The Primacy of God in StewardshipSample

Melchizedek

In Genesis 14:17-20, we read that Abram is coming back from a battle in which God had given him the victory. He meets a priest named Melchizedek. The interesting thing about this priest is that he is also a king, who brings bread and wine to Abram in celebration of the victory. With the bread and wine, he also gives Abram his blessing. Then, after the communion together and blessing, Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth (a tithe) of what he had gotten in the battle.

Immediately after this, another king—the king of Sodom—tries to trick Abram. He tries to manipulate Abram in such a way that would make it look as if Sodom was the true benefactor of Abram’s wealth. But because Abram had spent time in communion with Melchizedek and had received the blessing of spiritual guidance and refreshment, he doesn’t fall for the king of Sodom’s trick. But in between the first battle and the second battle, Abram experienced communion, refreshment and the opportunity to honor God with what he had.

The lesson for us today in our contemporary culture runs deep in this biblical account. Jesus’ role, while seated at the right hand of the Father, is to intercede for you and me as the High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). His job is to intercede in our circumstances. It is His responsibility to place Himself in the middle of our circumstances. For this reason, He points toward God being the center and focus of our own stewardship.

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