Devotional Series: At My Bistro — Episode 2
Welcome to My Bistro
Today I will be reading from the Book of Genesis, beginning with Chapter 14, from the New International Version.
1 “And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar [also known as Nimrod], Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim [Hebrew: the nations], 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
3 All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
8 And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim [Hebrew: the nations] and 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 the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country.
11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed.
12 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.
13 Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.
14 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.
15 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.
16 He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the 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.”
Psalm 76:1-3
1 “God is known in Judah;
His name is great in Israel.
2 His tabernacle is in Salem;
His dwelling place also is in Zion.
3 There He broke the flaming arrows,
The shield and the sword and the weapons of war. Selah.”
NOTE: God’s High Priest overrides the reason for the war, which was about paying tribute to an earthly king.
Hebrews 7:1-3 says of this King:
1 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.
3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.”
NOTE: Melchizedek re-establishes God’s Kingdom way. A tenth of the outcome of the victory was the amount which was required to take care of the needs of God’s ordained King-Priests, not an earthly king. Tribute was the earthly king’s counterfeit to tithing.
Let’s continue in Genesis 14:21-24
21 “The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people [Hebrew: souls] 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.”
NOTE: The king asked for the people, rather than the spoils of war. The Hebrew says that he asked for “the souls.”
The enemy of our soul is after our soul, but as believer’s in Jesus Christ, our souls belong to God Almighty.
Now, let’s look at Psalm 110, and I will be reading from the NIV. This is a Psalm of David.
1 The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; He will crush kings on the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7 He will drink from a brook along the way, and so He will lift his head high.”
Jesus, our Savior and Lord, our High Priest before God, in the Order of Melchizedek, is the One Who intercedes for us still today, for our salvation, our deliverance, our healing, and our total well-being.
God fulfills His word through King David, in Hebrews 6:19-20
And I am Reading from the NIV:
19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
You will always have company on your journey with God, for Jesus Himself is praying for you.
On the Menu: Bread and Wine
Jesus instituted the partaking of Communion at the meal before His crucifixion. Paul also taught the Church at Corinth, the proper etiquette when taking Communion.
1 Corinthians 10:15-17
15 “I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?
And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.”
And in 1 Corinthians 11:22-24, Paul continues the thought…
22 “Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
Help me proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ today.
The Apostle Paul tells us, in Ephesians 3:10-12, that when we proclaim the truth, we proclaim it to the principalities, powers and thrones in heavenly places. In this case we proclaim, Jesus died for me, so I am now off limits to the demonic powers in heavenly places.
10 “to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."
Let us give honor and tribute to Him, by remembering all He did for our salvation. Partake of bread and wine, or grape juice if you prefer, in celebration of His ultimate gift of Love for us, when He made it possible for us to become One with God.
Jesus, like Melchizedek, proclaims the Covenant Blessings upon those who believe in Him as their King and High Priest.
Matthew 5:1-16
1 “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, 2 and He began to teach them. He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.'”
And finally, the Apostle Peter reminds us, in 1 Peter 2:9-10
9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
There are many benefits given to us as members of the Family of God. Two of them we have learned about today are Communion and Tithing.
Communion: partaking of the Body and Blood of Jesus, by taking the bread and wine, instituted in the Priestly Order of Melchizedek. By doing so we partake in His eternal life, health and well-being.
Tithing: The natural response to being blessed by God is sharing that blessing with Him, by giving Him the King’s Portion — called a tithe, or ten percent of the blessing. By doing so we enjoy God’s continued provision and sustenance.
In Abram’s case, it was a tithe of the spoils of war, because God gave him the victory. So do whatever the Lord tells you to do in your unique circumstances, and be blessed by Jesus, the High Priest of our souls, Himself.
