The Price Is Never Right

Genesis 14:22-23

22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God most High, Creator of heaven and earth and have taken an oath 23that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a threat or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'

Abram and his men defeated Kedorlaomor king of Elam and the other kings allied with him who had invaded Sodom and taken Abram's nephew Lot captive. The king of Sodom had offered Abram a deal by where if Abram gave up his men to him, he would be allowed to keep a great deal of possessions. Abram declined. He said he would only eat and share that which his men ate of. Abram knew that by taking anything from the king of Sodom he would be put at his mercy. Abram who just finished fighting for the freedom of his relative, realized that being at the mercy of another because of silver and gold was a high price to pay.

Entering into deals for the sake of anything comes with a price. The actual price versus 'retail' price, what is said something is going for, is often completely different. Once the transaction has taken place, the actual price is often revealed. In reality, the price is never right. Abram chose to be at the mercy of no one other than the Lord. The Lord is the only one who has true power to give and take what it is that He provides. Man has no real power other than what is allowed by the hands of the Lord. Yes, even Satan is limited in what he can do. The problem is many perceive man to have more power and that is why transactions that ought not take place actually do. Abram saw far enough down the road with God's wisdom that the price would never be right. What about you? Were you given a retail price versus an actual? Did you find out that the price is never right? Like Abram, you have a choice. Be at the mercy of our Lord who has ALL power, or be at the mercy of man who has limited power. The man with limited power can only sustain it for so long. And as we know later what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroyed them both.