Verse of the Day: Abram Tithed in Genesis

19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

Genesis 14:19-20 (NLT)

From the Life Application Bible:

Abram gave a tenth of the goods he recovered to Melchizedek. However, he refused to take any of the recovered goods from the king of Sodom. Even though this huge amount would significantly increase what he could have given to God, he chose to reject it for more important reasons – he didn’t want the ungodly king of Sodom to say, “I have made Abram rich.” Instead, Abram wanted him to say, “God has made Abram rich.” In this case, accepting the gifts would have focused everyone’s attention on Abram or the king of Sodom rather than on God, the giver of victory. When people look at us, they need to see what God as accomplished in our lives.

From the Nelson Study Bible:

blessed be God most High: When we bless God, we acknowledge Him as the source of all our blessings (see Ps. 103:1, 2). Melchizedek declared the true nature of Abram’s victory – God delivered him. Here is the first mention of the tithe in the Bible (see Deut. 14:22). Abram’s gift indicates that he considered Melchizedek a true priest of the living God; in giving this gift Abram was giving to the Lord.