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Lot had moved down onto the plain of Jordan. He had separated from Abram to avoid conflict. The time came when he "pitched his tent toward Sodom!”(Genesis 13: 12).

By contrast Abram responded to the problem which they had been confronted with in faith. He permitted the Lord to choose his place for him. Thus he received a glorious assurance of the Lord's blessing

An alliance of kings attacked Sodom, Gomorrah and other nearby cities. (Genesis 14: 1 - 11).

For the next fourteen years that conflict continued. Eventually the attacking alliance defeated the cities concerned, and many of the people of those cities were taken captive, including Lot and his family.

The news of these developments was taken to Abram. He immediately responded. "He armed his trained servants . . . . three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them to Dan" (Verses 13, 14).

Abram was victorious in the battle which followed. He rescued all those who had been taken captive. "He brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people" (Verses 15 - 16).

These events reveal a great deal to us about Abram, his commitment to Lot, his leadership abilities, as well as His military ability.

First. "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale" (Verse 17).

The coming of the king of Sodom was obviously of secondary importance. He may have been a king. He may have been concerned about his people. As well as being interested in all that he and they had lost. He may have been wondering what Abram would do now.

But still he was secondary! His concerns were not Abram's first consideration by any means.

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.”

The man of faith immediately made a most important decision. He was confronted by these two men.

On the one hand there was the king of Sodom, representing all the human and worldly elements in this situation. This man had suffered a most humiliating defeat. He had met Abram because he was concerned about his people, and his property. The emphasis here is on the human element, on the things of time and space, of the world and its priorities.

Then there was: Melchizedek. Abram immediately identified a totally different emphasis in the approach of this person. In this one he saw the spiritual, as well as the eternal emphasis.

Melchizedek. Who was he? Initially he is described by two terms. "The king of Salem," "The priest of the most high God."

Faith immediately responds to this important identification. Melchizedek has a special, even unique, relationship to God. It is on the basis of that relationship, with its spiritual emphasis, that he went out to meet Abram.

That relationship to God is of great significance. The Epistle to the Hebrews helps us to gain a fuller picture of this one.

"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham . . . First being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually'' (Hebrews 7: 1 - 3).

Melchizedek represented to Abram the approach of the Lord. The confirmation of the acceptance of the Lord. The approval of the Lord. Faith identified the reality and responded accordingly!

The approach of the Lord is given first priority. Faith always gives the Lord first place. Highest priority.

Abram had responded to the need of the moment. He had committed his resources to meet that pressing need. He had successfully completed his mission. Now he is met with the wonderful confirmation: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"(Matthew 25: 21).

Faith recognizes that this is what Melchizedek represents. Faith immediately senses the presence of the Lord, confirming the approval of the Lord on the completion of this mission of rescue.

Melchizedek is still a most significant figure, especially to all who live the life of faith today. There is much about this One that we cannot explain, because we do not know all of the answers. But we do have the witness of the Word of God. That we can accept fully in faith. In thankfulness.

The Lord Jesus is: "Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek!" (Hebrews 5: 10)

"Even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek'' (Hebrews 6: 20).

"And it is yet more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest, Who is made . . . after the power of an endless Life.

"For He testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 7: 15 - 17).

"The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." (Hebrews 7: 21, 22).

Jesus! High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. High Priest of the most high God. For us! He is the only One who qualifies to be the great High Priest of the people of God. The high priest of all who live by faith.

He qualified fully for that vital role. Also to be King! King of righteousness! King of peace!

It is as such that He comes to us! He meets us continually as both. Great High Priest. King of kings. That is why faith always gives Him the first place.

Everyone else is secondary. Everything else must yield to His preeminence. Faith thankfully embraces the truth. He only is worthy of this place of first priority.

He continually comes to us. To inspire us. To encourage us. To commend us. Faith humbly responds to the wonder of His approach. So deeply thankful for the glory of His grace. That He should come: to us! To me!

Abram was returning from the battle, victorious; to discover this exciting reality: The Lord was still reaching out to him through Melchizedek. The Lord was making available the fullness of His resources to him. Even as He was reminding His servant of His unfailing commitment to him.

Men may have only seen this as a simple meal along the way. Faith sees so much more! Faith's vision goes beyond that which is merely obvious, beyond the superficial, and the natural. Faith sees and grasps the spiritual!

Abram had given of himself in that battle to save Lot. God responded to renew his inner resources. To replenish him. To restock. To replace. To revive all that which had been sacrificially expended.

Faith received the Lord's provision with deep thankfulness. That meal became an act of sincere worship and deep adoration.

We come to Him: From the battle, from the daily spiritual conflict. We come from the truce-less warfare with the forces of evil. From the spiritual engagements that inevitably are part of His work. From the costly struggle of reaching out to proclaim the gospel to a lost world.

"And He took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is giver for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22: 19, 20).

Our great High Priest has been to the altar of sacrifice. To the cross of Calvary. There He offered Himself as a sacrifice for us. There His body was broken. There His blood was poured out.

Now He continually meets us. Coming to us to offer the unfailing spiritual nourishment. That spiritual nourishment is represented by His broken body, and by His poured out blood. It is that spiritual nourishment which fully satisfies and continually strengthens His faithful people.

He assures us, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (John 6: 35).

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man shall eat this bread he shall live forever" (Verse 51).

“He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him" (Verse 56).

The Lord Jesus meets us! He meets us in love to continually nourish us. To give us of Himself. He is our Living Bread! He gives the Living Water! He satisfies! Totally! Continually! Unfailingly!

Jesus is: His provision for us. Received in faith. In deepest thankfulness. in devoted worship.

"And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.”

The priest of the most high God brought the blessing of the most high God! Yet another exciting confirmation of the Lord's approval. Abram's faithfulness receives the Lord's commendation.

Pause and prayerfully focus on this. Infinite love graciously commends faithful obedience. Again! Thus confirming the man of faith to be acceptable to the Lord whom he served by faith.

This is always God's way! This is as true today as it was in Abram's day. The Lord Jesus expresses this spiritual and eternal principle in the most inspiring way:

"He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."

"If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (John 14: 21, 23).

Melchizedek came to Abram. So the Lord continually comes to His faithful people today.

Melchizedek blessed Abram. So the Lord blesses those who live by His Word. Those whose obedience is the demonstration of their love for Him. The Lord expresses His love to them, doing so in very special ways. In the most significant and personal ways.

Faith. Love. Obedience. God has always honored the person whose life demonstrates these. He always will honor such people with rich blessing.

“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.”

Immediately we are reminded of the words of the Psalmist: "Bless the LORD, 0 my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the LORD, 0 my soul, and forget not all His benefits'' (Psalm 103: 1, 2).

"His benefits!" He "who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand!" The Lord did it! All the praise and all the glory belong to Him!

Faith spontaneously worships. Faith instantly recognizes the truth: "This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."(Psalm 118: 23).

Melchizedek reminds the man of faith. Yet knows that the man of faith is already responding in genuine worship. He is expressing sincere praise. That thanksgiving is rising from his heart to the Lord who has so graciously met every need.

Faith so gladly joins the chorus! "Blessed by the most high God!" True faith then! True faith now!

He had just won a resounding victory. The enemy which He had confronted was an alliance of four kings.

Those kings had previously defeated an alliance of five kings. Abram had just a few hundred men. Yet he had completely routed this foe.

Add to that the effect of the meeting with Melchizedek. In that meeting Abram had received the blessing of the Lord. That was a very special moment. A most precious personal encounter.

The majority of those present on that occasion would see Abram as being central. He would be the focal point of all their attention. That is a completely human response. From that point of view, it would be excusable.

Abram, central! Not to Abram himself! Not to this man who lived by faith! For him there was only one focal point. That was: The Lord!

Abram fully agreed with the words of Melchizedek: "The most high God: which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand."

The glory of the victory belonged totally to the Lord. All the praise so rightfully should be given to Him. Only to Him! Faith fully accepts that reality. Joyfully affirms that emphasis.

Abram quite readily responded to the challenge of that moment. His response dynamically emphasized the worship of faith:

Tithes of all of the spoils of victory! To Abram, nothing could be more right than this! The Lord filled the place of total pre-eminence. To give to Him the first tenth of all the spoils emphasizes His pre-eminence!

For genuine faith this response is virtually automatic! It is the most natural thing for the man of faith to do. It is the genuine expression of the living relationship which was his by grace.

Melchizedek: The priest of the most high God. He stood there as the personal representative of the Lord. The visible representative of the Lord.

The provision which he made in welcoming Abram emphasizes this role. The bread and the wine which are so symbolic of spiritual reality. Representing the real spiritual nourishment offered by the Lord. Offered so freely to the faithful servant of the Lord.

His words of blessing reveal his role with even greater clarity. As he spoke, he stood between the Lord and Abram, his blessing was first expressed to Abram. "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth."

As representative he also directed his words to the Lord, "And blessed be the most high God!"

"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils" (Hebrews 7: 4).

The mediator stands between the two. Melchizedek: Representative of God to man. Representative of man to God. To him Abram gave the tithe. To him, as the representative of the Lord. Abram went to Melchizedek as though he was going to the Lord Himself. He was not so much honoring Melchizedek. Rather, through Melchizedek he was honoring the Lord.

Abram's desire was to publicly honor the Lord. To glorify Him. To express praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. To do that he bought the tithe. The tenth.

The tithe is the expression of thanksgiving of the man of faith. To give the tithe is a genuine act of worship. It is heartfelt praise which glorifies the Lord.

That is what tithing was to Abram: the man of faith. That is what true tithing still is to every person who is genuinely living by faith.

To give the tenth without genuine faith is superstition. To withhold the tenth while professing faith is hypocrisy. To give the tenth in faith is worship. Worship which genuinely honors and glorifies the Lord.

There was only one reality in the battle which Abram fought. The Lord! Only one true reality in the victory which he won: The Lord! As far as the spoils of that victory are concerned, only one reality. The Lord

Faith knows this truth. That to leave the Lord out is to destroy reality. It is to live a life of futile fantasy. Delusion. It is building castles in the air. There is no substance. No meaning. No future. Nothing!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11: 1).

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (v. 6).

Abram in faith witnesses: The Lord is reality! Faith proclaims: "HE IS!" That is all that counts!

The tithe is faith's public witness to: Reality! Spiritual and eternal reality! Without that tithe there is no true faith. There is no understanding of: reality. Nothing, but a futile groping.

Abram in faith witnessed: The Lord is all! Everything that I am and have, I have from Him by grace. It is His hand which continually gives. Only His hand!

Abram willingly brought the tenth. It was the expression of living faith. Faith that was utterly devoted to the Lord. Faith deeply in love with the Lord. Thus faith which had a true hold on genuine Reality!

These principles of faith are eternal! They are as eternal as the very character of God. The ultimate Reality never changes.

How we need to examine ourselves. Prayerfully look at our understanding of faith. At: the tithe. Its place. Its witness. Its significance.

Paul raised this issue with the Corinthian Christians. "I speak . . . to prove the sincerity of your love" (2 Corinthians 8: 8).

Faith understands: the Reality. Faith responds to: The Reality. Faith glorifies the Lord in bringing the tenth. Faith joyfully witnesses: "GOD IS! And God is the rewarder of them who diligently seek Him"

''And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself."

Up until this moment the king of Sodom had been deliberately left in the background. Relegated to that status by Abram's considered decision.

First, faith must meet with the Lord. Share with the Lord's representative. Receive from the Lord the confirmation that faith was honored. The commendation which was given in grace. While also giving to the Lord the tithe as an expression of sincere worship.

But the king of Sodom refused to stay in the background. He thrust himself forward. He insisted on looking after his own interests. This is why he said what he did.

He had seen the unmistakable evidence of Abram's victory, knowing that it was victory over the very forces which had defeated him, which had humiliated him, and left him destitute.

He knew the position he was in. That he could not demand the return of the goods taken from Sodom. That he had no way of enforcing such a demand.

He suggests a compromise. That if Abram would agree return to him the people of the city of Sodom, then he would agree to Abram keeping all the other spoils of the victory.

Yet, there is a significant danger here. A real threat to faith. Abram immediately identified it as a most significant threat to the life of faith.

He had taken the road to compromise once, by going into Egypt. He had appeared to be significantly enriched as the result. Yet he remembered what that really cost him. Even as he remembered how much more that compromise had jeopardized.

He identified this approach by the king of Sodom for what it really was. Another insidious test to faith. He was spiritually alert. Immediately able to identify the real danger.

Following: the great victory: The inspiring blessing, and the act of devoted worship. Now: the severe test of faith!

The Biblical principle is again fully vindicated. It inspires us to always be alert. Particularly when we are celebrating victory.

The enemy may have been shut out - temporarily. The world may have been excluded - for a little while. The conflict will recur - inevitably. The enemy is determined to continue to attack. In various ways. At different points. Seeking to weaken faith. To undermine conviction.

Be ever alert! Be on your guard? "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5: 8, 9).

"And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up my hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth!"

The offer of the king of Sodom was totally futile. His approach was destined to utterly fail. The man of faith was fully committed to the Lord. His pledge was to Him! That was all that interested Abram. That was the only thing that mattered to faith.

Faith proclaims that the Lord is: reality. Everything else is less than reality. Therefore the Lord alone matters. The things of time and space make no appeal. They have no hold on the heart. Certainly not on the heart of the man of faith!

How we need to get back to this level of the commitment of faith. Anything less than this seriously weakens faith. In fact, anything less than this inevitably destroys faith. Buries it.

The Lord is: ALL! Therefore Abram made the commitment, "That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine!"

Abram included the most insignificant things. "A thread!" "A shoe latchet'' Things of extremely little value. Faith gave the witness: The Lord alone is all that matters. I refuse to let anything detract from Him. It does not matter how small. How insignificant.

Faith knows well the danger. Identifies the danger. Avoids it. All for the one glorious reason. To keep the relationship with the Lord strong, vital, and dynamic!

In contrast, there are some today who would suggest excuses. "It is only a small thing!" There is nothing small. Nothing insignificant. Not when it comes to this vital issue.

It may very well prove to be the thin edge of the wedge, which will eventually separate between the man of faith and the Lord.

Faith takes a stand. Faith refuses to take that kind of risk. While faith will risk everything: on the Lord. Faith refuses to take risks with the things of the world.

How this vital principle has been so badly battered in these days. Battered and shattered. "Christians" trapped by compromise. Playing in the lotteries. Justifying the sweepstakes. Reaching out with covetous hands to the world. Ready to greedily grasp the crumbs which the world throws their way.

There is the issue! Stated so clearly. Faith lifts up its hand to the Lord: The Possessor of heaven and earth! Faith depends on the Lord to meet every need. Faith is confident.

"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"(Philippians 4: 19)

For true faith: this is the issue! The test. Faith takes a stand. The totally uncompromising stand.

Faith looks at the world. Sees the world in its true colors. Isaac Watts was right when he wrote

Nothing has changed. The world is still the same, still just as vile. Still the sworn enemy of grace. It was when the king of Sodom approached Abram. It is still the same today.

Count the cost. To try to be made rich by the world has its own extremely high price. You must play in its evil games. Compromise with its vile depravity. Share its impurity and uncleanness. Faith says: NO! NEVER!

Faith worships at His feet. Rejoices to ever glorify Him! Committed to be totally loyal to Him.

God's way is not only the best way. For faith, God's way is the only way. Faith quietly, humbly walks with God. Faith thankfully receives from His hand His bountiful supply.

Faith rejoices in the Reality! God is the Reality! He ever makes us gloriously rich. Rich in the way that the world has never understood. Never will understand!

Faith has accepted spiritual priorities. Priorities established by the Lord. Faith continues to daily express those same priorities.

Faith meets the Lord at His table. Receives the spiritual nourishment which He provides: The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The fullness of His life. That faith is so gloriously blessed there!

Faith meets Melchizedek. Through that representative of the Lord faith gives the tithe. Giving it to the Lord as a genuine act of worship. And that faith is gloriously blessed.

Faith flatly rejects the intrusion of the world. Will have nothing to do with the compromise which the world offers.

Faith has eyes only for the Lord. Faith fully depends on Him and His provision. And that faith is so gloriously blessed.