Sermon Tone Analysis

*Genesis 14:17-24 (NIV) \\ \\ *

*8 **Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.

10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.

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 **One 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 Eshcol 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 blessed be 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, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong 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, Eshcol and Mamre.

Let them have their share.”

*

 

 

 

 

*1.

**THE STORY OF ABRAM, LOT AND MELCHIZEDEK*

 

THIS STORY BEGINS WITH 9 KINGS.

THERE ARE FIVE KINGS ALIGNED AGAINST FOUR KINGS.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE A HUGE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN MANY NATIONS.

BUT THE TRUTH IS,  EACH KING IS ONLY KING OVER ONE CITY, OR ONE TOWN.

THE NUMBER OF MEN THAT ONE CITY CAN MUSTER FOR AN ARMY MIGHT BE AS MUCH AS A FEW HUNDRED,

TO POSSIBILY A THOUSAND OR SO.

 

MULTIPLY THAT BY NINE CITY STATES, AND YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE AROUND THREE OR FOUR THOUSAND MEN FIGHTING ON EACH SIDE.

THE CITY OF SODOM AND THE CITY OF GOMORRAH

LOST THE BATTLE

AND ALL THEIR PEOPLE AND STUFF WERE CARRIED AWAY BY THEIR ENEMIES.

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THE PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING IN SODOM AND GOMORRAH WERE NOT MORALLY UPRIGHT PEOPLE.

EVENTUALLY THEY WERE DESTROYED BY GOD

BECAUSE OF THEIR IMMORALITY.

/I'M WONDERING IF GOD WASN'T USING THIS DEFEAT TO TRY TO GET THEIR ATTENTION./

/GOD DOES THAT YOU KNOW.

HE LETS THINGS HAPPEN TO US AS A KIND OF WARNING./

/ /

/GOD WANTS US TO LIVE CLEAN MORALLY PURE LIVES./

/ /

/ /

 

AS SODOM AND GOMORRAH WERE CARRIED INTO CAPTIVITY,

LOT, HIS FAMILY AND ALL HIS GOODS WERE CARRIED AWAY TOO.

I’M NOT SURE IF ABRAM WOULD HAVE INTERFERED IN THE LOCAL POLITICAL CLIMATE IF HIS NEPHEW LOT HADN’T BEEN INVOLVED.

BUT WHEN ABRAM HEARD THAT LOT WAS IN TROUBLE, HE CALLED OUT THE 318 TRAINED MEN WHO WERE BORN IN HIS HOUSEHOLD AND TOOK OFF AFTER THEM.

ABRAM AND HIS MEN PERSUED THEIR ENEMIES UNTIL THEY CAUGHT UP WITH THEM.

THEY ROUTED THEM WITH A SURPRISE NIGHTTIME ATTACK.

ABRAM WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH 318 MEN WHAT FIVE CITIES OF MEN COULDN’T DO.

 

/ACTUALLY I SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT ABRAM ACCOMPLISHED WITH 318 MEN AND GOD ALMIGHTY, /

/WHAT FIVE CITIES OF MEN COULDN'T DO/

/ /

/THAT’S A PRINCIPLE  THAT STILL APPLIES TODAY.

/

/WITH GOD HELPING  US, WE'RE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH /

*/THE MOST UNLIKELY, /*

*/THE MOST IMPROBABLE, /*

*/AND THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE/*/ SITUATIONS THAT CAN COME OUR WAY./

AFTER ABRAM DEFEATED THE INVADING ARMY, HE CAME BACK HOME WITH *ALL THE PEOPLE*, AND *ALL THE GOODS*.

THEN HE'S MET BY THE KING OF SODOM,

AND THEN, ANOTHER KING.

--  THE KING OF SALEM.

THIS KING OF SALEM HASN’T LOST ANYTHING.

HE WASN’T INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE FIGHTING,

 

BUT HE COMES TO ABRAM, BRINGING WINE AND BREAD.

NOURISHMENT FOR ABRAM AND HIS MEN.

THIS KING OF SALEM IS ALSO A PRIEST OF GOD MOST HIGH.

HE BLESSES ABRAM, AND PRAISES GOD MOST HIGH FOR HELPING ABRAM TO GAIN THE VICTORY OVER HIS ENEMIES.

THIS IS WHAT MELCHIZEDEK SAID:

*“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, *

*Creator of heaven and earth.

*

*20**     And blessed /(OR PRAISE) /be /(TO)/  God Most High, *

*who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

*

 

ABRAM  RECOGNIZED THAT THIS  */PRIEST~/KING/*

WAS THE REAL THING

AND SO HE GAVE HIM A TENTH OR A TITHE OF EVERYTHING.

*2.

**LETS LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER AT THIS MELCHIZEDEK*

 

MELCHIZEDEK WAS A PRIEST~/KING

OVER THE CITY OF SALEM.

*THE NAME MELCHIZEDEK  MEANS RIGHTEOUSNESS, *

(SO THIS MAN /(MELCHIZEDEK) /WAS THE RIGHTEOUS KING.)

 

*SALEM MEANS PEACE.*

AND MELCHIZEDEK WAS THE KING OF SALEM.

(SO HE WAS *THE KING OF PEACE*)

 

THE CITY OF SALEM WAS ACTUALLY THE SAME CITY THAT WOULD LATER BE CALLED JERU-SALEM.

MELCHIZEDEK LIVED MANY YEARS BEFORE THERE EVER WAS A LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD.

SO THERE IS NO WAY THAT HE COULD BE PART OF THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD.

LEVI WOULDN’T EVEN BE BORN FOR ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS OR SO.

 

THEREFORE MELCHIZEDEK STANDS ALONE

AS A PRIEST OF GOD

WITHOUT PREDECESSOR OR SUCCESSOR.

HE WAS PRIEST,        OF THE GOD MOST HIGH

 

 

IN HIS CAPACITY AS PRIEST

HE BLESSED ABRAM BY GOD MOST HIGH

 

IN HIS CAPACITY AS PRIEST

HE PRAISED GOD MOST HIGH FOR DELIVERING THEIR ENEMIES INTO ABRAM’S HANDS.

IN HIS CAPACITY AS PRIEST HE ACCEPTED ABRAM’S TITHE.

ABRAM WAS FAITHFUL TO GIVE GOD ONE TENTH OF HIS INCREASE TO GOD.

AND BECAUSE OF THIS

GOD CONTINUED TO BLESS ABRAM BEYOND MEASURE.

I NEED TO STOP HERE FOR A SECOND AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT TITHING.

*(WE GOT OFF ONTO THIS SIDE ROAD AT THE BIBLE STUDY, LAST WEDNESDAY)*

 

TELL STORY ABOUT TRUCK DRIVER TITHE.

THERE WAS A MAN I USED TO KNOW QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO.