Tests of Faith - Pt 4

Then 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. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. 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). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) (Genesis 14:13-18 ESV). Abraham’s third test would answer the question of whether his faithfulness to others would bear witness to his trust in God’s faithfulness. Giving without receiving surely must have its limits; yet, Abraham is asked to give even more than he had thus far. Chedorlaomer and his armies pushed on, capturing the men of Sodom and stealing everything they owned, including their wives and their children. One soldier who fled to the mountains was able to escape and carry the bad news to Abram. Weary from the battle and out of breath from the journey, the soldier finally reached Abram's tent. Abram sat him down and gave him a cool drink of water. It was then that he informed him that Lot had been taken captive with all of his family as well. Saddened to hear the awful news, Abram wasted no time calling his household together. Abram immediately began to organize the 318 trained servants who had been born in his own house. He made sure that each one was provided with armor and a weapon. As they neared the enemy's camp, Abram told them of the battle plan. They would attack from two different points and crush the enemy between them. He took back all of that which had been stolen and rescued Lot, his wife, his children. When Abram returned from the battle, the new king of Sodom went out to meet him. Melchizedek, king of Jerusalem and priest of the most high God, also went out to meet Abram and brought something for Abram and his men to eat and drink. Then Melchizedek blessed Abram and Abram gave him a tenth of all the goods he had taken. Afterwards, the new king of Sodom offered everything to Abram except the people who had been captured. Abram's answer must have surprised the king when he refused to keep anything for himself. He had long ago learned that these riches were a fool’s folly. God had taken care of him in the past and would continue to do so in the future. Do you remember the temptation of Jesus? Satan came to Jesus and offered to give him immediate results in exchange for a denial of the provision of His Father in the future. Our choice is really the same. We are tested to take short-cuts in our lives for immediate relief. While they often do provide such relief, it is only in the will and purpose of God that we can find eternal relief. Abraham passed this test. I pray that you and I will do so as well!