Genesis 14:1-24
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Background
Last week we saw the split between Abram and Lot. Lot went east into the Jordan valley to settle, where Sodom and Gomorrah were. Abram sojourned within the land of Canaan, and God reaffirmed His promise that Abram’s descendants would inhabit that land.
Gen. 14:1-9
1 And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
2 that they 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 (that is, Zoar).
3 All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
8 And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim,
9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
Abram had settled in Hebron after separating from Lot.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
During the time that Abram was sojourning in the land of Canaan, there was a coalition of 4 kings who had subjugated 5 other nations. After 12 years of subjugation, sometime after the separation, after Lot had settled in the land around Sodom, the 5 kings of those nations rebelled against their overlords.
This rebellion caused the coalition, led by the king of Elam, to amass their armies and march on their vassals.
Their conquest included waging war against the giants (Rephaim). This is the first mention of them in Scripture, but not of their kind - Nephilim.
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
The Nephilim were giants, some of the best known were the sons of Anak.
33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’
They were known to dwell in Hebron, where Abram was.
13 Now he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah, according to the command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron).
15 Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.
There were others like them. Notice the name listed - same as in v. 5.
10 (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim.
11 Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
Another people group, the Horites, listed.
20 (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin,
21 a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the Lord destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
22 just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day.
By the time of Moses and Joshua, the Rephaim were hunted to extinction.
8 “Thus we took the land at that time from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of Arnon to Mount Hermon
10 all the cities of the plateau and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
11 (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.)
13 “The rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob (concerning all Bashan, it is called the land of Rephaim.
12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses struck them and dispossessed them.
After coming south on the east side of the Jordan valley, they came back around along the southern part of the Dead (Salt) Sea into the valley of Siddim.
The 5 rebellious kings stood against the army in this valley.
Gen. 14:10-12
10 Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country.
11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed.
12 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.
The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah betrayed their fellow vassals and fled from the battle, and in doing so many of their troops fell into the tar pits.
The victorious overlords took plunder from the fleeing armies, as well as captives, including Lot and his possessions, since he was dwelling amongst Sodom.
Lot’s choice of dwelling was beginning to bear its consequences.
Gen. 14:13-17
13 Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16 He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.
17 Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
Abram had settled in the land of Hebron, amongst the Amorites whom he had made a covenant with. He was made aware of his nephew’s troubles and immediately went into action to save him.
Abram (at least 75 years old) led a force of 318 trained soldiers to rescue Lot from the armies of 4 oppressive kings.
This was an incredible display of bravery and faith.
2 “Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.
3 “He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.
4 “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’ ”
We must do the right thing in faith, even when victory appears impossible.
We must do the right thing in faith, even when victory appears impossible.
Abram also used wise tactics and assaulted the enemy armies by night, securing victory and pursuing his enemies until they were completely removed from the area.
Remember, Lot had accumulated great wealth and herds, which was the whole reason Abram and Lot had separated.
Abram was greeted by the cowardly king of Sodom, who had abandoned the fight, just north of where Abram had settled, in the King’s Valley.
Gen. 14:18-24
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.”
22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
24 “I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”
We are introduced to an enigmatic character: Melchizedek.
His name means “my king is right (righteousness or justice).”
He was the king of Salem (“peaceful”), which is an early name for the city of Jerusalem.
He is a priest of God Most High, El Elyon. This is the first time in Scripture that God is identified by this title.
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;
3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.
4 And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”;
6 just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.
3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.
5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.
6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.
8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.
9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,
10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Abram was blessed by Melchizedek, and in turn gave him a tenth of all the spoil.
The lesser is blessed by the greater.
God chose to foreshadow The Son through Melchizedek.
God chose to foreshadow The Son through Melchizedek.
22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,
24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
We are children of Abraham and receive the same blessing.
6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.
7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
In contrast to Melchizedek, the king of Sodom offers to let Abram take all of the possessions, and Abram refuses.
Abram does allow his Amorite allies to take a share of the spoil, but he himself takes nothing from the wicked king.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
We must do the right thing in faith, even when victory appears impossible.
We receive the blessing of God through faith in the Savior.
Next week, we will continue the story of Abram's sojourning.