|
The example of Abram (Abraham)
Genesis 14:21-23
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'
(Genesis 14:22-23)
Abram collected some men and raced after the villains who kidnapped his nephew, Lot. He reclaimed hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of dollars worth of stolen merchandise as well as people who would have become slaves. He then gave one-tenth of the recovered goods to Melchizedek, a God-fearing king who ruled the site of what would become Jerusalem. Melchizedek was a priest-king, and is referred to in Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5:10.
When the ungodly king of Sodom offered Abram a major reward for his efforts, he flatly refused. He wanted the world to know that God, not men, had made him wealthy. The king of Sodom was only interested in the slaves, and offered all the material goods to Abram. However, it is clear that Abram had already anticipated this offer. He had thought his response through before he was faced with the temptation.
How many Christian business people today would hold out against such an offer? How easy it would be to justify acceptance of the gift. After all, Abram and his men worked hard and fought hard to regain those captives. It cost them dearly in resources. And think about the spiritual arguments: you could give so much more to the church with such a gift! Abram lived by principles, not by emotions.
One final note is that Abram ensured that the men who had accompanied him on the journey were not unrewarded because of Abram's own convictions. He insisted that they be given their share. He only refused what was offered to him personally.
|
