Let me suggest that the Gen. 14:14-24 insertion is a validation of God's promise to Abraham before it really exists. Sarah can't have babies. The family run-down concludes with this info in 11:30. Then the promise that demands the contrary. You would expect she has a baby now. But not yet. Then in 13:14-17, but still no baby. 14... Abraham bails out Lot with his paramilitary group partnered with some kings (then 14:14-24). Then 15:1-21, but no baby. 16, weird. 17 covenant and a more specified promise of a son. 18, 19, 20 and finally 21:Isaac is born.
The point is belabored in the narrative what God is doing, (I may be breaking the Cardinal rule of the canonical-linguistic approach by using the words of that Paul guy from the NT here)... But very emphatically the Lord is calling into existence things that just plainly do not exist (Rom 4:17). From 11 to 21 Moses is showing us that.
I am not giving a comprehensive understanding of Melchizedek here. But I do think his portion of the narrative validates God's promise to Abraham in 12 as it having an already-occurring reality, in some way. Abraham is one blessed and is also the blesser. Melchizedek knows Abraham as the one blessed by the Creator of 1-2 (14:19). Melchizedek, the Righteous King, understands something about Abraham that the reader can also see, namely, that he is special.
And the priest-king thing is really really important:)
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