NOTES for Gen 14:1-24
Abram's battle with the five kings is the first of the many wars that entered sacred history. For an ancient person, with his primitive weapons and ways of waging war, battle was a critical life situation in which he needed all his strength and wisdom. His gods fought together with him, and the outcome of the war testified to their strength as well. That is why Abram's victory in this battle had to demonstrate the superiority of his God and His authority over the whole Holy Land. The offering of the mysterious king Melchizedek speaks of the same thing. Abram sees that God is already beginning to fulfill His promise and expects more, so he refuses the help of the king of Sodom: God Himself will make him rich. This is heard at the beginning of the next episode, where the words about a "great reward" are spoken. Remaining an ordinary person of his time, Abram waits for the time when the still unclear and undefined Promise will be fulfilled, and that is why he finds himself at the center of the history of God and the world.