The peace of Christ graciously given to the believer, part 3. John 14:27; Gen 14.

Title: The peace of Christ graciously given to the believer, part 3. John 14:27; Gen 14.

 

GEN 14:13Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew [no Jew yet - Hebrew means to cross the river (Euphrates)]. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.

 

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When the chips are down and the pressure is on people always come to the believer who has demonstrated stability and divine power in the time of crisis. Men often laugh at the strong believer, until the emergency. In times of distress people always come to the one who is in doctrine, who has stability, who is moving toward supergrace or is in the supergrace life.

 

Stability in time of pressure is always the result of the peace, tranquility, and prosperity of Christ.

 

From human viewpoint Abraham can do nothing. The army that has imprisoned Lot is the combined force of 4 kingdoms. There could be 50,000 soldiers. Abraham has a force of less then 1,000. Still the fugitive runs to him because he has nowhere else to go.

 

We will see that when this conflict first shows up at Abrams door he will have four victories, and the victory on the battlefield was definitely not the toughest.

 

GEN 14:14And when Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

 

/Abraham’s first victory is in the mental attitude. He doesn’t gloat over the misfortune of Lot who chose the choicest land.\

 

I’m confident that Abraham didn’t say to the fugitive, “Well, well, well, looks whose running back for help.”

 

/None of us are fit for battle if we harbor mental attitude sins, even towards the enemy.\

 

Abraham isn’t at super-grace yet, but he is on his way. There is no criticizing Lot, no judging, no gloating, no callousness, and only action on behalf of his brother (nephew).

 

/GAL 6:1

Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. \

 

/GAL 6:9-10

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. \

 

GEN 14:14And when Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

 

Notice that the men are already trained. Abram believed in universal military training for all the men of fighting age. This is not the whole army, but the ones that belonged to Abraham.

 

/The believer is not able to take the battle line until he is properly trained. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful, 2CO 10:4.\

 

It is quite opposite of man’s ways that we must have peace within ourselves before we take the battle line with the enemy.

 

/Phil 4:7

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.\

 

/Abraham’s second victory is on the battlefield and though he is much outnumbered, God has given him certain advantages.\

 

GEN 14:15And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

 

He separated his force into groups to attack from various points. He is going to make a night attack. It is interesting that here after a great battle we have a column moving toward Damascus.

This is a long column, they are carrying a lot of booty, a lot of prisoners, so they are stretched out. Abraham makes a reconnaissance up and down the column. He is not dividing himself against a concentrated force. That would be foolish. He is dividing himself against a column in order the recover a segment of the column, e.g. where Lot is. They are strung out; Abraham has darkness and concentration, so he has everything going for him tactically - surprise, cover of darkness, and concentration. These things make a great deal of difference because now he is going to have his second victory, he is going to win the battle.

 

/“defeated them” doesn’t tell the whole story. This is the hiphil imperfect of nakah which means he slaughtered them. It doesn’t do any good to talk over a table. \

 

In an age where we attempt to de-personalize war with drone strikes and negotiations, the plain facts are that war is hell and in war you either kill or be killed. War is evil and it has always begun through evil motivations. But when evil rulers attack for the purpose of brutal murder and plunder of what is not theirs, the virtuous nation must fight back and kill or be killed.

 

I quote a military officer who understands the harsh reality: “You talk over the dead bodies of the enemy.”

 

Notice that he not only “slaughtered” them but he pursued them. A victory must be followed by pursuit. Why pursuit? Because those you don’t kill you must scare to death so they are not emboldened to return.

 

In 1941 Mussolini got the idea in his head that he was going to recreate the Roman Empire with himself as Caesar, naturally. The Italian army invaded Greece from the north and being surprised by a resourceful and resolute Greek army they were repelled. Greece made a deal with Brittan and a number of British troops and planes were sent to Greece to defend her ports and her skies. Hitler had partnered with Mussolini and so was motivated to take Greece, but he also recognized that British air power in Greece could attack the eastern front, German invasion of Russia, but more importantly the strategic oil fields of Romania, which the Germans desperately needed to continue moving east. So Germany invaded and took Greece quite easily. Germany also plundered Greece of its food supply. Greece’s rich food supply was taken by the Germans for feeding their own war machine and hardly anything was left for the Greeks. The winter of 1942 saw 500,000 Greek men, women and children die of starvation and not the Italians, Greek collaborators who were left in the Italian government, nor did the Germans care.

 

/Evil always begins war and evil warriors only understand one thing - superior power that strikes nothing but fear. Power will only succumb to superior power and then only reluctantly.\

 

/1 John 4:4

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. \

 

GEN 14:16And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

 

All the goods refer to much wealth. The four kings took possessions of the wealth of the five kings and now one man, Abraham, has control of it all.

 

/This brings us to Abraham’s third battle: the prosperity test. The peace, tranquility, and prosperity of Christ is not overpowered by materialistic prosperity.\

 

This is when Abraham needs Melchizedek the most. Melchizedek is greater than Abraham. A person, a spiritual person who is greater than Abraham must minister to him in spiritual things.

 

Melchizedek is the last representative of the order of royal priests that descended from Noah, most likely through Shem.

 

/What Melchizedek possesses will be slowly passed down through Abraham. The priesthood would pass through Aaron and the kingship through David and both would again gloriously unite in Christ. \

 

Melchizedek was only a shadow-type while Christ is the reality of the Royal High Priest.

 

/Jesus Christ, a person, a man, who is greater than us, must minister to us in spiritual things if we are to possess His peace, tranquility, and prosperity.\

 

GEN 14:17Then 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).

 

Notice that when the king of Sodom sees all of this wealth coming back sees a chance to recoup. He is going to go out to make a deal with Abraham.

 

The king of Sodom has nothing but he is going to try to get his people back so that he has someone to rule over again and collect taxes, but he knows, under the laws of that day, that through Abraham’s victory he has right of conquest of both the wealth and the people.

 

The king of Sodom has been thoroughly defeated and he has no right to make a deal with Abraham. But his greed outweighs and sense of fairness or virtue, if he has any at all.

 

His plot is to make himself greater than Abraham and to rob Abraham of the victory by coming out with a deal where he can claim that he is the one that made Abraham wealthy.

 

Be careful of compromising your principles of doctrine in order to make peace with those who are only interested in self preservation.

 

/Never compromise doctrine just so you can get along with people. That is people emphasis over God emphasis. \

 

He will give Abraham all of the wealth which will make Abraham the greatest man in the world, but he will keep the people. He will tell the people, “I made Abraham wealthy.” In this way he will make himself superior to Abraham and eventually recoup that wealth as well. So it is a Satanic device. Here is a man who is going to try to make himself greater than Abraham.

 

But here comes a man also a king, the equivalent of the king of Sodom in that he is a king but he is greater than Sodom since he is a priest of God and he is greater than Abraham because he is more spiritual.

 

/By speaking with Abraham first, Melchizedek will rightly relate Abraham’s thinking towards doctrine. The word of God always comes to the positive believer before it is needed.\

 

/2 Peter 3:17

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness,\

 

So a person truly greater than Abraham is going to come at this point and save his neck spiritually.

 

So we have A Tale of Two Kings:

 

The king of Sodom - Satan’s representative - came to rob Abraham of the victory of grace.

 

/If the king of Sodom can make the motive of Abraham appear to be desire for the spoils of battle then Satan can still win by obscuring the grace issue.\

 

This is the M.O. of satan.

 

/JOB 1:9-11

Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? "Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. "But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face." \

 

Did not God do the same for Lucifer, the son of the morning? Did he not completely reject that and desire his own independence?

 

Satan wants the rumor to be that the king of Sodom is responsible for making Abram wealthy and he wanted the rumor to be that Job only worshipped God for personal protection. The first makes a creature more gracious than God and the second makes God an extortionist. God’s grace must be rightly represented in this world and that is why we ambassadors for Christ cannot compromise our doctrine for the sake of any seeming advantage.

 

Moses, the greatest believer in the OT, misrepresented God and paid dearly for it. He was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

 

God told Moses to strike the rock once and it would bring forth its water. The rock is a type of Christ and the strike is a type of the suffering on the cross. On a second occasion Moses was told to speak to the rock and it would bring forth its water. He was not to strike it again since Christ would suffer once and for all. That is grace. But Moses got angry at his unfaithful congregation and instead of following the grace procedure by God, he struck the rock, and he struck it twice.

 

/NUM 20:12

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." \

 

Never misrepresent the grace, the character, and the nature of God. That is satan’s M.O.

 

 

 

Everyone will give the king of Sodom credit for enriching Abraham, and with the people under his command he will regain the wealth. Beware of the intriguer. Beware of the one who is offering you a deal that in some way takes the credit, merit, and glory away from God.

 

God’s matchless grace is manifest at this point. Abraham receives reinforcement in the form of a royal priest.

 

/We are most vulnerable to defeat after great victory. We must never forget the Source of our victories because we will need Him more after the victory.\

 

Abraham is no exception. Melchizedek arrives at the scene to help Abraham resist the devil’s counter attack. The timing is perfect. Melchizedek did not arrive while Abraham was talking with the escapee or while Abraham was attacking or pursuing. He arrived after the victory was secure. Melchizedek came on the scene while the more deadly enemy, the king of Sodom, pursued Abraham, not with sword and shield, but with deception. In other words, God sent Melchizedek when he was needed most. Neither the 318 trained men nor his confederates can protect Abraham. He needs someone greater than himself.

 

GEN 14:18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

 

/Bread and wine represent Jesus Christ and the function of the royal priest in representing the person and work of Christ. An animal is not offered as per the Levitical priesthood.\