The whole history closes in the end of this chapter, with Melchizedek, and the revelation of God in His final character in time, or dispensation—Possessor of heaven and earth—victory after failure—and full final blessing, and praise, and that in the King of righteousness and King of peace.
2. " That these," better left out.
12. " And he, a dweller in Sodom," is rather emphatic in Hebrew.
14. Grace does not cease to care for the worldly believer, who has got into weakness, though strength be with faith.
19. This is power and its full results, as it will be indeed accomplished. It receives all from the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth; so Abram knows God. There is not an altar here, we are on other ground; Abraham was only prophetically and typically on this ground, but worship is not prophetic. It is the people of God's (Israel's) full victorious blessing in the millennial earth.
From the world's possessor of the earth the believer will take nothing.
22. NOTE.—Abram, in speaking to the King of Sodom takes the place of Melchizedek's revelation—acts on the full results of all, in his ways as to this world. " I have lifted up my hand to the most high God, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take"—will not give the world an opportunity of saying—"I have made Abram rich." He who possesses heaven and earth will do, what seems good to Him, with us in this respect. Abram here, with his brother, with the enemy, with the world as such, is above the world—its master and superior—morally and really—Lot under its power; if we enjoy it we are. On Church ground, with Sarah and Pharaoh, he had failed; but he had gone down through trial, not inquiring God's will; it was not taking the world, but his own counsel when tried.
NOTE.—Abraham gives up the world in liberty—conquers it in power—refuses it that he may have everything from God. He is blessed of the most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth.
NOTE.—While Abram is called by the revelation of the God of glory, and then by God's again appearing to him in the land, he gets the ground of worship; with us it is more inward and intimate, though on the same principle; Christ, that bread of God, is revealed in our souls, as the object revealed by the inward working of the Father's drawing, and then our worship is not merely by an outward revelation which calls forth praise and adoration, but we feed on Him slain for our sakes. All the divine love and grace, the perfect obedience which has been shown in Him, dying in love for us, draws out our praise and adoration to the Father who gave Him, and to Him who gave Himself; and the soul is fed by this grace, the heart delighting in it inwardly, and entering into it by the power and working of the Spirit of God. This is evidently a nearer and more intimate thing, hence we see how the Lord's supper allies itself to worship, witnessing too redemption. The glorified Christ is another thing, there we are drawn out after, and see the absolute completeness of the work, and the new place into which we are called.
There was no promise, before Abraham, to any person as an object and depositary of it; there was an object of faith in the judgment of the serpent, as to the promised seed, but there was no person an object of promise. What Christ was to God is to us of infinite interest in this way; for the drawing out of one of deep and admirable affections, and large mental powers, an adequate object is necessary, that all He is may be displayed and in exercise. Now Christ, looked at as an object, was divinely and infinitely so to God and His Father; such was He, that all that was in the Godhead of infinite perfection was necessarily and perfectly drawn out—what a blessed thought!
NOTE.—It is into this we are brought, as put in Christ; as love, " that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them," this is only a given case of it—" that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me." He is gone to His Father and our Father, His God and our God. When we think how all that God is, must shine out on Christ in glory in the Father's house, and remember that we are there with Him ever, and like Him, we see what the infinite enjoyment of our heavenly place will be. What a sweet, blessed, and peaceful portion!