El Elyon – God Most High
A tale of Two Kings
In Genesis 14 we read a tale of two kings - each one was the regent of a different city - Bera, was the King of Sodom and Melchizadek, was the King of Salem.
When you read this story you will see Sodom’s decadence compared to Salem’s decency. Bera’s opulence is sharply contrasted with Melchizadek’s holiness. And the compelling nature of evil stands along side that which is righteous and good.
Each king expected and claimed the homage and respect of Abram. Each one required his heart and his honor.
Abram was forced to choose between Bera and Melchizadek and he chose well.
This is a story that is repeated in every day, in every community, and in every person
It is a story that it has many layers and much complexity. This is a story of power and pride - of subtle persuasion and overt temptation. There is exaltation of the victory won and weariness of the battle fought.
There are as many stories as there are people. It is the story of life that is repeated every time a young man is awarded the MVP for his performance on the field of sports and he has to choose to be proud, accepting the accolades of his fans as one who deserves them or to be humble and wear them in the name of the team that got him there.
It is repeated every time a young woman decides whether she will look for love and acceptance in the free and easy love of a casual hook-up or she’ll determine that her love and acceptance will come from her loving Father-God.
It’s repeated every time an executive chooses to pad the expense report, co-mingle some accounts, or to tell a lie to a customer to get the sale
Lloyd Carr after the MSU & UM game
On a recent Saturday afternoon MSU played Michigan and lost. After the game with the a reporter stepped onto the football field and asked Lloyd Carr, the head coach for Michigan about the pass play in the final few minutes that almost lost them the game. He said, "who made the decision to call that play that almost ended in a disaster for your team?"
In his answer he could have blamed the offensive coach for his choice of the play. He could have said it was the quarterbacks call. He did neither. Lloyd Carr hesitated for the briefest instant and said, "I’m responsible". That’s leadership and that’s integrity.
Here is a man who has determinied who he is and how he will live.
You must also chose how you will live. Will you live to gain for yourself or will you live to serve others? Everyone has to make these choices. It starts with the 3 fundamental questions.
There are 3 questions everyone answer.
What is my goal in life? Or in other words, whom do I serve?
What is my reward in life? Or in other words, where do I get my blessings?
Where do I give my life? Or in other words, where do I bring my worship?
First, Abram’s Goal in life: Serve God Most High
A little background on the battle. Abram today would be called a “warlord”. Lot was part of his family and was taken captive by a combined group of warlords from another territory. Abram found out and took 390 of his men and went after him. He fought the battle with a classic pincer movement and routed his enemies.
When Abram returned from his victory over Chedorlaomer he was met by two kings. Bera, the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought to him bread and wine.
Genesis 14:17-18 (NCV)
17 After defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, Abram went home. As he was returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (now called King’s Valley).
18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest for God Most High
Melchizedek is described as the priest of God Most High. Melchizedek means king of righteousness
His city was called “Salem” – lit. “peace”
He is describe as a man without mother or father
Melchizedek brought Abram the symbols of life. Bread which is the staff of life. Wine which is the blood where the life dwells.
Abram understood who he served. This is important and this is first.
Second, Abram’s Reward in Life: The Blessing of God Most High
Genesis 14:18-20 (NCV)
18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest for God Most High 19 and blessed Abram, saying, “Abram, may you be blessed by God Most High, the God who made heaven and earth. 20 And we praise God Most High, who has helped you to defeat your enemies.”…
The priest/king pronounced a blessing over Abram
When you bless someone you speak well of the person. You praise them.
There are three ways to bless a person.
You can bless a person by speaking directly to them and pointing out the good in them.
You can bless a person by speaking to others about a that person and the good that is in them.
You can bless a person by speaking well of them to others in their presence.
What gives value to the blessing to us is the person who gives it. It doesn’t matter to me nearly as much what you think of me as it matters to me what my father, my mother, my wife, and my children think of me.
If this is true – and it is – then if I am wise I must choose to live in such a way that I receive their blessing vs. your blessing.
Let put it another way. Does it matter that you are elected to office, chosen for promotion, picked to be an officer in the club, or accepted into the membership of a Golf course if in the end the people who are closest to you and love you most do not give you a blessing?
The blessing source that is the most important is God Most High!
Finally, Abram’s Gift of Life: The Worship of God Most High
Genesis 14:20 (NCV)
20b Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had brought back from the battle.
This is the first reference to the tenth in the Bible
It is not given as a command to be followed.
It is revealed as the natural response of blessed servant to God Most High.
The giving of a tenth isn’t about money. It’s about worship and service. The two are linked. You cannot separate them. Whatever you serve you will worship. Whatever you worship you will serve.
Abram gave a tenth because He worshiped God Most High
That’s why it is a percentage rather than an amount. It is about the devotion of life and of the value of that gift.
Abram gave a tenth because God Most High is the only person worthy of worship.
The gift of the tenth is really a matter of trust. It is a matter of your trust of God with a significant piece of your life. It’s not about money. It’s about worship and trust. It’s about faith.
Bera, King of Sodom also met Abram when he returned from battle.
Genesis 14:21-24 (NCV)
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “You may keep all these things for yourself. Just give me my people who were captured.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I make a promise to the Lord, the God Most High, who made heaven and earth. 23 I promise that I will not keep anything that is yours. I will not keep even a thread or a sandal strap so that you cannot say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
Bera offered Abram the world. He offered to allow Abram to keep all the spoils which he had recaptured from the kings. But Abram understood that this would create an “oblgation” to the King of Bera.
Bera, Sodom’s king, offered a most appealing deal. But Abram, knowing what he did about the king of Sodom, felt that keeping Sodom’s loot which he captured would make him subject to Bera.
He wanted something far more enduring than possessions and wealth; he wanted the fulfillment of God’s miraculous and enduring promise. Faith looks beyond the riches of this world to the grander prospects God has in store.
Abram remembered his decisions to serve God, to gain his blessings, and to trust him with his life.
It would put Abram into a position of compromise concerning his decisions to serve God.
It would create the appearance of his blessings coming from the King of Sodom instead of from God.
It would announce that his trust was not in God’s care but in Bera’s wealth.
Let me offer some counsel to you …
You live in a world with two kings…
The king of Salem and the King of Sodom. You must choose to serve one of them.
You cannot serve both.
You cannot abstain.
You cannot serve one and then the other.
You must serve one or the other.
And, No decision is a decision.
Your decision influences every other decision you make in life.
Lloyd Carr took all of heartbeat to make the decision to not blame his assistant and to take the responsibility himself.
Your decision to serve the King of Salem makes it a lot easier to see the dangers in the offers of the king of Sodom
Your vision becomes clear and you see the danger as if it is outlined in bright orange paint.
This incident was a test of Abram’s faith after a great victory
It could have been just as easily in a time of great defeat.
David was another king of Salem, which was also called Jerusalem. After he was anointed by the prophet Samuel for this great work and before it happened David experienced a time of darkness and defeat.
He wrote Psalms 57 during this time.
Psalm 57:1-3 (NCV)
A Prayer in Troubled Times
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A miktam of David when he escaped from Saul in the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, God; be merciful to me
because I come to you for protection.
Let me hide under the shadow of your wings
until the trouble has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to the God who does everything for me.
3 He sends help from heaven and saves me.
He punishes those who chase me. Selah
God sends me his love and truth.
Ok… Time to make or renew some decisions.
What is your goal in life? Who do you serve?
What is your reward? Where are your greatest blessings going to come from?
Where are you giving your life? Who do you worship?
This is time of prayer and a time to respond to God… You can do it right there right now while we sing or you can come right now to ask for prayer and support.
