Genesis 14A (2011) As we ve moved through the story of Abram, we ve been counting two lists

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1 Genesis 14A (2011) As we ve mved thrugh the stry f Abram, we ve been cunting tw lists We ve been watching fr the seven times Abram hears frm Gd S with each time we can see Abram s grwth in the light f the Lrd s grace And we ve been cunting the twelve times Abram s faith is challenges Twelve crises that test Abram and grw him as a man f faith Tday in Chapter 14 we see Abram face tw mre challenges His nephew Lt is still causing truble fr Abram Further cnsequence fr having been brught alng against Gd s instructins Yet Gd will use this as pprtunity t shw grace t Abram This is the nly chapter in Abram s stry where Gd is nt shwn speaking t Abram Yet Gd is represented in the stry, in a man wh is bth king and priest And the stry begins with the first military campaign described in the Bible Gen. 14:1 And it came abut in the days f Amraphel king f Shinar, Arich king f Ellasar, Chedrlamer king f Elam, and Tidal king f Giim, Gen. 14:2 that they made war with Bera king f Sdm, and with Birsha king f Gmrrah, Shinab king f Admah, and Shemeber king f Zebiim, and the king f Bela (that is, Zar). Gen. 14:3 All these came as allies t the valley f Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Gen. 14:4 Twelve years they had served Chedrlamer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. We re intrduced t numerus peple and lcatins The names f these kings are the first names recrded in the Bible in a language ther than Hebrew Here we see the effect f the scattering at Babyln 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Genesis 14A 2 And further prf that the first language was Hebrew A ttal f nine kings are mentined, fur nrthern kings invading t cnquer five in the suth The fur in the nrth cme frm Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and Giim Shinar is Mesptamia, nrthern and eastern Babyln Ellasar was the leading tribe in suthern Babyln Elam is western Babyln And Giim is a wrd that simply means natins S interestingly, we have the natins, led by the kings f Babyln, invading the Prmised land And they attack five kings All five are lcated in a small area at the suthern end f the Dead Sea called the Valley f Siddim Mses calls it the Salt Sea, but we nw call it the Dead Sea Mses tells us that these five kings in the suth had served the kings f the nrth as vassals Thugh we have n ther details, we can suppse that these suthern kings had either been cnquered at an early time r had received their kingdms frm the nrthern kings And that relatinship required the suthern kings t pay tribute (taxes) t the nrthern kingdms But after 12 years, the suthern kingdms tired f that relatinship S in the thirteenth year they rebelled 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Genesis 14A 3 Gen. 14:5 In the furteenth year Chedrlamer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashterth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, Gen. 14:6 and the Hrites in their Munt Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Gen. 14:7 Then they turned back and came t En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and cnquered all the cuntry f the Amalekites, and als the Amrites, wh lived in Hazazn-tamar. Gen. 14:8 And the king f Sdm and the king f Gmrrah and the king f Admah and the king f Zebiim and the king f Bela (that is, Zar) came ut; and they arrayed fr battle against them in the valley f Siddim, Gen. 14:9 against Chedrlamer king f Elam and Tidal king f Giim and Amraphel king f Shinar and Arich king f Ellasar fur kings against five. S after the year f rebellin, the kings f the nrth decided t shw their pwer The leader f the grup is the king Chedrlamer, the Big Cheese The invading frce cmes dwn the East side f the Jrdan river, in present-day Jrdan As the prceed suth, they attack any city that might cme t aid the suthern kings This is a very smart strategy, eliminating the defenses and allies f the suthern kings Next they defeat the ancient Hamites called Zuzim just east f the Jrdn Leaving the land unccupied fr Lt s descendants, the Ammnites, t later pssess Further suth they defeat Emim just east f Jerich The place where Lt s ther family settle, the Mabites Next, they defeat the Hrites This becmes the land where Esau later settles t frm the Edmites Finally they reach as far suth as El Paran, in the Sinai 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Genesis 14A 4 This is the future hme f Ismael, Abram s ther sn These kings mving suthward, prtected behind the eastern side f the Trans-Jrdan muntain range, t hide their apprach while eliminating allies fr the suthern kings But d yu ntice that as they g n their rampage, Gd is using their advance t clear land fr future members f Abram s family t ccupy the land? Here is a perfect example f Gd turning all things t gd fr His purpses and fr the gd f thse wh lve Him Next, they turn at the Gulf Of Aqaba and begin t fight nrthward tward the heart f Canaan and the rebellius kings suth f the Dead Sea First they swing ut west int the wilderness f Zin in the suthern Negev t defeat the Amalekites and Amrites Finally, they cme upn the kings f the suth in the valley f Siddim, appraching frm the suthwest This is the ppsite frm where they wuld have been expected t apprach The suthern kings are caught ff guard and cme ut int the valley t meet the attacking frce They have prbably heard abut the explits f the invading frce, but withut allies, they are frced t face the army with nly what frces they have between them Gen. 14:10 Nw the valley f Siddim was full f tar pits; and the kings f Sdm and Gmrrah fled, and they fell int them. But thse wh survived fled t the hill cuntry. Gen. 14:11 Then they tk all the gds f Sdm and Gmrrah and all their fd supply, and departed. Gen. 14:12 They als tk Lt, Abram s nephew, and his pssessins and departed, fr he was living in Sdm. The lcatin fr the battle is the valley at the suthern end f the Dead Sea This valley was knwn then and tday as a place f natural tar r bitumen (asphalt) pits Similar t La Brea tar pits 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Genesis 14A 5 This is the material used t bind the bricks f the Twer f Babel The battle was a rut and the kings f Sdm and Gmmrah fled but fell int the pits They wuld have been stuck and slwly sank int the tar The remaining three kings fled int the muntains The cnquering army did what all winning armies d in this situatin They rape, pillage and plunder The gal is t eliminate these city states and make a statement t remaining vassals nt t repeat this mistake They remve all the animals, fd stres and subjects f the city With the intent t take them back t Babyln And ne f thse subjects was ur man Lt Interestingly, we re tld in v.12 that Lt is nw living in the city f Sdm Last time we heard frm Lt, he was still living in tents utside the city f Lt (13:12) Nw he s thrwn the tent aside and made a hme in this wicked city Lt and Abram frm a pwerful cntrast in this stry Abram we knw as the man f faith, a righteus man wh lived by faith He purpsely remained utside cities, living in tents Shwing his faith in Gd s prmises by frsaking any cmprmise with the wrld Lt his nephew is a man scripture tells us wh was als a man f faith, a man wh knew the living Gd and was cunted righteus by faith Peter tells us that Lt was a righteus man living in a city f sin 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Genesis 14A 6 2Pet. 2:7 and if He rescued righteus Lt, ppressed by the sensual cnduct f unprincipled men 2Pet. 2:8 (fr by what he saw and heard that righteus man, while living amng them, felt his righteus sul trmented day after day by their lawless deeds), Lt made very different chices than did his uncle Abram He decided t adpt a lifestyle that mirrred the wrld arund him He is led by his eyes He is attracted by what the wrld values And yet Scripture tells us that Lt was ppressed by what he saw in Sdm The wrd ppresses in Greek is katapne, which literally means wrn dwn Lt was wrn dwn by his expsure t the wrld f Sdm And as he was wrn dwn, he made cmprmise after cmprmise We ll study Lt mre in chapter 19 When Abram disbeyed Gd s instructins t leave Lt behind, he sets several wheels in mtin Disbedience wuld create cnsequences fr bth Abram and Lt But Gd s prmises t Abram are assured because f Gd s faithfulness, nt Abram s S Gd is als wrking t use Abram s mistake t Gd s gd purpses And ne way Gd uses Lt in this stry is as a picture f future events in the life f Israel and the wrld Lt is a picture f a carnal, disbedient fllwer f the living Gd, particularly the Gentile fllwer f Gd He is brught int the land because f a prmise f Gd t Abram 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Genesis 14A 7 And his entry is made pssible because f the disbedience f Gd s chsen In Lt s case, he entered the Prmised Land because Gd s chsen Abram disbeyed the wrd Yet Gd turned that disbedience int grace fr Lt As a picture, Lt represents Gentile believers, wh are able t share in the prmises f Abram because f the disbedience f Israel in rejecting the Messiah Rm. 11:11 I say then, they did nt stumble s as t fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgressin salvatin has cme t the Gentiles, t make them jealus. But nw that Lt has been given grace t enter the land, he is living in harmny with the wrld, rather than living apart frm it And he begins t picture the cnsequences when the peple f Gd d nt fllw Him fully Suddenly, Lt finds himself in captivity headed t Babyln It s n cincidence that the attacking army is made up f frces frm Babyln We see a wnderful picture f hw the enemy is always attacking, seeking t destry and carry away Gd s peple And Lt is ging dwn with the ship, because he chse t align himself with the peple f Sdm rather than remain utside in his tent Just as in a future day when Gd sends Babyln t remve a rebellius Israel frm the land as punishment fr their faithlessness Lt serves as that picture fr Gd s purpses in teaching us tday Gd there is a secnd half t this picture, the stry f Gd s faithfulness t His children despite ur faithlessness 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Genesis 14A 8 Gen. 14:13 Then a fugitive came and tld Abram the Hebrew. Nw he was living by the aks f Mamre the Amrite, brther f Eshcl and brther f Aner, and these were allies with Abram. A man wh escaped frm the fighting makes his way t Abram, the Hebrew This is the first time Abram is identified in Scripture as a Hebrew In the OT, this term is used as an ethinic designatin, meaning the surrunding peple had cme t see Abram as smene different frm them Abram s lifestyle and testimny caused him t stand apart s much that the peple f Canaan had cme t see Abram as his wn ethnic grup within the culture They named him a Hebrew, taken frm his ancestral name Eber Can yu see the cntrast between him and Lt strengthening in this stry? Lt isn t knwn as Lt the Hebrew; he s knwn as Lt the Sdmite But he s als knwn as the family member f Abram This explains why the refugee wuld even think t seek ut Abram and tell him the stry f the defeat f Sdm Lt has prbably tld peple in the city that he was a relative f Abram And the refugee cncludes that his nly hpe f seeing this invading army destryed was t enlist Abram s invlvement And since Abram had n interest in Sdm, the refugees nly hpe wuld be t appeal t his cnnectin t Lt This tells us smething abut Abram and Lt First, it tells us that Abram has truly becme rich and mighty in the land Gd s prmise t bless Abram in the land seems clear 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Genesis 14A 9 Secndly, it tells us that Lt tried t maintain his status as a relative f Abram while still trying t be adpted by the wrld f Sdm Clearly, this refugee had cme t knw f Lt s cnnectin t Abram, which means that Lt allwed that infrmatin be knwn Lt prbably liked the status f being the nephew f the rich, alf Hebrew We als knw Lt was a righteus man trmented by the sin f Sdm, s he prbably reminded the Sdmites f Abram t sme degree And yet Lt was clearly wrking t be accepted by the wrld f Sdm Well see that even mre clearly in chapter 19 But fr nw it s enugh fr us t remember that we can t have it bth ways If we are saved by faith, then we must live by that faith And if we try t live with ne ft in the wrld and ne ft in fllwing Gd, we will eventually d the splits We will becme a man unstable in all his ways, James says Matt. 6:22 The eye is the lamp f the bdy; s then if yur eye is clear, yur whle bdy will be full f light. Matt. 6:23 But if yur eye is bad, yur whle bdy will be full f darkness. If then the light that is in yu is darkness, hw great is the darkness! Matt. 6:24 N ne can serve tw masters; fr either he will hate the ne and lve the ther, r he will be devted t ne and despise the ther. Yu cannt serve Gd and wealth. Lt s allwed his eye t pull him away frm serving his Master And yet he culdn t walk s far that Gd left him Leaving him split between tw wrlds 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Genesis 14A 10 The city f Sdm never accepted Lt as ne f their wn, because Lt refused t sin in the way that Sdm sinned And yet Lt wasn t successful in walking with Gd and s he suffered the cnsequences that cme upn the sinful wrld In my experience, the mst miserable persn yu ll ever meet is a believer wh is determined t live a wrldly life, like Lt When an unbeliever sins, he r she will experience cnsequences in ne frm r anther But because they lack a relatinship with Gd and persnal knwledge f Gd s expectatins, they can remain largely guilt-free in their pursuit f sin They actually enjy their sin Thugh they may suffer cnsequences in ne frm r anther (and certainly in eternity), in the meantime they enjy it But when a believer sins, they experience bth the cnsequences f sin PLUS the guilt f a cnscience cnvicted by the Spirit They can sin but they can t really enjy it in the same way that the unbelieving wrld des Even the mst hardened believer is still ging t experience the cnvicting wrk f the Spirit This difference is by Gd s design, f curse We are cnvicted by the Spirit as discipline In fact, that is ne the ways we are marked as different than the wrld Heb. 12:8 But if yu are withut discipline, f which all have becme partakers, then yu are illegitimate children and nt sns. And Gd brings us cnvictin s that we might see the errr f ur ways and cnfrm t the will f Gd, becming sanctified ver time 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Genesis 14A 11 Speaking f cnvictin, I suspect we may all feel a little cnvictin as we reflect n the difference between Abram s lifestyle and Lt s lifstyle Abram lived a life f faith that led the peples f Canaan t called him a Hebrew, a man set apart frm the wrld arund him And wrld knew Lt was related t Abram But they als knew Lt was a stranger trying t live as ne f them Hw wuld the wrld describe us? D they see us smene living a life accrding t a different curse, a different path Nt putting ur faith and trust in what the wrld values Nt walking accrding t the drumbeat f wrldly values, like Abram Wuld they describe us with titles like Americans, Texans, UT fans, marathn runners, sftware engineers, teachers, etc. Or wuld they describes us like Abram Peple s different frm the wrld they need a different name...christians Or maybe the wrld sees us as the wrld saw Lt They have cme t knw we are related t the Gd f Abram We have sme relatinship with religin, with Christianity And in times f truble, they might think t benefit frm that assciatin But in ur day-t-day life, they see us as simply anther persn trying t make ur way in the wrld, accrding t the wrld s rules Wh are we? Abram r Lt? We seem t want what the wrld wants, we value what the wrld values We seek fr the same things and get caught up in the same trubles and disappintments 2011 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.