Title: The Triumph of Abraham
Contents Abraham's victory/Genesis 14:13-24
Lot, who lived in the city of Sodom, was embroiled in the war of the Allies and suffered great tribulation. Many were captured and their property taken away (vv. 11-12). When his uncle Abram heard the news, he went and retrieved Lot, the people, and all the stolen goods. In this time, we would like to share the grace with some lessons we can learn from Abraham's victory.
1. Usually, there was preparation for non-violence (有備無患).
In verse 13 of the main text, Abram had a close alliance with the people of Mamre, where he lived, and was determined to solidify it by strengthening the bond. Therefore, any war had to be won by mutual aid. Furthermore, in verse 14 below, it is written
“When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he took three hundred and eighteen men who had been raised and trained at home, and followed him to Dan. … He brought back all the stolen goods, and Lot his nephew and his possessions, and the women and the people” (verse 1416).
Abram did not hesitate or panic when he heard that his nephew had been arrested. At that time, the enemy nations were allied and powerful, and Abram, a stranger, could not afford to fight back. However, he usually maintained good relations with the people of the mainland and had 318 vassals who were “bred and trained at home.”
At that time, Abram was a stranger to his situation, and his life was not very good, but the fact that he trained vassals suggests a meaningful lesson to us. Courage is not a sudden or reckless act. True courage comes from disciplined practice and well-planned action. If you plan calmly and act carefully, there will be no failure.
If a soldier sweats a lot in training, he bleeds a little when he goes to war. This is also the case with our religious life. If you pray a lot, read a lot of the Bible, sing a lot of hymns, and do a lot of evangelism, you will not be embarrassed or afraid at all, even if a difficult situation suddenly comes to you. Like the five wise virgins, I hope that you will prepare well for oil and become saints who welcome the bridegroom Jesus when he comes.
2. I thoroughly practiced the life of tithing.
Renowned as an American miser, John Hylor, a devout Christian and president of a confectionery company, began his confectionery business with a promise to tithe thoroughly. Therefore, he prepared a special account, but the name of the account holder was M.P. (my partner), not his name. In other words, he made God his business partner and made a bank account in his name. And he deposited 1/10 of his profits into that account. And that money was spent only on the work pleasing to God. No one knew who the money was going to, and no one who received the money knew where it was coming from. There was only the name of God.
As time goes by, the amount of savings in the bank account ranges from 1/10 to 2/10, 3/10... … , and his business doubled, tripled and quadrupled. Abram, the father of faith, viewed Melchizedek, the king of Salem, not only as an ordinary king of a nation, but as a 'priest of the Most High God (verse 18)'. It became the aid of the tithing life by paying the 'work of righteousness' (verse 20).
Malachi 3:10 says, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts. Put your whole tithe into a storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me with it, see that I will open the gates of heaven and pour out your blessings so that there is no place for them.” Jesus also emphasized the importance of tithing of mint, anise, and cumin, along with righteousness, mercy, and god (Matthew 23:23).
3. We implemented stewardship economic justice.
In the second half of chapter 14, the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Send me only those under my servants, and you take what you have recovered.” Abram politely refused. “I will not take from you, not even a single thread or a pair of sandals, lest you say that I made Abram rich. But I shall take away the portion of the boys that I ate, and the portion of Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre who were with me; and they shall take their portion.”
Here, we can see Abram's charismatic leadership that clearly judges the merits and demerits and accurately hides self-discipline. Abram flatly rejected the officials offered by the king of Sodom. Abram's view of economics contrasts well with Lot's attitude, who migrated to Sodom, fascinated by material wealth.
Abram received help from the neighboring Amorites in the rescue operation of Lot, so he gave their portion justly, and flatly refused his portion. That is, those allied with Abram had no reason to refuse the portion even if Abram refused the spoil.
Stewardship towards people is to regard others as superior to myself and take care of brothers with agape love. Stewardship over material things is God’s, thinking that I am a steward, the thought of willingly using it for salvation work that is pleasing to God. It refers to the attitude of living with the spirit of 'daily food'.
I also pray that you will defeat Satan and the devil in your spiritual and physical life of faith and be victorious in all things with Abram's spirit of invincibility, the practice of tithing, and the spirit of stewardship and thrift.