August 22, 2011
The Sight of Man In The Light of God: Wk 3
Posted by Rob
Learn:
Gen 14:11-24
11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”
Main Idea:
In Genesis 14, we read about Abraham’s (who was still known as Abram at the time) nephew Lot, who is mistakenly kidnapped after a battle at Sodom. After hearing about Lot’s kidnapping, Abraham goes on a rescue mission and saves his nephew. In the process of saving Lot, Abraham acquires a large amount of riches and livestock. During his return home, Abraham has two encounters with kings in the area: Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who offers hospitality and the blessing of God, and the king of Sodom, who offers to make Abraham rich. But the blessing that Melchizedek has provided Abraham remind him who the true source of his blessings is: “Elohim Eyon”, God Most High. Abraham rejects the riches of the king of Sodom not just because it would make him the king’s vassal, but because he knows that God is the true source of all the Abraham has. Like Abraham, we must see God as the true source of all blessings and possessions in our lives, and ensure that none of these blessings take the place of God as the center of our lives.
Know What: God Most High calls us to place Him first in our lives, ahead of relationships and material possessions that will only leave us unfulfilled.
So What: When we center our lives on God, we can better realize the blessings that He pours out on us. We live with the understanding that these blessings do not make our lives whole; only God can do that.
Now What: This week, examine your possessions and relationships to see if they are idols that are wrongly taking the place reserved only for God. Is God first in your heart?
Discuss…
1. Pastor Isaac spoke of several examples of things we attempt to find fulfillment in: a trip or vacation, a spouse or significant other, or even an affair. Have you ever felt disappointment over something or someone that failed to fulfill you? Why are we still disappointed when we finally get what we want?
2. How can we be a blessing to others as God blesses us?
3. Abraham was tempted to acquire significant wealth by allying himself with the king of Sodom. What was the potential danger in accepting the king’s offer?
4. Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek reminded him of God’s provision and promises. Who or what has been “Melchizedek” for you?
5. Why are we tempted to derive fulfillment from things other than God?
6. What does Pastor Isaac mean when he says, “if you fashion idols out of gifts, you will be broken as they break…and they always do”?
7. How might we transition from being a people who say, “if I only had…” to a people who say, “Because I have God, my life is complete.”?
Next Steps…
Read 1 Timothy 6:11-19. In this section of Paul’s instruction to Timothy, we see two major themes: God is our sovereign Lord, and we should rely on Him, not material possessions.
First, Paul calls Timothy to be a person of “righteousness” who swears allegiance to God (as Abraham did in Gen 14). Paul does this by telling Timothy to understand who God is: not merely king, but King of Kings; not merely lord, but Lord of Lords. Timothy owes his allegiance to the God who is above all else.
Paul then instructs Timothy to remind others (in this case the wealthy members of his congregation) of the importance of relying on God, and not their money, for security. How do we today still make wealth an idol? Discuss some things you can do this week to decrease your dependence upon riches and other idols, and instead rely upon “Elohim Eyon”, our God Most High.
