November 20, 2007
A Picture of Our Conquering Priest/King
To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, although, at times, I don’t understand the necessity of being separated from my family, I know You have purpose in it. And through experience, I know when I slip into the enemy’s trap, You rescue me even if it is my fault. Thank You for your tender mercies. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Introduction:
Sometime during my daughter’s junior year in high school, she informed her father and me that she wanted to go to college at Tocoa Falls, Ga. My initial reaction: “Are you c-r-razy? Absolutely no way are you going to a school 700 miles from home. Dream on, young lady, dream on.”
Dream on, she did. And she mingled her dreams with earnest prayers. Thus began the pilgrimage of our family. Melinda’s steam engine raced on emotional and spiritual tracks pulling us along in our boxcar of uncertainty.
While Melinda’s move was physical, our entire family had ventured into uncharted territory. We had to learn to trust God not only to be with Melinda when we couldn’t be, but to bridge the geographical gap in such a way that there would be no breach in our relationships with each other and especially with Him.
The Lesson:
At times separation is necessary for God to accomplish His will for all of us. When He called Abram in Genesis chapter 12, God instructed him to leave his “kindred and his father’s house.” Yet Abram took Lot with him. Eventually, the time came to make a choice between God and family for Abram.
The land could not maintain all the livestock possessed by Abram and Lot. Not wishing to have a breach in their relationship, Abram suggested that he and Lot separate their herds and part company (Genesis 13:5-9). At that point, God reminded Abram of His covenant and gave him more details of the promises involved.
Throughout history, God has separated His chosen from their familiar surroundings to prepare them for their part in His plan of salvation. Today we call the process “taking us out of our comfort zone.” Jacob departed to Haran to escape his brother’s wrath, but God taught Jacob needed lessens in fair play and humility so that he could become the father of Israel. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, but God used the time to prep Joseph in servitude, which enabled him to become a great leader and to preserve the nation. Moses fled for his life, but God gave him forty years to mellow and then brought him back as the deliverer.
As Christians, we are called to separate ourselves from the world. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2 KJV). If we are obedient and mindful of God’s commandments, we need not fear the separation Jesus refers to in Matthew 25:32-34 & 41. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Lot chose to live close to Sodom, which is the picture of the world, and entertained the lusts of the flesh. During this time, war broke out in the land involving Sodom. Those not able to escape, including Lot and his family, were taken captive. When Abram heard of his nephew’s captivity, he armed his trained servants and pursued the enemy freeing Lot and the others. (Genesis 14:11-16).
What a beautiful picture of Jesus pursuing and freeing the backslidden Christian. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18 KJV emphasis). Jesus read this verse from Isaiah 61:1 publicly in a synagogue at Nazareth and there proclaimed that He came to fulfill the Scriptures (Luke 4:21). Later in the same chapter, Luke tells of Jesus casting out “an unclean devil” from a man in the Capernaum synagogue. Jesus’ reassurance to set the captives free goes beyond physical captivity to spiritual and only Jesus can perform such victories.
After the victory over Chedorlaomer, Abram met Melchizedek king of Salem. Melchizedek is a picture or type of Christ. (1) Melchizedek is a king as well as a priest and represents the resurrected Christ’s role as King-Priest. (2) Melchizedek offers bread and wine, which are the elements of Christ’s memorial of sacrifice. (3) Melchizedek had a royal and unending authority, as does Christ. (4) Salem means peace, which makes Melchizedek’s title symbolic to Christ’s as the Prince of Peace. (See Hebrews 7)
God reward us with unexpected pleasures when we trust Him to fight our battles and deliver our loved ones.
Conclusion and Challenge:
Three years had past from the time Melinda made her startling announcement until her actual departure. During that time, she faced many pitfalls and fell into captivity of down right rebellion. Being the mother, I took Melinda’ rebellion personally, until God informed me that it was against Him and not me.
Unlike Abram, I had no army reserve ready to march into the enemy’s camp and rescue my daughter. At least, I wasn’t aware that I had at the time. I had no jurisdiction over the enemy nor had I any strength to conquer him. However, as a child of the King of kings, I soon realized I had access to more than enough power to get the job done. All I had to do was step aside and make room for the Lord to work out the details—not an easy task for any mother.
God allowed Melinda to make some wrong choices to teach her obedience. But He never took His hand off her. In His time (to me, it seemed like forever and a day), He brought her out of the enemy’s camp and placed her on the solid Rock.
While Melinda learned obedience, her father and I learned to surrender our most valuable assets to Him. Maybe it took three years, because we’re slow learners.