In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul asked: “Who goes to warfare anytime at his own charges?” (1Corinthians 9:7). He mentioned this in his defense that he was a legitimate Apostle of Christ. He mentioned that he had all the marks of being a legitimate Apostle, saying that the fact that these Corinthians were believers in the Gospel was proof enough that he was what he claimed to be. (cp. 1Corinthians 9:1-2). Paul went on in his defense, asking, if he alone hadn’t a right to be supported by believers, since all the other Apostles were supported by the believing members of the churches, they raised up and preached to. Yet, he alone took nothing in the way of his own support. In other words, he went to war at his own expense. He made himself chargeable to no man, and would rather die than allow another man to claim, he, Paul, was obligated to him, because he supported Paul and his ministry (1Corinthians 9:15). It is in this context that we should understand Abram’s attitude (Genesis 14:23).
It must have taken some time for Abram to offer his tithes to the Lord, because the text claims Abram was very rich in livestock (Genesis 13:2). Therefore, the King of Sodom, who had come to greet Abram in the valley of Shaveh (Genesis 14:17), must have waited, until Abram was finished worshiping. Only afterwards, was he able to speak with him, and at that time he offered Abram the whole booty of the war, if he would return his people to him (Genesis 14:21).
Abram’s worship was not to be considered pretense, which it would have been, had he accepted the king’s offer. It is probable that Abram had brought all his livestock to the Valley of Shaveh, before he left to pursue after Chedorlaomer and bring Lot and his family back from captivity. This must have been so, because it was here that he offered his tithe. In other words, Abram must have prayed to the Lord for success prior to his war with Chedorlaomer, and had his livestock available to him to offer to God, immediately upon his successful return.
Therefore, Abram told the King of Sodom, to keep both his people and his goods, and he wouldn’t take the least piece of his property, because he didn’t want the king to claim he had sent Abram on a mission to attack Chedorlaomer and return his goods. In other words, Abram wasn’t the king’s mercenary, whom he hired in his service. Abram was not about to let the king claim it was he (the king), who made Abram rich, or that he (the king) should be credited for the return of his people. The king had absolutely nothing to do with what Abram did, and Abram’s refusal to take any of the booty for himself was proof of this, vis-à-vis Abram went to war at his own expense!
Abram claimed that he had lifted up his hand to the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:22). In other words, Abram claimed his hand, vis-à-vis what he had done in bringing back the people, the supplies and the other things of value that were seized, was to bring glory to the name of the Most High God, and the King of Sodom had no part in Abram’s magnifying the Lord’s name. In other words, ‘keep what is yours, for they have no place in what had occurred!’ (Genesis 14:23). The only exception to this was what Abram’s young men had eaten, and the king should allow for Mamre’s portion and that of his two brothers (Genesis 14:24), for they went with Abram as allies, not worshipers of the Most High God.
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