DIARY OF THE FATHER OF FAITH
Abraham’s journey of faith was never a smooth ride. Like ours, his story is littered with failure, unbelief and sin but that’s the way God taught him the lessons of trust and obedience. Our lessons, like Abraham’s, don’t start with trust. They start with failure, and failure teaches us the consequences that we must avoid the next time we are put to the test.
It seems that Abraham’s disobedience began to cause trouble not long after they settled in Canaan. He has not heeded God’s instruction to separate from his family. Now both Abraham and Lot had become wealthy, owning vast herds of livestock that needed plenty of grazing and water. Their respective herdsmen began squabbling over resources for their animals until matters finally came to a head.
They decided to separate.
Abraham graciously gave Lot the choice of territory, and Lot selfishly chose the fertile plain of the Jordan Valley but, in doing so, he set himself up for trouble, since the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah lay in that direction.
Once Lot has gone his own way, Abraham was ready to receive the next revelation from God. This time, the Lord expanded on His intentions for Abraham’s descendants. The land in which he now resided as a visitor and a nomad, as far as his eyes could see, would become the permanent possession of the nation that would be born through him.
What did Abraham think as he settled into his nomadic lifestyle among a very wicked and idolatrous people? Perhaps “impossible” was the word that hammered in his brain as he contemplated the problem of the resident citizens of the land. How would his descendants ever get rid of them?
However, as he moved around the territory, perhaps looking for grazing for his animals, perhaps for a little peace from his unpleasant neighbours, he set up altars of worship to the living God he was learning to know and trust. Was he silently, unobtrusively, claiming ownership of the land by honouring the Lord wherever he camped?
Hebron seemed to be a pleasant place to live, but soon after he had settled there, trouble came to his nephew, Lot. War broke out between the kings of some of the city states in Canaan. Lot and his family and possessions were captured and taken as loot from Sodom, where Lot had chosen to live. Abraham heard of the situation from one of Lot’s servants who had escaped from the raid, and immediately planned to rescue Lot. He miraculously defeated the kings with only 318 trained men and took back Lot, his family and possessions and spoils from the conquered kings.
On his return from his successful campaign, Abraham encountered a mysterious character called Melchizedek. (I referred, earlier on, to this event) – that God revealed, through this amazing incident, someone who was to be a type of Jesus, the Messiah.
Genesis 14:18-20 NLT
[18] “And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. [19] Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [20] And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.”
What was the significance of this meeting? There is no explanation in Genesis. However, the writer to the Hebrews, through the Holy Spirit, reveals the meaning of the encounter Abraham had with Melchizedek. Abraham, the great ancestor of the nation yet to come, met the greater priest-King of Salem, Melchizedek who had no ancestry in this record. He would be a type of Jesus, the high priest and King of God’s kingdom who has no beginning and no end.
Hebrews 7:1-10 NLT
[1] This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. [2] Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.” [3] There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God. [4] Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. [5] Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. [6] But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. [7] And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. [8] The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. [9] In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. [10] For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him….
[16] Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. [17] And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”…
[20] This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, [21] but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, “The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’” [22] Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. [23] There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. [24] But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. [25] Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
So, God reveals, through Abraham’s seemingly trivial encounter with one of the kings of a city-state, Salem (later to be called Jerusalem), this king as a type of Jesus, who is the king-priest of the heavenly Jerusalem, the kingdom of God.
Abraham was learning, even through his wobbly faith, that God was able to use all of his responses, faithful or unfaithful, obedient or disobedient, to grow and hone his faith in the real, living, and Most High God.
What an encouragement to us who are part of Abraham’s household of faith! Disobedient and faithless as we are at times, God never gives up on us. He knows the end from the beginning. He works patiently and persistently in our lives, through all our circumstances, to bring us to the confidence in Him that is never shaken by trial and adversity.
To be continued….