Genesis 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.
Who is the Owner?
I don’t know how you picture Abraham the patriarch, but Genesis 14 is a little counter to the old, gray-bearded Abraham that most of us imagine. In Genesis 14, when Abraham was still known as Abram, the Bible tells the story about how Abram’s nephew, Lot, was taken captive along with others from Sodom in a war between rival kings.
Genesis 14:14 says, “And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” Abram’s 300 armed servants may have been a small army, but it was a big tactical commando outfit. These men were trained and armed, and they pursued the enemy. Imagine Abram leading a midnight raid on a foreign, sovereign army and actually getting the victory! Abram was a wealthy, powerful man who still had enough vitality to lead a raid in a very dangerous situation and prevail.
When it was all said and done, there was a very grateful king of Sodom who said, “Look, Abram, you just give me the captives back to me, and you can keep all the spoils of the battle.” Abram’s reply is a great window into his soul and to where he was with God. Abram said to the king of Sodom in verse 22, “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.”
How you give and what you receive depends on who you believe the owner to be. In the same chapter Abram gave a tithe to Melichizedek. The reason Abram was generous to tithe was because Abram realized that God was the one that gave the victory, power, and money. Abram realized that all that he had was really owned by God. He was simply a steward.
Later on, when the king of Sodom offered to give him great wealth, Abram said, “No.” He was putting his hand up to the Most High God, the Possessor, not out to a wicked king. Both Abram’s giving and receiving, or refusing to receive, were based on his recognition of Who owned what he had. Today, your ability to be generous and your response to what you have been given hinges almost completely on who you deem to own what you steward.