1/13 You Remind Me of Someone

This is Scripture for Students. I’m Steve Whitacre, president of Trinity College and a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. I want to help students build a daily habit for life-long Bible reading. Today is January 13, 2025 and this episode of Scripture for Students is called You Remind Me of Someone. Grab your Bible and let’s get started.

Our readings for today are Genesis 14, Matthew 13, and Nehemiah 3. Please open your Bibles to Genesis 14.

A few years ago, one of my kids looked out the window and said, “Dad, is that you running down the street?” And I said, “Why no, that isn’t me running down the street. Why do you ask?” She pointed, I looked and sure enough, there I was, running down the street. Only it wasn’t me. It turned out, we had a neighbor who looked like me. Middle-aged guy, a little over six feet tall, shaved head, short beard, mostly pepper with a little salt. Some people would have called him my dopplegänger, which is a German word that I think means twinsies. If you knew me and met this guy in the grocery store, you would probably think, “You remind me of someone.”

In our Scripture for Students today, we’re going to meet a character that will probably leave us thinking, “You remind me of someone.”

First, a little background to this story. In the beginning of chapter 14, we learn that there is a regional war between several kings. We don’t need to go into all the details here, but it seems that one king, Chederlaomer, had flexed on some other kings, bent them into submission, and forced them to pay tribute—a kind of tax—to him and to his kingdom. The defeated kings got sick of paying tribute so they banded together and went to war against Chederlaomer and his buddies. It was four against five and this guy Chederlaomer put a whoopin on the rebels. In the heat of battle, some innocent bystanders got taken captive and carried away. Those bystanders just happened to include Lot, the nephew of Abraham. 

So in our passage, it’s Abraham to the rescue. Follow along with me as I read Genesis 14:14–24:

14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 

15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 

16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. 

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 

19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 

20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 

23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 

24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

May the Lord bless the reading and the hearing and the keeping of his Word.

This is a great story. First, let this story’s depiction sink in. When we think of warrior kings in the Old Testament, we usually start with David. But Abram—later known as Abraham—seems pretty handy with a sword, too. It says that he has a private army. He has 318 trained men—men skilled at the art of war. Who trained them? It doesn’t say, but Abram is the one who leads them on this rescue mission, so I think we can take a pretty good guess. 

Abram and his boys suit up, saddle up, and ride out to rescue Lot. In verse 15, they launch a night attack and must have won pretty handily because the next thing you know, they are headed home with Lot, his people, and a bunch of spoils of war. Then the story really gets interesting. 

On the way home, the victors meet two kings. The king of Sodom comes out to meet them. He must have been a real scoundrel. He doesn’t come off too well in this story, and Moses doesn’t even bother recording his name. But the other king is named Melchizedek and he is the king of Salem. We can learn a lot about him in just a few verses.

First, his name, Melchizedek, means king of righteousness. And he was the king of Salem, which we could translate as “king of peace.” So the mere mention of this man’s name and his title together tell you about his character: righteousness and peace.

Second, it says in verse 18 that he was the priest of God Most High. And he is a king. It’s highly unusual to find someone who is both priest and king. In the rest of the Old Testament, those are positions that were kept separate, but here, one man is both a priest and a king. 

And Abram has so much esteem and respect for him that in verse 20, Abram gave him a tenth of everything. This whole war started with a cruel king exacting a tribute from a defeated people. Look at the turnaround: now the victor is freely offering a tribute to this priestly king. And the victor is none other than Abram, the father of Israel! How great must Melchizedek be that Abram would do this!

Is Melchizedek starting to remind you of someone? This is where my kids start shouting the classic Sunday School answer, “God, Jesus, Bible!” Yes, that’s right kids. If Melchizedek is starting to remind you a little bit of Jesus, you’re reading the story right. 

I’m going to give you a fancy theological term here: this is what Bible scholars call typology. Typology is when there is a pattern established earlier in the story that gets filled out, accomplished, elaborated, or improved upon later in the story. It could be a person, an event, or an institution. In this case, Melchizedek is the type: he provides a pattern for how God is at work in the world. And Jesus is what is called the anti-type. He fulfills the pattern established by the type. 

In a way, in a distant way, Jesus is like Melchizedek, but better. More accurately we would say that Melchizedek is a type of Jesus. Jesus is the king of righteousness and of peace, but unlike Melchizedek, he doesn’t just disappear from the story. 

Jesus is the perfect priest of God Most High. And Jesus deserves all our devotion and worship, even more than the ten percent tribute Abram offered up.

A passage like this is just one illustration of how the Bible tells one coherent story written by one capable author who is working in history to accomplish his will, which is to go on a rescue mission, kind of like Abram (ooh, look, more typology!). His rescue mission is to save his people from sin. 

So let’s keep our eyes open as we read the Old Testament. The next time we see a dopplegänger running down the street of the Old Testament, let’s think about how that’s typology, how that pattern is fulfilled in Jesus. 

That’s all for today. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend and follow us on Apple Podcasts.

This content is sponsored by Trinity College of Louisville. We shape young men and young women for Christ and for the church. Learn more at TrinityCollegeLou.com. Until next time, keep growing!