381 - The Blessing of Melchizedek#
381 - The Blessing of Melchizedek
(JP Text Group - shalom organized)
Dear family, peace in the Lord, welcome to your arrival.
The topic of sharing is: The Blessing of Melchizedek.
Genesis Chapter 14, Verses 11-24
11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way; 12 they also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his goods, and went their way. 13 But one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the goods and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his goods, and the women and the people. 17 After his return from the defeat of 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). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. Thank you for preparing such a wonderful time for us to receive your word together. Through your word, let us also receive blessings like Melchizedek. All our blessings come from you, and after we receive this blessing, we will become a blessing to others. We commit this time to the Holy Spirit; you personally come to renew us, to see from the spiritual that we have, that we are rich, blessed, and loved by you. Thank you and praise the Lord. May today’s words bring us supply and help. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
The topic of sharing is: The Blessing of Melchizedek.
Speaking of the blessing of Melchizedek, we must mention Abraham and his nephew Lot. Previously, we shared how God called Abraham to come out of Ur of the Chaldeans. On the way, they were already blessed by God. Lot was with Abraham at that time, and later both of them prospered, having many cattle and sheep. The herdsmen of both families began to quarrel. Abraham said, “Let us separate.” So Abraham settled in the hill country, and Lot chose the plain, gradually moving his tent until he reached Sodom. Sodom was very suitable for living, and the surrounding water and grass were abundant, suitable for shepherding, so Lot settled in Sodom.
Unexpectedly, at that time, there was a war between alliances. The four kings waged war against the five kings, with the four kings’ alliance attacking the five kings. The king of Sodom, where Lot was, was defeated, so the four kings took all the goods and food of Sodom and Gomorrah, which naturally included Lot and all that belonged to him. Lot was living in Sodom at that time, which may have been unexpected for him. He might have lost all the wealth he had accumulated over many years in one night!
After a servant of Lot or someone else escaped, he went to tell the Hebrew Abram, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite. It is worth mentioning that in that era, tribes would form alliances. Today, many people have the notion that after believing in the Lord, one must keep a distance from the world and cannot have any connections with them.
Let’s look at Abraham. He was allied with Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner. The text mentions three of Abraham’s brothers, whose names only appear in this chapter, and they are likely also the names of tribes. However, Abraham was their ally and was likely the leader of this tribe. Abraham must have signed a mutual assistance agreement with them: if one side is in trouble, the others will help.
When Abraham saw that his nephew Lot’s goods, family, and servants had been taken away, he sought a way to rescue his nephew. He immediately led three hundred eighteen trained men from his household, along with his allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, to pursue the four kings, eventually arriving at the place called Dan.
Dan is a place name, and there he defeated the armies of the four kings, pursuing them all the way to Damascus, which is in present-day Syria. North of Syria, there is a place called Hobah, about twenty kilometers from the capital of Syria. Abraham finally rescued his nephew Lot there and recovered all that the four kings had plundered.
Many people may wonder how a few hundred men could defeat the powerful alliance of four kings. In ancient times, wars between alliances did not involve many people, unlike later periods when the number of participants from one country was very large! In that era, a few hundred men already constituted a relatively strong army. Therefore, in Abraham’s household, having three hundred eighteen trained men was equivalent to having a very strong protective army!
Another reason is that Abraham adopted a night raid tactic, catching the enemy off guard! The armies of the four kings, returning victorious, likely never expected that Abraham would march over two hundred kilometers to attack them, and they were completely unprepared. From a spiritual perspective, the main point is that God helped Abraham! This is the background of the story we are discussing today.
Genesis 14:17-18:
17 When Abram returned from the defeat of 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). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.
Let’s first talk about Melchizedek. Melchizedek, also called the king of Salem, means peace, harmony, and perfection. Melchizedek is also referred to as the king of peace or the king of righteousness.
Hebrews 7:1-3:
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. 2 And Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he continues as a priest forever.
This priest of God, the king of peace, came to greet Abraham and bless him! He brought out bread and wine to welcome him, to comfort this victorious army! He is the priest of God Most High. What does a priest do? In the Old Testament, priests served the people before God and blessed the people; this was their duty.
When the people sinned, they could not come directly before God and had to bring offerings to the priest for atonement. God would then forgive these atoning people. The priest was the one who performed these atonement rituals and processes. We know that Jesus is our great high priest, and we also need to pray to the Father through Jesus; this is the role of the priest.
Melchizedek, without father, mother, genealogy, beginning of days, or end of life
Where did this person come from? No one knows him; there is no genealogy, no parents, no place of birth, and in the end, no one knows where he went! He resembles the Son of God. This means that when Abraham returned victorious, God specifically wanted to bless him. Melchizedek symbolizes the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is our forever perfect, righteous, and glorious high priest!
Let’s look at this passage where Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to greet Abraham.
This bread represents the Holy Communion; the bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Let’s discuss separately: the bread represents the body, which symbolizes the body of Christ given for us, so that our bodies can receive wholeness, healing, restoration, and strength! After Abraham’s long journey, he must have been tired and hungry. Although he felt joy in his heart from the victory, his body still had needs. The bread offered by Melchizedek was to restore Abraham’s physical deficiencies, to restore his strength, health, and healing. Hallelujah!
Since it was a battle, there would inevitably be some injuries or other issues. God’s priest Melchizedek personally came to comfort them, supplying their needs with this bread. This bread represents the bread in Holy Communion. Don’t think that you only need to receive Holy Communion when you are sick; when you feel weak, anxious, or particularly tired, you can receive it in this way.
1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed.
Don’t think of Holy Communion as something particularly mysterious or complicated. What God gives us is actually very simple. Just take this bread, and when you do, set it apart in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not ordinary bread; it is the body of Christ given for me. By his wounds, you have been healed.
You can understand this healing as, first, healing in the body, and secondly, when you have deficiencies in your heart, you can also receive healing. In times of weakness, you can become strong again through this bread. The weakness I’m talking about is when you truly feel particularly tired. The body of Christ has the power to heal, Amen.
The wine represents the covenant between God and man, which is the grape juice. This lets Abraham know that his victory is all given by God, and God has always protected Abraham until he achieved complete victory. When Abraham returned, Melchizedek, through Holy Communion, indicated to him that his victory came from God and supplied him with what he needed, both physically and mentally, reaffirming that God had a covenant with him.
Luke 22:19-20:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Every time we take the bread, we should give thanks to our Father. This is the body of Jesus given for us! What does His body bring us? It brings us healing, Amen. When you eat it, you must believe that it can heal our bodies. How can the bread be effective? You must think about Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross.
Why did Jesus suffer? He committed no sin, nor was there deceit found in his mouth. The Bible clearly states that by his wounds, you have been healed. When we receive these words and see this bread, we must think that Jesus was wounded for me, with the purpose of my healing! Jesus preached during his time on earth, and two-thirds of his ministry was healing people. Since they could receive healing, I can also receive it. It is not based on our piety, our good deeds, or the length of our prayers; it is based on believing that by Jesus’ wounds, you have been healed, and you will receive it. When you hold the bread, think that this is the body of Jesus that allows me to be healed, Amen.
Meditate on how much Jesus loves you. The power and healing of Jesus are upon you. When you eat it, think that it is already working in my body, Hallelujah!
Every time you take that grape juice, don’t think of it as just grape juice; say this is the blood of Christ, the new covenant established for me, Hallelujah! You are not under the old covenant but under the new covenant.
A couple of days ago, someone communicated with me, saying he really couldn’t stand what that person said, that the new covenant and the old covenant are exactly the same, and there’s no need to differentiate between the new and the old covenant. This brother was very sincere, but he just couldn’t get over that hurdle. He said, if they are the same, why call it the new covenant and the old covenant? Why not just say one covenant?
We know they are definitely not the same! The old covenant is the agreement God made with Abraham, characterized by physical aspects. Later, the covenant God made with Moses was the covenant of the Ten Commandments. We often refer to the old covenant as the covenant of the law of Moses. This covenant looks at human behavior, so they had to continually offer sacrifices at the temple. What they didn’t realize was that the sacrificial offering eventually formed a real person named Jesus!
Today we know, while they only knew that the lamb symbolized a savior who would come to forgive their sins, this was what they believed, and thus they relied on sacrifices to atone for their sins. In the new covenant, when Jesus came, when did the new covenant begin? It was on the night of Passover when they had dinner together, and Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” When did the blood of Jesus Christ flow? After he was crucified. To be precise, after Jesus was crucified, the new covenant officially took effect!
What is the difference? The old covenant used the blood of bulls and goats; the new covenant uses the blood of Christ! The matter of Melchizedek is an exceptional case. Why? Because Melchizedek symbolizes the Son of God, and at that time, there was no law of Moses. When we look at these things, we must transcend time and space.
When Melchizedek brought the wine, you should think about how to view this wine, which is the precious blood of Christ. We must look at it with the eyes of the new covenant and not think of it as just grape juice. We should not view this wine through the lens of the law of Moses; it cannot be understood unless viewed through the eyes of Jesus. As Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you.” When the blood of Jesus flowed, our sins were forgiven.
The old covenant of the law of Moses, even if the blood of bulls and goats flowed, their sins were only temporarily covered; the sin was not removed. The new covenant of Jesus Christ is different. When His blood flowed, the sins of all who believe in Jesus Christ are completely erased! This means that God no longer remembers your sins, and your prayers will be heard by God. You have established an eternal covenant with God through the blood of Christ, and God will protect you. No matter where you go, God will lead you to victory, supply you, and defeat your enemies. Although you also go to battle, it is God who gives you the strength to defeat the enemy!
Take Abraham’s situation as an example. Although he led three hundred eighteen trained men and his allies to fight, everyone knows that once on the battlefield, one cannot say there is a hundred percent guarantee of victory, because the situation on the battlefield is too difficult to estimate and changes too much. If God is with Abraham, the outcome will definitely be victory. Whatever we do, we must have this victorious mindset. Before doing anything, we must believe that we are people who have a covenant with God, willing to act according to God’s word. Before doing anything, pray and ask God to grant me wisdom.
If you read the book of Joshua, you will find that in the later wars, Joshua prayed to God before doing anything, and thus he was victorious. David was the same; before each battle, he prayed to God and listened carefully to what God said to him. So what should we do? Before doing anything, we should pray to God, letting His word lead you! But remember, do not over-spiritualize it. Don’t say, “I will just sit and pray, and God must say something to me. If He doesn’t say anything, I won’t do anything!” Don’t do that, and don’t easily believe any prophet who gives you a prophecy, because God has already placed His word completely and perfectly in the Bible.
Just read the Bible regularly, keep these words in your heart, and before doing anything, pray. God may remind you of certain verses from the Bible; this is God’s word to you, Amen. You just need to act with this word and power, doing it while allowing God to grant you wisdom. I believe Abraham was victorious this way, as he could march over two hundred kilometers to defeat these people and defeat the enemy by dividing his forces at night. This also required wisdom! Otherwise, victory would not be guaranteed, because after all, they were an alliance of four kings, not just a few people. From this, it can be seen that Abraham often relied on God! Now, having returned victorious, God personally appeared to Abraham.
Genesis 14:19: He blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth!”
Melchizedek blessed Abraham, first indicating the Lord he believed in, the Lord of heaven and earth, meaning the owner of heaven and earth. Here it refers to our Lord who governs all things. Your victory is given to you by God. This statement would deepen Abraham’s understanding of God. Such a wonderful Lord made a covenant with Abraham, ultimately leading him to victory! The Most High God has delivered your enemies into your hand. After a person wins, it is particularly easy to feel that it is their own achievement. The blessing Melchizedek gave to Abraham was that the Most High God delivered the enemies into your hand, so you could win so easily!
He wanted to tell Abraham that it was not by your wisdom or strength that you won the battle, but that God was with you, and He made you victorious. Unbelievers may not like to hear this, as they might say, “Clearly, it was a long march of over two hundred kilometers, and dividing forces to defeat the enemy. How can you say it was God’s achievement?” But those who believe in God should know that all things in the world are led by God to victory.
Abraham understood this. He knew that this was God’s provision and grace, so he thanked God and willingly offered a tenth. Abraham’s offering of a tenth of the goods to Melchizedek also symbolizes the future descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, offering a tenth to God as gratitude! The original tithe began here, referring to the spoils of war.
Abraham offered a tenth of what he had taken to the priest of God Most High. The priest of God does things for the people and conveys God’s words. In fact, Abraham was expressing that the fruits of his victory were God’s intercession and what God had given him. He was also willing to give a tenth to Melchizedek. In our words, the ultimate victory, the good result, is given to us by God. Therefore, we also need to thank God and offer a tenth before Him to express our love and gratitude to God!
Hebrews 7:4-8:
4 Consider how great this man was, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case, tithes are received by mortal men; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.
What does this passage mean? It makes us think about how Abraham gave a tenth of the best spoils to Melchizedek. Abraham himself was already a noble existence because he is the ancestor of all Israelites; there is no one more noble than Abraham. Such a noble person gave a tenth of what he had to Melchizedek. How noble is Melchizedek!
Here, the author of Hebrews wants to illustrate that when we give what we have to God, how noble our God is! Don’t think of God as pitiful, giving Him a tenth; don’t think that God lacks gratitude. We should praise Him, not like that! It is because He is too noble that we offer our gratitude to Him, Amen.
Melchizedek was not in the genealogy of the Levites. He received a tenth from Abraham and blessed Abraham. Brothers and sisters, this is the work of the priest, Hallelujah! There is a principle that the greater blesses the lesser. This is not related to age; on earth, it may be that the older blesses the younger. However, in the spiritual realm, it is based on position; it depends on who has the office and who is noble before God. Here it speaks of the office of Christ, which is more noble than that of the descendants of Levi! Abraham is so noble, but compared to the Son of God, he still falls a little short, Amen. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, blessed Abraham, which was Abraham’s opportunity for blessing.
Thank you and praise the Lord. Abraham understood this. He knew that the one who blessed him was not an ordinary person, but the Son of God. He willingly acknowledged that his identity was not as noble as His and was willing to offer gratitude while also accepting Melchizedek’s blessing. Many so-called preachers do not accept others’ blessings, thinking their status is more noble than others. Why should you bless me? This is a bit of self-aggrandizement. In fact, before God, our identities are equal. Perhaps the offices and gifts differ, but our identities are equal. However, Jesus’ identity is higher than ours; He is the Son of God, Hallelujah! He is our Lord. Thank you and praise the Lord; do not confuse the order.
When Abram pursued Chedorlaomer, Melchizedek did not appear, but when the king of Sodom met Abram, he appeared. This indicates that in the spiritual realm, when we encounter danger, it is instinctive to rely on God and pray to Him. When is a person most likely to have problems? It is after winning a battle, making a lot of money, or achieving fame and success. It is easiest to forget oneself and boast about these achievements.
For example, a famous pastor who has thousands of listeners is most likely to become proud at this time and hardest to listen to others’ advice. Even if he is wrong, it is difficult to heed others’ counsel! This issue is not limited to believers; unbelievers also face this problem. When their achievements are great, if they can humbly listen to others’ advice, they are remarkable people. We should not think of ourselves as so great. When we achieve success, if we cannot return to God in time, it is easy to become arrogant and proud, making it particularly easy for the devil to use.
Therefore, after Abraham’s victory, Melchizedek immediately came out to explain to Abraham that his victory was given by God, correctly guiding him to understand everything he had obtained. Hallelujah! After Abraham understood God’s grace, the way he lived was also different.
Let’s look at Genesis 14:21-24:
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
What do I want to tell the brothers and sisters here? When Abraham joyfully returned from victory, Melchizedek appeared in time to explain to him that God had given him all his victories. After receiving Holy Communion, Abraham reflected on God’s blessings and His guidance and provision along the way. He knew he was a person who had a covenant with God. When he looked at the people and goods he had recovered, he was no longer proud and could view these things correctly.
Brothers and sisters, if these things come into our hands and we are to give them away, many people are particularly unwilling. Why is it particularly mentioned that Abraham offered a tenth to Melchizedek? If one does not realize that it is God who has given you abundance, it is very difficult for a person to give! You can look around you. Are we like this? Feeling that every penny was hard-earned, it is too difficult to offer! Finding a reason to say, “Lord, can you ask for a little less?” In fact, God does not want your things.
It is because one does not realize that our blessings are given by God. After Abraham received the bread and cup, he realized that his life and everything were supplied by God. When he came out from Ur of the Chaldeans, God had supplied him all the way until today. I lack nothing. Although these were taken back from the enemy, the king of Sodom said to Abraham, “Give me the persons; the four kings took all their people. The goods I do not want; consider it your reward! I should thank you!”
After receiving the bread and cup, Abraham’s mindset had changed. He said, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.” Of course, when speaking to unbelievers, one should say something they can understand. Don’t say, “I have received Holy Communion; I don’t want your things.” They won’t understand. They might ask, “What is Holy Communion?”
So Abraham used words that the king of Sodom could understand, saying, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, that I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours!” The king of Sodom could understand this. The person who just spoke to you is your priest. You offered something, and there is an agreement between you and the priest; I believe that. The king of Sodom could understand.
Why did Abraham do this? He did not want to give anyone a pretext, lest you say, “I have made Abram rich.” Even if Abraham took these goods, the king of Sodom would not say anything because he had already been defeated. Now that Abraham had won, even if he took these goods, he could not say anything.
If one day the king of Sodom saw that Abraham was becoming richer and said, “Don’t look at how rich Abraham is now; that was built up with my money,” if this statement got out, Abraham would have nothing to say, as it would indeed be true, brothers and sisters. Therefore, Abraham wanted to rely entirely on God and did not want to give the worldly king of Sodom even a bit of a pretext.
Abraham knew what kind of existence the king of Sodom and the city of Sodom were; he did not want to have any connection with these people’s wealth. What I want to share with everyone is that there are many ways to make money, but some money should not be earned. For example, some investment schemes or usury should not be pursued. Everyone remember this!
What kind of city was Sodom? Abraham knew, and he understood, so he did not want to have too much contact with these people. He said, “I will not take a thread or a sandal strap from you, lest you say you made me rich. I will not benefit from you. I want to tell the world that my wealth is given to me by my God, Hallelujah!”
1 Chronicles 29:9-12:
9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. King David also rejoiced greatly. 10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly, and David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
After David’s victory, he realized that throughout his life, if God had not blessed him, if God had not lifted him from the dust, he might still be a shepherd today. Therefore, he firmly believed in the grace God gave him and willingly offered everything to God! When he saw that his people were also so willing to give to God, David was very happy! He prayed before God, saying: “O Lord our Father, you are worthy of praise.” David knew that our God is great, powerful, glorious, strong, and majestic; everything in heaven and earth belongs to God. Therefore, David was also a willing giver and a person who could pray to God in any situation!
What is the benefit of this? Even if one day he fails or becomes weak, he will not completely fall to the ground and be unable to rise. He can rely on God again to stand up! David’s life was full of ups and downs, but his heart relied on God never changed. Even in the lowest valleys of his life, he still believed that God’s promises were reliable. He believed that everything in heaven and earth belongs to God, and since God had promised him, it would surely come to pass! Amen.
Therefore, we must have this vision. No matter what we are doing now, we must believe that God will lead us to continue moving forward. Even if what we do fails or loses, do not be discouraged or despair. Do not say you do not believe anymore; believe that these are still temporary. God will help you stand up again, just as David failed and then relied on God again, adjusted himself, looked up to the grace of the Lord, and stood up again.
Because David always believed that the kingdom belongs to our Lord, He is the Most High God, the head of all, and both riches and honor come from God. Sitting on the throne of Israel is also given to him by God; there is nothing to boast about. David did this very well! Solomon, perhaps later, because he did not experience this period, quickly became arrogant after sitting on the throne and lost sight of himself, thinking that all of this was due to his own ability and glory.
David was not like this. Because he had experienced some storms and failures, he could better understand that the riches and honor given by God cannot be taken away by man. He also believed that God has great power and might. Current failures are only temporary; God’s promises will surely be fulfilled. Hallelujah!
I also believe that today’s text conveys the message Melchizedek wanted to deliver to Abraham, which is that your victory is given by God. Do not worry; do not accept the blessings these people give you. The blessings God gives you are enough! Do not focus on people, calculating others; it will eventually lead to failure. Believe that everything given to us by God cannot be taken away! God can make us great and strong; God can give us riches and honor. Hallelujah!
The last verse, Genesis 14:24: “Only what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
As mentioned earlier, Abraham led three hundred eighteen trained men from his household. Those who went with Abraham were his allied kings and allied tribes, namely Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. These people did not believe in God, so there was no need to follow God’s ways.
From this, it can be seen that Abraham also interacted with these secular people. We should not be overly spiritual, saying that since we believe in the Lord, we cannot interact with worldly people. If we do, we will be contaminated. That is not the case! After Abraham returned, Melchizedek gave him Holy Communion. After receiving it, he knew that everything he had came from God, but he did not impose his faith on those who traveled with him.
There is a phenomenon where some brothers or sisters marry unbelievers. Sometimes both people believe, but the parents on both sides are still unbelievers, leading to disagreements on how to hold the wedding! Some say that since they believe in the Lord, it must be done according to the Lord’s way! If it is done according to the worldly way, it is idol worship! This can lead to a wedding that ends unhappily.
Let’s look at how Abraham and these allied tribes got along harmoniously. Abraham believed in God, but he did not force these people to accept the wealth of the king of Sodom. He said, “Let them take their share.” I do not want your things, but those who came with me, let them take what they deserve.
Therefore, I want to tell everyone that when interacting with unbelievers, we should accept their faith and not impose our faith on them. Returning to the previous question, what is the purpose of holding a wedding? It is to bear witness before everyone and to happily complete the wedding. Harmony is the priority; there is no need to make it an unhappy event, which would lose the original meaning of the blessings God has given us. We should bring peace to others. There are just some things we should not do, such as bowing or kneeling, but that does not mean we must make everyone listen to us; that is inappropriate!
Abraham acted very prudently. He did not impose his ideas on others. When negotiating with the king of Sodom, he said, “I do not want your things, but they can take their share.” He did not impose his faith on those allied tribes. This also tells us not to force others, Amen. There is no need to constantly nag unbelievers to believe in the Lord. We can say things they can understand. We should demonstrate the beauty of Christ for them to see, attracting them, rather than forcing them to believe.
Many families force their children to believe in the Lord or force their friends to believe in the Lord. This is not appropriate; it cannot be forced. Even if it can be forced for a while, over time, the relationship will become strained. Therefore, brothers and sisters, in this matter, we should learn from Abraham. After being blessed by Melchizedek, he gained this new perspective. We should also see the blessings God gives us spiritually and use these blessings to bless those around us while also wisely interacting with others.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you. Thank you for supplying us with such words. Melchizedek symbolizes the Son of God, Jesus Christ. When Abraham returned victorious, Melchizedek blessed him, and Abraham knew that all his blessings, victories, and honors came from God.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for letting us know you and guiding us to see the glory of the Son of God. We are willing to experience your goodness more in our lives! As the new week begins, no matter the circumstances, we learn to rely on you and live by holding onto your promises! Whether the situation is good or bad, we believe that riches, honor, and victory come from you! In Holy Communion, we are renewed in strength; this is your beautiful blessing. Through Holy Communion, let us once again meditate on the goodness of Jesus Christ.
We willingly offer the tenth we have received to you. It is you who bless us, allowing us to have such abundant supply today. We are willing to use this tenth to thank the Father for the many good supplies and also to become a blessing to others! In the new week, let me experience you more in my life and grant me wisdom to get along harmoniously with others, displaying the beauty of Christ to them. All glory be to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!