Genesis 12:1-17:27
“Now Adonai said to Avram, ‘Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Excerpt:
A group of kings make war against Kedorlaomer (Handful of Sheaves), the King of Elam, in the Siddum Valley near the Dead Sea. Kedorlaomer defeats all the of kings who rebelled against him including the Amalekites and the Emorites. Eventually the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fight against Kedorlaomer. Many of the warriors fall into the clay pits in the Siddim Valley while the rest retreat into the Judean hills. The victors take all of the food supplies and possessions in Sodom and Gomorrah along with Lot and his family.
Kedorlaomer may be an Assyrian or Persian name coming from kudur meaning ‘servant’ and lagamar who was a goddess in the religious practices of Susa in Persia (Iran). Siddim is thought to have been located on the southern end of the Dead Sea where bitumen deposits have been found that may at one time been the tar pits in which the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah fell.
When Abram hears that his nephew has been taken into captivity, he takes his 318 trained me and goes in pursuit of Kedorlaomer as far north as Dan. They divide forces and attack Kedorlaomer pushing him all the way to Damascus. Abram recovers all the plunder and retrieves Lot and his family. After returning from the battles, the king of Sodom meets Abram in the King’s Valley:
“Malki-Tzedek, King of Shalem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of El Elyon, God Most High. He blessed Avram:
‘Blessed be Avram by El’ Elyon, maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be El ‘Elyon, who handed your enemies over to you.’
Then Avram tithed” (Genesis 14:18-20).
In Hebrew Malki-Tzedek means ‘King of Righteousness.’ He is the King of Shalem which means ‘peace’ and is the root for Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). He is a priest for El Elyon, God Most High. This is the first time this title for Elohim is used.
Malki-Tzedek brings out bread and wine. The word ‘bread’ in this verse is the Hebrew lechem. Though some draw an comparison to ‘communion’ in this event, a more fitting allusion would be commemorating the Sabbath. Breaking leavened bread and sharing wine is considered a time of fellowship and central to a traditional Sabbath celebration. The event could be taking place on the Sabbath after the battles have been won, the enemy is defeated, and there is peace and rest –– a vision of eternity.
Hebrew Word Pictures
Bread or lechem – לחם – lamed, chet, mem
– urging forward to protect the mighty
Wine or yayin – יין – yod, yod, nun
– finished, finished work of life
All that is known about Malki-Tzedek comes through Hebrews chapter 7 which states that he had no beginning or end, no father or mother, no genealogy. This alludes to his eternal existence. Some suggest he may be a pre-incarnate Yeshua as Elohim can appear in any form He desires. He may be revealing Himself as the King of Righteousness to Abram.
Others suggest that Malki-Tzedek is Noach’s son, Shem, who was 100 years old when the flood destroyed the earth and who continued to live until he was 600 years old. Such longevity was uncommon after the flood as the lifespan of humans progressively decreased. Shem would have been the oldest living man and could appear to be without father or mother or genealogy as everything had been destroyed in the flood. Shem inherited the land of Shalem and Malki-Tzedek is the king. According to his divine calling, Abram would be the next patriarch in line after Shem to be the next priest of El Elyon.
Knowing HaShem through his father Noach, before, during, and after the flood, Shem may have taken on a priestly role preaching the Noachide laws, the evils of sin, the pre-flood world, repentance, and the blessings of righteousness. Just as we have no grasp of that world or the world to come, it is possible that the people of Shem’s generation could not fathom a world that existed before their own making Shem seem like a ‘god.’
Abram gave Malki-Tzedek one-tenth of everything he plundered. This is the first instance of a tithe before the instructions at Mount Sinai. It is written in Hebrews chapter 7 that Levi who was in Abram’s loins actually tithed Malki-Tzedek. The tithe was a portion of the harvest given to the Levitical priests who had no land inheritance. With Abram’s tithe, Malki-Tzedek became a foreshadow to the coming of the high priest order of Yeshua.
“Yeshua said to them, ‘Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, ‘I Am’!’ At this, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds” (John 8:56-59).
For a complete copy of this Torah portion, the readings from the Prophets, gospels, letters, and study questions, please purchase Open My Eyes: Wonders of Torah.
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