The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’” (Genesis 14:21-23)
A few years ago, my best friend had been working as a nanny for a family. This family paid her in cash and it appeared to be a sort of under-the-table arrangement. Turns out, when tax season came around, her employers reported her work on their taxes. My best friend now suddenly owed nearly $3,000 to the IRS, and this agreement felt less mutually beneficial. The illusion of this “gift” ended up costing her much more than she would’ve expected.
This “blessing” from the king of Sodom to Abram feels similar. It’s not only in direct opposition to the blessing Abram received from Melchizedek, but it also reveals his motivation. The king of Sodom shows his hand. Like a Trojan horse, this was a blessing with hidden consequences. Abram realized that this gift wasn’t worth the subsequent cost. He avoided the possibility of this king trying to call in a chit from Abram further down the line.
Abram was not looking for admiration or acknowledgment, but this king was. It’s likely that he intended to use this relationship to elevate himself. The king was virtue-signaling to the rest of the community. Abram understood that this blessing looked more like chains than it looked like freedom. He protected himself from being corrupted by bad company. If he had aligned with the king of Sodom, this story would’ve ended very differently.
The tale of these two blessings demonstrates that the voices that we listen to matter. In a culture oversaturated with opinions and noise, tuning our ears to recognize the truth of the Scriptures is immensely important. When we recognize the sound of true blessing, the rest is just noise.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead