Epic Battle, Epic Rescue

Epic - The Story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  51:36
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Colossian 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
INTRO: History has always fascinated me. It was and is my favorite subject of study. Whe nI was in school, I'd get my history book and within a couple of months, I would have read it cover to cover. As I guess anyone that likes the subject of history, I became fascinated with wars. I hated it when we started the year talking about Christopher Columbus. No, no, no, no. I wanted to skip forward to the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, WW1 and WW2. Those were the eras I was most interested as a boy.
I had some great history teachers! One of my favorites was Mr. Lehew. This man loved the subject of history and it seemed that his goal was to either make every one of his students fall in love with the subject. I remember three papers that I had to write in class over the course of 9th and 10th grades. The first was on the causes of the American Revolution. The second one was on the causes of the American Civil War. These were both in 9th grade. I had fun researching and writing those papers, but those didn't hold a candle to the one I had to write in 10th grade in his class.
He assigned us each to write about a battle that took place during World War 2. We had a whole semester to research and write it. Then, we had to give an oral report on it and have a visual model depicting something in the battle.
I chose to write about D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. I spent hours pouring over books, encyclopedias, old newspaper articles, and exploring the internet for sources of the preparation and execution of this EPIC allied invasion into the Nazi-occupied shores of France. If you ever get a chance to research it, it is an amazing undertaking. Sadly, it is estimated that there were a total of over 400,000 casualties from both sides during the 3 month battle. It stands to this day as one of the most epic battles in history.
Today we will talk about a battle as well, but first, let's recap what we saw last week.
Last week we started the Epic series covering the life of Abraham, or Abram, as we currently know him so far in the story.
We saw that Abram was put into a position where he needed to have faith of epic proportions. God called Abram to move away from his homeland and to go somewhere, without knowing the destination. God gives Abram the promises that He will bless all the families of the earth and every nation because of Abram. God promises to bless Abram, to make his name great, and the big one for Abram is that God also promises to make a nation out of him.
This was an incredible promise because Abram was married to a woman (his half sister) named Sarai, and Sarai was barren, she could not have children.
But Abram starts off his journey and starts to make his way to Canaan, the place he is now told is where he needs to be headed. He takes along with him his father and also his nephew, Lot. They stop in a city called Haran, about half way to Canaan, and stay there until Abram's father dies.
Abram then sets off to Canaan with his wife and with Lot.
When they get to Canaan, God tells Abram that that, that is to say, Canaan, is the land He will give Abram's offspring as he builds a nation out of them.
Abram builds an altar there in Shechem, and moves to a mountain called Bethel where he builds another altar there and begins to call upon the name of the Lord; he begins to seek out the Lord.
And, as always happens when someone decides to seek after God and live by faith, Abram's faith gets tested in an epic way. There is a famine in the land of Canaan. Abram is put in a position where he is finding it hard to keep his family fed, and instead of going to the Lord, he decides to run from the place that God has called him to be, and go into Egypt.
Adding to this lack of faith, Abram instructs Sarai to not refer to him as husband when they get to Egypt, but to tell other that she is merely his sister. He does this because even though Sarai is about 65 years old, she is still very good looking, and Abram doesn't want to be killed by some Egyptian that wants Sarai as his wife.
Sure enough, Sarai turns the heads of the Egyptian men, in particular, the Pharaoh, who gives Abram a very sizeable dowry for Sarai as he takes her into his harem. God, protecting Sarai because Abram was too cowardly to do the right thing, brings plagues down on the house of Pharaoh, who then finds out that Sarai is Abram's wife.
He gives her back to Abram and kicks them out of Egypt. So the first encounter with a nation that Abram has results in that nation being cursed and not blessed, all because of Abram's lack of faith and lack of integrity.
But all is not lost, Abram realizes that the place he needs to be is back at Bethel, back at the place where he was in communication and fellowship with God.
When they arrive back at Bethel, Lot's and Abram's herdsmen begin to have problems. It is like an old western when Abram says to Lot that that particular area is not big enough for the two of them. He proposes a solution in which he offers Lot first dibs on any area that he would like to go. Abram, in turn, would go the and settle the opposite direction.
So Lot looks around, and having been influenced by their time in Egypt, looks at Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that are astoundingly wicked, and sees that the area there is fertile like the land of Egypt, and decides to settle there, despite the wickedness that is rampant.
Genesis 13:10-13 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
So we come to Abram, now alone with Sarai, as God had intended it to be in the first place. After an epic failure on Abram's part, God shows epic grace and forgiveness an then He reassures Abram once more of His promise.
Genesis 13:14-18 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
This is where we pick up at this point and begin to see Abram living a life of faith once more. Remember, he has gone back to Canaan, back to the altar at Bethel, and has begun to seek the Lord. He is focused once again on his relationship with God.
The Bible tells us in Romans 4 and in Hebrews 11 that Abram lived a life marked by faith. He trusted God and followed Him. We are told that the just shall live by faith.
As we look at the events in chapter 14, we will see an Abram that is very different than the one we read about in chapter 13.
For sake of time, we will not read the entire chapter, but I would hope that if you haven't read it yet, you would use this week to read chapter 14 in its entirety.
EPIC BATTLE
Chapter 14 takes us over to Lot's part of the world. For twelve years, nations (or rather, city states) served five other city states that included Sodom and Gomorrah. In the 13th year, these four cities and their kings rebelled against Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. They invade their land and beat them soundly. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee and get stuck in some slime pits where they are soon captured by their enemies. This is the first battle recorded in the Bible. By our standards, it would have been nothing more than skirmish, but in that time, this was an epic, international conflict!
It is in this conflict that Lot comes back into the story.
Genesis 14:10-12 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Though this chapter so far has not mentioned God, we see God at work here. God, in a show of grace, has allowed, if not orchestrated, an international conflict. Whatever purposes the four kings had in rebelling against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies, God had a purpose as well and that was to allow Lot to be captured and imprisoned. And the capture and imprisonment of Lot does not seem like grace, it seems like a punishment. Listen, if we were friends with Lot, we would have told him, "Don't go messing around with Sodom; things will go bad for you." And when this happened, we would be talking to each other saying things like, "You know, I told him not to go there. I warned him that he was going to get in trouble. No God-fearing man should ever take his family to that city, but he did. And look how he ended up... that's what he gets. This is surely God's punishment."
Lot started out in chapter 13 looking at Sodom and Gomorrah, and when we left him last week, he had moved toward those wicked cities. As we get into chapter 14, we see that he now dwells in the city of Sodom. Lot went from looking at to approaching to dwelling in Sodom. Lot was a believer in God. As we will study later in this series, the Bible tells us that he had a righteous soul, but his focus on prosperity drove him far from the Lord.
While in Egypt, Lot had gotten a taste of the world and had liked it. Now we see that Lot's mind has progressively been taken by the system of the world. He started by looking, then moving close to it, now he lives in and among a city that is so given to pride and other sinfulness that, as we will see in upcoming weeks, God has already made plans to wipe it off the face of the earth in a violent way.
Listen, if we were friends with Lot, we would have told him, "Don't go messing around with Sodom; things will go bad for you." And when this happened, we would be talking to each other saying things like, "You know, I told him not to go there. I warned him that he was going to get in trouble. No God-fearing man should ever take his family to that city, but he did. And look how he ended up... that's what he gets. This is surely God's punishment."
Because God steps in and puts Lot in prison. However, I believe that God is trying to use this as a wake up call for Lot. I don't believe this is done merely out of punisment for Lot, but out of love. It is a merciful thing. God has gotten Lot out of Sodom! Sometimes, what may seem as a punishment is actually God's grace.
So now, Lot is a P.O.W., and Abram hears about this and mounts an epic rescue operation.
Genesis 14:13-20 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
EPIC RESCUE
So Abram takes 318 servants that are trained to fight and rescues all those that these four rebelling kings have captured, including Lot, and brings back even the spoils of the war that they had won. What a rescue! Abram has just beat an alliance of four armies with 318 men! He goes back to the valley of Shaveh and is met by a king named Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a priest of God and so Abram gives him 10 percent of what he has brought back as an offering to the Lord.
The king of Sodom then approaches Abram and makes a deal with Abram. He tells him, "Abram, give me back all the people from Sodom, and you can keep all the stuff that these kings took from us." And this is where we see a changed Abram. An Abram who no longer has money, riches, and provisions as a primary focus.
Genesis 14:21-24 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Abram responds to the king of Sodom that he has made a promise to God that he would not take anything from that battle as his own. It is almost as if when Abram started to saddle up his men for a fight, he was making sure that this was a fight for what was right and not a fight for profit.
Why? Because Abram was heading once again out of Canaan.
What had happened the last time that Abram left Canaan? He ended up in Egypt and became a curse to a nation that he should have been a blessing to.
Why had Abram gone into Egypt? There was a famine in Canaan, so Abram went into Egypt for personal gain and protection. He left Canaan for selfish reasons, and though he profited, his family suffered and his testimony suffered. In fact, two generations later, we find out that the Egyptians consider it an abomination to sit and eat at the same table as a Hebrew.
So now Abram is about to leave Canaan again. But as I've mentioned before, Abram is a changed man now. He is focused on his relationship with God. Though he is no longer at Bethel (he is currently dwelling in the plain of Mamre, still in Canaan). His mindset and his focus have changed how Abram conducts himself.
He left Canaan for Egypt for personal gain; now he refuses to make a profit when he is away from the place that God showed him he belonged.
He left Canaan in order to save his life and lied in order to save his skin, now he puts himself in harms way to mount a rescue.
He was a detriment to Egypt and brought plagues upon the Pharaoh, but now he is a blessing to nations.
Abram's family, more specifically his wife, suffered because of his trip out of Canaan, but on this occasion his family benefits from his trip out of Canaan.
Abram was run out of Egypt by the Pharaoh and loses his testimony there. Now, the King of Sodom has offered him great riches because of the help he has been to his city-state.
Why the different outcome? Because Abram was focused on his relationship with God. Because of that love and focus, he pursued Godly things and saw Godly outcome.
In an effort to make sure that his motives for leaving are right, he promises that he will not keep anything that he rescues for personal profit. I believe he does this for a second reason. Remember that Sodom is known as a desperately wicked place. Abram does not want anyone to get the idea that he got his riches from a wicked king. He wants nothing to do with the king of Sodom. The only thing that he asks is that his servants that fought be given proper payment for their role in rescuing the prisoners.
And God uses Abram to get Lot out of Sodom. In the process, Abram demonstrates that the only reason for him to leave Canaan is to do right, to be a blessing to other nations (those that were defeated by rebelling vassal states), and to get his nephew out of a bad situation. He demonstrates his faith in God by not taking anything as a prize from the wicked city and king of Sodom. He gives all praise to to God.
I know I have titled this message Epic Battle, Epic Rescue, but the Epic Battle of this story is not the one fought among 9 kings, No, the epic battles that we see here are for the hearts of two men: Abram and Lot. It is a battle that we saw start from the end of Genesis 11, and this war will continue for the rest of their lives.
Lot, as we see here has lost ground in this battle. Though a man who had faith in God, Lot set his eyes on personal gain, profit, and comfort. As the Apostle Paul would later write to the Colossian Christians and warn them not to set their affections on things of earth, but on heavenly things. Lot set his affections on earthly gain, and ultimately was swallowed whole by the culture of wickedness that was Sodom.
Abram, on the other hand, set his affection on God. He passionately followed the Lord, and when the battle for his heart was fought, Abram prevailed because his faith was rested in God and His promises.
There is an epic battle that is fought every day and you are involved. It is the battle for your mind and your heart. It is a battle that is decided simply by what you and I decide to set our affection on. We read Colossians 3:2 at the start, and we will close with it as well. Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
The phrase "set you affection" was one word in the Greek. It means: to exercise the mind, to be disposed toward, to be intensely intensely interested in.
Does that describe your affection toward God? Intensely interested in / predisposed toward Him? If not, it is all a matter of what you are looking at. Jeremiah would write, "My eye affects my heart." What you look at, what you long for, will determine the direction that you travel.
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LIFE GROUP
1. Explain Lot's progression toward his association with the wicked city of Sodom. It started with a look. He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah. It was followed by an approach as he pitched his tent TOWARD Sodom. It ended up with him living in Sodom, dwelling within the wickedness.
1 John 2:15-17 gives us a warning to not love the world (the system of the world). Much like Lot was enticed by Sodom after looking at it, sin does that to us as well. Lot may have never had the intention of living within Sodom at the beginning. But the more focused we are on the world and the closer we associate with its system, the easier it becomes to get sucked in by it.
Can you give examples of how sin entices and then traps people? Take David and Bathsheba as an example. David looks on her, inquires about her (denoting that his thoughts are dwelling on her), invites her, commits adultery with her, gets her pregnant, attempts to deceive her husband, and ends up murdering him. That night, on the rooftop, David had no intention of ever ordering the murder of one of his bravest soldiers and loyal friend.
Nobody ever sets out to be a penniless and broken drug addict that has no control over their own life when they take that go after that first high, but it happens so often because Satan tries to only show people the "benefits" and not the consequences.
- lies
- cheating
- chasing/maintaining success/riches as a priority
- adultery/sexual sins
- etc.
2. How is Lot's capture and imprisonment along with his subsequent rescue an act of grace on God's part? By this, God has provided a way for Lot to make a clean break with a wicked society. Though he returns to Sodom, this was a prime opportunity for Lot to "wake up," leave Sodom, and follow the Lord.
We often do not see bad situations as God's grace, and as we will study later, Lot did not see this as an opportunity to leave Sodom (we find him back in that city in a pretty prominent position in chapter 19). Have you ever seen God allow a bad situation as an act of His grace?
3. As Lot was changed because of his focus on Sodom, so Abram was changed because of his focus on the Lord. What changes did we see in Abram between chapter 13 (Abram running away to Egypt) and chapter 14 (Abram leaving Canaan in order to save Lot)? Abram leaves Canaan for someone else's benefit and not his own, he puts his life at risk by leading a rescue mission (where he lied about Sarai to not risk his life in Egypt), he refuses to make a profit from his journey away from the land God has promised him, after his victory he immediately gives praise to God and worships Him by giving an offering (tithe) of all that he brought back even though he didn't intend to keep any of it.
Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we are changed as we present ourselves to the Lord. It happens from the inside out by the renewing of our minds. How can the "renewing of our minds" change the way we act? What we do reflects what we truly believe.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Has there ever been a change in goals and behavior for you as you have focused more on your relationship with God? Explain.
What kind of advise would you give someone who is saved but has been living in sin (or simply in apathy toward the Lord) but has expressed to you a desire to "get right with God?" They need to focus on their relationship with God. Honestly praying while allowing God to honestly show them what is interfering with their relationship with Him is key.
Eliminating those things that draw our focus away from God is a necessary step in aligning ourselves with Jesus.
Understanding that we cannot earn any more of God's love nor can we lose any of God's love is necessary to understanding that we seek and serve Him BECAUSE OF His love for us and our love for Him, NOT so that He will "love us more."
Changes that start on the outside (behavior focused), run the risk of producing Pharisaical lifestyles.
Changes the start on the inside (relationship focused) will be genuine, pure, and lasting.
What is your focus? It is easy to say that our focus is our relationship with God on Sunday morning, but what about Monday - Saturday?
How can you, personally, properly align your focus this week? (At work, at home, etc.)
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