The part of Canaan where Lot settled was a land of great wickedness. “Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord (Gen. 13:13). Lot’s decision to settle there showed his predisposition towards that type of life style, as even when God set to destroy the cities Lot was reluctant to flee the destruction.
A unique event occurred which shows Abram’s strength and character. Various Canaanite Kings attempted to defeat Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot was captured by them. Abram, with just a few hundred men, conquered the Canaanite Kings and freed his nephew Lot (Gen. 14:1-16). Although he had helped the wicked men of Sodom and Gomorrah, probably on behalf of his nephew, Abram refused to take any of the spoils of victory he would have otherwise been entitled to. So Abram shows his family character by rescuing Lot and his faithfulness to trust God for his goods and not accept any tribute by the wicked men he had saved from destruction. “Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, [El Elyon] possessor [creator] of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ “I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share” (Gen. 14:22-24).
Then Abram met a mysterious stranger to which he tithed a tenth of what he had. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High [El Elyon]. He [Melchizedek] blessed him [Abram] and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High [again El Elyon], Possessor [Creator] of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High [El Elyon], Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He [Abram] gave him a tenth of all (Ge. 14:18-20). Who was this high priest Melchizedek who recognized Abram as a man of God and apparently served the same God as Abram (the Creator of Heaven and Earth)?
Melchizedek was identified as both a priest of God, (El Elyon), and a King of Salem. In a literal interpretation of Genesis 14:19, Melchizedek blesses Abraham “in the name of God Most High” which is translated El Elyon. Melchizedek also calls the “God Most High” (El Elyon) the possessor or “creator” of heaven and earth. Abraham, worshipped a God called “Yahweh” but apparently made no distinction between his God and that of Melchizedek because Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek thereby conceding him a priesthood greater than his own patriarchal priesthood. Also Melchizedek worshiped only one God, unlike Abraham’s Canaanite neighbors, eliminating the theory that he hailed from a polytheistic society.
Salem, wherein Melchizedek was identified as being King, is closely associated with Jerusalem which eventually became the center for worship by the Jews in King David’s time. Prior to the Jewish occupation of the city it was named “Uru-salem or Uru-salimmu” (see the Tell el-Amarna letters, 14th century B.C.). It is believed that Melchizedek heralded from that city and Salem is also translated “peace” (see Psalm 76:2). Melchizedek’s validity as a priest of the Most High God (also El Elyon) is emphasized by Abraham, as he rejects any spoils offered him by the defeated Canaanite Kings, in the name of the same God he mentioned in Genesis 14:19.
Melchizedek is later identified in the scriptures as holding an eternal priesthood as a type of Christ who was to come. The Book of Hebrews goes into the most detail as to hat this mysterious figure, Melchizedek, represented. Hebrews explains that Old Testament Priests, from the tribe of Levi, officiated over the various sacrifices given to God by the people to atone for sin. However, this priesthood was temporary, not permanent, in that the sacrifices had to be offered over and over again. Further, the Priests died and their priesthood was ended. Christ, on the other hand, was not from the physical tribe of Levi (He was of the natural lineage of Judah). Therefore Christ (Jesus) had no part in the Old Testament temporary priesthood. His priesthood was permanent in that His one sacrifice forever accomplished salvation and reconciliation to God (Hebrews 7:1-3). His priesthood is therefore described in Hebrews as that of Melchizedek, both stated as being eternal.
In Genesis Chapter 15 God offers Abram a son. “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”Abram said, “O Lord God [YHWH], what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir” (Ge. 15:1-4).
Abram asked for a sign that this would be true and the Lord told him to sacrifice a calf, which Abram cut in pieces to make ready the sacrifice. “It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces” (Ge. 15:17). Besides being a miraculous appearing of the Lord by passing between the sacrifice in such a manner, the “smoking oven” and the “flaming sword” are symbols of light which indicates the presence of the Lord. The flaming sword is also symbolic of the Word of God and Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 19:11-16).
Now we see the human side of Abram, the man God called a man of faith. God had promised him a son yet Sarah was approaching old age and it began to look like it was not going to happen. Thus Abram took the promise from God’s hands and took it on himself to produce an heir. “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai [Adam listened to Eve]. After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress [Sarah] was despised in her sight” (Ge. 16:1-4). Finally Hagar fled from Sarah because of Sarah’s abuse.
The Lord met Hagar and told her to go back and resubmit herself to Sarah. The Lord spoke to Hagar about her son Ishmael in her womb: “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael[God hears], Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers” (Ge. 16:11-12). To the east of Canaan is the land today called Arabia and argueably Ishmael was the beginning of the Arabian race. Later the prophet Mohammed, from the land of Arabia, would found the Muslim religion and would claim Ishmael as their child of promise. Historically the Muslims were a warlike nation who even conquered Israel and Jerusalem in the middle ages.
Later, after the birth of Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael, were driven away by Sarah and reluctantly by Abraham. God told Abraham: “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. “And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant” (Ge. 21:12-13). God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt” (Ge. 21:20-21). Paran was a desolate wilderness east of Canaan.
In Chapter 17 God reiterated His promise to Abram that he would have the son of promise through his wife Sarai. He also changed Abram’s [exalted Father] name to Abraham [Father of a multitude]