Gen 14:20b Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (ESV)
We gave our parents a gift recently to say thank you for their kindness in looking after us for a few days. We thought a lot about it but came to the conclusion that they had everything they wanted. We still wanted to give them a gift though. It dawned on us that the key thing was not meeting some material need of theirs for a missing kitchen utensil but to communicate something through the giving of a gift. Though over the years they have given us more than we could every repay and the gift in itself would be of little practical help, the giving of it would bless both them and us.
I have been looking at how Abram sees Melchizedek as God's representative and so gives him some of his loot. It's so sad when giving to God is seen as 'helping him out', as if he needs "change for a cup of tea" when it's really about God sharing with us his joy in giving.
Twice in this passage God is referred to as "God most high, Possessor of heaven and earth" (v19 and 22). He owns everything. If we are in any doubt about God's recourses we can take a look at Psalm 50 and read that "the cattle on a thousand hills" v10 are his. "If I were hungry" God says "I would not tell you for the world is mine, and all that is in it" v12. So we do not give to God because he needs it.
When you love someone, or are grateful to them, it's natural to give them a gift. Of course God has no need for money so even what we give to him he gives to others to use or steward. Just like we gave a small token present to our parents it's a wonderful privilege to give back to God. He has everything but wants us to enjoy the joy of giving. Giving to God is a way of acknowledging him as the source of our recourses and thanking him for all he has given us.
The next question is why 10% rather than 100% or 7% or 12% or 0%? Is there anything significant about 10%? Was it easier to work out perhaps? Not sure if they had decimal counting system then. Interestingly when Moses wins a battle he does things a bit differently giving a 1 in 500 share from the Israelites that fought to the high priest (Num 31:28) and a 1 in 50 share from the Israelites who stayed at home to the Levites.
In any case, like 3 and 7, 10 is an important biblical number. There were 10 generations recorded before the flood. God sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians and gave Moses 10 commandments. This figure of 10% crops up again in the laws God give to his people on regular giving (Num 18, Lev 27:30-33).
Commentators say that 10 signifies completion in some way. Maybe because we have 10 fingers we have 10 mental slots to put things in. Think of the top 10 music charts or a magazine that advertises "10 tips to healthy eating". If there were 11 we might wonder what the 12th was but having 10 seems to imply there are no more worth knowing about. The list is complete. Maybe in giving 10% away we are in a sense giving all, except that 10% in the law is really only a minimum starting point for giving.
Jesus loved it when the widow gave everything to God and actually, Abram did give everything away. In a rather terse statement the King of Sodom says "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself" v22. Abram, however, while making sure that all who are with him have their fair share, refuses to take anything for himself. Having said that God wants us to have what he gives to us, it seems Abram is happy to use God's provision to bless everyone around him while he goes without. His reason is so that the King of Sodom cannot say he has made Abram rich. Perhaps the unfriendly nature of the Kings address (command?) as caused Abram to be wary of being obligated to him. Previously Abram was happy to leave Egypt with armfuls of the Pharaoh's treasure so either he had grown in moral maturity, or he saw difficulty ahead in being associated with this King. Who we accept money and resources from remains a modern day moral dilemma. Would it give the giver the impression that God needed their help? Does the help come with strings attached or some unspoken moral obligation to use the money in a particular way?
So ends this significant little encounter between Abram and Melchizedek. For some reason it took me ages and I expect I have still missed tones. I am not even half way through the first book of the 66 that are in the bible. I must not rush though. I wonder what's around the next corner?
