The Established Path of Discipleship

(An exposition of Genesis 14)

The story goes that a young country boy went to hear a preacher. When he returned from the preaching, the boy’s daddy asked him, “What did the preacher talk about?” The boy answered, “Sin.” “What did he say about sin,” the daddy asked. “He’s agin it,” the boy replied.

            Unfortunately, this is often the only takeaway for people who listen to preaching. Sometimes, it is just about all the preacher talks about. It is not wrong to speak of sin, but it sure is nice to hear about things that God likes every now and then. God likes many things, but there is something that invokes the blessing of God. God blesses those with a generous heart of faith. I’m talking about a big heart that is full of faith. These are the type of people who remind us of Jesus. There are many of these people in the Old Testament. Abram is one of these people. Let’s look at this generous heart of faith in action.

A generous heart of faith knows when to fight (vv. 1-12).

            Do you know what the Middle East is famous for? Fighting and wars, that’s right. They have fought for centuries, and Abram’s day was no exception. After about fourteen years of living in the land, four kings made war with the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Zeboiim. These four kings eventually defeated the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and three other kings and drove a few of them into the tar pits, which are now at the bottom of the Dead Sea in Israel.

            I have to stop here for a moment and mention something significant. When do we fight, and when do we stay out of the fight? This is undoubtedly a question our country faces often. This is the dilemma for Abram. Does he get involved, or does he just let them kill each other? We can learn a side lesson from this:

            Some hills are not worth dying on.

Every conflict is not ours to resolve. Every issue is not ours to address. Sometimes, we must choose not to engage. It requires prayer and seeking God’s wisdom to discern whether we should involve ourselves in a situation.  There are some principles I will stand firm on, like active participation in fulfilling the Great Commission—making disciples of all nations. I will stand firm on that. But I will not make a stand on the issue of worship style—whether it’s traditional or contemporary. It’s about making wise choices in our actions.

            So far, we have a bunch of kings at war. It happens all the time, but not enough to arouse Abrams’ interest. Something pushes him over the edge into involvement.

            When family is in danger, the love of Christ compels us.

Everything would have been okay except for verse 12. The kings took Lot captive. They messed with family. When family is messed with, something must be done. When our brothers and sisters in Christ are in danger, Christ’s love compels us to act. It’s not my battle until you bring family into the picture. This, by the way, is good advice to any government leader. Abram has a generous heart of faith. He doesn’t sit around.

A generous heart of faith takes courageous action (vv. 13-16).

            Someone escapes from the kings and tells Abram they took Lot in verse 13. This is the first time Abram is called a Hebrew in verse 13. It is important to remember what Lot did previously. Remember, he chose to live near Sodom. Abram could have said, “Lot is only getting what he deserves. There is nothing I can do about it.” But Abram did not do that. He acted; he went to rescue Lot and save him even though Lot deserved nothing but death. Okay, who does that sound like? Sounds like Jesus. Even though I acted in complete and total rebellion against God and sinned against him, Jesus came and rescued me from the punishment I deserved. This is God’s mercy in action, and we see this mercy embodied in Abram.

            Notice how many men Abram takes with him: only 318. They were trained men, but still, there were only 318 against the armies of those kings. Where did he get this courage from?

            Unusual courage comes from genuine faith.

I submit that this kind of courage did not come naturally to Abram. Remember, he selfishly and cowardly lied about Sarah to save his skin in chapter 12. This courage came from God. God gives us the gift of genuine faith, and with that faith comes courage. It is courage that is manifested at just the time when we need it. It is difficult to imagine what we would do if we were persecuted for our faith in Christ. When I read about what is happening to some believers in not-so-friendly places, I know that the kind of courage to face death does not come naturally to me. But I do know this: God will give me what I need when I need it for his glory. He will do the same for you. He will give you the courage to face what you need to face, and he will give you the necessary courage to act.

In the distant future, we will be called on to take more risks to bring the Gospel to the nations. Many will retreat in fear. Some will compromise the Gospel to fit in with the culture, but we must not retreat. I like the motto of the French Foreign Legion, “If I falter, push me on. If I stumble, pick me up. If I retreat, shoot me.” Folks, that is the kind of courage we need—that comes from genuine faith.

So, Abram saves his wayward nephew. What happens next?

God’s blessing flows to those with generous hearts of faith (vv. 17-20).

After Abram returns home victorious, two kings meet him: the king of Sodom and a mysterious king of Salem, Melchizedek. Melchizedek, the king of Salem or king of peace, is also a priest of the most High God. Melchizedek is a mysterious figure because he is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture except Hebrews 5-7. He comes out of nowhere. We don’t know who his parents are or where he came from. He is a priest, unlike the Levitical priests who will come later in the Old Testament.

So, what does this mysterious priest do:

Melchizedek refreshes and blesses Abram.

He brings Abram bread and wine. This is the refreshing part. I can imagine Abram being hungry and thirsty after the battle. Then, in verse 19, he blesses Abram:

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!     

First, let me say God is not obligated to do anything. However, God chooses to bless his children when they act with a generous heart of faith. When his children take courageous action in faith, God’s blessing flows.

            The missionary James Fraser left college and made a career as an engineer for the Lisu people in China. He risked disease and sickness. He had not seen a convert for over ten years. He even died at age 52 of malarial meningitis. So, where’s the blessing in that? I’ll tell you the blessing. The Lisu people are a fully evangelized group of believers in China actively reaching out to others for Christ.       Sometimes, these blessings of God are immediate; sometimes, they come later, but they come. So, how does Abram respond to such a blessing?

            Abram responds with worship: he gives a tithe.

Abram giving a tithe indicates something significant. It shows that Abram knew this guy was a genuine priest of the Most High God. This shows where Abram’s priorities lay. His heart was to worship God, and Abram worshiped with his pocketbook and his life. Abram may have been rich, but Abram was not captive to his riches. What about you?

            So, what about the King of Sodom? What was he up to? What happened with him teaches us something important about faith.

A generous heart of faith boldly demonstrates dependence on God (vv. 21-24)

            The King of Sodom sees this whole scene unfold. So, he says to himself, “I think I’ll sweeten the pot and make a deal for myself.” In verse 12, he tells Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the good for yourself.” We must recognize something. This was an attractive deal. There were undoubtedly lots of spoils from this war. And, to the victor, go the spoils of war. Abram would have been justified in the eyes of the world for taking this deal. Abram, wisely, doesn’t take the bait.

            Abram refused to compromise by rejecting the king of Sodom’s deal.

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. I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten and the share of the men who went with me.”

Abram depended on God. He lifted his hand to the Lord, and the Lord filled his hand. This was a bold move for Abram. He was basically telling the king of Sodom to take his deal and shove it. Abram was determined to depend on God and God alone for his care, not anyone or anything else.

            Periodically, you may be faced with deals like this. They look attractive and seem like they may benefit you, but if you take the agreement, it will cause you to compromise your faith in Christ. Whatever you do, don’t believe the lie that this one little time won’t hurt. It will hurt. It will come back to bite you later. God’s provision is always more than the abundance of the devil.

Conclusion

            Having a generous heart of faith does not come naturally. It comes supernaturally. It is something received, not something attained. Our hearts are small, hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We need a new heart that is big and full of faith. One came with mercy and rescued us, just as Abram rescued Lot. He was the seed of Abram and brought blessings to us. When we turn to him, Christ, the seed of Abraham, and turn from our sins, he gives us a heart of faith that grows bigger each day as His Holy Spirit empowers us.  Then, in response, we give of ourselves generously, courageously, and without reservation because we know our Most High God will never leave or forsake us.