God’s Way of Blessing and Fruitfulness
by Dan Hayhoe
There is one brief episode in the life of Abraham that gives us the pattern for blessing and fruitfulness. Also in the book of Ezra there is a pattern that Satan follows when he attacks God's people to prevent that blessing and fruitfulness. We shall begin with the positive aspect: an example in Scripture which tells us of Abraham who did indeed enjoy blessing in his life. Then we shall see how Satan methodically, step by step, attacks those who seek to go on in faithfulness to God.
First, in Gen. 14, Lot and his family and all his goods were taken captive, but Abram goes out with his armed servants and his household, wins a great victory, and recovers Lot and his household. Now what we are going to see is what happens immediately following that victory. Often in the Christian life, God, by His grace, allows us to win a victory, not through our own power but through the power of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Then there is going to be a test, a major decision and a confrontation with Satan himself immediately after that victory. That is exactly what we find in Abram's life.
The victory has been won and in verses 17 through 20 we read, "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him.... And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." But notice in verses 21-23, "And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 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.”
Let us lay this out in very clear terms. The victory has been won. Abram has a desire to go on for God, and now he's met by two opposing forces, the king of Sodom and the king of Salem. A decision is now going to be made. He faces the attraction of family, because Lot had affiliated himself with Sodom by going back there again, and was there just prior to the ultimate judgment upon that city. Now Abram faces these two men, the king of Sodom and the king of Salem.