Last 5 Days
Acknowledge God in all your ways
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. 11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
17 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). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 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.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
The chapter starts with a massive war between nine kings, or two alliances of four kings against five kings. In the end, the king of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela lost their fight against the other four more powerful kings led by Chedorlaomer. As a customary practice of those days, the victor take all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions. Incidentally, they also took Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his possessions as he was also dwelling in Sodom.
Abram learnt about Lot’s captivity from one who had managed to escape from the fight, and decided to save his beloved kinsman with all his possessions and the women and the people. Three hundred and eighteen men accompanied Abram as he proceeded to slaughter and defeat the people who took his nephew. He ended up saving Lot, and also took claim of the possessions of the city.
On Abram’s way back, he met Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and Bera, the king of Sodom. Through the lens of Melchizedek (who is also the priest of the God most High), despite the strong and powerful army that took claim of Sodom, we understand that the success of Abram was attributed to the God most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth. Abram acknowledged God’s mighty hands in the entire fight and as an act of worship, he gave one tenth of the possessions claimed from the war as tithing unto the Lord. The bible is not clear, but such practice of tithing could have been a common practice during that time.
On top of that, the king of Sodom, Bera requested for the release of his people while acknowledging that Abram could retained the goods for himself. However, Abram had made a pact with God that he himself will not keep anything for himself, so that he can boast not of his successes. Abram kept his promise unto the Lord for the success and honoured God for the success of his hands. He had claimed no honour for himself.
While Abram was no perfect man and was a work in progress refined by God, we could see here that Abram walked with God and he desired to please God. God was pleased with him and he was blessed through the priest king Melchizedek. Chapter 14 is not a standalone chapter, but an example of reason why the Lord loved Abram and blessed him. For in the chapter to come, in chapter 15 verse 1, it tells us that, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
My dear brothers and sisters, do we acknowledge God in the works of our hands or are we quick to claim credits for successes? Our hearts are so easily swayed by power, riches and successes. One moment, we can be on our knees asking God to help us with challenges in our lives and the next moment, when we gain success from the matter we prayed for, we forget who was the one who gave us success. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
I see tithing as one important spiritual discipline to acknowledge that God is our provider. The bible tells us where our treasure is, there our heart is. When we are willing to offer a tenth of what God has given to us joyfully, it reflects the condition of our hearts. It tells us if we truly acknowledge God as our maker and provider. Tithing is never meant to appease God or for fear that if we do not tithe, God will cease His blessings unto us. It helps us to see in very tangible ways where our heart condition is. Dear brothers and sisters, how is the condition of your heart, would you acknowledge God in all your ways? In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
