A Journey of Faith and GraceAbraham #2: Gen 12:10-14:24

Expectations:

1. The goal of any meditation in the word is to know God more, understand who you are in relationship to Him, and understand His plan. Pray and ask God to help you know Him through His word.

2. Spend approximately one hour reading this lesson and meditating on its questions. Group leaders should not “teach” through the lesson during small group but simply facilitate group discussion about the lesson.

3. The last instruction of the lesson will be to record what has been helpful to you and how it applies to you. Every group participant should come ready to share his/her insights.

Review:

God is engaging the world through one man to reverse the curse of sin and establish His presence with His people in His Kingdom.

God is bringing forth the “seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15) to establish His rule through His seed in contrast to the seed of the serpent (kingdom of Satan/man).

Abraham believed (faith) the one true living God in contrast to the false gods of his family (Joshua 24:2).

Abraham becomes the example of faith that God desires of His people.

Genesis 12:10- 13:410Now there was a famine in the land (Abraham discovers that the Promised Land can also quickly become a famine land!); so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land (As a nomad, this is not unusual. He would travel along the routes where his livestock could graze. This action sets up a pattern in the OT in which God uses other nations to either “save” or “discipline” His people. In this case it is both! See later comments below).

11It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman (an aged beauty); 12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.”

[Note where Abraham’s concern is placed—on himself. Remember God’s promise was that Abraham would be a great nation. Abraham lived with barren Sara for probably 60 years! In Abraham’s understanding she could not be the means through which God would make him a great nation (cf. his thinking in 15:3), so he must preserve in his understanding the only way in which he sees God making him a great nation—through himself. Abraham’s perspective is drastically narrow! To Abraham, Sarah is somewhat “dispensable” at this point.

Thus, he allows Sarah to be given as a wife to Pharaoh. That means Sarah could have never returned to Abraham. Meanwhile he preserves his own life. This perplexing action makes sense only if Abraham’s focus was on believing that the promise of God would come in some way through himself but not through Sarah. We see Abraham’s attempts in trying to believe the promise of God; yet, he tries to take matters into his own hands as to how he envisions God’s promises would be fulfilled. He is manifesting behavior kind of like, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

At this point, however, because of his limited view of God, Abraham cannot imagine other ways of how God can keep His own promise (like creating life in barren Sarah). Therefore, Abraham resorts to clamoring for the preservation of his own life at the expense of Sarah. His incomplete view of God results in fearful clamoring for his own life and reckless actions that lead to the potential loss of an even more glorious means through which God would accomplish the promise—making a barren woman, Sarah, fruitful. Ironically, as God is in the process of saving Abraham’s life from the famine by his trip to Egypt, Abraham does not recognize this and will view the power of pharaoh to take his life greater than the power of God to save his life.

God has a lesson for Abraham though—the trip to Egypt is both for his “salvation” from famine but also for his growth in faith. God was chastening and disciplining Abraham. Remember, Abraham is on the journey of faith. Along the way, as Abraham walks with God, he experiences many failures. Yet, it is precisely these failures that God uses to discipline and to teach Abraham. By Gen 22, Abraham is mature in faith. When Abraham is confronted with a seemingly impossible command of God in Gen 22, Abraham is no longer limited in his perspective of God’s power and abilities. He would come to believe through the adventure of faith that God could even raise somebody from the dead to fulfill His promises—Heb 11:19. The disciples of Jesus Christ in the Gospels of the NT manifest the same spiritual journey—a maturing of faith. God works the same way in us today! We should not be surprised!]

Ponder: If God was choosing Sarah to be the elect lineage through which the “seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15) would come to be a blessing to the world, what do Abraham’s actions potentially “do” to God’s plan?

Ponder: Abraham did not need to attempt to work out God’s plan on his own. He needed to trust and wait while being faithful to Sarah and loving Sarah. Instead his acting created more problems. How do we tend to get ahead of God’s promises and work out things to our advantage instead of waiting upon the Lord? When you have waited while persevering in faithfulness and righteousness how have you seen God come through with His blessings?

14It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house (This is highly ironic that out of all the Egyptian women available in the Egyptian Empire, the leader of Egypt would want mother Sarah! This would not happen today in the Arab Israeli conflict!! Could this be evidence of God making Abraham and Sarah attractive to the nations?) 16Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels. (The wealth of a nation is being brought to Abraham. God is blessing Abraham despite his narrow view of God. This is a testimony to God’s faithfulness, not Abraham’s!!!!) 17But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19“Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her

and go.” (God knew precisely how He intended to fulfill His promises to Abraham, and that was through barren Sarah. Abraham does not get it at this point. However, despite this, God was not going to let Abraham’s narrow view deter His plan. Therefore He “forces” Sarah back to Abraham at the urging of the plague stricken Pharaoh) 20Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. (Notice that Pharaoh could have killed Abraham for his deception. But Pharaoh sent him out with all his possessions and wealth gained in Egypt. Again, this is a testimony of God’s steadfast loyalty to His promise to Abraham about blessing him, not a testimony of Abraham’s faithfulness at this point. Yet Abraham saw how 1. God could bless him (wealth) 2. God could bring other nations to his aid, 3. God could save his life, 4. God’s plans are bigger than Abraham’s, 5. God has the power to bless and curse, 6. God could bring back a wife that was lost, 7. God is sovereign over the rulers of the nations, etc. Abraham ultimately gained a greater knowledge about God and he gained experiential glimpses of how God could do what He said in Gen 12:1-3. With that new knowledge and expanded view of God he goes back up to the Promised Land and worships again….He responds rightly in faith/belief/worship!)

Gen 13:1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. 2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. 3He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (At the conclusion of the Egypt trip, Abraham returns to the Promised Land and worships the Lord at the altars he had previously built to claim in faith the land for Yahweh. God has enriched him in his wealth but most importantly enriched his faith—but he is not yet complete in his faith!)

Some Principles and Applications to consider

Truths about man:

The adventure of faith requires failures. The adventure of faith requires discipline (of God). The adventure of faith results in maturing. A narrow view of God results in fear of loss. A narrow view of God results in hurt to others (Sarah and Pharaoh’s house). Never underestimate God’s abilities! Let’s embrace the adventure and not resist the discipline of the Lord—it ultimately leads to faith

like Abraham’s in Gen 22! What a blessing! Through the failures expand your knowledge of God and respond properly in faith and worship

in order to continue the journey. Others that you see?

Truths about God:

God is unrelenting in His faithfulness. God is tenacious in His plan. God is faithful when we are faithless. God controls the power of blessing and cursing --fear Him!! God is the one making us like Christ. God meets us in the state of our imperfect knowledge of Him and immature faith in Him and

takes us on the journey of maturing faith. (How should we then respond in light of others’ struggles and failures—God is at work in their lives!!)

God has plans beyond what we can conceive of right now—believe Him!!

God loves us enough to discipline us to mature us! Do not resist His discipline! (Prov 3/ Heb 12) Others that you observe?

Ponder: What has been most helpful to you in Genesis 12:9–13:4?

Gen 13:5–18Setting: After God rescued the vehicle of the promise—Sarah, He will now have to “rescue the Land of Promise” because Abraham essentially gives it up by offering a choice to Lot. In the process, Lot will be separated from Abraham leaving Abraham without an “heir.”

Genesis 13:5-18 5Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. (Abraham and his tribe were around Bethel at this point, cf. v. 4 and see map at the end of the lesson.) 6And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. (God is continuing to bless Abraham; remember that God had allowed Abraham even to become rich in Egypt at the expense of Pharaoh!) 7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (This becomes the means through which God is separating Abraham and Lot. We know the end of the story that the promise would come from Abraham and Sarah’s literal seed, but again, Abraham does not fully understand this. In chapter 12, we saw that God did not allow Abraham and Sarah to be separated down in Egypt. Now we see that God is orchestrating the separation of Abraham and Lot. If Abraham originally took Lot on the journey as a possible means through which the promise of God would be fulfilled, God now is distancing Abraham from that means of fulfillment.) the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land. (This possibly explains why the land seemed crowded—the land was not just occupied by Abraham and Lot but by the Canaanite and the Perizzite. So there remain continuing obstacles to the fulfillment of God’s promises. There are not only issues with “seed” but issues with “land.” Last chapter the land was one of “famine.” This time the land is inhabited and unable to sustain both Lot and Abraham.)

Ponder: God’s means of fulfilling what He says are not always clear initially! He sees what we don’t when we observe apparent obstacles from a human perspective. What then is required of us?

8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers (Though not literally brothers, they were uncle/nephew, the sense here is “kinsmen”). 9“Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” (Here Abraham gives a choice to Lot. While it might have been a gracious thing for Abraham to do, he potentially gives up the land God promised him. Thus just as Abraham’s actions threatened Sarah in Gen 12, now Abraham’s actions threaten the land.)

10Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan (see map), that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar [We cannot assume that the Dead Sea area and the Southern Jordan Valley area looked then like it does today—see map at the end of this lesson. Today it would not attract Lot’s attention. Other than Jericho, which is a small oasis area, this region today is desert and desolate. There is a reason why the Dead Sea bears its name. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea because of its salt content. Apparently before the cataclysmic events of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19), this region looked like the Garden of Eden. Two factors to note about the Dead Sea

area and the Jordan Valley—(1) The valley is called the Jordan Rift Valley because it is actually a geographical fault line in the earth’s crust (one of the longest on earth), (2) Also note that the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. In Gen 19 God destroys this area through divine and possibly natural—earthquake—causes. It is as if God’s fist came down in this region and caused a deep hole into which all the water drains now. Its desolate state today is a testament to the abiding consequences of God’s judgment.] 11So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan (Lot chose the “edge” of the Promised Land—or possibly even beyond the land promised by God. Some think that Abraham offered him a portion of the Promised Land, and Lot is turning his back on it by choosing the beautiful edge. Even if that is not the case, Lot chose the choice part of the land at that point in time. Naturally it would be the desired choice for most individuals—urban, lush “city living.” That is why the wicked and immoral were gathering there as well. While God was not going to use Lot as the means of fulfillment of the promise, ultimately, Lot’s descendants do become two nations—the Moabites and the Ammonites. These nations harass Israel’s eastern edge throughout later times. Remember Ruth was a Moabite. As Moses was writing Genesis, he could have included this story to explain to the children of Israel how the nations of Moab and Ammon arose since they had to pass through these eastern nations on their way to the Promised Land.) and Lot journeyed eastward (see map). Thus they separated from each other. (Literally this is rendered—“Thus they separated, each man from his kinsman.” Notice that this is essentially a repetition of information. The first part of verse 11 says all we really need to know. However, it seems as if the narrator is reinforcing the idea of “separation.” Again you see this repeated in verse 14—“after Lot had separated.” The significance of this is that a potential means of fulfillment for the promise is seemingly being lost).

12Abram settled in the land of Canaan (The land of promise. I believe this is an act of faith of Abraham, staying in the land of promise even while his nephew, which Abraham possibly thought was a means of fulfillment, leaves.), while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. (Lot abandons his tribal lifestyle for urban living.)

13Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord. (Foreshadowing of Gen 19. In Gen 19, the text will show what the end of the path that Lot chose is.)

14The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, (again notice the repetition of “separation”) “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward (Lot “lifted” up his eyes, v. 10, and chose one select area. God now asks Abraham to lift up his eyes and everything that Abraham actually saw was going to be given to him and his descendants. God has so much more in store for those who love Him. Sometimes we grasp for our seemingly “fertile valleys” here that will be destroyed, but God has an entire earth to give us!! “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Abraham is an example of this.) 15for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16“I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17“Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” (This reaffirmation of the promise of the land differs from the earlier formula by its much greater explicitness. First, the land is more precisely defined: “all … which you see.” Second, it is given to Abraham as well as to his descendants. And third, it is given in perpetuity, “forever.” This reaffirmation comes at a strategic time—in the midst of Abraham’s challenges with (1) the land and (2) potential loss of the means to fulfill the promises.

18Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. (Abraham is continuing to walk in faith despite the obstacles! This is evidenced by his traveling south and establishing an altar there. Now there is an altar to Yahweh in Bethel in the north and Hebron in the south. It is as if the land is being claimed for God as this nomad walks around and, in faith, sets up altars in the name of Yahweh! Remember, the Canaanites and Perrizites are in the land and they have their gods and their claim on the land.)

Lessons to consider from Gen 13:

(1) The Journey of Faith and Grace Contains Continual Challenges to Faith

Obstacles Present--There will be obstacles to believe what God says—the land challenges.

Crutches Removed--There will be apparent loss of means, which we depend on, that God removes (Lot).

(2) The Journey of Faith and Grace Contains Continual Confirmation of Promises

God’s word (to Abraham)—confirmed His promises even in the challenges….and Abraham believed. Again, though he still does not know how the land will be acquired, nor the seed. Yet he believes!

(3) The Journey of Faith and Grace Contains Continual Revelation of God’s Plan (to those who take steps of faith)—i.e. God gives more and more truth to those who take initial steps.

Ponder: What has been helpful to you from Gen 13? Be specific please. How will you apply this?

Genesis 14Setting: After God rescued the vehicle of the promise—Sarah, and removed Abraham’s crutch — Lot, the threat to the promises of God now comes in the form of invaders to the land. As God acts to empower Abraham, we begin to see how God has already been working to make Abraham a powerful influence in the land.

1And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar [Babylon], Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2that they 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 (that is, Zoar). 3All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim—that is, the Salt Sea/Dead Sea. 4Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer [apparently these 5 city-states were not independent entities but were under the control of Chedorlaomer, king of Babylon for 12 years], but the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat—that is, Kadesh—and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. 8And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela—that is, Zoar—came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. [Here we are introduced to the continual battles that this piece of real estate would face. The piece of land that God would give to Abraham was the cross roads of the world at that time. Throughout the history of this piece of land there has been turf battles. Mostly coming from Egypt from the south, Hittites (modern Turkey) from the north, or Babylon/Assyria from the east. Late in Israel’s history, Assyria took the land over in 722 BC. Then Babylon in 586 BC. In this account we see kings of the East, Babylon et al,

desiring control over this region. Whoever, controlled this narrow strip of land and its trade routes, controlled the world at that time. Take a look at the map. Any trade that was between the Iraq/Iran region and Egypt had to go through the land God was going to give Abraham. And trade that would flow from the north region toward Egypt would have to go through the “promised land.”]

10Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. 11Then they [the invading kings] took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. [These invading “kings” are basically “thugs” and “raiders” after spoil and slaves and more wives. The common route invaders from the east would take, came into Canaan from the NE to avoid the desert between Canaan and Babylon/Assyria. They would depart from Canaan by the same way. When invading they would travel from the Babylon area along the route of the “fertile crescent” which follows the Euphrates River then they would turn down south into the land of Canaan. Abraham will chase them northward as far as Dan. See map.] 12They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.

13Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. [“Abram the Hebrew” is an unusual term for Abraham at this point. This may reflect that some of the content of chapter 14 was written by an ancient source other than Moses and the author was identifying this man Abram as a “Hebrew.” At that time, Israelis did not refer to themselves as “Hebrews.” Chapter 14 may be an ancient international battle record and was included here by Moses as he was compiling Genesis to demonstrate the renown that Abraham was gaining. Moses also may have been demonstrating (1) the blessing of God on Abraham, and (2) the ongoing fulfillment of “those blessing you I will bless” and vice versa. Robert Altar states, “Abram, having been promised national tenure in the land in the immediately preceding episode, is now placed at the center of a different kind of narrative that makes him a figure on the international historical scene, doing battle with monarchs from the far-flung corners of Mesopotamia and treating with the king of Jerusalem (Salem), one of the principal cities of Canaan.] Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. [Notice Abraham’s influence in the land is spreading. He has “allies!” Below we will see he has 318 trained men born among his house—that is, his hired help and the children they bore!]

14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people. [Abraham gave these thugs a good whipping -dealing with them quickly and thoroughly. God was certainly blessing Abraham. Note that Abraham also dealt righteously with the people of his land. He rescued Lot and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember, these Canaanites in the land, especially Sodom and Gomorrah, were wicked. But Abraham still dealt righteously with them. He could have simply let the Sodomites and Gomorrahites (sp?) be captured and taken.]

17Then 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. 18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. [The contrast between Melchizedek and King of Sodom begins. Ultimately the point of the story is right here. The King of Sodom will respond grudgingly. The King/Priest of Salem blesses Abraham. Remember, God had said those who bless Abraham would be blessed. Those who curse Abraham will be cursed. Jerusalem ultimately becomes the capital of Israel. It becomes the blessed city of God. Sodom and Gomorrah, archaeologists speculate, are lying at the bottom of the Dead Sea. The point—God fulfills His promises. Also, Melchizedek is said to be a priest of “God Most High.” The Canaanites had a pantheon of gods (multiple gods). The highest of the gods in the pantheon was called “El” which translated simply is “god.” The phrase “El (god) most high” most likely refers to this highest Canaanite god. Melchizedek, while recognizing a most high god, still most likely believed in many gods. Furthermore, he most likely did not know the one, true, high God of Abraham by His Name. Please note

that Abraham in verse 22 actually clarifies that indeed the most high God actually has a name—Yahweh (translated “LORD”). Abraham is visibly and actively bearing the image of the true God—bringing His name to the land and living in the land in a righteous fashion. He is becoming the visible representation of the invisible God. Some bless him, like Melchizedek, but others grudgingly acknowledge him, like the King of Sodom. A similar experience happened with Paul when he declared in Athens, that the God that the Athenians worshiped at the altar to the unknown god was the True God whom Paul was declaring to them. Finally we should note the relationship between Melchizedek and Christ in Hebrews 7 in case questions come up in the group. In Hebrews the Jewish believers were struggling to accept Christ as a high priest. Christ was not from the priestly lineage of the Levites. Thus, calling Christ a High Priest for His people, yet not coming from the tribe of Levi, was tempting many of the Jewish believers to falter in their belief in Christ as Messiah. The argument of Hebrews 7 is that Christ is “of the order of Melchizedek.” That is, Christ is not only a priest but He is also a King—just like Melchizedek (king of Salem and priest of god most high). Thus Christ is King of Jerusalem (and the world) and priest of THE God most high. He was “higher” in rank than Levites and is not bound by genealogical heritage. Historically, the offices of King and Priest were separated in the monarchy of Israel probably for the same reasons we separate powers in the USA—to maintain a sense of checks and balances in institutionalized authority. However, Christ combines all the offices into one person—Priest, King, Prophet, Judge, etc.]

19He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, [Here, I assume it is again the god “el”,

the highest of the gods in the Canaanite pantheon]Possessor of heaven and earth; 20And blessed be God Most High, [Here, I assume it is again the god “el”, the

highest of the gods in the Canaanite pantheon]Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

He gave him a tenth of all. [Melchizedek blesses Abraham and he gets a blessing in return!! Just like the promise in Gen 12 said!! Tithing was an old and widespread custom in the ancient orient. Tithes were given to both sanctuaries and kings. Melchizedek qualifies on both counts. Here, however, it is probably in virtue of his priesthood that Abraham gives him a tithe. For as Abraham has received a priestly blessing from Melchizedek, it is fitting that he should respond in the customary fashion. Here Abraham (cf. Jacob 28:22), father of the nation, sets an example for all his descendants to follow (cf. later legislation on tithing: Num 18; Lev 27:30–33).]

21The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.”

22Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, [Abraham uses the same phrase as Melchizedek; yet, he makes it more precise with the revelation of the true God’s name—Yahweh, “Lord.” Abraham is bearing the visible image of the invisible God in the land God gave him. He is bringing the name of God to a pagan world in that land.] 23that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24“I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.” [Here it is presupposed that Abraham, the victor, has a right to keep the spoils for himself. But having given a tenth to Melchizedek, he gives the rest to the king of Sodom. The meanness of the king of Sodom stands in stark contrast to Melchizedek’s warm generosity. Sodom brought nothing, whereas Melchizedek brought out bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Sodom makes a short, almost rude demand of just six words: “Give me people; take property yourself.” There is none of the customary courtesy here. The word order (note how he mentions “giving” before “taking”) reflects Sodom’s ungracious self-centeredness. As their rescuer, Abraham presumably had a right to both the people and the property that he had recovered. All Abraham asks for is what he cannot give back—the food that has been consumed and the men who went with him. While he forfeits his rightful share, he

does not expect his allies to forfeit their share. Abraham swears he is not interested in keeping for himself even the smallest items of booty—the thread or sandal thong—let alone anything of value.]

Lessons to consider from Gen 14

The proper function of a servant of God to bring His name to a fallen world.

God uses a man who is…Willing to dwell in a challenging landExercising faith in promises he doesn’t understandActing in righteousness in taking his standClaiming God’s Name for the strength of his hand

cf. Christ and His example and the “servant” in Isaiah 42:1-4

Note that God used: (1) Only one servant described as that above to bring God’s name to a pagan land(2) Only one servant described as that above to bring blessing to a pagan land(3) Only one servant described as that above to bring international influence to the

region

Remember those IN Christ are heirs to the promises of Abraham. We should expect the same results over time and in eternity, as we become the kind of servant Abraham was.

A lesson can be made from the standpoint of God’s faithfulness to His promises. (1) God blesses Abraham AS HE SAID(2) God blesses those who bless Abraham AS HE SAID(3) God curses those who curse Abraham AS HE SAID(4) God made Abraham a name AS HE SAID (5) God is beginning to let Abraham have an international influence AS HE SAID

Ponder: What has been most helpful to you from Gen 14?

Notice how the area around the Dead Sea is barren. Lot chose this area, however, because of its Garden of Eden like appearance. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities in this area. It appears that this area has been rendered dead real estate by cataclysmic events—the Gen 19 record of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in this area.