“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand” (Gen 14:19-20).
This is the benediction of Melchizedek on Abram. It is a special kind of petition, where we seek the blessing of God on another. Do we realize how strategic such words can be? Look at this example. Abram and his militia of 318 men had journeyed 160 miles through the night to engage four armies at dawn. They soundly defeated them and brought home to Jerusalem, 140 additional miles, all the captives and spoils. Abram did not know that in a very short time he would be facing from the king of Sodom a temptation that could have undermined his testimony throughout history.
But the King of Righteousness and Peace intervened and put into the patriarch’s mouth the actual words that he would need (v 22)! Our benedictions may well be the means of protecting those we love in their hours of need!