Delight in the Word (Genesis 14:1-24)
On Sunday, Benjamin preached on Genesis 14:1-24. Since God is who He is, we can depend on what He says. Rightly founded, our trust is in the character of God.
In the sermon, Benjamin unpacked three specific ways we can trust God: We can trust God when everything goes bust, we can trust God even when we’ve failed to trust Him in the past, and we can trust God alone. We see evidence of all three of these in the passage.
Over the past few chapters, we’ve seen Abram grow in his trust in God. In chapter 12, Abram displayed a clear lack of trust by telling Sarai to lie, saying she was his sister. In chapter 13, however, Abram open-handedly allowed Lot to choose which portion of land he received. In this chapter, we see what may have been Abram’s greatest act of trust yet.
Chedorlaomer and three other kings from the north were on a destructive rampage. In the first large-scale human war recorded in Scripture, these four kings defeated and plundered five rebelling kings from the south. When Abram heard that his nephew, Lot, had been taken captive, he acted in faith. Abram gathered just over 300 trained men and pursued the region’s military superpower.
Abram had experienced challenges in the past, from great famine to strife between his and Lot’s households. His faith had wavered before, but this time, he stood on the promise God had made him.
What promises of God can you cling to? If you are in Christ, cling to the truths that you are chosen (Ephesians 1:4), forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), a child of God (John 1:12), and forever secure in His hand (John 10:28).
After Abram’s men defeated the armies of the four kings, he was met by a priest-king named Melchizedek, who pronounced a blessing on him and praised the Lord. As an act of submission, Abram tithed to Melchizedek. When the king of Sodom offered the very goods of Sodom that Abram had just recovered, Abram wanted no part of them, lest the king claim that he made Abram rich.
Let’s remember who God is, and look back to what He has spoken through Scripture. Like Abram, we need to hear God’s word not just once, but time and time again.
Resources:
Which Promises Are for Me? — Jen Wilkin
Why Memorize Scripture? — John Piper
Childlike Faith is Not Childish — Rusty Osborne
Reflection Questions:
How have you seen God’s faithfulness in the past?
Where is your greatest treasure?
What truths about God do you need to be reminded of?