Abram had just returned from a victorious battle against four kings of the East. Before Abram returned to the great tree of Mamre in Hebron he stopped by Salem to pay honor to the Lord and give the Priest of God Most High, Melchizedek, a tithe of the plunder gained in the battle. But, when Bera, the cowardly King of Sodom, feigns an appearance of blessing Abram by "allowing" him to keep the plunder, Abram renounces any ties with Sodom and its fateful future when he says:

"I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ " - Genesis 14:22-23

"After this" in Genesis 15:1 refers to the time immediately after Abram had returned home to Hebron. It is at this time that Abram might have began to realize the seriousness of his actions over the past few weeks.

1. Abram had just engaged four of the great and powerful kings of the ruling Eastern countries and defeated them while taking their plunder. These kings would surely contemplate
   retaliation and return to settle the score with Abram.
2. Then, after having rescued the property and people of Sodom, Abram renounced any claim to ownership of the plunder, and instead put his fate and his wealth in the hands of "the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." Abram insults King Bera of Sodom by saying,

   "I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' "

In this situation God appears again to Abram to tell him two things:

1. "Do not be afraid...I am your shield" against the kings from the East and anyone else!
2. "Do not be afraid...I am your very great reward" that is worth far more than the wealth you left at the feet of Bera, king of Sodom!

The Lord is telling Abram that he did the right thing in going to war, in rescuing the people, and in walking away from the wealth of Sodom. Abram is still living by faith. He is not trying to appease the invading kings. Nor is he trying to gain wealth and advancement in a land God has promised will be given to his descendants in the future.

The Council of Chalcedon met in 451 to resolve the church’s understanding of the nature of Jesus Christ. Believers in Alexandria, Egypt were influenced by Greek philosophy and emphasized Christ as the Divine Word (logos) that over shadowed his humanity. Apollinarius even taught that the logos took the place of the human soul of Jesus. The school of thought in Antioch, Syria focused on his humanity being fully human. They were accused of saying Jesus had two natures. From a monastery in Constantinople Eutyches taught that Jesus’ human nature was lost in the Divine like a drop of honey dissolves in the sea. In 451 at the Council of Chalcedon Pope Leo’s proposal was incorporated into the final statement of faith:

Jesus Christ is
“acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation...the characteristic property of
each nature being preserved, and coming together
to form one person.”