ABRAM TO THE RESCUE. Genesis 14:1 16

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1 1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. ABRAM TO THE RESCUE Genesis 14:1 16 Abram and Lot had become very rich men after their return from Egypt. Their livestock had also increased greatly in number, and this led to a problem. There were not enough grazing ground and watering places for their flocks, and strife ensued between their herdsmen. To compound the problem of feeding their large herds, they occupied the least verdant part of the land because the Canaanites and the Perizzites were there. Abram, who had renewed his faith and fellowship with God, proposed to Lot that they part company with an amicable solution to their problem. Abram believed that God had promised him the whole of Canaan, so he invited his nephew to make the first choice of the land. Whether Lot chose the land on the right or on the left, Abram would gladly accept the other part. Our lesson from Abram s magnanimity toward Lot is that faith looks to God for His protection and provision. When we walk by faith, we do not have to be greedy and grasping, and we do not need to be afraid of losing out to others, or worry about being disadvantaged. By faith, we entrust our welfare to God, and we look to Him to supply the provisions for our needs; so we can be gracious and generous toward others. Lot accepted his uncle s offer. He looked up and he saw the well-watered plain of Jordan. To his eyes, the luxuriant plain was as inviting as Eden, the garden of the LORD. However, he lacked the spiritual insight to see Egypt disguised in the plain of Jordan (Genesis 13:10). Lot had gone down to Egypt with his uncle, and he knew all about Abram s trouble there, but he didn t care. He had become rich in Egypt, so led by materialism and his love of money, which is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10), he made his choice. Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12). Lot went away in pursuit of prosperity, but Abram stayed in the land of God s promise. Wiser from his time in Egypt, Abram had learned the truth that being in the place of God s will is infinitely better than to be outside of His will. So Abram stayed where God had called him, and God rewarded his faith with sight. God gave him the panoramic view of the Promised Land. God also reassured him that his

2 2 descendants would be as innumerable as the dust upon which his feet walked throughout the length and breadth of Canaan. Abram walked by faith, and God let him see the blessings promised to him. In contrast, Lot walked by sight, and he failed to see the spiritual danger of Sodom. He also missed out on future blessings by removing himself from Abram. This explains the timing of God s word to Abram; God showed Abram the land only after Lot had departed. What a loss to Lot! When we are outside of God s will, we too will miss out on His blessings for our lives. Now in Genesis 14, war is brewing, and Abram will again have his faith put to the test. We will not cover the entire chapter in this study, but only the first sixteen verses. We have divided these sixteen verses into three main points, beginning with I. The Rebellion of the Five Kings. Genesis 14:1-2 1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these 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, which is Zoar. This chapter gives us the first record of war in the Middle East. This war is not a local skirmish but it is fought on a large scale, involving two groups of nine nations, five against four. The group of five, located in the Transjordan area to the east of Canaan, are city-states. City-states have existed long in history; we are familiar with the ancient Greek city-states, such as Athens, Troy, and Sparta. Today in the Middle East, there is the United Arab Emirates, which is a confederation of seven royal city-states. Singapore is also a city-state. The other group is a coalition of four regional powers from the Fertile Crescent. Let us be acquainted with these warring states. The four kings of the Fertile Crescent are from Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, and one who is simply recognized as Tidal king of nations. We are familiar with Shinar: this is the plain area in Mesopotamia. We recall that the descendants of Noah s sons went to Shinar to build the city and tower of Babel, in rebellion against God (Genesis 11:1-9). When God confounded their common language, the rebels abandoned their building project. No longer able to speak the same language, they dispersed from Babel to all parts of the earth, just as God had commanded them to do. But now in Genesis 14, we see the intensification of sin as these different nations, once bound together by common ancestry, waging war against one another. Shinar would become the Babylonian Empire, and this area is now in modern Iraq. Next, Elam is Iran today. The people of Ellasar are the Hurrians, and Tidal is a reference to the Hittites. These two nations occupied areas within the country of Turkey. The leader of this coalition is Chedorlaomer (pronounced Ker-dor-la-omer), the king of Elam. These four kings ruled a large part of the Fertile Crescent from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Arabia, which include the modern nations of Iran, Iraq and parts of Turkey. Abram would know something about these rulers because he was a native of Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia. Standing against these four kings are the five from the Transjordan, the most notable of them being the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now, we do not have to identify the protagonists and the antagonists in this war. The presence of Shinar, or future Babylon, and

3 3 the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, means that there are no good guys and bad guys in this conflict. All of these kings are fighting for pride, position, possession, and power. To avoid confusion, we will identify the kings of the Fertile Crescent as the four eastern kings, and the kings of the Transjordan city-states as the five western kings. This is a war between four kings who are the invaders, and five kings who are defending themselves. Genesis 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. The battlefield is in the vale of Siddim, or the valley of the Dead Sea. Why are they going to war? Moses gives us the reason. Genesis 14:4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. The five western kings of the city-states were smaller and weaker than the four regional powers of the Fertile Crescent. As vassal states, they were forced to pay tributes to the four kings. For twelve years, they had paid sums of money to their overlords. But in the thirteenth year, they decided to stop payment. They have had enough. Their refusal to continue paying tributes was an act of rebellion, and it led to II. The Retribution of the Four Kings. Genesis 14:5-6 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. So the four eastern kings have now declared war against the five. The war began with the four kings invading the nations between the Fertile Crescent and the Transjordan. This invasion route followed the same northward path that Abram used on his journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan. The peoples that these four kings conquered along the way were not all weak. According to the LXX (the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), the name for the Rephaims is rendered giants, probably due to their physical size. Whether this is fact or not, the defeat of these giants reveal, at the least, that the four eastern kings had superior military power. However, their targets are the city-states in the Transjordan; and the northward route is just one prong of the war campaign. Genesis 14:7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. The second prong of their war involved sweeping up from the south. So this seems like a pincer movement. Many of the place names are ancient, even to the first readers of the book of Genesis. Therefore, Moses gives at least three contemporary names to help the Israelites identify the obscure places: these are Zoar (Genesis 14:2), Mount Seir (Genesis 14:6), and Kadesh (Genesis 14:7). Finally, they arrived in the Transjordan.

4 4 Genesis 14:8-9 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. The armies of these nine kings joined battle in the area of the Dead Sea. This means that their troops charged toward each other on the battlefield. Genesis 14:10 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. There was tar and asphalt in the Dead Sea. In fact, Josephus (A.D ) the renowned Jewish historian called the Dead Sea the Asphalt Sea. In those days, the people used this tar substance as cement or mortar. It is said that asphalt still oozes in heavy liquid form in the southern part of the Sea. The battle went sore against the five kings of the Transjordan. As their armies retreated, they found themselves cornered at the Dead Sea; and many of their soldiers died horrifically, falling into the black ooze of the tar. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there. Genesis 14: 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. To the victors belong the spoils of war, so as the four kings rampaged through the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, they seized all the valuables, and captured the people that they found. They also found Lot, who was no doubt in hiding, and they captured him. Now we note that Lot is becoming increasingly identified with Sodom. First, he chose the plain of Jordan (Genesis 13:11). Then he pitched his tent before Sodom (Genesis 13:12). Here in Genesis 14:12, he is living in the city. Later, we will see Lot the respected citizen of Sodom (Genesis 19:1, 6). After that, he will take three more steps downward. He escaped the destruction of Sodom, but he did not want to stay too far from it (Genesis 19:18-23). He settled in a cave (Genesis 19:30), and while he was drunk, Lot incestuously became the father of Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:31-38), whose descendants would become the enemies of Abram s seed. These are the seven steps of decline in the life of Lot. Seven is the number of perfection or completion, so Lot went the whole hog into sin, so to speak. He did not stop until he hit the bottom. Lot walked by sight and lived according to what he could see. Once identified with Abram, he is now fully identified with Sodom. Lot was blind to all the spiritual dangers on his downward path, or did he choose to ignore the signs? We wonder if he ever stopped to retrace his steps to see how far he had fallen away from God, and from righteous living. Without 2 Peter 2:6-8, we would hardly think of Lot as a righteous man whose soul was vexed daily by the wicked Sodomites. Still, he continued to live with the people whose lifestyle is an abomination to God. But now we meet him as a victim of war. He and his family had become prisoners-of-war. This brings us to

5 5 III. The Rescue of Lot. Genesis 14:13 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. Abram is identified as the Hebrew. This word Hebrew is an ethnic term connected with Eber. Eber was the last ancestor in the line of Shem before the dividing of the earth (Genesis 10:25). For Moses to call Abram the Hebrew means to mark him as the legitimate descendant of Shem through Eber, and that he is the one through whom God will bring the deliverer, the Messiah who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Abram was in Mamre when he heard the news of the war and about the capture of Lot. In Mamre, Abram had built his altar to worship God and to proclaim the name of the LORD. Abram also had friendly neighbours in Mamre. His neighbours were confederate with him, which means that they were bound to help each other in times of need. Genesis 14:24 informs us that his confederate friends went out to fight alongside Abram. So what do we do with Lot? Abram could easily have elected to do nothing about Lot. Lot had made his choice, and he rightly deserved to suffer the consequences. He had cared for no one but himself. He chose Sodom. Sodom gave him a good life, and now Sodom made him suffer. So how did Abram respond to the news of Lot s troubles? Genesis 14:14 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. Abram could adopt the attitude of Cain by saying, Am I my brother s keeper? (Genesis 4:9). But he did not; Lot was still his brother. So he mobilized 318 men, servants who were born in his own house. These men were not acquired servants. They were born in Abram s house, and therefore are reliable and loyal to him. Abram and his men, including his confederates from Mamre, chased the invaders all the way up to Dan, which is at the northernmost border of Canaan. Genesis 14: 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. Abram divided his army into groups, and then launched a night raid that caught the invaders by surprise. In the dark, they could not know the number of the attackers, which must have been smaller in number than them. Another reason they were surprised must be their confidence that they had defeated all the Transjordan kings. They did not expect any more opposition to stand in their way. After raiding the enemy, Abram and his men pursued them to Hobah, a town outside of Canaan. Then he rescued Lot and recovered all of his nephew s people and possessions. Now, you may find it difficult to relate to this ancient war, so let me give you a modern version of Abram s night raid. This raid involved Abram s 20 th century descendants, the modern nation of Israel. On June 27, 1976, hijackers from the Popular Front for the

6 6 Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) took an Air France jetliner en route from Israel to Paris, and diverted it to Uganda in central Africa. On board the aircraft were twelve crew members and ninety-one passengers who were mostly Israelis and Jews. Uganda was under the rule of the dictator Idi Amin ( ), who was friendly with the Palestinians. The hijackers held their hostages at the airport, apparently secure, while they spent the next seven days preparing for their next move. It seemed that the hijackers were in full control of the situation. However, some 4000 km (2500 miles) away in Tel Aviv, 200 Israeli commandos boarded three Hercules C-130 transport planes. On July 4, sometime about 0100 hours local time, the Israelis landed at Uganda s Entebbe airport under cover of darkness. In less than 60 minutes, the commandos rushed toward the old terminal, gunned down twenty Ugandan soldiers and the seven hijackers, and rescued 110 of the 113 hostages. The Israeli commandos also destroyed 11 Russian MIG fighter planes, which were a quarter of the Ugandan air force. Following this incident, the dictatorship of Idi Amin began to collapse. Two years later, he was forced into exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died in Jeddah in August Yitzhak Rabin ( ), the Prime Minister of Israel who ordered the raid at Entebbe said, This operation will certainly be inscribed in the annals of military history, in legend and in national tradition. We often think of hostage-taking as a part of modern terrorism, but we find it here in the ancient text of Genesis 14! Abram launched a night raid to rescue Lot and the other hostages. The Israelis certainly knew about father Abraham s exploits. Perhaps he was their inspiration! Abram s raid and rescue operations were completely successful. He rescued Lot, all his possessions, and all of the women. No person or possession were lost. But we wonder if Abram counselled his nephew. Did he tell Lot to get out of Sodom? We do not know. But what we do know is that Lot did not heed the chastening hand of God through the war and his capture. In Romans 2, the apostle Paul makes the point that the goodness of God should lead to repentance. Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? God was good and forbearing toward Lot. God chastened Lot through a war and captivity, but spared his life and all his household without loss. Yet Lot learned nothing from his terrifying experience. Instead of repentance, he returned to Sodom. He continued to live by sight, insensitive to God s chastening and deliverance. Perhaps he said, Oh, lucky me. I got away this time! What a waste to be chastened by God, and yet to learn nothing from it! Conclusion Abram s rescue of Lot raises a question about war. Is it in God s will for His people to participate in war? There is the view of pacifism, which is that God s people must not fight under any circumstance. This view is based on the words of the Lord Jesus, who said in Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

7 7 Therefore based on these words of our Lord, Christians should not be fighting wars for whatever reason. However, those who do not interpret the Lord s words to mean absolute pacifism believe that Christians may fight in a just war. In other words, war is permissible for a just cause. Should we go to war against terrorism? Or should we be passive when our lives are threatened? When our families, our loved ones, or our nation are under threat, are we justified to respond in self-defence? (NOTE: this sermon was preached on November 15, 2015, two days after terrorists exploded bombs and gunned down people in Paris, France, killing over 120 people and injuring many others). We cannot give an absolute answer for every situation, whether it is right to fight or not. But from the example of Abram, we can be sure that absolute and unconditional pacifism is not biblical. Abram was prepared to fight because he had servants trained and prepared for warfare. Moreover, when Abram returned from the war, Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, came out to meet him with a blessing. The blessing of Melchizedek to Abram affirmed that he had done the right thing, and that God had given him the victory (Genesis 14:18-20). But did Abram have reasons against going to Lot s rescue? Yes, there are three reasons. The first reason is fatalism, or whatever will be, will be. According to this view, the sovereignty of God to allow events to occur means that it is pointless to fight against a threatening situation. Moreover, to put up resistance means to oppose the will of God. If God had allowed the eastern kings to invade the land and to capture Lot, who was Abram to intervene? The second reason Abram could apply is prudence. The war in the Transjordan did not involve him. By attacking the invaders, Abram risked the lives of his own household. He could have suffered defeat in a war that was not a threat to him. Abram s third reason for non-involvement could be God s judgment on Lot. Lot chose to live in the wicked city of Sodom. Could the war and his capture be God s discipline brought against Lot? If so, then Abram would be interfering with God s punishment of his nephew. Whether the reason is fatalism, prudence, or interference with God s discipline of Lot, Abram did not know God s purpose for Lot to be taken hostage in a war. But Abram acted according to principles that he was sure about. He went to Lot s rescue because he loved his brother. He went to help Lot because they are brothers and believers in God. Like Abram, our decisions must be based on what we know to be right according to God s Word. We believe that God is in absolute control of every event, but we must act according to His revealed Word about how we should treat others. The preacher Donald Grey Barnhouse ( ) said, The man of faith is a realist, not a passive coward, or one incapable of leadership. When the crisis comes, he draws new strength from God and pursues to victory. (Quoted by James Montgomery Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary Volume 2, p ). It is always unwise to walk by sight, and even dangerous, because there are spiritual realities to be considered. When we walk by faith as Abram, praying and looking to God for direction, He will grant us His wisdom and lead us to pursue a course of action based on the principles revealed in His Word.

8 8 Now let us conclude with Lot. In the spiritual sense, we are not at all unlike Lot. In our natural condition, we are lost and blind sinners. According to Ephesians 2, slavery to sin and to Satan is the condition of every unsaved person. Ephesians 2:1-3 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to rescue sinners who believe in Him as their personal Saviour. By His once-for-all atoning death on the cross, Christ paid the price of redemption to rescue all believers in Him. Without Abram, Lot could not have freed himself from his captors. Likewise for us, we are powerless in our captivity to sin and Satan. Is there any person who is stronger than the devil, such that he or she could be set free by their own power? No! Only Christ is able to rescue and redeem us from our spiritual captivity! Friend, are you a believer in Christ? The Lord Jesus Christ will rescue all sinners who call upon His name for their salvation. Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: Used by permission as granted on website.