Tithing of Spoils of Battle - Versus - Tithing of Earnings Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER 16

Tithing of Spoils of Battle – Versus- Tithing of Earnings

Abraham, Melchisedec, and Bera, King of Sodom


We have spoken of tithing in the Mosaic Law. We know that tithing today is expected to be paid from our earnings, We've also spoken of how Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils of a battle. But I believe it to be of great value and importance to look into the story of that momentous and eventful day when Abraham gave this tithe, for far more happened that day than the giving of a tithe. In fact, I believe this story to be an amazing allegory representing awesome truths that can effect our lives in a marvelous way, once we see and understand them. One of the important things for us to grasp hold of, is what the spoils of battle represented. Seeing this can help us understand better, how to give in a way that pleases God.
On that day so many years ago, Abraham had two encounters of great consequence, that would represent important truths from Adam to eternity. One encounter was with king Melchizedek, and the other with the king of Sodom. First look at some information to set the stage for the story of these encounters.
Abraham, who at the time of this story was still called Abram, had taken a wife, Sarai, and began a journey, in obedience to God. (Gen. 12:1) His nephew Lot also went with him. Later on, Abram and Lot parted and Lot went to live in or near the city of Sodom, (Gen.3:12) while Abram lived in the plain of Mamre, which is Hebron. (Ge. 13:18)
Scripture gives us a glimpse of what Sodom was like at the time Lot moved his family there.
Gen. 13:13 “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”
This city has become known as a place of sodomy, which according to the New Webster's Dictionary, is “unnatural sexual intercourse, esp. of one man with another or of a human being with an animal.”
Even in Gen. 19:4+5 we find that when angels of God came to Lot's home, the people of the city came to Lot's door with evil on their minds.
Gen. 19:4+5 “Before they lay down (the angels), the men of the city , even of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter.
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
(parenthesis mine)
It is evident that when they spoke of 'knowing' the angels, they were not speaking only of visiting with them, as we can see from Lot's response to them.
Gen 19:7+8 “And (Lot) said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.” (parenthesis mine)
Lot knew what they had in mind, and it was very wicked. He then offered to send out his two daughters instead, saying of his daughters -
8 “... which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: ...”
These evil men, however, did not want Lot's virgin daughters. They wanted men. They threatened to do worse to Lot than they planned to do to the angels, in verse 9, and came to break down the door. But the angels pulled Lot into the house and smote the evil men with blindness. (v. 10+11)
Sodom, being a city full of homosexuality, was finally destroyed by God.
Gen. 19:24+25 “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
We see then, that the king of Sodom was the ruler of a very wicked and vile city, and ruled over evil men.
The story we will be looking into, is in Gen.14 and was before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We will see three main characters in this drama, being representations of significance. We've already seen that Melchizedek was the representation of Christ. I believe we can see Bera, king of Sodom as a representation of Satan, who is the one who rules the hearts of wicked men and is presently the ruler of this world, including every evil city and all the wickedness that is in them. The king of Sodom ruled evil men who were later destroyed by God with fire, and we know that fire awaits evil men even now. Even the name 'Sodom' in the Hebrew is the word Ce/dome, sed-ome'; “from an unused root meaning scorch; burnt (that is, volcanic or bituminous) district; ...”
Lastly, we have seen Abraham, who I believe is a clear representation of all those that believe.
Rom. 4:11 (speaking of Abraham) “ ... that he might be the father of all those that believe, ... “ (parenthesis mine)
The Lexicon gives this usage of the word 'father' in this particular verse as - “the author of a family or society of persons animated by the same spirit as himself.” Keep in mind what each of these men represent as we begin considering this important day in history.
As Gen. 14 begins, we are told of several kings who with their armies, were doing much battle. In one of the battles the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated.
Gen. 14:10 “And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
When this defeat took place Lot was captured.
Gen. 14:12-15 “And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Abram might never have been involved in this battle, except for the fact that a member of his family had been taken captive. There is no record in the scripture, of Abraham entering into battle any time before or after this. But Lot was a relative and he was counted as a righteous man, though he lived around ungodly men. God was with Abraham when he took trained servants and three friends, and went to battle against kings and armies. God had made a promise to him before this situation arose.
Gen. 12:3 “... I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: ...”
An amazing feat was accomplished that day as Abram and his three hundred and eighteen trained servants defeated kings and their armies that were united in battle. This was done by faith! Through God, Abram was victorious, as God delivered the enemy into his hand.
Gen. 14:16 “And he brought back all the goods, and the women also, and the people.”
Not only did Abram rescue Lot, but he also brought back his belongings, and much spoils of battle. There were people as well as material goods, which had been taken with the people, when they were captured by the enemy.
When Abram returned from the battle, king Bera, king of Sodom, went out to meet him. It seems that he had escaped. He came to Abram in order to attempt to make a deal with him, who he probably already knew to be a righteous man.
Gen. 14:17 “And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shavah, which is the kings dale.
At this point Abram has the people who, until the time of their capture, had been under the rulership of king Bera. Now Bera wants his people back from Abram. He knows Abram has the right to keep them and all else that are spoils of the battle, but he intends to try to convince him to give them back. But someone else has arrived on the scene who has personal business with Abram, which does not include king Bera.
King Melchizedek is now with Abram, and anything involving this man takes precedence over any concern of king Bera, for Melchizedek is the priest of the most high God. Bera must wait. Being a wicked and ungodly man, he can take no part in the important fellowship between Abram and Melchizedek, or the events about to take place between them. As he waits, this is what happens.
Gen. 14:18-20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem) brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of the most high
19 And he “Melchizedek” blessed him “Abram” and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he 'Abram' gave him tithes of all.” (parenthesis mine)
As Abram turns one tenth of all the people and material goods over to Melchizedek, king Bera speaks not one word in opposition to the transaction. He says nothing until the dealings between Abram and Melchizedek are completed. Then he speaks to Abram.
21 “And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself”
Surely this time, Bera is aware that God is with Abram and that he does not have to give anyone or anything back to him. But perhaps he reasoned that since these people were unclean, evil and used to living in homosexuality, that Abram would consider parting with them. Even to keep them as slaves, their influence could mean much trouble. But look at Abram's response.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom. I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, possessor of Heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mame; let them take their portion.”
Apparently Abram had already had a talk with God and told him that he was not going to keep even the smallest items which had come from Sodom, that unclean place. He would not give King Bera a chance to say he had made him rich. God remained the only one to be glorified in Abram's life.
Now let me share with you some of the spiritual significance of the happenings of this unusual day. Then you, dear reader, weigh the matter for yourself and see what you find.
The first scene in this story was of evil and greedy men battling to conquer, posses and control. I believe that this is, in part, a picture of the condition of the world without God. When men follow their own lusts, war and greed are inevitable.
We see Lot, who can easily represent those who try to live righteously, but without the infilling of the Holy Spirit. But I see, even more, a representation of those Christians who do not totally let go of the world. Lot was in the family of the man of faith, but he held so strongly to material things, that he was willing to live among the ungodly for the material advantages it afforded him, and perhaps even the sake of prestige. He probably did not realize the full effect the influence of evil was having on him and his family.
Isn't this like many Christians today? They are troubled in their spirit by the evil around them, but they try to convince themselves they still can serve God, without separating themselves from Satan's atmosphere and his domain, even when it gets them into trouble. For this they pay a great price!
The apostle Peter gives us an idea of how Lot was effected.
2 Peter 2:7+8 “And (God) delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation (behavior [Strong's]) of the wicked:
8 For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;” (parenthesis mine) (added notation)
The Lexicon gives the meaning for the word 'righteous' here, as - “in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God.” So evidently Lot did keep the commands of God, but he was vexed. The word 'vexed' in verse 7, is the Greek word kataponeo, kat-ap-on-eh'o; (Strong's). The Lexicon gives it this meaning “to tire down with toil, exhaust with labor; hence to afflict or oppress with evils; to make trouble for; to treat roughly:”
The filthy behavior of the people around Lot did have an effect on him. I believe that although Lot had not given in to committing the same sins, yet the filth around him was weakening him, as he became exhausted with battling in his own mind against it. The word 'vexed' in verse 8, is the Greek word basanizo, bas-an-id'-zo; “to torture;-pain, toil, torment, toss, vex.” (Strong's) It would seem that Lot suffered assaults on his own mind, his feelings and perhaps his desires. He was tormented. Perhaps he was even tempted to indulge in the sinful activities going on around him.
I believe that we can see that indeed he had been effected when we look at the day when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed and see Lot having difficulty in responding to the angels of God. He had such a hard time obeying the instructions of the Lord that he came close to loosing his own life. But God was merciful to him.
Gen. 19:15+16 “And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened ( ...press...hurry [Strong's]) Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in THE INIQUITY of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters: the Lord being merciful unto him; and they brought them forth, and set him without the city.” (emphasis mine) (added notation)
Even after being told that the city was going to be destroyed, Lot 'lingered', which is,in the Hebrew, - mahahh, ma-ha'; prop. to question or hesitate, that is, (by impl.) to be reluctant;- delay, linger, stay selves, tarry”.
Both Abram and Lot believed in God. Abram, however, had his eyes on eternal things, while Lot had his eyes on earthly things and had trouble letting them go or seeing beyond them, as do so many Christians today. If not for the mercy of God, and the help of loving brothers and sisters, these would be lost, and indeed some will hesitate too long and will be lost. Lot almost hesitated to the point of death, but though he made it out, his family had been so effected by the influence of sin, that his wife was lost and his daughters later committed very vile sins against their own father.
Now going back to the story in Gen. 14, we find that Lot, while living in Satan's domain, was taken captive and it was Abram who stepped out in love, concern and the power of God, to rescue him. This, I see as representative of those who stay in close fellowship with God, reaching out to the weaker brothers and sisters, who have been brought under bondage by living too close to the world, or reaching out to those who believe in the existence of God, but do not have a personal relationship with him.
The only lasting hope for such people, though, is not that they will always be rescued by some other person, who is strong in faith, but it is salvation through Jesus Christ. As we have seen, Abraham knew this to be true. He, representing the born again believers who walk in faith, willingly went to battle for a brother. Today a child of God can do battle for a brother or sister by interceding to God, in prayer for him.
As soon as Abram brought back Lot and the others from their captors, he went through a ceremony that would serve to show the need and hope for them all, if only they would have seen and understood. All of those people, who were, themselves, spoils of the battle, probably were witnesses to the communion taken by Abram and Melchizedek. I believe an important message was being given to them, which is also for us, as Abram and Melchizedek took bread and wine and partook. I believe that the beautiful and awesome message was, that just as Abram had fought one battle for the life of Lot, so one day, the Savior, Jesus Christ, whom Melchizedek represented, would fight one battle for all of mankind.
As they broke the bread they symbolized the breaking of the Saviors body. As they ate of it, they symbolized man's union with Christ, and the importance of putting his Word inside of you. As they took the wine, they were symbolizing the shedding of Messiah's blood for all of our sins and as they drank it, they symbolized the receiving of the Spirit of God, the new life source; that could only indwell man after the death and resurrection of the Savior. Thus Abram and Melchizedek demonstrated for them all, what it would take for total victory over Satan and all evil! It would take the death and resurrection of the Savior.
As represented in the battle Abram fought to bring back his nephew, Jesus would fight one battle against Satan, and through death and resurrection, he would defeat Satan, bringing victory and deliverance to us all. Any battle that any child of God would fight against the enemy of our souls, would be spiritual, but as was the case in the battle Abram fought, each time, God would give victory by his own power, for the victory and the communion were prophetic pictures.
Immediately after taking the communion, Melchizedek blessed Abram, or we could say that symbolically, Jesus blessed the children of faith. I believe this blessing was given because Abram had believed God for the victory in the battle he had just been in, and for the victory the Savior was going to bring for all mankind. So,symbolically, we see the children of God being blessed for believing in Jesus Christ their Savior and the victory he brought at Calvary.
Next Melchizedek blessed, or gave honor to God, who had delivered Abram's enemy into his hand. All praise, honor and glory should be given to God, who by his own will, his own love, his own power and purpose, has given us the victory over our enemies, which we could never have gotten on our own!
After this, we see Abram giving one tenth of the spoils of the battle to Melchizedek. I see these spoils of battle representing the spoils of the battle which our Savior would one day fight and which was represented in the communion just taken.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THESE SPOILS MIGHT BE?

Since Jesus laid down his life for mankind, then you and I, who receive him, are the spoils of the battle Jesus fought and won! Yes! YOU are the spoils of HIS BATTLE!
You notice that of all Abram brought back, he only gave a small portion to Melchizedek; only a tenth. Though Jesus died for all mankind, only a small percent are willing to surrender their lives to him, leaving their hopeless, sinful lives behind.
While all this was going on, King Bera, representative of Satan, waited on the sidelines, hoping to get back at least part of what he had once controlled. Satan has always known that it was the people of God, who God loved and wanted fellowship with. He knew God had no need for material things. It was our bodies a living sacrifice that God would ask for, one day. When King Bera (Satan) finally spoke up, what sort of deal did he try to make with Abram? He tried to get him to keep all the material goods which were confiscated from the battle and to give him the people.
Does this remind you of anything? Do you remember how Satan offered Jesus material gain, if he would only worship him?
Satan, speaking to Jesus said this -
Matt. 4:9 “And saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me.”
Satan uses the same tactics over and over. Of course Jesus would not submit to such a deal and neither did Abram agree to King Bera's offer.
Not only would Abram let those people, who had been ruled by King Bera, return to him, but he would have no part of any material thing that came from him. Abram had already been in communication with the Lord and would remain an example to us all, of total dependency on God and God alone. God would receive all credit for all progress, all victory and all provision, in the life of the man of faith. And Abram would not give Satan any opportunity to take any credit for what Abram had. This is how it should be in the lives of all followers of Christ.
I believe this story is a magnificent allegory and example to God's children, in which Abraham, as always, represents the life of faith in Christ our Savior.
SHALL WE FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE?
SHALL WE TITHE AS HE DID?
WILL WE GO TO BATTLE FOR THE PEOPLE JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR?
WHO ARE THE SPOILS OF THE BATTLE HE FOUGHT AND WON?
AND WILL WE BRING ALL THAT WE CAN BACK TO HIM?
You see it is not really a matter of percentages. The percentage was symbolic of the small amount of people who will actually come to Christ and of putting God first and foremost. Our goal is not to limit ourselves to giving 10% of those in bondage, back to Jesus. We should be willing to give ourselves to reaching as many as we can. Yet we know in reality, that only a small percent of all people who Jesus died for, will ever come to him.
Giving as Abram did, is giving what is Gods to God and taking no part of what is Satan's.
SHALL WE GIVE AS HE GAVE AND FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE?
WOULD WE RATHER DIMINISH THE MEANING OF WHAT REALLY TOOK PLACE THAT DAY AND SAY ONLY THAT IT WAS AN EXAMPLE FOR US TO PAY TEN PERCENT OF OUR EARNINGS TO GOD, WHILE KEEPING THE OTHER NINETY PERCENT, WHEN WHAT ABRAM GAVE HAD NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH EARNINGS?
This was, in no way, a story about earnings. It was a story about love, mercy and selflessness. It is a story of grace! It's the story of a man of faith going to battle for a brother who had gotten into trouble by living too close to the world. It is a demonstration of acting out of grace and moving in faith; dying to self that another might live.
If you, dear reader, choose to look at Abraham as your example of proper behavior, go all the way! You, dear brother and sister, are the spoils of the battle Jesus fought and won, which were only represented that day so long ago. Will you give ten percent or all?
Never forget this one important fact; you are what Jesus gave his life for, so you are the spoils of his battle! It is you he died for! It is you he wants! BE HIS! Be a child of faith, and an heir with Abraham, of eternal life through Jesus our Lord.
Rom. 4:14-16 “For if they which are of the law be heirs, FAITH IS MADE VOID, and the promises made of none effect.
15 Because the law worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of FAITH, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” (emphasis mine)
The promise given to Abraham is of faith and must be received by faith. Shall we make it of no effect? Will we turn Abraham into a representation of something opposite of what God intended?
Men today may give God ten percent of their earnings and expect to get one hundred times as much back from God, but Abraham had his eyes on the Savior, eternity, and a city not made by any man, but only by God.
Do you prefer souls for eternity more than material gain? If not, ask God to change your heart, fill you with his love and make you to be like him. He can do a marvelous work in your life and you can find out what the greatest riches of all are, which money can never afford!