1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar,
Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of
nations; 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with
Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of
Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were
with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in
Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their
mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
7
And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote
all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in
Hazezontamar.
8 And there went out the
king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the
king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they
joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the
king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of
Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
10
And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom
and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the
mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all
their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13
And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he
dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother
of Aner:and these were confederate with Abram.
14
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his
trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and
pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he
divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote
them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of
Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him (Abram) 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.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine:and he was the priest of the most high God. 19
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth:20 And blessed be the most high God, which
hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.
And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And
Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the
Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I
will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not
take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram
rich:
(Abraham determined his riches
would come only from God ... When I see people seek riches by ways of
this world, I often think of Abraham's determination and I reaffirm my
own goal, I want nothing except what God would provide for me.)
24
Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the
men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their
portion.
We notice that everyone around Abraham
was blessed. We, like Abraham, are a blessing. Everyone around us is
blessed although they do not often know this. We know it.
I know I am a blessing every where I go. I carry the Word of God and am a servant of God.
==========
In Hebrews we read of Jesus and Melchizedek ... as follows
Heb. 6:20 ... Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb. 7 ...
1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God,
who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed
him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by
interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3
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.
(Jesus has never
beginning of days nor end of life as Melchisedec. Jesus is a priest
forever. Jesus sits at the right hand of God to intercede for us. We
are helped by the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. And Jesus is always
there day and night forever to help us.)
4
Now consider how great this man (Melchisedec) was , unto whom even the
patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that
are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a
commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is,
of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:6 But
he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction
the less is blessed of the better. 8 And here men that die receive
tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he
liveth. 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed
tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when
Melchisedec met him.
11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical
priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further
need was there that another priest should rise after the order of
Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For the
priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another
tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
14 For it is
evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake
nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident:for
that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
20
And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:21 (For those
priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that
said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for
ever after the order of Melchisedec:) 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
25 Wherefore
he (JESUS) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
26
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's:for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
28
For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word
of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated
for evermore.
Heb. 8 ...
1
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum:We have such an
high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices:wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there
are priests that offer gifts according to the law:5 Who serve unto the
example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God
when he was about to make the tabernacle:for, See, saith he, that thou
make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For
finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out
of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I
regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts:and I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:for all shall know me,
from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more.