Genesis
Lesson 27Abram Rescues Lot
" 1 At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, 2 these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled." Genesis 14:1-4 [NIV]
Lot probably did not realize the hot bed of political activity that he would be drawn into as he moved closer to Sodom and then eventually moved into the city. As a wealthy owner of large herds of cattle in particular, he would have been welcomed even though he was a foreigner. (Genesis 19:9) The text tells us that for twelve years, King Bera’s city state—made up of himself in Sodom, and the other kings of his city state who ruled over Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim and Zoar—had been paying tribute to King Kedorlaomer (Chedorlaomer in some versions). However, they had had enough of those kings from Elam and the surrounding territory (modern-day Iran), so they withheld their tribute in the thirteenth year. Not happy with this act of disrespect and the loss of the tribute, Kedorlaomer and his allied kings decided to punish them.
" 5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6 and the Horitesin the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar." Genesis 14:5-7 [NIV]
Kedorlaomer’s army came down the eastern side of the Jordan, following a well-known trade route called the King’s Highway, defeating one group after the other. Then crossing over below the southern end of the Dead Sea, they continued the war turning north at the southern end of Canaan by defeating Hazezon Tamar, located on the western side of the Dead Sea at the southern end. From here they then set their sights to the northeast and the wealthy kingdom of King Bera at Sodom, the cities of the plain, and his four kings.
I have traveled the highway out of Jericho on the western side of the Dead Sea all the way down to the ruins of Masada. Traveling that route, you can clearly see how flat and open the terrain is along the Dead Sea, but it’s also very treacherous. While the ground looks solid, it’s actually a type of quicksand caused by the lengthy cycles of rise and fall in Dead Sea water levels. This unstable flat shoreline of the Dead Sea, referred to as tar pits in the biblical text, will play a major role in the coming battle.
" 8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom." Genesis 15:8-12 [NIV]
Based on the information in the above passage, respond to the following:
- Where does it say that Lot was living, and how does this location compare to where Genesis 13:12-13 indicates that he was living earlier?
- Why would King Bera and his allied kings have left the cities unprotected and fought the Elamite kings out in the open by the Dead Sea?
The Call for Help
" 13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram
was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom
were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive,
he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
The Rescue
So Abram, without hesitation, pulls together 318 trained men "born in his household" and traveled 140 miles north to Dan, probably traveling along the western side of the Jordan river.
Respond to the following:
- Who else went with Abram and his trained men to help rescue Lot and the others from Sodom and Gomorrah? (See Genesis 14:13.)
- Why would Abram have a trained army of 318 men, and how could they have been "born in his household" when Abram didn’t have any children at that time?
- How could Abram and his army have caught up to Lot’s captors, and so quickly, before Kedorlaomer and his allies could make it back to Elam?
The Reunion
" 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Genesis 14:17-20 [NIV]
After Abram returns victoriously from battle, having rescued of Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah along with all of their possessions, King Bera for Sodom runs out to greet Abram. We are then introduced to Melchizedek, the "king of Salem," who brings out "bread and wine." The Biblical text tells us that Melchizedek is the "priest of God Most High," and he blesses Abram. (Note: Salem is the early, small, village that will later become Jerusalem, and is located on the side of Mount Moriah. More about this location and Melchizedek in later lessons.)
Now respond to the following:
- Contrast the behavior of King Melchizedek with that of the King of Sodom. (See 14:17-21.)
" 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.’ 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, "I made Abram rich." 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.’" Genesis 14:21-24 [NIV]
Once again, we see that Abram only wanted to do God’s will, and he did not want to be rewarded for something that God had accomplished. His intentions were pure; all he wanted to do was follow God’s leading and rescue Lot and the others.
Last question for the lesson:
- The narrative above also shows us something about God. if Abram was doing God’s will, then what specifically was God’s will? Think about it and respond.
In the next lesson, we will see God formalize His covenant with Abram in a very Middle Bronze Age way. Abram would clearly understand the meaning and significance of this covenant, as it was the custom of the day. For believers today, it points the way toward Jesus coming as God’s sacrifice. It will be a very interesting lesson for all of us, I’m sure.
Have a blessing-filled week!
In Christ,
Wes
[2022]