Giving up our rights is counter-culture to everything we know naturally, but as a believer, there are times in life that it’s the best thing to do given the circumstances. This is a continuation from the last devotional.
2. Giving up our rights for the sake of freedom
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.
21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Genesis 14:18-22
Abraham went to out to defeat the enemies of Sodom and rescued his nephew along with the other people who were held captive. Abraham in this case fought like a warrior and took it upon himself to assist a king who needed help in defeating his enemies.
King of Sodom appreciated Abraham’s efforts and sacrifice. He in turn offered Abraham the spoils from the battle desiring to bless him for his support. However, Abraham refused to accept the goods from the king. He told the king that he had promised his God that he wasn’t going to take anything from the king.
In Genesis, chapter 12, we read about God’s promises to Abraham. When this special offer was presented to him, Abraham had not forgotten about God’s amazing promises to him. He was confident that God would make him successful; he didn’t want to be tied to a king who can gloat about making Abraham rich. He desired for God to be glorified in his success and that no other person would get credit for it.
When we allow others to have such a significant hand in our lives that our success or wealth depends on only one person, it is dangerous, and it can lead to ungodly ties! One can feel a great obligation and responsibility to maintain a good relationship with the person in order not to lose what he/she has gained through the relationship. Ungodly ties can ultimately change us because now our focus has shifted from pleasing God to pleasing man!
Abraham deserved the goods, but he chose to let them go. He desired only God to be glorified in his life. He didn’t want a man to steal the glory or have a claim to Abraham’s success.
The decision to give up our rights isn’t easy. We can justify the fact that we deserve the goods or that the blessing is from the Lord. We can think about our hard labor over the years and desire not to squander our investment of time and energy. However, we have to look at the issue at a deeper level and understand its impact on our lives. Is this causing us to be tied to a person because of our perceived need of them?
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
