EL ELYON – THE MOST HIGH GOD
Text: Gen. 14:1-24
14 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.
8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
1. The Backdrop
The backdrop for the introduction and understanding of the name El Elyon is the story of battle, defeat, hopelessness, hopefulness, rescue, recovery, and return.
1)
- King Chedorlaomer and his confederacy of four kings attack the confederacy of five kings, two of which are the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- The best of the people and supplies that were confiscated included Lot, his family, and all of their possessions.
- Those left behind after the defeat were left hopeless. They had no resources, supplies, food, etc.
- They are without hope of things getting better.
2)
- Abram, upon hearing what has happened to Lot, immediately springs into action with a rescue mission.
- Abram takes his 318 trained men along with his buddies Aner, Eschol, and Mamre.
Abram and his men attacked at night, won the battle, and retrieved all the goods and people that were stolen away from Canaan.
Question: What moved Abram to pursue and rescue? He had hope. He hoped in God and that God would be his source for victory.
2. The Revealing
When Abram returns with all the goods and people, Melchizedek, the King of Salem (Peace), comes to meet him with bread and wine. Not only is Melchizedek the king of Salem, he is also the priest of the Most High God (El Elyon).
El Elyon means “God Most High.” El Elyon is God of all creation, possessor of heaven and earth. He is the
In chapter 14 we see various kings mentioned by name. Some are victorious in battle, but none have the power, strength, and resources that God Most High has.
No matter the strength or power of the opposition for Abram, El Elyon was stronger still.
When it comes to us and our lives, no matter what stands against us (people, government, problems, circumstances, etc.), we can be hopeful because God, El Elyon, is stronger and more powerful.
Tony Evans
When people or powers seek to intimidate you, your recourse is to call on the name of El Elyon. Know that there is always someone higher, stronger, and more influential than them. No circumstance intimidates [El Elyon].
- No one but God has the final say so. The name El Elyon means that God has the right and power to overrule.
- That was true for Abram and his 318 men versus 4 victorious kings in battle. And that is true in our lives too. Why? Because El Elyon is the God Most High over heaven and earth.
- Our eyes must not be focused on the size of our
3. The Understanding
- How Abram understood the name El Elyon is illustrated within this story.
Abraham saw God as being the only one worthy of glory. God doesn’t share His glory with anyone.
When Abram returned home, he was met by the king of Sodom. He told Abram that he could keep the stuff, just let him have the people.
- That may sound cool, but it had an ulterior motive. He wanted to
- Abram said, “No. I won’t take a shoelace from the spoils. It won’t be said you made Abram rich.”
In essence Abram said, “No glory for you. God, El Elyon, is the One who blessed me.”
Melchizedec said, “Blessed be Abraham..Blessed be God who delivered the victory into your hands,” i.e. God gets the credit and glory.
God was the
The only reason Abram won is because God delivered his enemies into his hand.
- It wasn’t Abram’s smarts, talents, skills, know-how, his army, his men, his whatever. It was God.
God is the owner of heaven and earth. He is the source of it all. He is the source of victory.
God sources the resources we use to enjoy victory.
When you understand that El Elyon (God) is your source (not money, health, job, security, etc.) you don’t need to
Abram recognized the reality that God delivered the victory to him; therefore, Abram gave a tithe to Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God.
- Giving the tithe was a visible, physical recognition that God owned it all.
Abram responded the way he did because he recognized that he was blessed and that his blessing came from God.