Genesis chapter 14. We saw the call of Abram in Genesis chapter 12. God gives him promises, several promises at the very beginning. In Genesis chapter 12, God says he'll make Abram a great nation.
He will make Abram's name great. He will also be the means by which the families of the earth will be blessed. So Abram is promised a seed. He's promised land.
He's promised blessing. And we see how initially he begins to go through various tests. We see the problem with famine in the land. God gives him Canaan, and there's a famine in the land in Genesis chapter 12.
So he goes to Egypt. Genesis chapter 13, he has a bit of a family squabble with his nephew Lot. So it looks that, like every step of the way, it's going to be a difficulty for Abram to inherit that land. And Genesis 14 is as well a challenge.
Essentially what you have is a coalition of kings that are raiding through the land of Canaan. And so this poses a threat not only to Abram, but specifically to Lot, and it's as a result of that that Abram gets involved.
Scripture Reading
So beginning in Genesis chapter 14 at verse 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariok, king of Elessar, Kedor Laomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Nations, that they made war with Berah, king of Sodom, Bershah, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Adma, Shemeber, king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar. All these joined together in the Valley of Sidim, that is, the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Kedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
In the fourteenth year, Caedor Laomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Carnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-Qiriothaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Perrin, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-Mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazan-Tamar. And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Adma, the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar, went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Sedum against Kedor-Leomer, king of Elam, title king of nations, Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Ariad, king of Elessar, four kings against five. Now the valley of Sidim was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled.
Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram, from Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Einar, and they were allies with Abram.
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants, who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is, the king's valley, after his return from the defeat of Kedor Laomer and the kings who were with him.
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself.
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God most high, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich, except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion. Amen.
Introduction
Well, I want to look at the section up to verse 16, the deliverance of Lot. It would have been too much to try and deal with Melchizedek tonight. I think that's probably one of the primary reasons for this account. Obviously, it shows us Abram on the world stage.
I mean, he's standing by the trees, the terebinth trees in Mamre in chapter 13. We find him in that same location in chapter 14. But now he's being called upon to do something involving an international conflict. So he ultimately will meet Melchizedek.
But as the Bible speaks concerning Melchizedek in Psalm 110 and then again in Hebrews chapter 7, I thought it would be good for us to spend a little time in that section. I didn't want to just sort of tack it on at the end of the time tonight. So I want to look at,
The Battle of the Kings
first of all, the battle of these kings in verses 1 to 12, and then secondly, the deliverance of Lot in verses 13 to 16. Now, I think what you have in verses 1 to 4 is a bit of the background. It's the setting that provides sort of the rationale for what we find later. Some suggest that there are three battles seen.
I think there's two battles seen, but chapter 14, 1 to 4, sort of sets the stage for that. And
Two Coalitions: Setting the Stage
essentially what you have are two coalitions. You have a coalition of Eastern kings, and those are indicated in verse 1. These Eastern kings are from Mesopotamia, and Kedor Laomer is obviously the leader of them. As you move through the narrative, he's the guy, he's the backbone, he's the strength of this particular Eastern coalition.
And then you have the coalition of Canaanite kings. These are made up of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim, and Bala, which is also called Zoar. And so essentially what you have, according to verses 1 to 4, is that there is a war between these two coalitions. This is the first time in Scripture that we read verse 2, they made war with Bara, king of Sodom.
Now, the situation at Babel resulted in the confusion of languages. And here we see that that dispersion among the nations now results in war. And the very thing that the flood or pre-flood time, it was marked, or the earth was marked with violence, that violence was not purged away by the flood. And so that violence is expressing itself now in this warfare by these coalitions of kings one against the other.
And the particular issue at stake is found in verse 4. Notice it says, 12 years they. These are the Canaanite kings indicated in verse 2. They served Caedor Laomer, and in the 13th year, they rebelled.
So essentially, Caedor Laomer and his coalition of kings exercised a stronghold over these Canaanite kings. And when it says that they served him and in the 13th year they rebelled, it probably means they got fed up paying tribute to Caedar Laomer. So what you would have would be one conquering nation that would basically cause you then to start paying tribute, to start paying taxes. And so enough was enough as far as these Canaanite kings were concerned.
They no longer wanted to pay Caedar Laomer. They no longer wanted to pay that protection money, and so they rebel against him. So you've got this coalition of Canaanite kings, those described in verse 2, and then you've got this coalition of Eastern or Mesopotamian kings, those described in verse 1. And so, essentially, what you have is the background setting the stage for what now follows in verses 5 to 12, and these are the actual battles.
Kedorlaomer's Sweep Through Canaan
Before it highlights the actual battle, it indicates in verses 5 to 7 the ability of Canaart Laomer and his coalition of kings. If you are looking at the map, essentially, they come down from Mesopotamia, they enter into the northern part of Canaan, or Palestine, or Israel, and they essentially go the whole trajectory of the Transjordan, that's the east side of the Jordan River, they come all the way down to the very bottom, and then sort of work their way back up, and it's at that vantage point that Abram then meets them, and Abram routes them right back up into Syria. And so there's a lot of ground being covered here by these particular men, and that's the emphasis in verses 5 to 7. And I think one of the points the author is trying to highlight is the supremacy and the sovereignty and the glory of God.
God is not named in this entire section. Up until Melchizedek's pronouncement of blessing upon Abram, we have no reference to God whatsoever. And so while the absence of God in terms of his name is there, there is this conspicuous presence of God in the midst of this particular situation. Because this was, in fact, a dangerous coalition.
It was, in fact, a formidable foe. And nevertheless, Abram armed his 318 servants and is able to route these kings right back to where they came from. It's a display of God's supremacy and glory. And that's what I think the author is highlighting as he describes for us this actual successful attempt on the part of these Eastern kings.
Notice in verse 5, in the 14th year, Kedor Laomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim and Ashtaroth Carnaim, the Zuzim and Hem, the Emim and Shaveh Kirithaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Perrin, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat, that is Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazon-Tamar." So what you have are these six tribes that have basically been conquered by this coalition of kings as they move their way through Canaan. This is a threat. This is a problem.
This is a challenge to Abram. He has been given this land. We've already seen in chapters 12 and 13 that Canaanites remain in the land. We've already seen in chapter 13 that he has this issue with his nephew in terms of who's going to get the best part of the land.
And now you've got this coalition of eastern kings basically coming in and gobbling up the land. So everything in this tells us that Abraham is walking by faith in the living and true God. He cannot walk by sight, because if he does, he's going to throw in the towel. If he judges things based on the naked eye, he's probably going to go find a nice cave and go to sleep and never awake again, because this seems like an absolutely impossible mission.
And that's what the author is highlighting in this narrative. Now
Eastern Kings Defeat the Canaanites
notice the specific battle with reference to the Eastern kings conquering the Canaanite kings in verses 8 to 12. Here it tells us that they go out to the field of battle against the Eastern kings. This is why I said verses 1 to 4 provide the background. Notice again in verses 1 to 4, you have the Eastern kings mentioned, and then in verse 2 you have the reference to the Canaanite kings, and then in verse 3 all these join together in the Valley of Sedum.
So that's background context. Highlights for us how Cator Lehomer and his coalition started to gobble up the regions of Canaan, and now they come to this battle. Now they enter into this fight, and that's specifically what verses 8 to 12 highlight for us. Notice, verse 8, the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar, went out and joined together in battle in the valley of Sidum against, and then there's that coalition of kings.
Now note verse 10. Now the valley of Sidum was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Essentially, they got beat.
Essentially, they got busted. Now, the reference that some fell there have caused commentators to muse on the reality that this was, in fact, a place where there was a lot of asphalt pits. Did persons actually fall there to their demise? Some read it as if the Sodom and Gomorrahites actually went into these places as a means by which they could hide from this coalition of Eastern kings.
But whatever way we read the text, we need to understand that they got beat, and they got beat back. And verse 11 highlights that for us. It says, then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the coalition of Eastern kings, led by Kedor Laomer. and all their provisions, and went their way.
Now notice verse 12, they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. So we see the eastern kings plunder all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the eastern kings take Lot. This is how we get Lot, or rather Abram, from these terrible trees at Mamre onto the stage of international conflict. This is a massive movement for the patriarch.
Here he is right smack dab in the middle of these two warring factions. one of which is very well equipped, one of which is very able to dispose of enemies, and one of which ultimately is going to fall by the hand of Abram under the direction of a sovereign and powerful God. So they also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed." So there's the situation. The Eastern kings have bested the Canaanite kings, and Lot is a byproduct of their having taken the plunder, taking the goods. And this demonstrates and illustrates for us more of the folly of Lot.
Lot doesn't do well on the pages of Genesis. He has a favorable statement or favorable showing in 2 Peter 2. But that's given to Peter by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It certainly doesn't jump out on the pages of Genesis that righteous Lot was vexed day by day over the wickedness of Sodom.
Remember, he initially chooses Sodom and Gomorrah. He then pitches his tent near Sodom. Now what does verse 12 indicate for us? He now lives in, he dwells in the city of Sodom.
And once again, Abram has to come to the rescue of this young man and thank God most high that that's precisely what Abram does. Now
The Deliverance of Lot
notice the deliverance of Lot in verses 13 to 16. Now there's a very specific contrast in this section. In chapter 13, Lot takes the best of the land for himself. Best in terms of the physical life.
He wasn't thinking about spirituality. He wasn't thinking about holiness. He wasn't thinking about that which would best benefit his soul. I think at times we fall prey to that kind of thinking.
We make decisions based on money, based on circumstances, based on this, that or the other, but we don't make decisions based on what's most calculated to do the most good for our souls. I've seen people not take particular jobs because they'd have to leave a good church and go to a place where there wasn't a good church. Now, they could have said, well, there's more money to be had, there's a better circumstance, there's a better situation, but they chose rather to forego that better in that respect to stay where their soul was being genuinely profited. And the same sort of thing obtains with Lot.
He should have made decisions based on his soul. But we have Abram. dwelling, as it were, by these terebinth trees in Mamre. Notice verse 13. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, this highlights his ethnicity, it connects him to Eber in that genealogy of Genesis chapter 10.
For he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Ashkel and brother of Einar, and they were allies with Abram. Now later, there's going to be prohibitions against the children of Israel making alliances with these sorts of people, but that's not the case in this particular instance. It was a legit alliance that Abram had, and he only wanted that those men would be blessed or benefited for their having helped him in going to liberate Lot. Notice at the end in verse 24, the king of Sodom offers Abram all kinds of good stuff, and Abram says, I don't want your good stuff, because I don't want you to be able to say, I'm the one who's made you rich.
Verse 24, except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me. Einar, Eshkol, and Mamre, let them take their poor shed. And so this alliance at that particular time is not a bad thing, but rather it is a profitable thing in this particular instance. Notice as well, the report is given to Abram, and then Abram responds.
And I want to consider four things by way of his response.
An Immediate Response
First, it was an immediate response. Notice verse 14, now when Abram heard that his brother, now we know it's his nephew, but the word brother is being utilized to highlight the intimacy and the closeness of their familial connection. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed. He went right to work.
He went immediately to the task at hand. Waltke says Abraham escalates his commitment to his kinsman Lot from humility and generosity in order to preserve peace. That's what he does in Genesis 13. Remember there's the squabble between the herdsman of Lot and the herdsman of Abram.
And they're starting to argue and they want the land for themselves. And Abram says, look, you take whatever it is you want. You go right. I'll go left.
You go left. I'll go right. Whatever it is, Lot, I will gladly defer to you, which is really not the way it should be. It shouldn't be the older deferring to the younger.
It should always be the younger. deferring to the older. That's why in the scriptures we're told to give deference and preference to others, older people. That's what Lot should have done, but Abraham does it. And here he engages in armed response.
So again, walking. He says, he escalates his commitment to his kinsman Lot from humility and generosity in order to preserve peace to risking his life and fortune to rescue him. Lot's foolish choice of Sodom has put him in this danger. Can't miss that.
Lot's foolish choice of Sodom put him in this danger. Now, the text is conspicuous that what Lot has done is wrong, so it's not moralizing to highlight that, and it's certainly not moralizing to draw from that the practical application that we need to think in terms of consequences, and we need to choose things in our own lives that are best calculated to do our soul good. He puts himself in this terrible position, and now Abraham has to risk life and limb to go after him. Then notice, in terms of this immediate response, what Abraham doesn't do.
He doesn't do something that I think I might be tempted to do. Well, you know, Lot made his bed, let him lay in it, right? He brought this on himself. Foolish, foolish young man.
Perhaps this will teach him not to be impetuous in the future. Perhaps this will teach him to give deference and preference to his elders. Perhaps this is the lesson that he has needed to learn all along. But that's not what Abraham does.
He immediately goes into action to try and deliberate his nephew. Now
An Armed Response
notice, secondly, it was an armed response. It was an armed response. I'll tell you why the liberals hate the Bible. It's because God is pro-self-defense.
And this is precisely what you have in this particular passage. Verse 14, Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants, who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Now, this indicates not only is Abram pro-weapon, but Abram's rich. He has 318 servants born in his own house.
God had blessed him, he had a great deal of possessions, and now he mobilizes this force so that he can get his nephew back and so that he can run these eastern kings out of the land of Canaan. It is an armed response. Notice, as well, before we move on, faith acts in spite of the odds. Even though these are armed men, we cannot assume they were armed with Bradley tanks or helicopters or anything like that.
So, nevertheless, it's still an act of faith to go into battle against Caedar Laomer and his coalition of eastern kings. He doesn't let that stop him. He needs to get his nephew, and so he goes.
A Strategic Response
Notice as well it was a strategic response. It was a strategic response. Verse 15 tells us, "...he divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus." You see, having an armed group of men doesn't mean you just march blindly into battle. You march into battle in a calculated manner.
The horse is prepared for the battle. Its victory is of the Lord. And so we need to appreciate that. He divides his forces and then he goes at night so that he can do the most damage on these enemy forces in his attempt to rescue Lot and to get rid of these menaces that have come to the land of Canaan.
And then
A Victorious Response
notice finally it was a victorious response. Verse 16, so he brought back all the goods and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods as well as the women and the people. That reference to the women and the people probably meant slaves. That's why these Eastern kings would gobble up the women and the people because they'd take them back to Mesopotamia and enslave them and perhaps use the women for prostitution and other unsavory things.
So Abram goes out He immediately responds. He responds with strength and power. He responds with strategy. And God blesses that and grants him the victory.
It truly is a blessed display of the sovereignty of God as He works through particular means. Now,
Theological and Practical Lessons
I want to just draw out some practical lessons. Might be shorter tonight because we aren't tacking on that last bit or dealing with that last bit. but I think there's some things that we need to ponder in terms of some theological lessons. First of all, this is the first record of war. It's not the first act of violence in the Bible, but it is, in fact, the first record of war, and it would be the first of many subsequent to that, not only in the Bible, but extra-biblical as well.
And war ultimately is an expression of the depravity of man. I mean, it'd be great if everybody could just live together in harmony and peace, but that's not going to be the case on this side of heaven. Solomon says in the book of Ecclesiastes, there is a time for war, and that's what happens in a sin-cursed world. There are those effects, or those ramifications.
A second observation, before we move on to some more detailed observations, is Lot. I want a quote from Bruce Waltke, because we need to just get a good grasp of who Lot is. He says, Lot is still a fool. Note the progressive identification of Lot with Sodom. choosing it, 13.1, camping near it, 13.12, living in it, 14.12, and a respected citizen in it.
When we get to chapter 19 and verse 1, where is Lot when the angels come to Sodom? He's in the city gates. That is an indicator that Lot was shucking and jiving with the best of them in Sodom. He compounds his folly later by three more steps downward for a total of seven.
He flees to Zoar, settles in a cave, and in a drunken stupor incestuously begets Moab and Ammon. Now, God nevertheless delivers Lot by Abraham here in chapter 13, and he'll deliver Lot again by those angels in Genesis chapter 19. Now, I'm not suggesting we should live like Lot and trust in the delivering power of God. That's not the connection I was trying to make there.
I'm simply highlighting that God in His grace and mercy oftentimes does very gracious things for us when we are completely and absolutely unworthy and undeserving. God is gracious even to the likes of Lot. But as well, thirdly, I want to consider the faith of Abraham and just what we've seen thus far in Abraham. And I think that this is something that we ought to appreciate when it comes to sort of scriptural studies or studies in scriptural characters, is that they're not monolithic. you know, always the same.
You see growth, you see decrease, you see ebb, you see flow, you see a forward and a backward. You see that with the people of God, not only on the pages of Scripture, but you also see it in the lives of the people of God as well, right? Life for us isn't monolithic. It's not just this sort of straight thing, and it's typically not just this straight sort of upward shot.
You're looking at me like I'm nuts. Is anybody else able to relate that Christian life is kind of like that at times for us? It might seem like there's a lot of this and a little bit of that, or sometimes there might be some of this, but there's always that. That's kind of what you get with Abraham.
But thus far, we ought to appreciate the movement we've seen in the brother. First of all, the cowardice displayed in Egypt. Remember the cowardice displayed in Egypt when he actually tells his bride to lie and say, oh, I'm a sister. Again, it was a half-truth.
I get that. They had the same father. They didn't have the same mother. But the bottom line is it was calculated to deceive those Egyptians.
That cowardice displayed in Egypt gives way to this triumph over Eastern kings. Now, this man, Abraham, was not a military commander. He was not the battalion chief. This was not the sergeant major.
This was Abraham, right? This was a man that, up until this time, had lived in Mesopotamia. He got called out of Ur of the Chaldeans. He spent some time in Haran, and then he comes to Canaan.
And the next thing you know, he's arming his 318 servants and having to go take down Kadar Laomer. That's a movement in the right direction for Abraham. Secondly, the fear of famine in chapter 12 gives way to his dependence upon God for sustenance in the end of chapter 14. Notice at verse 22 to 24.
But Abram said, well back to 21. Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. Do you understand what happens? Abram saves the people, saves the women, and saves the goods that were plundered.
So the king of Sodom, who is very much the antithesis to Melchizedek here, the king of Sodom says to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. Well, that's payment for you, Abram, for having liberated our stuff, and liberating our women, and liberating our people. You go ahead and give me the persons, and you take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.
So on the one hand, A fear of famine sends him from Canaan into Egypt, and on the other hand, he's now rejecting all the good things that the king of Sodom wants to hand to him. That's a movement in the right direction. Thirdly, the recognition that his life is under the direct control of the living and true God. I don't want it to be thought, and I don't want you to say or claim that I made you rich.
Abram doesn't want to be beholden to any man because he knows that it's the true and living God that he is subject to. As well, the recognition that God's control is supreme. Kedorlaomer cannot do anything that God Most High doesn't decree. Kedorlaomer and these eastern kings could not advance one tiny step without the sovereignty of God.
Waltke says, Abraham does not cower before the four victorious kings. Incredibly, he risks himself and wins against an alliance that has ravaged six tribes and defeated five kings. This is an encouragement to the people of God, even in the exile. Even powerful nations can be defeated by the faithful and righteous.
That's a great lesson, isn't it? You know, he doesn't back down or kowtow or shrink in the face of those who've abducted Lot. He goes into action because that's what faith does. Faith believes in the true and living God, and faith realizes that the true and living God is over Cato or Laomer and this coalition of eastern kings, and that if God sends us and God wants this, then God is going to accomplish it on our behalf.
And then the recognition that God's control or his absolute sovereignty does not mitigate against the use of means. See, Abraham is not a hyper-Calvinist. Abraham does not conclude that God is absolutely sovereign. If God wants Lot vindicated and freed, then God will bring vindication and freedom to Lot.
No. He gets his 318 servants, and he arms them up, and he says, let's go chase these people down, let's hunt them down, and let's get my nephew back. See, the sovereignty of God does not mitigate against the use of means.
Providence and the Use of Means
The sovereignty of God is the foundation for the use of means. And that's one of the things that this chapter, at least this section, drives home in spades. And it's the last thing I want to consider. It's the providence of God.
Well, God is absent in terms of his name being mentioned until the end when Melchizedek confesses his supremacy. God is everywhere in Genesis chapter 14. Just consider some of these things. First of all, the abduction of Lot for the involvement of Abram.
In other words, the fact that all these things take place happened because God has a particular plan. And the way to get Abram away from the terebinth trees at Mamre is by the abduction of his nephew Lot. Notice as well the survival of the messenger of verse 13 in order to instruct Abram. Remember we see that this coalition of Eastern kings decimates the Canaanite kings according to verses 10 to 12.
Verse 13 says, then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. You know, we can read through those sorts of things and not even sort of stop and ponder the significance. Well, why is it that one escaped? Why is it that this guy didn't get his clock clean?
Why is it that he didn't fall into an asphalt pit? Why is it that he managed to get away unscathed? Because he had a particular mission, and that particular mission was to go to the terebinth trees at Mamre and alert Abram to the reality that his nephew Lot had been abducted. See, God is over the details as well.
As well, the victory of Abram over Caedor Laomer. Up to the point where Abram arms his men, and even then, we're pretty well convinced that Caedor Laomer's got this, don't we? Now, we don't because we're familiar with the story. We don't because we're somewhat in tune with what's going on in this particular section.
And we don't because we understand God and His sovereignty. But if you were just a brand new person that opened up Genesis chapter 14, there's enough up to the introduction of Abram to basically tell you that anybody who gets in the way of Cato or Laomer and his coalition of eastern kings is going to fall. I mean, this is one tough guy, and he's got a group of tough guys with him, and everybody who stands up before him is going to get mowed down. This coalition of Canaanite kings certainly couldn't do it, and they had home field advantage.
Sodom and Gomorrah. If ever there was a place that you would have the advantage, it's where you lived and hailed from. And so everything up to this point, and I would suggest even verse 14, that he arms his men, tips the scales in his favor, but then you think, 318 men. Now, I know Gideon had 300 men, and you don't need 3 million men.
You don't need every man in the world. You can accomplish great things. But again, up until this point, if you were new to this narrative, you would think that Cato or Laomer has this in the bag. That's one of the purposes, why it's written the way that it's written, so that when Abram gets the victory, the glory goes to God.
Because it's not Abram's savvy, it's not Abram's servant savvy, it's not their superior ability in terms of wielding their weapons, but rather it is God Most High who uses this to vindicate His servant and to bring about good in the lives of Israel. As well, in terms of God's providence, we're seeing the beginning of the fulfillment of the promises of Genesis 12. You can turn there. Genesis chapter 12, notice in verse 2, I will make you a great nation.
I will bless you and make your name great. This certainly adds to the greatness of Abram when it's found out that he, with his 318 armed servants, routed this coalition of eastern kings and sent them right back up into Syria. These guys work their way all the way down. They come down to the south.
They start working their way back. They were going to encompass the entirety of Canaan until they meet Abram. And Abram and his men send them packing. Notice as well that there is this curse upon those who curse Abram.
Verse 3, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. It's unfortunate Lot didn't realize or didn't learn the lesson of verse 3 of chapter 12. The closer I am to Abram, the better, is what Lot should have been thinking.
Not the further away from Abram I am, the better, but the closer that I am to Abram, the better. And then as well, with reference to this particular chapter in terms of the providence of God, Melchizedek confesses it. Notice in verse 19, and he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high who has delivered your enemies into your hand. You see, this was not knowledge for, you know, a select few.
Abram understood this. Abram knew that this was of God. Abram wasn't, you know, wow, I just thought I was militarily superior to Cato or Laomer and these men trained in killing people and breaking things. No, Abram knew that it was God who gave him the victory.
Melchizedek confesses this as well. And then also in terms of the providence of God. I think this chapter jives with much of what we've been seeing in our study in the confession of faith concerning of providence, of God's providence in chapter 5 of the Confession. You could take that chapter and read it and then read this and see how it all meshes and how it all jives.
The theology contained in chapter 5 is displayed for us here in chapter 14 of Genesis. Now, the fact that God is the possessor of heaven and earth, the fact that God does deliver His enemies into the hand of His people, He does it through means. You can't say, oh, you know, God's sovereign. If He's going to do it, He's going to do it.
Yes, He's going to do it through weapons. He's going to do it through arms. He's going to do it through these servants as they march down the warpath and find Cato or Laomer and send him and his men packing. This is God's way.
He not only has ordained all things, but he's accomplishing all things, and he does it through the use of means. That's a blessed lesson that Genesis 14 highlights and shows us. And then I would suggest practically, by way of a final thought,
Application: Lawful Use of Arms
the obvious implication in Genesis 14, arms are lawful for the defense of self and others. certainly in a military capacity as well, but in terms of self-defense and others' defense, you can use arms in order to accomplish that particular purpose. I realize that's not a popular political opinion at this particular juncture in our lives, but it's a biblical position, and the people of God shouldn't kowtow. God is over all things, and He has ordained the righteous use of means, to include arms, to help us protect ourselves and protect others, and to engage in and win legitimate war. Remember that bit in Nehemiah chapter 4 when they're rebuilding the wall.
They have a tool in the one hand and a weapon in the other. Why is that? Was it so that they could just show that they had these weapons with no power to use them? Of course not!
They had the power to use the weapon in defense of them as they're building this particular project. The language of our Lord Jesus. He assumes the right and the duty of householders to protect their homes and families. The book of Exodus, chapter 22, highlights self-defense, the infliction of lethal force in the act of a robbery happening in someone's place.
If it happens at night, the homeowner is vindicated. He is not charged with murder. It's a liberal political and a liberal theological mindset that says guns are bad, knives are bad, bombs are bad, everything's bad, and we have to control it for you. No, it's not bad in and of itself.
It's bad if it's used for wicked purposes by wicked people. So armament is not bad. It's not a righteous cause to take everybody's guns from them and to, you know, just put them in the hands of the government. Abram armed his men and they went out and they found Lot, vindicated him, rescued him, and sent this coalition of eastern kings packing.
Well, let's close in a word of prayer and the Lord willing next week we'll look at the kings of Sodom. and Jerusalem. Well, let's pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word and for your providence as it's so clearly displayed in Genesis chapter 14. We ask God that you would help us to not only see this doctrine, but to delight in it and to find comfort in it. We know that You are over all things, that You've ordained whatsoever comes to pass, and Father, I pray that You would help us to see that this does not mitigate against the use of means, that it does not mean we sit passively and idly by, but based on this reality, may we be bold in our faith, and may we walk in a manner that is consistent with Your revealed will. Go with us now, we pray.
Bring us together on the Sabbath to worship You in spirit and truth. And we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.