The last time we saw Lot he had set up his tents "near
Sodom". In verse 12 of this passage
we learn that Lot has moved from the suburbs to the city itself, he is said to
be living in Sodom. In the raid by the
enemy that took possession of Sodom Lot is taken as well along with all his
stuff. When Abram gets word of this he
takes his trained men, all who were born in his house, 318 of them, and goes on
a rescue mission. Did you see that? There were 318 men in Abram's private army,
all of whom were born in his house. Now
we can see how he had Lot had to separate.
This is just the men who are with Abram, not to mention wives and
children. He has become quite a wealthy
man in his time of sojourn. We meet the
priest of God Most High, Melchizedek who comes out from Salem with bread and
wine to meet Abram and the company as they return from battle. Abram receives blessing from this priest and
also pays tribute through him and we are told nothing more about this enigmatic
figure. Abram believes that they serve
the same God, as he quotes verbatim from the blessing given to him by this
priest when responding to the king of Sodom.
Abram is resolved to be enriched and blessed by no one other than this
God Most High.
After the mission trip to Samaria, Jesus and the disciples
return to Capernaum, where it all began, where the first sign of water into
wine was done. All John tells us is that
an official has a sick child, at the point of death, and implores Jesus to come
and heal his child. Jesus' response is
strange isn't it? “Unless you see signs
and wonders you will not believe.”
Wasn’t this request itself a sign of belief? That he came to Jesus tells us that the man
already had faith in Him to heal his child and yet Jesus wants more from
him. He has to go home on the word of
Jesus alone that the child will be healed and his faith is rewarded. We are always called onward and upward in
faith, our faith can't always be dependent on a sign in advance, sometimes we
have to walk in faith with boldness before we see the sign. Abram waited twenty five years for his sign
and during that time it would seem that his household was being very fruitful
based on that first lesson, all but he and Sarai.
It seems simple to understand this idea of a better
covenant. Through Jeremiah the Lord had
spoken of this new covenant and the failure of the old covenant to make a
people who were faithful to that covenant.
The problem was sin, indwelling, deeply rooted sin. The new covenant required a change in nature
not of the covenant but of the people who were in covenant. The problem was the heart of man and for the
new covenant to be effective a new man was required, a man with a heart of
flesh not of stone. That covenant would
also require a new priest, one who was himself pure, the first new man, a priest who need make no offerings and
sacrifices for his sin. We have the Holy
Spirit but are we the people God wants us to be? Do we bespeak a better covenant and a better
covenant people? We have been blessed,
like Abraham, to be a blessing. Let us
walk in faith.
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