He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ~ 2Peter 1:4 (NIV)
This morning, as I read the story of Genesis 14, the above verse suddenly became very clear. And I’m so glad to understand how good God is. Here the account of Genesis 14 that I read:
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
It is so interesting how the story was told. In that valley, two kings met Abram: King of Sodom and King of Salem. One blessed Abram in God the Creator of Heaven & Earth. The other offered Abram wealth and riches as possession. The order also is very interesting, the blessing from God came first before the offer of the worldly riches.
And Abram’s response is very telling. He rejected the offer of worldly king by clinging to the promises God had given him.
Isn’t this tell what Peter meant in beginning of his letter? God has given us His great and precious promises. Many promises, not only one or two. Not small or insignificant, but great and precious. So that we would escape the corruption in and of this world through sinful desires, and become partakers of divine nature (God’s nature).
Isn’t it so beautiful? That God has given to us what we need in order to live according to His will? He doesn’t ask us to live up to His standards without first giving us what we need. Abram could reject the luxurious offer only because God had given His great and precious promises.
What are some of God’s promises that you could hold on this week?