Genesis 14
1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.
8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

The Most High God is made known to Abram after he goes out to battle. When Lot is taken by a group of kings, Abram undertakes a rescue mission and is successful in bringing back Lot and his goods and the other people from Sodom. In return, Abram receives a blessing from the king of Salem and a priest of God named Melchizedek. In this we see that the Most High is the possessor of heaven and earth and that Abram belongs to Him, as well. The Most High brought about the deliverance that was accomplished here. He deserves the glory and the credit for overcoming the enemies of Abram. And Abram in return trusts in the Most High to provide for him and will not take anything from the king of Sodom. He recognized, and wanted others to recognize, that all he had was because of God alone.

El Elyon, the Most High, is above all and over all, so all that exists is under His dominion, including the Earth, all people, and all other gods. There is nothing that can be above Him, so He rules and reigns. He has authority and power. He has sovereignty to do as He wishes with that which He has made. He is supreme, and therefore we should not dare to place anyone or anything above Him. He is the highest that could possibly exist, but then in His grace, He is also near to us. He provides and helps. He delivers from enemies and trouble. We have all that we need in Him. That was what Abram found when he achieved this victory, and so he didn’t need what the king of Sodom had because he knew the God who owns everything.

Deuteronomy 32:6-14
6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
12 So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;
14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

As the possessor of all things, El Elyon divided the inheritance to the nations. In other words, He decides who gets what and who goes where. It is His to give however He would choose. The nation of Israel (His people) are His portion. He keeps them as a special possession of His very own because He had a specific purpose for them. He tended to Israel and raised them up and led them, taught them, provided for them. He enabled them to have His Word and to eventually produce the Savior.

The Most High, the owner of all, the creator of all, the ruler of all, decides our possession, our lot in life, as well. He has determined the course of our lives just in our location and the time in which we were born. He’s doled out our days. He’s given us an area and an era to inhabit. And He has a very deliberate purpose in all that He does, so we exist where we do and when we do because He has something He wants us to do in our place and time. But then He also gives us our inheritance in Himself, in His Son, in what Christ has won for us as our Lord and Savior. We have in Him a worthy portion because when we’ve trusted Christ, we’ll be with Him in His place forever.

Psalm 57:1-11
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

El Elyon is high, but He is still able to hear our cries. He is someone who we can call upon for help when our troubles seem overwhelming and the danger is very real. He is above all of our enemies and all of our problems. He has power that is more than those who would come against us. He is stronger than all the forces of the Earth. Thus, He can do things that no one else can. He really can help. He can save. He can deliver from all that comes against us. He can provide our greatest need in our most desperate situation. He is the ruler. He’s in charge. And He has the final say in all matters.

The Most High is our place of rest when everything else seems to be working against us. David found that to be so many times in his life. When it seemed there was no one else to trust, he could trust in God. When it seemed no one else would help him, God did. And because of that, David says his heart is fixed, meaning his faith is steadfast, strong, and firm. There was nothing that could shake him because he was looking to an unshakable God. And the natural response, then, is always praise, lifting His name, exalting Him to that place He alone is worthy to hold. We offer thanksgiving. We call upon Him, and He is glorified for helping us. We can fully trust the one who is over all things.

Psalm 91:1-16
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Again, we see here that El Elyon is a safe place to dwell when we are willing to place ourselves under Him. We submit to Him as the Most High, as the one who can help and protect. We shelter underneath His wings. We go inside the refuge that He provides in Himself, perhaps nearest to Him during the most troublesome times. It is sure safety that nothing can penetrate. We have this in Him here for all we will face in this life, but we also have this ultimately through Christ as our protection from wrath and punishment for sin and freedom from death. He is a habitation for us, so it’s like He is our home where we can abide in love and safety and wholeness that we can’t find apart from Him. Again, though He is supreme over all, He tends to each of us with careful attention, and in response, we exalt Him to that high position in our hearts.

Isaiah 14:12-14
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

This passage warns us of the danger of pride. That was Lucifer’s undoing and what caused him to fall. He thought to intrude into God’s domain, to have for himself what is reserved for God alone. He thought to rise above the Most High, and so he was brought to the lowest of the low. He thought to have worship and honor and glory for himself, but God will not share that with anyone else. Pride in our hearts seeks to remove God from that place that only He is worthy to occupy. Pride and selfishness want something they cannot have. Pride wants to be like God, or even to be above God, when that place is meant for Him alone.

When we keep God in His right and proper place, we will keep ourselves in our proper place, which is below Him and submitted to Him. We must guard against letting anything be above God in our lives, especially ourselves. Our attitude should not be one of wanting to be like the Most High in the sense of taking His place and assuming that power and role for ourselves. Instead we should desire to honor and worship Him as the Most High and serve Him as the ruler over all and surrender in humility to His authority and power. It’s not about us being in charge or in control or above, but being willing to recognize that He is in control and what that means for us.

The world around us can seem so big. The troubles that come upon us can seem overwhelming. The battles may seem daunting. But El Elyon stands above all of those things. He is bigger than our world, bigger than our problems, bigger than any battle we will face. He can help. He can provide. He can guard us and guide us through them as He did for Abram. And in the end, looking back, we’ll see that we don’t need what this world can give when we can have what only God can give to us. Let us bow before the Lord and give all the glory and honor and worship and praise to the Most High, the only one worthy, Jehovah El Elyon.