Genesis 14:21-24

Genesis 14:21-24

[21] And the king  of Sodom  said  unto Abram,  Give  me the persons,  and take  the goods  to thyself. [22] And Abram  said  to the king  of Sodom,  I have lift up  mine hand  unto the LORD,  the most high  God,  the possessor  of heaven  and earth,  [23] That I will not  take from a thread  even to a shoelatchet,  and that I will not  take  any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,  Abram  rich:  [24] Save  only that which  the young men  have eaten,  and the portion  which went  with  me, Aner,  Eshcol,  and Mamre;  let them  take  their portion. 

What does Genesis 14:21-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Abram identified El Elyon with Yahweh ( Genesis 14:22). His willingness to take no spoil from the battle for himself demonstrates Abram"s desire that God would receive all the glory for his prosperity. He also appears not to have wanted to be indebted to the wicked king of Sodom. This man may have, by his command to Abram, been setting him up for demands later (cf. Genesis 23:15).
"The gifts of the ungodly are often attached to deadly strings." [1]
Generally, the patriarchs believed that God would give them what He had promised without their having to take it from others. [2] Abram was content with what God had given him (cf. Philippians 4:11). [3]
". . . just as in the previous episode where Abram allowed Lot the pick of the land, so here he allows the surly king of Sodom more than his due." [4]
"Christians are really so rich in their own inheritance that it ill becomes them to crave the possessions of others." [5]
This event is significant because it demonstrates Abram"s trust in God to provide what He had promised, which God soon rewarded with another revelation and promise ( Genesis 15:1).
"Even without the explicit warning that "he who disdains you I shall curse," the narrative suggests that it is dangerous to despise those through whom God works.
"It is the demonstration of divine support for Abram that is the clearest thrust of this story....
"Within Genesis , however, Melchizedek is primarily an example of a non-Jew who recognizes God"s hand at work in Israel ... They are those who have discovered that in Abram all the families of the earth find blessing." [6]
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews expounded the typical significance of Melchizedek and the events of this incident in Hebrews 7 (cf. Psalm 110:4). A type is a divinely intended illustration of something else that follows, the antitype.
Confidence that God will preserve and provide for His own as He has promised should encourage believers to decline worldly benefits and wait for God"s blessings.