jesus has fulfilled Old Testament expectations. He takes the presentation of Melchizedek in this passage in Genesis, sees him as “the theological-political prototype of Jerusalem-based royal priesthood,” and then declares that that is precisely who Jesus is.[11]

Jesus is for you and me what Melchizedek was for Abram. It is Jesus who, at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, pronounces blessings on his people, as Melchizedek does here for Abram. It is a blessing that operates within “the context of a covenant relationship with God,” is manifested in faithfulness, fidelity, and solidarity,” and is aimed at enabling one “to fulfill God’s intention and purpose.” [12] What an enormous privilege! And the only proper response is the one Abram gives, the humble response of worship given back to God. Because, after all, if Abram and his family do indeed have this saving impact on the world it will only be because God has fulfilled his promise to them and through them.

In order for us to be a royal priesthood through whom God’s salvation is mediated to the world, we will need a royal priest ourselves who guarantees the fulfillment of all God’s promises. And in Jesus, that’s exactly what we have.‌

Abram’s Resistance

So, because of Jesus, we have enormous power as the people of God. We really do. But that power must be used in commendable ways, as a manifestation of the rescuing grace of God. Our task is to remain faithful to our priest-king and the eternal kingdom he has inaugurated and for which we are to give our lives, and to do things his way. But, there’s another king that comes to commend Abram, and this king has to be resisted.

The Offer of Sodom

The king of Sodom (Bera, according to v. 2) approaches Abram just like Melchizedek does. But as he approaches Abram, his tone is contrasted with that of Melchizedek.

“Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” Melchizedek had greeted Abram with bread and wine, but the king of Sodom brings nothing. And his words to Abram have no hint of honor, praise, and celebration—recall that Abram had just won a battle that the king of Sodom had definitively lost (v. 10)—instead, his words show his lack of gratitude.[13]

But doesn’t he offer to Abram the spoils of the war? Well, but that’s the point. As the victor, it would be Abram’s by right anyway. The spoils were not the king of Sodom’s to give away in the first place.

Colluding with Evil

And yet, Abram refuses the offer. Why? He says that he has sworn and oath to the highest God to “not take . . . anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’” It seems as if Abram sees in this offer from the king of Sodom a subtle temptation. If Abram accepts the offer, it could short circuit the promise of God’s blessing. Why settle for anything from the king of Sodom when the king of heaven and earth has offered you everything?

This reminds me of Jesus who resisted the final temptation of the devil when he offered to Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” if only Jesus would “fall down and worship” him (Matt 4:8-9). Abram seems to be learning that waiting on God’s blessing is far superior than anything he could be given from anyone else.

What concerns me in our day is how quickly many in the church are throwing away the blessing of God for the promises of some political candidate or party. Perhaps it’s due in part from not believing that what God has promised to us has to do with the world in which we live. We seem to have convinced ourselves that while God may be granting us the blessings of heaven, the blessings of earth can only come from some political candidate who wants our vote.

Abram shows us what the life of faith looks like. We must resist colluding with the powers of men when we have the power of God promised to us.

Holding Out for God’s Promises

“It is easier to fight Chedorlaomer, than to resist the King of Sodom,” said Charles Spurgeon.[14] Yes, especially if we’ve forgotten the promises of God, the only one whose promises will never fail.

In the next chapter, Abram will encounter God and his promise again. He’s holding out for this, though he does not deprive his allies of their fair share of the spoils.

With Abram we must learn to trust that the God whom we have encountered in our priest-king, Jesus, is the God who rules the world, though the nations rage, though the politicians promise, though everyone is vying for our vote. We must learn to live by faith in what our God has promised to us, which is nothing less than the salvation of the world.

Each Christian, in a democracy like ours, will have to decide for themselves whom they should vote for. The more important issue for the believer is whether we trust in the promises of God about the salvation of the world and know that whoever wins the next election will pose no threat to the eternal kingdom of God.

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[1]  Gordon J. Wenham (Genesis 1–15, vol. 1, Word Biblical Commentary, ed. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard, and Glenn W. Barker [Dallas: Word Books, 1987], 310) notes that the multiple explanatory statements in this chapter (vv. 2, 3, 7, 8, 17) show that the account we have here is itself an updated version from an ancient source.

[2] Wenham, Genesis 1–15, 310.

[3] Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 230.

[4] Joyce G. Baldwin, The Message of Genesis 12–50: From Abraham to Joseph, The Bible Speaks Today, ed. J. A. Motyer, John Stott, and Derek Tidball (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986), 44.

[5] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 405.

[6] Waltke and Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary, 232.

[7] John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Genesis: Volume 1: Genesis 1:1–25:18 (Webster, NY: Evangelical Press, 2003), 279-280.

[8] Josephus also affirms this in Antiquities 1.180.

[9] Wenham, Genesis 1–15, 316.

[10] John H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015), 97.

[11] Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve, 99.

[12] Peter John Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, Second Edition (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 278.

[13] Waltke and Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary, 235.

[14] Charles Spurgeon, “Jesus Meeting His Warriors,” The Treasury of the Old Testament, vol 1: Genesis to 2 Kings (London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, reprint Zondervan 1951), 73.