After Abram and his household were kicked out of Egypt, they returned to the eastern side of Bethel, the last place they stayed before traveling to Egypt. The first time they were there, Abram had built an altar to the Lord. Possibly in repentance for his lapse of faith while in Egypt and for thanksgiving to God for keeping them safe, Abram returns to that altar. He calls upon the name of the Lord. Or another way it can be translated as, “[Abram] proclaimed the name of the Lord.” Public worship, public preaching of the one true God in a place that doesn’t know Him as the only Creator and Redeemer. Such worship would have been attended by the hundreds of people in the household of Abram.

A problem, then, arises between Abram and Lot. They had accumulated so much wealth that the herdsmen of each bicker, argue, and maybe even fight over grazing land and watering holes. For most of human history, wealth isn’t so much in the amount of money you have, but the number of possessions you own. Abram and Lot owned many herds. They were animal wealthy when they left Haran, and they were even wealthier when they left Egypt.

We’re told that the Canaanites and Perizzites lived in that part of the land. Important info for two reasons. Abram’s and Lot’s households are having such disagreement, in part, because they are foreigners trying to use unoccupied areas as best they can. Their strife is also problematic because it doesn’t set a very good example of godliness to those pagan nations.

Now, Abram could have easily appealed to his right of first choice as both uncle and elder over Lot, but he wanted there to be peace and harmony between his nephew and himself. So, he gives Lot the first choice. Lot thinks over what he’s seen of the lands. Possibly with greedy intent, he chooses what looks greener on the “other side,” even though the “other side” is the wicked city of Sodom. Because the land is described as being like the Garden of Eden, it must have been a very good land. But it changed forever with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though Lot chose the better land, Abram, trusting the Lord’s promises, is content to settle in Canaan. He teaches us much about trust and contentment in the Lord—things which we can model as God’s children rather than copying the greed of the world.

While in Canaan, the Lord re-emphasizes His promise to Abram, promising him the land on which he stands and as far as he can see to the north, south, east, and west, promising him descendants as numerous as dust—the most important of which would be the Messiah, our Savior from sin, death, and hell. These promises strengthen Abram during his life, in which he lives as a foreigner, and as of yet, has no descendants. Abram settles in the town of Hebron by the oaks of Mamre. Later in his life, he will buy a small plot of land east of Mamre. The only land he ever personally owned in Canaan—a cemetery.

A situation soon develops, and Abram feels no choice but to intercede. The events of this news story begin fourteen years before when four city-state kings from Mesopotamia (in present day Iraq) attacked and defeated five city-state kings from around the Dead Sea (including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah).

As a condition of surrender, the five Dead Sea kings were forced to pay things like animals or grain on an annual basis. This is called tribute. After twelve years of paying, the five Dead Sea kings decide they don’t want to pay anymore. The four Mesopotamian kings get angry and go on another 1,000-mile military campaign, defeating various cities along the way which surround the five Dead Sea kings.

The Dead Sea kings, then, engage the Mesopotamian kings in war. They lose again. The Dead Sea kings and their soldiers quickly retreated, leaving their cities open to be plundered. Among the spoils of war taken by the Mesopotamian kings was Abram’s nephew, Lot. He seemed destined to either be a slave or tribute collateral.

Abram could have very easily said, “Not my problem.” Yet, his trust in the Lord’s promises leads him to take another path of godliness. You know what it is, for you are called to the same in your lives. As God’s children, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. As the Lord of grace and mercy has redeemed Abram in Christ Jesus, so Abram sets out to redeem his nephew, Lot. Out of love, Abram saves undeserving Lot from slavery or prison.

Childless Abram’s household was so large, it even included a small army. Likely a defensive army to protect his vast herds. He quickly mobilizes his household army for battle. He also calls upon his allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre.

They chase the four kings of Mesopotamia all the way to the northern border of what will later be ancient Israel. Abram and his allies divide their troops, make a surprise nighttime attack, and chase the Mesopotamian kings up to present day Syria, defeating the enemy. Serving as a picture of Jesus, Abram interceded, went into battle, and saved Lot.

Yet, the glory was the Lord’s. Abram wasn’t interested in the spoils. He told the king of Sodom to reward his allies and keep the rest. Abram didn’t want credit taken from God.

In the midst of this conversation, a mystery man visits Abram. He seems to come out of nowhere and he just vanishes never to be heard from again. Some think he’s an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. Some think he’s Shem, son of Noah. We don’t know if his identity is something beyond an ancient king.

This mystery man is Melchizedek—one of the greatest names in Scripture in my opinion. The name means “king of righteousness.” He’s the king of Salem, which means “peace” and is the shortened form of the name Jerusalem. So, Melchizedek rules Jerusalem well before King David established it as the capital of Israel. He brings out “bread and wine” to feed the hungry victors just returned from battle. Melchizedek is called priest of God Most High, which means that he’s a fellow believer and child of God.

There were other believers around this time besides Abram. Melchizedek was one. The patriarch Job was another. We see scattered throughout Scripture, pockets of people who held to the faith that was passed to them beginning with the era of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Melchizedek does two priestly things: he blesses Abram and he blesses the Lord by confessing God to be the source of blessing. In response, Abram gives Melchizedek a tithe.

There’s only one other man in all of history who fits the mold of Melchizedek, and as one commentator says, it is this man who gives the encounter between Abram and Melchizedek its true value. Christ Jesus is called a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Why? No Israelite priest was also a king. Jesus is both—making Him a higher order than the high priest Aaron. Jesus is the King of Righteousness and King of Salem, the Savior-King who offered Himself for you and me as the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of the whole world. The priests of Israel couldn’t do that. Jesus is of a different order, signified by the mysterious Melchizedek. Amen.