Today’s Scripture Reading (May 30,
2015): Genesis 14
The day that I bought
my first house, the joke was that at last I had joined the class of the landowners
– well, me and the bank. Back on the day I bought the house, I figured that the
part I owned was probably just the workbench in the garage – the rest the bank
owned. So I was proud of my workbench. Years have passed since that day, but
the joke is no less true, except that today I own more of the house. But my
house continues to be owned by me – and the bank who has lent me the money to
buy it.
But what we
sometimes miss is that, while it seems to be hard to make it through life
without owing somebody, who we owe matters. And it goes beyond just the
interest rate. Who you owe, at least to some extent, gets to call some of the
shots over your life. Enter the conspiracy theorists. There is no such thing as
a payment that is made without any strings attached. Everyone who gives you
money wants something from you. And the only question is this – are you
comfortable with where that might take you. Corporations have demanded that
employees cover up illegal activities because payments have been made. Friends and
family demand favors for the money that you owe them. We have been bought and
paid for – the only question that we have to answer is, who is it that owns us?
Abram storms
off to rescue his nephew Lot, and in completing his task he did a favor for the
King of Sodom and the kings who were aligned with him. Some have wondered about
the generosity that the King of Sodom seems to display toward Abraham. But then
again, what use is it to be king if someone has carried all of your subjects
away into captivity. The bottom line is that the king of Sodom needed his
people more than he needed the plunder that had been stolen away from him in
the war.
What the
King of Sodom was willing to part with would have made Abram rich – or at least
richer. But Abram wasn’t comfortable with who it was that he would end up
owing. Even at this point, Abram seemed to know that there was something wrong
in the valley of Sodom and Gomorrah - and it was something with which Abram needed
to remain unconnected.
Besides,
Abram knew that everything he had could only come from his God, a commitment
that he would not turn his back on – no matter how much the king of Sodom was
willing to offer to give to him.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis
15
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