Labor day

This is one of the first Labor days that I can recall actually being off. And so, in an effort to be still be productive, I've been pouring over Ellul's Money & Power. The book is insightful and the following excerpt not only seems appropiate but has me reeling...(From page 38 in the chapter titled wealth in the Old Testament.)

After Abraham's victory over Chedarlaomer, who had plundered Sodom and Gomorrah, all this wealth is in Abraham’s hands. The king of Sodom gives it to him.

"The king of Sodom said to Abram: 'Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself" (Gen. 14:21). Abraham answered the king of Sodom:
"I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, maker of heaven and earth,
that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or anything that is yours,
lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but
what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went
with me; let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share'" (Gen. 14:22-24).

In Abraham's refusal, we see first his concern not to depend on man for wealth. The way he formulates his refusal shows that he is not acting for merely political reasons, as we too easily conclude; he does not refuse because he is afraid this gift will ally him with the king of Sodom, but because of the Lord. Because the Lord is master of heaven and earth, Abraham can accept nothing from anyone else. To receive wealth from someone else is to deny God's lordship. To try to make money by whatever means possible, to give it first place in one's affections, to extract it from work or from war, is not to recognize this lordship, which cannot be simply a comforting word but it must be an attested reality.