Before Abraham was Abraham who spawned multitudes, he was Abram, comparatively a common man who tended to rise to the occasion of which God was apparently satisfied.
One of these occasions is described in Genesis 14. There was a fierce battle going on in the region that involved many kings. In the course of the war, the enemy, headed by King Chedorlaomer king of Elam, had Sodom on the run in Genesis 14:10, and He and the rest of the enemy took possessions in Sodom and Gomorrah. For good measure they also took Abram’s nephew Lot. Do the names Sodom and Gomorrah sound familiar?
Well, in Verses 14-16, Abram and 318 of his “trained men” defeat the enemy, taking back the possessions the enemy took, and rescued Lot. In Verse 17, Melchizedek, king of Salem, who may or may not have smoked, cozies up to Abram offering him bread and wine. For whatever reason, Abram in Verse 20, gives Melchizedek “a tenth of everything” Abram recovers from his battle. In Verse 21, the King of Sodom who happens to be at the scene, tells Abram to “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” Abram responds in Verse 23, “I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”
Perhaps here, we have a hint of why God likes Abram, T/B/K/A Abraham, so much. Here, Abram refuses to put himself in a position in which he is beholden to the King of Sodom. It says a lot about Abram, inviting some presumptions: 1) Perhaps Abram knew of the evilness in the city-state of Sodom, and 2) He believed it would be bad politics to accept anything from a King of an evil place. Or, perhaps Abram was of a character which doesn’t accept riches, preferring to be humble…within limits of course. In that sense, he might remind us of Jesus who wasn’t known to be a rich man from a material aspect.
In subsequent Verses we find that Abram, in terms of character and deeds, has really impressed God. God, in Genesis 15, says in Verse 5, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…So shall your offspring be.” One might wonder if Abram, Like Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places,” was thinking, ‘This happens to me every week!’ But in any event, that’s not all what God Offers. In Genesis 17:4-8, God says to Abram “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” God is really excited about Abram, N/K/A/ Abraham, n’est ce pas?
And what must Abraham do to maintain this covenant? In Verses 10 and 11, God asks Abrham to have his people circumcised. Seems that God and Abraham both must’ve felt they hit the jackpot with each other, or, in God’s case, he MADE a jackpot in Abraham.
One might surmise that God, in His quest to nurture a people that would love him, appointed Abraham to be the seed. Perhaps God saw the courage that Abraham exhibited in going into enemy land and rescuing his nephew, along with recovering the possessions of the king of Sodom and others. In a world that is just, those who have the courage to take risks in fulfilling a just cause may be held in high regard.
One of these occasions is described in Genesis 14. There was a fierce battle going on in the region that involved many kings. In the course of the war, the enemy, headed by King Chedorlaomer king of Elam, had Sodom on the run in Genesis 14:10, and He and the rest of the enemy took possessions in Sodom and Gomorrah. For good measure they also took Abram’s nephew Lot. Do the names Sodom and Gomorrah sound familiar?
Well, in Verses 14-16, Abram and 318 of his “trained men” defeat the enemy, taking back the possessions the enemy took, and rescued Lot. In Verse 17, Melchizedek, king of Salem, who may or may not have smoked, cozies up to Abram offering him bread and wine. For whatever reason, Abram in Verse 20, gives Melchizedek “a tenth of everything” Abram recovers from his battle. In Verse 21, the King of Sodom who happens to be at the scene, tells Abram to “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” Abram responds in Verse 23, “I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’”
Perhaps here, we have a hint of why God likes Abram, T/B/K/A Abraham, so much. Here, Abram refuses to put himself in a position in which he is beholden to the King of Sodom. It says a lot about Abram, inviting some presumptions: 1) Perhaps Abram knew of the evilness in the city-state of Sodom, and 2) He believed it would be bad politics to accept anything from a King of an evil place. Or, perhaps Abram was of a character which doesn’t accept riches, preferring to be humble…within limits of course. In that sense, he might remind us of Jesus who wasn’t known to be a rich man from a material aspect.
In subsequent Verses we find that Abram, in terms of character and deeds, has really impressed God. God, in Genesis 15, says in Verse 5, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them…So shall your offspring be.” One might wonder if Abram, Like Eddie Murphy in “Trading Places,” was thinking, ‘This happens to me every week!’ But in any event, that’s not all what God Offers. In Genesis 17:4-8, God says to Abram “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” God is really excited about Abram, N/K/A/ Abraham, n’est ce pas?
And what must Abraham do to maintain this covenant? In Verses 10 and 11, God asks Abrham to have his people circumcised. Seems that God and Abraham both must’ve felt they hit the jackpot with each other, or, in God’s case, he MADE a jackpot in Abraham.
One might surmise that God, in His quest to nurture a people that would love him, appointed Abraham to be the seed. Perhaps God saw the courage that Abraham exhibited in going into enemy land and rescuing his nephew, along with recovering the possessions of the king of Sodom and others. In a world that is just, those who have the courage to take risks in fulfilling a just cause may be held in high regard.
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