God Speaks
So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. 2 (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.) 3 From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. 4 This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.
5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. 6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. 7 So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. 12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. 16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! 17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.
14 About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim 2 fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar).
3 This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.
5 One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Rephaites at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea. 9 They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. 12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.
13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.
14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.
17 After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”
22 Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre.”
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
[Editor’s note: Due to my error, part of the scripture intended for the February 3rd post was omitted (Genesis 13:1-4). It is included in this post. This should help clarify confusing references in the previous reflection and prayer sections]
Reflection: These two chapters give the reader a glimpse of Abram’s relationship with his nephew Lot. Lot had gone to Egypt with Abram, Sarai, and their household. When they returned to the area between Bethel and Ai, Abram again worshiped the LORD at the altar he had built there. The Bible doesn’t mention whether Lot joined him or not. Abram’s faith is growing. First, to settle conflict among their herdsmen, Abram generously let Lot choose which section of the land he would use for his many herds and flocks. Abram had every right to choose first since he was the elder and leader. Lot chose to move in the direction of Sodom. Lot either didn’t know or didn’t care how wicked the people of Sodom were. After Lot left, God again spoke to Abram. God told Abram that his descendants would be so numerous that, like the dust of the earth, they could not be counted. Abram was in his later seventies and childless at the time. The Lord also promised to give them all the land Abram could see in every direction in perpetuity. In faith, Abram moved to the area of Hebron and built another altar. About fifteen years later, one group of five kings (including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah) and another group of four kings had a dispute and went to war in the valley near the Dead (or Salt) Sea. Some of the soldiers from Sodom and Gomorrah were driven into tar pits in the area. Their cities were seized and looted, with many people being captured including Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom at that time. Abram and three neighboring clans had not been involved until Abram learned that Lot had been captured. Then they banded together, chased, and routed the four kings and recovered all the captured goods and people. On their return to the area, Melchizedek, who was both the King of Salem and a high priest of the Most High God, brought out food for a ceremonial meal and pronounced a prophetic blessing over Abram. In return, Abram gave a tenth of all the goods to Melchizedek; however, when the king of Sodom tried to reward Abram, he refused, saying in essence that he did not want to be obligated or under the control of this wicked king. Abram asked only that his allies be recompensed.
Prayer: Dear God Most High, thank You for assisting Abram in growing in his faith and faithfulness. Please help me as well. I am grateful for people who have taken me under their wing as Abram and Sarai did Lot. Help me learn to be as faithful in worshiping You as Abram was. Help me to put the desires of others ahead of my own as he did with Lot. Please assist me in researching and caring about the level of wickedness or righteousness of the people with whom I associate. Holy Spirit, please help me to listen to and obey the LORD. Thank You for all the blessings You have in store for all those who trust and obey You. Help me to be aware of but not become entangled in other people’s quarrels; however, please give me allies to help in fighting for those who are truly oppressed (especially by the world, the flesh, and the devil). May the victories of righteousness be commemorated, properly rewarded, and given back to honor You, Lord. For the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will continue regular times of worshiping the Lord alone or with others.
- I will put the desires of ahead of my own. (Someone specific)
- I will research the character of the people with whom I associate and seek out people of peace. (Search for kindred spirits)
- I will seek to honor those who are honoring the Lord God. (At least one specific person this week)
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.