Generous toward God


Genesis 14:17–23 (ESV) 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). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

 Abram makes a key decision here. After winning the war, he is blessed by the mysterious Melchizedek when he's brought bread and wine from him - symbols of our Lord's sacrifice 2000 years ahead. Then Abram is blessed by this king whose name means, "King of righteousness." And Abram then gives Melchizedek a tithe. The first mention of the tithe here is telling. Abram won the war, and Abram earned the spoils. Why is he doing this? Because Abram was doing what Jesus calls us to do: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33).

 Then Abram rejects the benefits that the king of Sodom offered. He tells the King he made a decision prior to this moment before God that he would not let Sodom make him rich. Abram would not look to the people of the night for getting ahead (much like Lot did in the last chapter).

 Two great truths about our material wealth come in here. 

 #1 Are we tithing? 
People say, "Tithing is part of the law and we aren't under law." 
Here we find that tithing predates the law by 500 years! And my question is simply: Does grace then give us the opportunity to be cheap toward God? Does Jesus' blood mean we not "get away" with giving God and His work in the Church less? Certainly not! Look at the book of Hebrews. The argument is from lesser to greater blessings means lesser to greater devotion! You cannot correlate with scripture a posture that believes Jesus came to make it okay to be stingy!

Immediately after Abram tithes, God shows up in a vision and promises reward. This is consistent throughout the scriptures that when we honor God with our finances and give the tithe, He blesses us back in amazing ways. In fact the Old Testament will end on this note in Malachi 3!

#2 Are we turning from sinful ways to save and make money?
Lying, stealing, not honoring the Sabbath, coveting... they are all ways in which God challenged His people to trust Him alone for financial blessings by doing life His way. We cannot expect to be blessed if all we do is tithe and then take matters into our own hands. Gambling and day-trading promise quick success, underhanded business practices may yield quick-hitting prosperity. But long term financial blessing comes from trusting God and tithing.

These two decisions were made early on in Abram's story (we are only 3 chapters in) and look at the results. He is the father of all who believe to this day.

Getting your financial house in order is building a strong foundation for your future.

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