Lech Lecha - Chamishi
But How Will He Keep His Shoe On?
The king of Sodom (who had been conquered and whose captured booty was regained by Avram) asked for the captives as his share, offering Avram the material wealth for his trouble. Avram declined to take anything - "even so much as a shoelace" (verse 23) - so that the king would not be able to claim that it was he, rather than G-d, that had enriched Avram. All Avram wanted was the wages of his army. (He could waive his own share, but could not in good faith waive theirs.)
Subsequent to this, G-d appeared to Avram in a vision. G-d said that Avram's reward would be great, but Avram replied that there was no one to inherit him aside from his servant Eliezer. G-d assured Avram that he would, indeed, have children. He instructed Avram to go outside and look at the stars - that's how numerous his descendants would be! Avram was grateful for G-d's favor.