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Genesis 14 English Standard Version (ESV)

Abram Rescues Lot

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 ofZeboiim, 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.

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

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.”

 

REFLECTION

Sometime later a powerful coalition of kings from Mesopotamia invaded Canaan and, in the process, took Lot captive. Abram retaliated with a surprise attack at night and recovered Lot and the possessions those kings had taken.

Upon his return to his home Abram received a blessing from Melchizedek, king of Salem, and he received an offer of reward by the king of Sodom, Bera (v. 2).

Abram declined to accept the reward because he did not want to tarnish God’s promised blessing of him. His realization that victory and possessions come from God alone enabled Abram to refuse gifts from the wicked but to wait for God to provide what He had promised.

If we believe that God will preserve and provide for His own as He has promised, we will be encouraged and empowered to decline worldly benefits and wait patiently and confidently for God’s blessings.

 

PRAYER

Father God, help me to know you and trust you with your promises. I pray that as a person and as a family, we can come together and be faithful and be committed to what you have taught us to do.

 

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Genesis 13 English Standard Version (ESV)

Abram and Lot Separate

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.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, ¹⁵ for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

 

REFLECTION

Though 12:10-20 displayed Abram’s weaknesses, Ch 13 and 14 illustrated Abram’s great character strengths

This chapter shows one of his strengths in his relationship with his nephew Lot. When the herds of each man increased so much that they had to part company, Abram gave Lot his choice of land. Abram, as the older man, has the right to choose the best land. He did not demand his rights, and it showed a non-contentious spirit and a confidence in God’s promise to take care of him.

God rewarded Abram with a reminder. All he could see in every direction from his position atop the hills was given to him and to his offspring forever. Lot’s momentary possession of the richest land paled to insignificance when compared to the covenant promise made by Abram’s God.

Thank God for His faithfulness in keeping promises, and ask Him to increase your faith while you wait to see your requests come to fruition.

 

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Genesis 12 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Call of Abram

¹ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

 

REFLECTION

The focus in Genesis now shifts from the race as a whole to a single man, Abram. The rest of the Old Testament is about Abram and his descendants.

God calls Abram into relationship and a new life with God begins.  The promise that follows assures Abram that when God makes such a radical command, his journey is not alone, but with God, who is leading him.  The text reminds us that these blessings are not acquired by our own effort, but are gifts from God – grace and blessing.

Abram had demonstrated his faith by obeying God’s command to leave his homeland (v1). As a result, we see the beginning of God’s great commitments to Abram. From the Bible, we learn that just as God is faithful to Abram, He is also faithful to all who exhibit Abram’s trust in the Lord.

What happens is that faith establishes a relationship with God.  Faith maintains that relationship.  It is an active trust in God and His promises that causes us to obey.  It’s clear in Abram’s life.  He believed God’s promises that he abandoned Ur and its wealth to live a nomadic life in a new land.  It was the promise, and faith in the promise, that freed Abram not only to obey God, but started him on a journey to become the unselfish, loyal, courageous, humble, and straightforward kind of person we can admire.

It must be this way with us that we must keep our eyes fixed on God and His promises to us.  Some of taught that God is like a vending machine; that when we push the right buttons, the power will flow.  This is wrong.

 

PRAYER

Lord, as I keep my heart fixed on you and your promises to me, help me trust in your mercy and faithfulness.  Let your overflowing grace enable me to obey and help me gladly obey your guidance all the way.