The Meaning Of Life

If you’ve just happened to stumble across this point, welcome. This is my next method of studying God’s Word. The first time I read the Bible, I simply read through it without much thought. The second time I read it, I actually studied the Bible, highlighting areas I felt important and taking notes in the header and columns. The third time I read the Bible, I used a computer software called e-Sword, a software that includes various versions of the Bible, included commentary from famous theologians, and among others, had a place you could type in your notes.

I then participated in a year-long study of the Book of Revelation, then the next year, I read the Bible once again with an online study group. And I keep trying to find ways in which I can study the Bible, learn more, understand more, and fill my heart more, and this is it. This blog is open to the public, but it is strictly for me. I study books of the Bible, then put my commentary and understanding in this blog, and this time, I’m trying to focus only on the Biblical text, and not on someone else’s interpretation. Not that I’m cynical, but I have this thing about, “In the end times, there will be prophets and false prophets”, so I’m not smart enough on the Bible yet enough that I can tell the difference. So anyone’s teachings or anything from man, I’m trying to avoid. And if it comes from a friend I trust, I accept and consider it deeply. Satan fooled Eve so easily, he can fool me just the same, and I’m trying to be on-guard.

Now that I’ve finished that long dissertation, I begin my study of Chapter 14 in the Book of Genesis.

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/genesis/14.htm

In the last chapter, Abram and Lot separated because the flocks and populations of their families were too great for the land to sustain, and Lot chose the prime land, leaving Abram with the lesser of the two. And the land Lot chose was near the city of Sodom.

You have to look at an ancient world map to see where all of these countries were located, the countries identified by their kings because Israel now owns that lands, or was given the land by God. We do know it was close to the Dead Sea, known back then as the “Salt Sea”. And because these times were BC, “Before Christ”, and they had no way of counting the years because they were not numbered, they kept track by the birth of Kings and how long they had reigned, for example, “In the third year of King Saul”, or something like that.

Enough said, there was war in the land between a group of Kings (named in the Bible) and another group of Kings (named in the Bible), where Lot was. And in the war, Lot and his family became hostages. And someone escaped the war and told Abram. And Abram and his men went to save Lot, and were successful.

I’ve heard different views on how Abram was able to achieve this, stories of raiders that stole Abrams livestock, so his herdsmen were prepared, trained, and armed to defend, but despite whatever the actual tactics were, I believe it is safe to say that God was on Abram’s side, and blessed him in this battle.

Then the book brings in a King named Melchizedek, of whom very little is known. The Bible says he was a “most High Priest” and that he was the King of Salem. Salem is a Hebrew word meaning “Peace”, and we can often recognize it in the Jewish Capital of Jerusalem, where the prefix “Jeru” means “City of”, so the name Jerusalem means “City of Peace”. Obviously though, this was before Israel was established and the town of Jerusalem, while it was likely there, was yet to be named as such.

Then, it is insinuated that Melchizedek tried to reward Abram by giving him wealth, but Abram denied the offer, indicating he was working for God, and instead, Abram titled Melchizedek, which indicates that Melchizedek was in deed a Priest of God.

Melchizedek is obviously an interesting character, but we know nothing else more than this book about him.