What Ever Happened to Melchizedek?
Key verse 14:18 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine. He was Priest of God Most High.”
Do you like mystery novels? If you do then you will like this one. One of the most mysterious people in the Bible is the king of peace, Melchizedek. Melchizedek is the first priest/king in the Bible. He was a city-state leader whose heart was tuned into God. He was good at encouraging others to acknowledge God and serve God wholeheartedly. He was a man whose character reflected his love for God. He appeared one day in the life of Abram and then was gone. What happened on that day was to be remembered throughout history and eventually became a subject of a New Testament letter, Hebrews. There are many lessons we can learn from him. In today’s lesson we will learn about God who sends his servants at the crucial moments in our walk with Jesus to encourage us and point us in the right way. We will also learn what made Melchizedek great and how we can emulate his life, becoming a blessing to others. May God bless you to grow as a servant of God like Melchizedek.
Part 1: Abram Was At A “Cross Roads” Moment (Gen 14:1-16)
In Chapter 14 we find Abram, despaired of life because Lot had left him in order to pursue his own dream. (As you know, Lot went to live in the city of Sodom, where people were sinning greatly against the Lord.) Sodom, the city where his nephew Lot went to, had just been conquered by King Kedorlaomer. Thousands were no doubt killed. All the goods of Sodom and all of the survivors had just been taken captive. His nephew Lot, and some family members were among them. They were to become slaves in the some far off land.
When Abram heard of this terrible situation, his heart stirred into action. Even though Lot had abandoned Abram and had chosen to compromise with the world, Abram still loved him and hoped that he would repent and change his ways. Adrenaline rushed through his aged veins. He rallied his strength and called together 318 of his militarily trained men who were in his tent village. These men, along with the men of two other tribal leaders, pursued Kedorlaomer’s army for a couple of hundred miles. It was his shepherd’s heart and love for Lot that gave him strength to press forward and never give up. God gave him wisdom to divide his forces and defeat Kedorlaomer. And God blessed him. Abram recovered all the goods of Sodom and all the people, including Lot and his family. God was with Abram and gave him this great victory when he cared about the flock of God and was willing to sacrifice his own life in order to rescue them from slavery. May God stir in us the same courage and compassion for lost souls in our day.
Abram’s victory placed him in a spiritually vulnerable position. Look at Verse 17b, “…the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).” Kings came to him to seek an audience. They offered him, not only recognition, but great wealth. Suddenly Abram was a political and military force to be reckoned with. Look at verse 21, “The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.’" Abram was tempted with great wealth. He was also tempted to think that, through military victory, political intrigue and worldly wealth, God was going to give him the Promised Land,. Why not seized the land now by these human means?
Abram was also despaired. He once had placed his hope in Lot, that through Lot, he would become a great nation. He poured out all of his energies to raise his nephew through the teenage years. But Lot abandoned his uncle and took half the flocks and herds and left the Promised Land without a second thought. Lot took the best without even a care about his uncles’ feelings, nor God’s hope for him. Abram sacrificed so much to rescue Lot, even risking his own life. And do you know what Lot did after he was rescued? You would think that he would repent and come to his senses and return to the life of faith alongside his uncle Abram. But no! He went back to Sodom. A