The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 10 July 2024 – Abraham Gives A Tithe Of All
TOPIC: Abraham Gives A Tithe Of All
READ: Genesis 14: 17-24 (NKJV)
- And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that [is,] the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who [were] with him.
- Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he [was] the priest of God Most High.
- And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
- And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
- Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
- But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,
- “that I [will take] nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that [is] yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’ —
- “except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
THE MESSAGE:
With only his private army of 318 men, Abraham defeated the powerful Kedorlaomar and his allies. Both he and the priest, Melchizedek, knew that this was nothing, but the hand of God (verse 20). In thanksgiving to God, Abraham gave a tithe of all (verse 20). Melchizedek was just introduced here as the Priest of the Most High God and King of Salem, that is Jerusalem. He was next mentioned in Psalms 110: 4 and Hebrews chapters 5, 6 and 7 as a Priest of a Special and Eternal Order.
This is why Abraham gave his tithe through him. Because of his faith in God, Abraham refused to take undue advantage of the people he had rescued even when the King of Sodom urged him to take some goods for himself (verses 21-24). As heirs of the promise made to Abraham and joint heirs with Christ, we have need to support the work of God through our tithes, offerings and donations. A tithe is 10% of the profit we make in a venture or time frame, and should not be handled legalistically like the Pharisees, but joyfully (Matthew 23: 23). Do you pay your tithes correctly and as at when due?
PRAYER: O God, help me not to exploit anyone, including those I have helped.
