Bird's-eye view
In this brief but monumentally significant passage, Abram the conqueror is met by two kings. This is no mere historical footnote; it is a foundational depiction of the antithesis between the City of God and the City of Man. On one side, we have Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem, who comes with a blessing from God Most High and a sacramental meal of bread and wine. On the other, we have the king of Sodom, representing a worldly system of debt, obligation, and self-aggrandizement. Abram, fresh off a military victory, faces a far more subtle and important test. His response to these two kings reveals where his ultimate allegiance lies. He worshipfully acknowledges God's priest by tithing from the spoils, and he utterly repudiates any entanglement with the corrupt economy of Sodom. This encounter establishes Melchizedek as a profound type of Christ and sets a permanent pattern for how the people of God are to relate to the world: receiving all blessing from God's hand and refusing to be bought by the world's coin.
The scene is a collision of two worldviews. One is represented by a priest-king who serves "God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth," and the other by a king whose city is a byword for wickedness. Abram's decision to tithe to Melchizedek and to refuse so much as a shoelace from Sodom is a declaration of economic and spiritual independence. He will not have it said that a pagan king made him rich. His prosperity comes from God alone. This is a crucial moment in the life of the patriarch, demonstrating that his faith is not just for battles, but for the negotiating table as well.
Outline
- 1. The Meeting of the Kings (Gen 14:17-24)
- a. The Setting: Abram the Victor Meets Two Kings (Gen 14:17)
- b. The King of Salem: Melchizedek's Priesthood and Provision (Gen 14:18)
- c. The Blessing and the Tithe: A Covenantal Exchange (Gen 14:19-20)
- i. The Blessing Pronounced on Abram (Gen 14:19)
- ii. The Blessing Pronounced on God (Gen 14:20a)
- iii. The Tithe Given by Abram (Gen 14:20b)
- d. The King of Sodom: A Worldly Proposition (Gen 14:21)
- e. The Rejection and the Oath: Abram's Declaration of Allegiance (Gen 14:22-24)
Context In Genesis
This passage comes immediately after Abram's daring military rescue of his nephew Lot. A coalition of eastern kings had swept through Canaan, conquering the cities of the plain, including Sodom, and carrying off its people and goods. Abram, with just 318 of his own men, pursued, defeated this powerful alliance, and recovered everything. This victory established Abram as a significant military and political figure in the region. The meeting in the King's Valley is therefore the aftermath of a great triumph. It serves as a spiritual test to follow a physical one. Having shown his courage in battle, Abram must now show his wisdom and integrity in diplomacy and worship. This event clarifies the source of Abram's strength and blessing, attributing it not to his own might or worldly alliances, but solely to "God Most High," a theme central to the covenant promises that frame Abram's entire story.
Key Issues
- The Melchizedekian Priesthood
- The Antithesis of the Two Cities (Salem vs. Sodom)
- The Principle of the Tithe
- Bread and Wine as Sacramental Types
- The Nature of True Blessing
- Economic Disentanglement from the World
- The Name "God Most High" (El Elyon)
Two Kings, Two Cities
World history is the story of two cities, the city of God and the city of man. In this chapter, these two cities send out their representative kings to meet the man of faith. Abram stands at a crossroads, and the path he chooses will have ramifications for all his spiritual descendants. The king of Sodom comes to make a deal. Melchizedek comes to pronounce a blessing. The king of Sodom offers Abram earthly riches. Melchizedek offers him bread and wine. The king of Sodom wants to put Abram in his debt. Melchizedek directs Abram's gratitude toward God. This is the fundamental choice that confronts every believer: from whom will you receive your life, your provision, your identity? Will it be from the hand of a gracious God, mediated through His appointed priest, or will it be from a slick deal offered by a worldly power? Abram's handling of this situation is a master class in covenant faithfulness.
Verse by Verse Commentary
17 Then after he came back from striking down Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
The stage is set. Abram is returning, not from a minor skirmish, but from the defeat of a regional superpower. He is the man of the hour. The king of Sodom, Bera, whose army had been routed and who had to hide in tar pits, comes out to meet his rescuer. He comes as a debtor, but he is a proud man, and he has a plan to turn the tables and make Abram his debtor instead. This meeting takes place in a valley that would later become part of Jerusalem's environs, a fitting location for the events that are about to unfold.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
Suddenly, another king appears on the scene, unannounced and unexpected. His name is Melchizedek, meaning "king of righteousness." He is the king of Salem, meaning "peace." So the king of righteousness and peace steps forth. And he is more than a king; he is a priest of God Most High (El Elyon). He serves the one true God. And what does this priest-king do? He doesn't come to negotiate a treaty or demand tribute. He comes to serve. He brings out bread and wine. This is not just battlefield refreshment; it is a sacramental meal. It is an act of priestly hospitality that points forward thousands of years to another priest-king who would serve His followers bread and wine as a sign of a new covenant.
19 Then he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
Melchizedek's first act is to bless Abram. But notice the structure of the blessing. He pronounces Abram blessed of God Most High. He is identifying the source of Abram's blessedness. It doesn't come from Abram's military prowess or his clever strategy. It comes from God, who is identified here as the Possessor of heaven and earth. This is a crucial theological statement. If God owns everything, then the king of Sodom's offer of "possessions" is paltry indeed. Melchizedek is re-orienting Abram's perspective, reminding him who the true owner of all things, including the spoils of war, really is.
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then he gave him a tenth of all.
The second part of the blessing turns from Abram to God. Melchizedek blesses God for the victory. This completes the thought: Abram is blessed by God, and God is to be blessed for His work through Abram. It gives all the glory for the military victory to the right place. Abram's response is immediate and worshipful. He gave him a tenth of all. Abram gives a tithe of the spoils to Melchizedek. This is not a payment for services rendered. It is an act of worship. It is Abram's tangible "amen" to everything Melchizedek has just said. By giving a tenth to God's priest, Abram acknowledges that God is indeed the Possessor of all and the giver of the victory. The lesser is blessed by the greater, and the lesser gives tribute to the greater.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me, but take the possessions for yourself.”
Now the other king speaks, and the contrast is jarring. The king of Sodom's proposal sounds fair, even generous. "You keep the stuff, just give me back my subjects." But it is a spiritual trap. He is attempting to create a secular-sacred divide. "You deal with the material world, Abram, and I'll take care of the people." More than that, he is offering to make Abram a very wealthy man. If Abram accepts, the story that will be told in Canaan is that the king of Sodom was Abram's great benefactor.
22 Then Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to Yahweh God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
Abram's refusal is swift and absolute. He begins by making a solemn oath. And notice the name he uses for God. He combines God's covenant name, Yahweh, with the title Melchizedek had just used: God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth. Abram has learned his lesson well. He has taken the theology he just heard from God's priest and is now applying it directly in his confrontation with the world. He is declaring that his allegiance is not to the king of Sodom, but to the God who owns Sodom and everything in it.
23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, so that you would not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
Abram's refusal is total. Not a thread. Not a shoelace. He wants nothing from Sodom's corrupt economy. And he gives the reason plainly. He will not allow this pagan king to ever boast that he was the source of Abram's prosperity. Abram's reputation, and more importantly, God's reputation, is at stake. Abram is content to be made rich by God alone, on God's terms and in God's time. This is a radical declaration of faith and a complete rejection of worldly patronage.
24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”
Abram is not being theatrical or impractical. He makes two reasonable exceptions. His men had to eat during the campaign, and that is a sunk cost. Furthermore, his allies in the battle, who were not bound by his personal oath, were entitled to their portion of the spoils. This is a matter of justice. Abram's personal piety does not lead him to be unjust to his neighbors. He distinguishes carefully between his own covenantal commitments and his fair dealings with others. This demonstrates a robust faith that is both principled and practical.
Application
This passage places before us the same choice that Abram faced. Every day, we are met by two kings. The king of Sodom represents the spirit of this age. He offers us deals, promotions, opportunities, and possessions. He promises to make us "rich" in the eyes of the world. But his gifts always come with strings attached. They are designed to entangle us in his system of debt and obligation, to make us dependent on him, and to allow him to take the credit for our success.
But we are also met by another King, our great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't come to make a deal; He comes with a blessing. He offers us not the spoils of this world, but the true riches of His kingdom. He meets us at His table and serves us bread and wine, the signs of His body broken and His blood shed for us. He reminds us that our true blessing comes from God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth.
Our response must be that of Abram. First, we worship. We acknowledge Christ's priesthood and God's ownership of all things by giving Him the firstfruits, the tithe. This is not paying a bill; it is an act of joyful allegiance. Second, we must refuse to be bought by the world. We must have the courage to say no to Sodom's offers, to refuse to take even a thread or a sandal strap if it means compromising our witness or allowing the world to claim credit for God's blessing. We must live in such a way that it can only be said of us, "God made that man rich."