Abraham, Part 5 - Sometimes You Have to Fight
Genesis 14v1- 64
10th October 2010
Genesis 14:1-12
At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim
went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of
Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea).
For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in
Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim
and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert.
Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of
the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar.
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) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim
against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of
Ellasar - four kings against five.
Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of
the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills.
The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away.
They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
We don't live in isolation from the politics around us.
Four kings, including Amraphel from Shinar (in modern-day Iran) and Kedorlaomer from Elam (in modern-day Iran) had invaded Canaan. Five kings from sourth-eastern Canaan stood against them but failed to stop them, and the foreign kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot.
Abraham had been following God for some time now. He'd made some mistakes, and he'd been half-hearted at times, but he'd learned to trust God and do the right thing. he'd parted from Lot and now lived in the hill country of Canaan. He may have thought that perhaps he could enjoy a quiet life at last, but we read:
Genesis 14:13-14
One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great
trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.
When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in
his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
A man who had escaped from the battle happpenned to pass Abraham's tent. Probably, Abraham invited him to stop and eat and to have a rest. Over a meal, the man would have told Abraham why he was running. As he told the story, it would have become clear that Lot had moved into the city of Sodom, and had been caught up in the conflict, and shared in the suffering of the wicked city, and had been captured.
Abraham chose to do the right thing. He could have said that Lot shouldn't have been in Canaan at all, that he certainly shouldn't have been in Sodom, and that he only got what he deserved. Abraham could have left him to the mercy of Kedorlaomer. Instead, he gathered up him fighting men (and his allies, as we will see in verse 24 next week) and went to rescue Lot.
Sometimes you have to fight. Sometimes, you can't hold on to the quiet life. Other people need your help.
Genesis 14:15-16
During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as
Hobah, north of Damascus.
He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the
women and the other people.
Amazingly, Abraham gained a military viscotry over the vastly superior armies of the four foreign kings and set Lot and the others free.
God is able to bring us victory, regardless of the circumstances. When a task looks impossible to us, it's not impossible with God.
Abraham had learned to trust God and do what is right.