Footsteps of Faith - Genesis 14: 1-24

Genesis 14:1-24 Footsteps of Faith 20210808 Walk by faith and give glory to God In the Book of Romans, Paul’s great gospel of grace, he uses Abraham as a central figure of justification by faith. When I think of Abraham, I often think of the great covenant and the sign of circumcision. But Paul places great emphasis on Abraham before he was circumcised. Romans 4:12 “… walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” As we’ve seen so far, Abram is an imperfect man, but one that is, by God’s grace, growing in faith. Walk by faith and give glory to God. Scripture Passage: Genesis 14:1-24 Woes of (continued) Compromise (vv.1-12) 1. vv.1-7 “In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar…” 2. vv.8-9 After routing the surrounding nations, now the 4 kings come to fight against and subdue once again the 5 kings, including Sodom and Gomorrah. 3. vv.10-11 Chedorlaomer and his allies are victorious, and they take all the possessions and provisions of Sodom and Gomorrah. 4. v.12 They also take Lot, Abram’s nephew, along with all his possessions. 1. How did Lot, the nephew of Abram, end up as a POW, losing all he had and being carried off to a foreign country? 2. Last week in Seth’s sermon, he mentioned Lot’s compromise. Seth said Lot’s choice of land was determined by ease, comfort, and toleration of the wicked in order to enjoy some of the delicacies made available by them. 1. In Genesis 13:12 we read that Lot moved his tent as far as Sodom. This gives the picture of Lot camping outside the city walls in his tent. But in 14:12 we read that Lot was dwelling in Sodom, no longer a tent-dweller just outside the city. We could also jump ahead to Genesis 19, and there see that Lot returned back to Sodom, and had a house there, after he was plucked out by a foreign army and rescued by a gracious uncle. Compromise leads to further compromise. Bad decisions have many companions. 3. We see not only the compromise of Lot, but we see the consequences of the decisions of Lot. In deciding to dwell in Sodom Lot chose the company he would keep and associate with. 2 Peter 2:8 “(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);” 4. If Lot is the central figure of these opening verses, he certainly doesn’t serve as a good example to be followed. He serves instead as a poor example to learn from, so that we might avoid making the same mistakes as he chose to make. Lot is the antithesis of walking by faith. He saw green pastures, so he went. He compromised, and compromised further, then like a dog returns to its vomit, he repeats his folly and goes back to Sodom (Prov. 26:11). Transition: If Lot is the antithesis of walking by faith, we get to see in Abram the wonderful grace of God at work enabling him to walk in footsteps of faith. Walking in Footsteps of Faith (vv.13-16) 1. vv.13-14 “Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew… When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men…and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” - Over 120 miles to travel. I actually punched this into Google Maps and it showed it would be 66 hours of walking time. Abram shows incredible Christ-likeness. Was he required to go after Lot? “Lot made his bed, so let him lay in it.” That wasn’t the attitude of Abram. Abram goes to great personal effort and risk to rescue Lot. Abram and all of his men could have lost their lives. A marching army going this distance would require a great number of provisions. Taking this many men away from his home and herds would leave them more vulnerable to attack, whether by man or animal. What did Abram have to gain by it? The life of Lot. Lot, though undeserving, was precious to Abram. Abram sacrificed greatly for the rescue of Lot. 1. Abram was going out by faith. What confidence could he have that he would be successful, beating this army that has won victory after victory over trained forces? He wasn’t acting presumptuously or putting God to the test, but he had the promise of God that through him the nations of the earth would be blessed. So he goes in faith to be a blessing to Lot. 2. This is the way walking in footsteps of faith works. It takes the promises of God and acts on them, enabling us to live Christ-like lives. Titus 2:11–14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope (promise), the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Christ-likeness).” 1. Dad, mom, where are you acting on the promises of God and walking in footsteps of faith with your children? For Abram it meant pursuing this rebellious nephew and continuing to show him grace upon grace. Teens and pre-teens, what does walking in footsteps of faith and Christ-likeness look like for you? As you consider your start of college, or the new school year, how will knowing that you’ve been purchased with the powerful blood of Christ impact the ways you think, act, and speak? 2. vv.15-16 “And he…divided them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot…” - Abram has this incredible victory; he’s a military hero. Transition: God blessed Abram and gave him victory as he walked in footsteps of faith. How will Abram respond when he’s recognized by kings as a great war hero? Wanting only the Praise of God (vv.17-24) 1. v.17 “After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him…” - The first one to meet Abram is Bera, king of Sodom. But before we’re told anything about their encounter, we read that another king came out to meet Abram. 2. v.18a “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.” - This king brings out a meal to Abram. 3. v.18b “He was priest of God Most High.” - Hebrews 7:1–2 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.” 1. Melchizedek also shows great Christ-likeness; even greater Christ-likeness than Abram. We’re told very little about this priest-king in the OT, but there is much made of him in the NT. He is presented as a forerunner of Jesus. Psalm 110:4 anticipates the Messiah, Jesus, coming in the priestly order of Melchizedek, which the author of Hebrews unfolds and unpacks for us. 2. vv.19-20a “And he blessed him and said…” - Melchizedek pronounces a blessing on Abram. 1. God Most High - God promised he would bless Abram in Gen. 12:2, and here Melchizedek points back to that promise and shows that God is faithful to accomplish what he said he would do. 2. Possessor of heaven and earth - Who is this God Most High? He is Creator, the one to whom all things belong. He is the one who holds all things together (Col. 1:17). Abram didn’t win his battle by his might or strength of numbers, but by the blessing of God (v.20). 3. v.20b “And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” - Hebrews 7:4 makes clear this was a tenth of the spoils from his battle victory. 1. This is the first mention of the tithe in the Bible. It’s not connected to the Law or legalism. This was given out of reverence and gratitude. Abram knew he was in the presence of one greater than himself, and having received a blessing from this one, he gave him a tenth. 1. It’s beautiful and encouraging, and we’re called to this same generosity. In 2 Cor. 9 Paul speaks a great deal about giving, and says that each person should give as they have decided in their heart, for God loves a cheerful giver. He also says in v.13 that the saints who received their generosity would, “glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ…” Our giving must absolutely be tied to our confession of the gospel, and our confession of the gospel must be tied to our generous giving. 4. v.21 “And the king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.’” - This defeated king, in contrast to the blessing Melchizedek brought and the generous giving of Abram, makes demands. He had no rightful claim to anything in Abram’s possession, but he spins it so that he sounds generous, offering Abram half. 1. Abram rejects the offer, but in a surprising way. He doesn’t say he’s not giving a penny to the king. Instead he says he won’t keep even a shoelace for himself. His reason? So that the king of Sodom could receive no glory. 2. This also is a display of Abram’s faith. Abram’s chief concern was the praise and glory of God. Abram shows that, even before the covenant of circumcision, he had a circumcised heart, not seeking the praise of man but that which comes from God (Romans 2:29). Conclusion What about your heart? Is it a circumcised heart, shown by footsteps of faith? Maybe those footsteps are toddler sized, and that’s okay. But walk in footsteps of faith, and you’ll grow in faith. Seek the praise of God and the glory of God, and you’ll grow in faith. Walk by faith and give glory to God.