Abraham found himself in what amounts to an international incident. Words like insurgency, revolt, conquest, and raid can all be used to describe the situation here in Genesis 14. Without going into details about the battle, we see that with 318 men Abraham successfully attacked and defeated his enemies. That makes it sound like Abraham brought about the defeat. But the hero was not Abraham—the hero was God. God’s role in the victory was confirmed through an unexpected source.

After the battle, Melchizedek, king and priest of the city of Salem, met Abraham with a victory meal. His blessing and declaration of the Most High God’s victory (v. 19–20) is not something we today would expect from a Canaanite king.

I did not know what to expect when my husband became a soldier. I grew up in a sheltered environment. I had no context of where God fit into military life. I certainly did not expect to find the finest Christian people I have ever had the privilege to know. Not having had any exposure to churches other than my own, I was pleasantly surprised to find so many military families who testified to the greatness of God.