Abraham, Session 3
Notes
Transcript
As believers, our walk with God should affect those around us.
Our decisions and actions should visibly reflect the commitment we’ve made as followers of Christ. In the story of Gen 14:1–24, Abram showed remarkable faith in the wake of failure, and people around him noticed.
Last week, we saw Abram lose his spine when he faced going into Egypt during the drought. Now, we find him gaining a spine as he goes against mighty nations that had taken Lot captive.
Since we are believers, our walk with God should affect those around us. Our decisions and actions should visibly reflect the commitment we’ve made as followers of Christ. In the story of Gen 14:1–24, Abram shows remarkable faith in the wake of failure, and people around him notice. Comparing Abram’s actions to our own might cause us to wonder: Is our faith visible to those around us? Do we adequately testify to God’s continuing work in our lives?
Previously, Abram cowered in the face of a difficult circumstance , despite God’s earlier promise of blessing. He chose to act deceptively, and as a result, God afflicted Pharaoh and his household. Genesis 14 presents a different side of Abram. Instead of fleeing from danger, Abram displayed remarkable courage and faith. And this time, his actions brought blessing, rather than affliction, to the nations around him—marking the beginning of God’s fulfillment of His promise.
This goes to show us our past failures do not prevent us from serving God.
1 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
2 these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim
9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.
11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
In Genesis 14, Lot had fallen into trouble. In choosing to live near Sodom, Lot exposed himself to international conflicts and became the captive of warring Mesopotamian kings. The full effect of Lot’s decision becomes evident later with God’s destruction of Sodom. Both here and in Gen 19, Abram saved Lot. Here, Abram intervened directly, defeating the Mesopotamian kings and freeing his nephew. Later, he interceded on behalf of Lot, asking God to spare Sodom. God still destroyed Sodom, but He remembered Abram’s intercession and enabled Lot to escape destruction.
29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
The events of Gen 14 show God’s first steps in fulfilling His promise to Abram. Abram’s interaction with the kings in Gen 14 demonstrates how he would serve as a “blessing” to others and how God would “bless those who bless” him and curse “those who curse” him. In defeating the invading kings, Abram protected the land of Canaan, rescued Lot, and restored the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Instead of fleeing from danger, Abram displayed remarkable courage and faith. And this time, his actions brought blessing, rather than affliction, to the nations around him.
Now, if we look back at the previous chapter, we find where Lot’s earlier decisions were coming back to negatively impact him.
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,
7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
So Lot’s choice of land to reside in left him in the path of these Mesopotamian kings and as they travelled through, they were bringing destruction with them. They defeated whomever was in there way - some (Rephaim Zuzim, and Emim) were giant clans and the Horites (while not specifically identified as giants) were associated with these other clans. They were strong, however they were defeated by these king’s military. Abram pursuing and defeating them is even more remarkable because he did it was only a handful of men - 318 are recorded in scripture.
The most unusual event of Gen 14 is Abram’s visit with Melchizedek. As Abram returned from miraculously defeating the Mesopotamian kings, he was met by the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Melchizedek appeared without introduction or explanation and provided bread and wine for Abram and the returning warriors.
17 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).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)
19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
24 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.”
Compare these two kings’ reactions to Abram.
• How did Melchizedek bless Abram? Melchizedek appeared without introduction or explanation and provided bread and wine for Abram and the returning warriors.
• In what ways did the king of Sodom curse Abram? Let me have the people, you can have the stuff...
• How did Abram respond to these two kings? Abram responded to Melchizedek’s blessing by giving him one-tenth of his spoil. This action blessed Melchizedek and illustrates the initial fulfillment of God’s promise that “I will bless those who bless you”. And yet, Abram’s tithe to Melchizedek has even deeper significance: In giving him one-tenth, Abram recognized Melchizedek’s priesthood. Abram’s action legitimized the later legal requirement of tithing to support the Levitical priesthood. Abram received a priestly blessing and responded in kind; as “father of the nation, [he] set an example for all his descendants to follow.” After Abram and Melchizedek exchanged blessings, the king of Sodom “cursed” Abram and demanded that Abram give him his due and take his deserved spoil. Abram wisely distanced himself from the king by refusing to comply. Although he disassociated himself from the king of Sodom and his territory there, Abram later appealed to God to spare Sodom, again fulfilling his promised role to be a blessing to all nations.
Genesis 14 portrays Abram as a person living faithfully within God’s promises. Abram’s actions showed that he had confidence and faith in God’s protection. In contrast to Gen 12:10–20, Abram did not act out of fear or self-preservation; rather, he swiftly and courageously rescued Lot, trusting that God’s promise to make him a great nation would guarantee him success in defeating kings and emperors.
As followers of Christ, we strive to live in a way that visibly attests to the work of God in our lives. Yet it’s easy to feel timid or reluctant about displaying our faith—especially if we’ve failed before. Abram knew what it was like to fail in trusting God fully. In Genesis 12, he acted out of fear and self-preservation in the face of danger instead of trusting in God’s promise. Yet God remained faithful to him. In Genesis 14, when Abram learned that his nephew was in danger, he didn’t hesitate to act. Emboldened by God’s promise, Abram confidently set his eyes on the armies of the Mesopotamian kings, and with his band of trained men, he took down an army of giants.
Our past failures or lapses of faith do not prevent God from using us to accomplish great things, whether in witnessing to His work in our lives or defeating armies of giants. Abram’s life shows us that God can and will use us despite our weaknesses and failures. This encourages us, like the Apostle Paul, to recognize that God’s grace is sufficient and that His power is made evident through our weakness.
In Colossians 3:17, Paul wrote:
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Paul recognized that when we live out our faith, others notice—and they benefit from our efforts. This was true in Abram’s life: The Canaanite priest-king Melchizedek recognized Abram’s courage and, more importantly, God’s hand in Abram’s victory. Our faith should not only affect us, it should affect those around us as we respond to God’s call to live as disciples of Christ.
Grigoni, M. R., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Abraham: Following God’s Promise (Ge 14:1–24). Lexham Press.