In this week's text, we see that Abram gathers his trained men to rescue his nephew, Lot, who was captured by foreign forces. Lot's decision to live in Sodom had reaped its reward, and this would not be the last time he would need rescuing.
After the successful rescue, Abram was met by two kings, the King of Sodom, and Melchizedek, King of Salem. These two kings offered Abram quite different rewards, from quite different motives. The King of Sodom offered Abram material goods, while Melchizedek bestowed a blessing on Abram on behalf of God as His priest. Abram rejected the material posessions, and in gratitude for God's blessing, he gave ten percent of all that he had to Melchizedek. Abram's faith enabled him to trust God's provision and not his own or any other's.
Hebrews 7 speaks of the Levitical (Old Testament) priesthood submitting to a superior priesthood, through Abram's submission to Melchizedek. The writer of Hebrews goes on to state that the Levitical priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of Melchizedek, in that there was necessarily a continuous succession of priests because death prevented them from continuing in their office as priests. However, Jesus Christ, as a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
The outworking of the promised inheritance God made to Abram was fulfilled in Christ, and we are the recipients of that eternal inheritance through our union with Christ. How then should we respond when tempted to take a shortcut around the promises of God? When we are offered the "riches" of this world in their various forms? Like Abram, we should submit to our High Priest, recognizing that only through Christ will we be presented to God as righteous and acceptable.
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