The Life of Abraham #2: A Lot of Trouble
CCEA
School of Discipleship
March
23, 2025
In Class
Take three minutes, get in groups of three or four, and share one thing you
got out of reading Swindoll’s Chapter 3: A Decision That Led
to a Disaster
Let’s recite Hebrews 11:6 together:
(Hebrews
11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
A Lot of Trouble
Genesis 13-14
13:1-4 Abram returns and worships
:1 Then Abram went up
from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the
South.
:1 went up from Egypt
If you recall, God had promised to give Abram the land of Israel. But when
a famine hit the land, Abram packed up and headed south to Egypt.
I think we could make a case that Abram may have made a mistake going to
Egypt.
He lied about his wife. He brought trouble on Pharaoh because of his lies.
He gets kicked out of Egypt. He collects some Egyptian things along the way,
like a handmaiden named Hagar.
Is it a stretch to say that Abram may have “fallen away” a bit with this
trip to Egypt?
But now we see he came back.
:1 and Lot with him
Abram’s nephew. His father, Haran, died back when they lived in Ur of the
Chaldees. It seems that Abram has taken on the role of raising Lot like a son.
Abram and Sarai weren’t the only ones that went to Egypt. They had taken
Lot with them.
:1 to the South
The Hebrew word here is Negev
You will see the word “Negev” often in the Old Testament, it simply means
“South”.
We usually think of it as that wilderness area
south of the hills of Hebron.
Directions in the Bible can be confusing.
Abram “went up”, and we think of it as going north. But “up” and “down” are usually references to
altitude, not map directions.
:2 Abram was very
rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
:3 And he went on his
journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been
at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
(map)
When Abram first came into the Promised Land, he came in from the north and
his first stop was up in the hills of Shechem, at Elon Moreh (the oaks of
Moreh).
It was there that God first told Abram that he was now in the land that God
would give him.
Abram built an altar at Shechem.
From Shechem, Abram moved about twenty miles south to the hill area near
Bethel.
It was here that Abram built his second altar.
From Bethel, Abram made his trip to Egypt, which he has now returned from,
back to the area between Bethel and Ai.
:2 Abram was very rich
In chapter 3 of his book, Swindoll writes about the “Crisis of Prosperity”.
Abram was fairly rich when he got to the promised
land, but after Egypt he was even wealthier.
How will he handle his wealth?
:4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there
Abram called on the name of the LORD.
:4 the altar which he had made there at first
Abram returns to the altar he had made near Bethel.
I find it interesting that we don’t have a record of Abram making an altar
in Egypt or of him calling on the name of the Lord in Egypt.
Lesson
Coming home
It almost seems as if Abram is returning to his “first love”.
Abram has “fallen away”.
When he returns to the land, he returns to the last place he had worshipped
God.
Jesus told a story about a young man who made some serious mistakes (Luke
15). He took his inheritance and wasted
it on wild living.
When he ran out of money, he ended up as a servant working on a pig
farm, wishing he could eat the pig food.
He finally got to the point where he figured that he would be better off
being a servant for his father, so he headed home, not knowing what to
expect. Yet when he got home, his father
didn’t make him a slave, his father ran to greet him. His father threw a party to welcome the lost
son home.
You may think that you would never be welcomed back if you were to return
to the Lord. That is not true. What you will find is a God who has been
waiting for you to come home.
We have a family member that has in a sense slipped a bit in their
faith. I keep finding myself praying
that they would “come home”, even though they haven’t actually
moved locations.
Jesus writes to the Ephesian church:
(Revelation 2:4–5
NKJV) —4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left
your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you
have fallen; repent and do the first works…
In other words… come home.
If there was a time when you were closer to the Lord than
you are now, you’ve left your first love.
Go back to the altar.
Go back to what you used to be doing.
:4 the name of the LORD
Some of you may not be aware that when your Bible has the English word “Lord”
in all capitals in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word underneath is actually the name of God, Yahweh.
Let me first deal with a question one of your fellow students brought up. I
did not know the answer right off the bat, but I’ve been doing some research
this week.
If Abram is calling on the name of Yahweh, how does that fit with:
(Exodus 6:2–3 NKJV)
—2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.
The Hebrew for “God Almighty” is El Shaddai. It is
found 48 times in the Old Testament. (31x in Job)
The Hebrew for “LORD” is Yahweh. It is found 6,828
times in the Old Testament.
The first time this name is used
is in
(Genesis 2:4 NKJV) This is the history of the
heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the
heavens,
So what did God mean when He said, “I appeared to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, but by My name Yahweh
I was not known to them”?
And especially since we have in our text that Abraham is “calling on the
name of Yahweh”?
1. God’s name Yahweh was known by the patriarchs.
We’ve seen it in the last two chapters in Genesis (12,13).
God will reiterate His name to Abraham in chapter 15 –
(Genesis 15:7 NKJV) Then He said to him, “I am
the Lord, who brought you out of
Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
2. God was also known as “God Almighty”, or El Shaddai.
To Abram:
(Genesis 17:1 NKJV) When Abram was ninety-nine years
old, the Lord appeared to Abram
and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
Notice this comes after God calls Himself Yahweh
(Gen. 15:7)
Isaac knew this name:
(Genesis 28:3 NKJV) “May God Almighty bless you, And make you
fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples;
To Jacob:
(Genesis 35:11 NKJV) Also God said to him: “I am
God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company
of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.
3. Abraham and the patriarchs did not know the fullness of the name Yahweh.
It’s not until
Moses is at the burning bush that Yahweh’s
name begins to be explained in
meaning. Moses asked God what His name was…
(Exodus
3:14–15 NKJV) —14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I
AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent
me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus
you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord
God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is
My memorial to all generations.’
God’s name Yahweh is being connected with the Hebrew verb “to be” (hayah), or in first person singular He is the “I
am”.
The point is…
Yahweh eternally “is”.
It’s in Exodus 6
where God lays out His commitment to Israel on the basis of
His name. Look at all the “I’s”, all the
things God promises to do that result with the Israelites learning … “then you
will know that I am Yahweh” (vs.7).
(Exodus
6:5–8 NKJV) —5 And I have also heard the groaning
of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have
remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of
Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you
from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with
great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I
will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from
under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will
bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and
I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ”
The point is…
Yahweh keeps His promises
So … even though the patriarchs
like Abraham knew God’s name Yahweh, they didn’t realize yet the full extent of
what God’s name would mean to them.
He’s the eternal
one who makes and keeps His promises to the nation of Israel.
From some commentaries…
Charles Ryrie: The name Yahweh was known to the patriarchs (Gen.
13:4), but its significance as the One who would redeem Israel from Egyptian
bondage was not known until this time.
Bible Knowledge Commentary: Then God reminded Moses of His character
as revealed in His name Yahweh (cf. 3:14). The words I am the Lord occur four
times in 6:2–8. As the Lord, Yahweh, He is with His own and is always faithful
and true to them. Why did God say that by His name the Lord
He had not made Himself known to the patriarchs? Was not God known by the name
Yahweh to the patriarchs Abraham … Isaac, and Jacob? Yes, He had been (e.g.,
Gen. 13:4). But He mainly appeared to them as God Almighty (’ēl šadday), the One who
provides or sustains (cf. comments on Gen. 17:1). He had not displayed Himself
to the patriarchs primarily by the name Yahweh. So in
Exodus 3:14 God meant that now He was revealing Himself to Moses not only as
Sustainer and Provider, but also as the Promise-Keeper, the One who was
personally related to His people and would redeem them (cf. comments on
3:14–15).
Warren Wiersbe: God also reminded Moses of His covenant name
“Jehovah” (6:3). One way to get to know God better is to pay attention to His
names. The patriarchs knew God as “God Almighty,” which in the Hebrew is “El
Shaddai—the all-sufficient and all-powerful God,” and they knew that God’s name
was “Jehovah” (Yahweh); but they didn’t understand the full implications of the
name. God had explained the name “Jehovah” to Moses when He called him in
Midian (3:13–14), but now He associated His name with the covenant He would
make with His people (6:4). Jehovah is the special name of God that links Him
with Israel and His covenants, and it is so sacred to Jews even today that they
will not speak it when they read the Scriptures in the synagogue. Instead, they
substitute “Adonai” (Master) or simply say “the Name.”
:4 Abram called on the name of the LORD
Or, “called on the name of Yahweh”
We caught a glimpse of this same phrase back in Genesis 12:8.
The first time we see this phrase in the Bible is when Adam’s grandson
Enosh is born:
(Genesis
4:26 NKJV) And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and
he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
We will see Abram do this several more times:
(Genesis
12:8 NKJV) And he moved from there to the mountain east of
Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the
east; there he built an altar to the Lord
and called on the name of the Lord.
(Genesis
13:4 NKJV) to the place of the altar which he had made
there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
(Genesis
21:33 NKJV) Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in
Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.
I think that this phrase talks about seeking God, worship, and prayer. But wait
there’s more…there’s something even more special tied to this phrase…
Quiz Alert!!!
Lesson
Ask Him to save you
Joel would write,
(Joel 2:32 NKJV) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be
saved. For in Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord
calls.
In context, Joel is writing about the “day of the LORD”, when God will come
to judge the nations. Joel says that if you “call on the name of Yahweh”, you
will be saved in the day of judgment.
Peter would quote this verse in Joel in his sermon on the day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:21-22) along with the signs that were happening.
(Acts
2:21–22 NKJV) —21 And it shall come to pass That whoever
calls on the name of the Lord Shall be
saved.’ 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested
by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your
midst, as you yourselves also know—
Peter connected this “calling on the name of the Lord” to
calling on Jesus to be saved.
Paul would also connect this to salvation through Jesus Christ.
(Romans 10:9 ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Some will teach that Paul is contrasting the Roman issue
of saying “Caesar is Lord” to saying that Jesus is Lord, but I think that’s the
wrong connection. The issue isn’t about Caesar, it’s about Yahweh.
In the passage, Paul clearly connects to the prophecy in
Joel like Peter did.
(Romans
10:12–13 ESV) —12 For there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all
who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.”
Paul is saying that “calling on the name of the Lord”
means to be “calling on the name of Jesus”.
Jesus is “the Lord”.
Jesus is Yahweh. You need to call on Jesus to be saved.
Have you “called on the name of the Lord”?
Have you realized that you need God’s help in the day of judgment? All of us will.
Abraham did.
We need help on the day of judgment because it’s our sin that brings us
into judgment.
Jesus wants to save you.
He died on the cross in order to pay for your
sins.
So ask Him.
Just ask Him. Say to Him
something like this…
13:5-13 Lot chooses Sodom
:5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
:6 Now the land was not able to support them, that
they might dwell 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. The Canaanites and the
Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
:7 The Canaanites and the Perizzites
These are all the unbelieving pagan people who are living in the land.
Canaanites – the descendants of Ham’s son Canaan. These were the
people that were cursed because of Ham’s sin against his father Noah (Gen.
9:25).
Perizzites – P@rizziy – “belonging to a village”; a people
who inhabited southern Canaan prior to the conquest; they are one of the
Canaanite tribes.
This is the second time that we’ve been reminded that during Abram’s day,
the Canaanites were alive and well in the land:
(Genesis
12:6 NKJV) Abram passed through the land to the place of
Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were
then in the land.
Abram had left the pagan land of Ur, only to land in the pagan land of the
Canaanites. God doesn’t save us to take
us away from the world. He saves us to
send us back to a lost world that needs to hear about Jesus.
What’s the deal here?
Lesson
They’re watching
God followers Abram and Lot are now in another pagan land living among the
pagans.
And the pagans are watching while their employees fight with each other.
Like…
Play Three Stooges Slaps, pokes, conks.
That’s all good and well when we are expecting to watch a
bunch of knuckleheads entertain us.
But these are servants of men who follow God. Their “slaps, pokes, and conks” are serious,
not comedy.
Somebody needs to do something. Jesus said,
(John 13:35 NKJV) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another.”
People would know we belong to Jesus by how we LOVE one
another, not by how we argue and quarrel.
The problem needs to be resolved.
They’re watching us beloved. The
unbelieving world is watching us. Just
what do they see in us? I hope it’s
love.
That great ol’ preacher J.Vernon McGee writes,
“I had an uncle who never came to know the Lord. My aunt used to weep and
say, “Oh, he won’t listen!” Do you know why? With her lived a sister, another
aunt, and I used to go there sometimes on Sundays for dinner. Do you know what
we had for dinner? Roast preacher! One of my aunts went to the Methodist
church, the other went to the Presbyterian church, and oh, boy, did they try to
outdo each other, talking about the preacher and the fights that were going on.
I used to watch my uncle. He would just sit there and eat. Then he’d get up to
leave and go down to his club for the afternoon. When he would
come home in the evening, he wasn’t drunk, but he sure had had several
drinks. They never won him to Christ. There are a lot of people not being won
today, my friend, because of the strife that is inside the church. This is an
interesting thing: “the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.”
And they still dwell in the land. They are right near your church, by the way.[1]”
:8 So Abram said to Lot,
“Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and
your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
Abram realizes that in a way, they’ve “outgrown” each other.
They’ve become too prosperous for the land to support both of their herds.
:9 Is
not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the
left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I
will go to the left.”
:9 then I will go to the left
George Washington said, “When there is an elder
man and a younger man in the same room, the elder man should never mention it,
but the younger man should never forget it.”
Abram is the elder. He should be the one who makes the decision. He should
get first pick. But he graciously lets Lot make the choice of where he wants to
go. And Lot selfishly agrees.
Lesson
Grace
Abram is displaying the grace of God. He’s not afraid of losing what God
has already promised. He’s willing to give the best away.
I think a test of how much we’ve learned about God’s grace is to measure
how much we’re willing to give up for others.
Paul wrote to the stingy, wealthy Corinthian church to encourage them to
help with the project being undertaken to take care of the poor in
Jerusalem. He writes,
(2 Corinthians 8:1–2
NKJV) —1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction
the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of
their liberality.
Paul connects the “grace” that the Macedonians had
received from God and their desire to financially help with the need that was
presented to them, even when they didn’t have much.
Illustration
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys
began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the
opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say ‘Let
my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’ Kevin
turned to his younger brother and said, “Okay, Ryan, you be Jesus!”
Abram was a gracious man.
:10 And Lot lifted his
eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered
everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of
the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
Apparently at the time of Abram, the area north of the Dead Sea was lush
and green around the Jordan River.
:10 like the garden of the LORD
They haven’t seen Eden, but they’ve heard stories.
:10 like the land of Egypt
Abram and Lot had just been to Egypt, they know what it looked like.
:11 Then Lot chose for
himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated
from each other.
:11 Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan
Lesson
Making the right choices.
Lot is going to make his choice.
It’s not going to be a good choice.
It’s going to be a choice that he’s going to greatly regret. It’s going to be a choice that will cost him
everything.
Lot makes his choice based on what his eyes tell him.
It’s not wrong to open your eyes and be influenced by what you see. Jesus said,
(John 4:35 NKJV) Do you not say, ‘There
are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you,
lift up your eyes and look at the
fields, for they are already white for harvest!
We ought to have our eyes opened to the opportunities to
serve God that are all around us.
But you’re heading for trouble if you make your choices solely on what you
see.
Play Video: Man Eating Brownie Poop
Jesus said,
(John 7:24 NKJV) Do not judge according to
appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Lot was a man of sight. Abram was a
man of faith.
(2
Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
In other words, we ought to work at making our choices by
faith and not just by what our senses tell us.
Sometimes we have to make choices based on what we
don’t see. Sometimes we need to pay
attention to what God is saying instead of what our eyes tell us.
(2 Corinthians
4:16–18 NKJV) —16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even
though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed
day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are
seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal.
The Bible is filled with people who made choices against what their eyes
told them, but instead based on faith:
(Hebrews 11:24–26
NKJV) —24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
Be careful when the choice you are making is based only on
the pleasures you’ll receive instead of the clear call
of God to do something different.
:12 Abram dwelt in the
land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his
tent even as far as Sodom.
We need to be aware of what kind of effect the world has on us.
In this chapter, Lot chooses to move close to Sodom.
In chapter 14, he’ll be living in Sodom.
By chapter 19, he’s known as an elder in the gates of Sodom.
That’s not necessarily a bad series of events. Lot could have become a
great influence in Sodom. But that’s not the direction Lot is going. Lot is a
guy who doesn’t want to rock the boat. He’ll become a guy that no one takes
seriously.
:13 But the men of Sodom were
exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
The wickedness of Sodom wasn’t an unknown thing.
13:14-18 Abram promised the land
:14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift
your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward,
eastward, and westward;
:15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants
forever.
Abram still gets to see with his eyes, just like Lot.
Though it might seem like he’s already given up the “best”, it results with
him getting it “all”, apparently even including the land Lot chose.
:16 And I will make your
descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of
the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
God had promised to Abram when he was in Haran that he would make Abram a
“great nation”.
Now God promises a huge multitude of descendants.
All promised to a man without any children.
:17 Arise, walk in the
land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
:17 walk in the land
Lesson
Explore the inheritance
Let’s say that I took you on a three hour cruise
and as I dropped you off at your island destination, I announced to you that
you had been made king of the entire island. Everything on the island was
yours. As I waved goodbye to you on the beach, would you just stay on the
beach? Or would you begin to explore it?
God has given many promises to us.
Promises are appropriated when we learn to walk in
them. When we learn to trust in them. Promises like …
Answered prayer
(John 15:7 NKJV) If you abide in Me, and My words
abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
I would think that if we really believed this were true,
that we’d probably be spending a little more time learning to “abide” in God’s
Word. And then perhaps praying each day?
Anxiety vs. peace
(Philippians
4:6–7 NKJV) —6 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.
What are you anxious about?
We have some things that our family is struggling with
right now. And we are learning to invest
time in prayer over them.
:18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and
dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an
altar there to the LORD.
Mamre – Mamre’ – “fatness”
:18 the terebinth trees of Mamre
or, “Elon Mamre” (remember Gen. 12:6? Shechem?)
Many translations have “oaks of Mamre” here.
:18 which are in Hebron
Hebron – Chebrown –
“fellowship” or “communion”
(see map)
The city is about 20 miles south of Jerusalem and 25 miles north of
Beersheba.
Lot chooses Sodom (which means “burning”).
Abram settles down in a place of “communion” and fellowship with God (an
altar).
This will become one of Abram’s main hangouts.
It’s here that he’ll purchase a cave to bury his wife Sarah in.
It’s here that Abraham will be buried.
This is where Isaac and Rebekah would be buried.
This is where Jacob buried Leah, where Joseph buried Jacob.
Fans of King David, can you think of anything else important about Hebron?
(It’s where David was first crowned king of Judah)
:18 and built an altar there to the LORD
Lesson
An Altar-ed Life
One of the unique things about Abram is the altars that he builds.
Isaac will build an altar (Gen. 26:24 in Beersheba).
Jacob will build two altars (Gen. 33:20 in Shechem, Gen. 35:7 in Bethel)
We have no record of Lot building an altar.
Abram will build at least four of them in his lifetime (Shechem, Bethel,
Hebron, Mt. Moriah- Jerusalem)
Abraham was the father of “faith”. Abraham was the “friend” of God. Abram knew
he needed to connect with God – and that’s where an altar comes in.
Where’s my altar?
We saw last week that Jesus told the woman of Samaria that there would be a
day when worship wasn’t done in a specific place (John 4:21)
Instead…
We talked last week about what Jesus told the woman at the well (at
Shechem).
(John 4:21 NKJV) Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe
Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Though we tend to think of “places” where we worship (like
church, retreats, etc.), worship is no longer tied to a location or a physical
altar.
(John
4:23–24 NKJV) —23 But the hour is coming, and now is,
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the
Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is
Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The altar is now in your heart, where you worship God in
spirit and truth.
Spirit – My spirit touching God’s Spirit.
Truth – The importance of having a correct understanding
of who God is, and even the idea of being “honest” about who I am.
Are you worshipping God with other believers at church?
Are you worshipping God in your daily personal time with
God?
14:1-12 Sodom’s War
Let me just summarize the next ten verses.
See map
In the days of Abram, kings ruled over cities, not nations.
There was a confederation of four kings from the area around Ur who had
joined together and went on a raiding party along the same route that Abram
took into the Promised Land.
These four eastern kings demanded “tribute” money from everyone they
conquered, including the kings around the Dead Sea.
After twelve years the western kings rebelled and stopped paying their
tribute money.
The eastern bullies come back to enforce their tributes and there’s a
battle with the western confederacy of five kings (including Sodom and
Gomorrah), and …
:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king
of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations,
The map
Amraphel – ‘Amraphel – “sayer of darkness”; the king of Shinar (Babylon), We
now believe this may have been Hammurabi (c 2100 BC), author of the system of
ethics known as the “Code of Hammurabi”.
Shinar – Shin‘ar – “country of two rivers”; the ancient
name for the territory later known as Babylonia or Chaldea
Chedorlaomer – K@dorla‘omer – “handful of sheaves”; this fellow is the head of the eastern
alliance
Tidal – Tid‘al – “great son”. He had a fan club that used to sit in the
bleachers and do the “wave”, they called it the “Tidal Wave” … J
:2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the
king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Back in the days of Abram, land was not ruled by large nations, but by
city-states.
Bera – Bera‘–
“son of evil”
Sodom – C@dom – “burning”
:3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt
Sea).
These kings of the cities around the Dead Sea form an alliance.
On the map, it’s the “red” team versus the “green” team.
:4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they
rebelled.
We now go back to how this particular war got
started. These cities in the Jordan
valley “served” the kings of the East – they paid tribute, “protection
money”. They rebelled by stopping their
payments.
:5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him
came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim,
the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
:6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is
by the wilderness.
:7 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 Hazezon Tamar.
See map
The Easter Alliance come by way of the “Fertile Crescent”, heading
northwest along the Euphrates River toward Haran, then southward into the land
of Canaan.
They will attack the cities and territories marked with white letters.
They are mostly attacking areas up in the hills, circling around the Jordan
Valley and the cities in “green” on the southern coast of the Dead Sea.
They are following an ancient, well known route,
known as “The King’s Highway” (Num. 20:17).
:8 And 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 joined together
in battle in the Valley of Siddim
:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king
of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
It kind of sounds as if the Eastern Alliance is outnumbered, five to four.
:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the
mountains.
(Gen 14:10 KJV)
And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and
the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there..
Kind of ironic that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fall in “slimepits”.
:11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their
provisions, and went their way.
The cities are ransacked and everything is hauled off with the kings of the
east.
The cities of Sodom weren’t prepared for battle.
(Ezekiel
16:49 NKJV) Look, this was the iniquity of your sister
Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of
idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
It’s not surprising they lost everything.
They weren’t ready for the coming battle.
:12 They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his
goods, and departed.
:12 Lot…who dwelt in Sodom
Lesson
Be careful who you hang with
We’re watching Lot’s slide into Sodom.
In Genesis 13, Lot relocated close to Sodom because it looked like a great
place to live. He chose Sodom based on
what he saw, not on what God might have recommended.
But now in Genesis 14, he’s living IN Sodom.
And when Sodom gets attacked, Lot gets swept up with everyone else in
Sodom.
This ought to be a warning for Lot that he’s living in
a dangerous place, but as you’ll see by chapter 19, he
doesn’t pay much attention to the warning.
Be careful here – Christians aren’t supposed to go live on a mountain
separated from the world.
We are to be “in the world”, but not “of the world”.
We are to be “lights” in the world, giving people a witness of who Jesus
is.
I think we ought to even have friendships with people in
the world so they can see Jesus in us.
Yet sometimes we can be “in the world” so much that we find the world
influencing us more than we influence the world.
(1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV) Do not be deceived: “Evil company
corrupts good habits.”
Watch the consequences.
If you are hanging out with the people of the world because you’re looking
for people to like you, don’t be surprised if you get caught up and get into
trouble when they get into trouble.
Warren Wiersbe writes, “If you identify with the world, then expect to suffer what the world
suffers.”
14:13-16 Abram to the rescue
:13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt
by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of
Aner; and they were allies with Abram.
the Hebrew – ‘Ibriy – “one from beyond”; This is the first time the
title “Hebrew” is used. It might be a
reference to Abram’s ancestor “Eber” (Gen. 10:24).
Abram is living in Hebron, up in the hills that overlook where this battle
was happening.
:14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his
three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and
went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Abram has a nifty little army of his own!
Abram was quite a wealthy man.
:14 went in pursuit as far as Dan
Dan is 125 miles north of Hebron. It’s at the top of the map of Israel.
One of the coolest sights in Israel today is what’s known as “Abraham’s
gate”, dating back to the time of Abraham, located in the ancient city of Dan.
:15 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.
Hobah is another 60 miles northeast of Dan. See map
: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.
:14 three hundred and eighteen trained servants
I find it amazing to think that the five kings of Canaan were unable to
stand up against this eastern alliance of kings, and yet Abram and the men that
worked for him are able to defeat the Eastern kings
and rescue all the people.
We don’t know how big the army of this Eastern alliance was. But I find it interesting that in another
extraordinary battle, Gideon defeated the huge army of Midianites
also with an army of three hundred.
In fact, Gideon wasn’t allowed to go out into the battle until he got his
army down to the size of Abram’s army.
God wanted to show Gideon that He, God, was able to give the victory.
Lesson
It doesn’t take much.
Sometimes we face opportunities, challenges that seem to be overwhelming.
Yet if you are doing what God wants you to do, it doesn’t take much for a
victory.
Gideon fought 150,000 Midianites and was victorious.
Jonathan and his armor bearer won a great victory because they were willing
to give it a try.
Jesus changed the world with twelve disciples.
Jesus said it only took faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.
Is there something that God has been asking you to do?
(Romans 8:31 NKJV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us?
:16 brought back his brother Lot
Lesson
Rescue the captives
I like that Abram rescued Lot.
He didn’t just wash his hands of Lot and say, “Well, you made your bed, now
lie in it!”
He gathered up an army, fought battles, and brought back Lot as well as the
rest of the folks.
Paul wrote to the Galatians,
(Galatians
6:1 NKJV) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass,
you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness,
considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Restoration requires gentleness.
If you’re not careful, you might fall into the same trap
as those you’re trying to rescue.
Paul wrote to Timothy,
(2 Timothy 2:24–26
NKJV) —24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all,
able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are
in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know
the truth, 26 and that they may come to
their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken
captive by him to do his will.
Sometimes we can get quite frustrated at those who’ve
stumbled.
It helps to see them as “captives”. There’s a bigger enemy
involved.
Are there people in your life that have gotten “caught” by the enemy?
What are you willing to do for them?
14:17-24 Abram’s welcome back
As Abram returns from his victory, he is met by two very different kings.
:17 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 Chedorlaomer
and the kings who were with him.
king of Sodom – Bera, whose name means “son of evil”.
Shaveh – perhaps this is the Kidron Valley, near the city of
Jerusalem.
:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the
priest of God Most High.
:18 Melchizedek king of Salem
Melchizedek – “king of righteousness”. Quite the opposite from the “son of evil”.
Salem – “peace”, (in contrast, Sodom means “burning”). It is thought this might have been an ancient
name of the city of Jerusalem (“teaching of peace”).
Melchizedek is not only the “king of righteousness”, but he’s also the
“king of peace”.
Lesson
Mysterious Melchizedek
Who is this fellow?
Some have suggested that this might actually be “Shem”,
the son of Noah. If you track the
genealogies in Genesis 10-11, you find that Abram actually
dies before Shem does.
Melchizedek is the only person in the Old Testament that Abram recognizes
as being closer to God than he is.
How do we know this?
Abram will allow Melchizedek to “bless” him. This shows Melchizedek’s superiority (Heb.
7:7).
Abram will pay a “tithe” to Melchizedek, recognizing that
Melchizedek is the priest of his God.
There are a couple of other passages that tell us about Melchizedek.
David was the first Jewish king to rule from Jerusalem, where Melchizedek
ruled from. He wrote that his
descendant, the Messiah, would be similar to
Melchizedek.
(Psalm 110:4 NKJV) The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are
a priest forever
According
to the order of Melchizedek.”
Even though priests in David’s day were supposed to be
descendants from Aaron from the tribe of Levi, David saw his descendant, the
Messiah, from the tribe of Judah, as being related to Melchizedek.
The writer of Hebrews tell us he is …
(Hebrews 7:3 NKJV) without father, without mother,
without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made
like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
Some have suggested that Melchizedek is either Jesus
Himself appearing as a “theophany”, or he is at least a marvelous picture of
Jesus Christ.
:18 bread and wine
This is the first time “bread and wine” are mentioned together like
this. This might simply be a common
token of hospitality by Melchizedek, but it is interesting that Jesus set aside
“bread and wine” as something special, to be the things that were to remind us
of His death for our sins. (Mat. 26:26-28)
(Matthew 26:26–28
NKJV) —26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it,
all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
We take communion to “look back” and remember what Jesus did on the cross
for us. I can’t help but think that
there’s a sense that Abram was “looking forward” to what Jesus would do there
in that same city of Salem.
Jesus said,
(John 8:56 NKJV) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it
and was glad.”
:18 he was the priest of God Most High
This is the first use of the word “priest” in the Bible.
The Hebrew for God Most High is El Elyon. There is One God but He has many names.
It’s only found in this passage (Gen. 14:18-24) and Psalm 57:2.
:19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
:20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has
delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
Melchizedek recognized that Abram’s victory over the Eastern kings was
because of God’s help.
:20 And he gave him a tithe of all
tithe – ma‘aser – tenth part
This is the first time in the Bible we see the “tithe”.
Abram will be very careful with what he does with all the treasure that he
has rescued from the hands of the Eastern kings. Most will go back to the rescued captives,
but he starts by giving a tenth of it away.
The writer of Hebrews gives us some great lessons on this passage in
Hebrews 7 – if you want extra credit, you might consider looking at what is
said about this transaction.
Lesson
The Tithe
Why did Abram do this? What reason
did Abram have for giving one tenth of this treasure to this mysterious man
we’ve never met nor will meet again?
Melchizedek was a priest of God, and Abram was giving his tithe to God.
Abram recognized that his victory was a result of God’s hand. Abram acknowledged that God was His help by
giving a portion of it back to God.
We often think that we give our “tithe” to the church in
order to keep things running.
That’s definitely one way of looking at it. The programs, rent, and salaries of the
church are indeed paid from the generous gifts that you all give.
But God’s idea of the “tithe” was for you to recognize who gives you the
ability to earn an income. It was really
intended to be a way of honoring God.
You could say that giving your “tithe” is one of the purest, simplest forms
of worship to God.
(Malachi 3:8–10
NKJV) —8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are
cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole
nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may
be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will
not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such
blessing That there
will not be room enough to receive it.
When we don’t give our tithe, we’re not short
changing the church, we’re robbing God.
The gifts are to be given to God.
Some will say, “Well tithing is an Old Testament thing, so we don’t have to
tithe anymore.”
I’d say you haven’t read your Bible very carefully. Jesus said,
(Luke 11:42 NKJV) “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all
manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of
God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Jesus didn’t say “stop tithing” and just focus on justice
and the love of God. He said we should
be doing all of those things (including tithing).
Jon Courson says, “Tithing is not His
way of raising cash, but His way of raising kids. Tithing is not God’s way of
getting money, but His way of developing maturity”.
D.L. Moody said, “I can tell more about the spirituality of a man by looking at his
checkbook than I can by looking at his prayerbook.”
Some churches try to be a bit “low key” when it comes to giving.
We don’t pass a plate, and we can almost be a bit
proud about that, as if we’re better than other churches because we don’t twist
people’s arms to give.
But I sometimes wonder if we’re missing something. I wonder if some of us
are quite poor spiritually because we’ve not realized the connection between
being a gracious giver like God, and being a growing
Christian.
:21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the
goods for yourself.”
persons – nephesh – soul,
self, life, creature, person
This sounds just like Satan. He
says, “I’ll give you lots of stuff, lots of toys, lots of trinkets, and I’ll
just take the souls.”
:22 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,
:23 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’—
:24 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.”
:23 I will take nothing
Lesson
Obligations
I think most of us are tempted with offers of “free” things.
When we were young newlyweds, we got an offer in the mail of a “free”
grandfather clock if we would just make an appointment to hear a sales pitch.
We thought, “Hey, how bad can it be?”
It was a sales pitch for vacation time shares (way out of our price range),
and it was TWO HOURS LONG.
After enduring the pitch, we were “gifted” with a twelve-inch-tall “grandfather’s
clock”…made out of laminated cardboard with a battery operated clock mechanism. Some assembly was
required. (the picture was as close as I could get)
Gifts often come with strings attached.
Abram did not want to feel obligated to this “son of evil” for having made
him wealthy.
His obligation was to God and God alone.
Abram didn’t want anyone else getting credit for what God had done in his
life.
Years ago when Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa was
still a little country church, but one that was growing very rapidly, a fellow
came into Pastor Chuck’s office. He had
made a lot of money off of investments and wanted to
give Chuck a million dollars. The church
was struggling and really needed the money, but Chuck had the sense to tell the
man that he wanted to pray about it.
Chuck ended up turning the offer down.
He felt that God was doing a great work and he didn’t want people in the
future saying that the church prospered only because of this man’s gift.
Be careful of those “free” gifts.
You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.
Quiz
From the lecture (7pts):
1. Ask Him to _________ you
From Memorization (3pts)
2. Without faith it is ____________ to please Him
Homework
Read Swindoll: Chapter 6: Running ahead of God
(Optional Reading: Swindoll chapters 5-6)
Memorize/review Hebrews 11:6,8 (please memorize in New King James)
(Hebrews
11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(Hebrews
11:8 NKJV) By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go
out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not
knowing where he was going.
Blessing