Genesis 14:1–17

The confusion of tongues at Babel divided mankind into nations, and we can have little doubt that this soon led to fighting and regular warfare. But Scripture gives no record of a battle until we reach Genesis 14. There four kings from the Mesopotamian district marched towards the Dead Sea, destroying cities on the way, and in the end defeated the five kings of the cities of the plain. The "kings" named were mostly, if not all, the leaders of single cities — what we would now call petty chiefs. Chedorlaomer seems to have been the overlord of the kings with him, and he had spread his rule over the region of Sodom. They threw off his rule, and that was the reason for the expedition.

The chapter opens with a solemn picture of this present evil world. It is a scene where the nations form themselves into groups, and make alliances to push their plans for power and to defend themselves from attack.

The campaign of Chedorlaomer and his allies against the king of Sodom and his partners was not a great thing in itself. Yet Holy Scripture gives a whole chapter to it, for two important reasons. First, because a saint of God, Lot, was caught up in it. Second, because the world's first recorded battle is in many ways a foreshadowing of the last great disaster of Armageddon.

Here we have a very detailed account of a battle fought by "four kings with five," and we may ask: what did this quarrel between "the potsherds of the earth" have to do with the history of the people of God? With Abram, in one sense, nothing, for he was outside it all. His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things. It marked him as one to whom the battle of "four kings with five" would matter very little. His altar marked him as one whose pursuits were of another kind — heavenly. His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth; his altar showed him to be at home in Heaven.

Lot's sufferings at the hands of the Gentile kings were entirely due to his unfaithfulness to God. Had he stood apart from the world and its ways, as Abram did, his path might have been as peaceful and happy as Abram's. He sought worldly advantages for himself and his family, so he sank to the world's level, and he suffered with the world in the day of trouble.

The names are hard to read, and at least two of the allied countries are just as doubtful. But in the first list Amraphel, king of Shinar, stands first. He is beyond question the representative of the kingdom of Nimrod, although Chedorlaomer appears the most active and interested. They all seem to be only divisions of this Babylonish empire, though no doubt changed into an alliance of more or less equal powers… These four kings… are at war with the five petty kings of the plain of Jordan. As a picture, these last stand for the world in its open and sensual wickedness. The Babylonish kings stand for the religious world-power, which always seeks to hold that more open form of evil captive — and generally succeeds.

He had found the record of a king matching the Chedorlaomer of Genesis 14, about 1900 B.C., who was given the title "the ravager of Syria."

Faith accepts the record in Genesis 14, not because the clay tablets confirm it (however interesting that fact may be), but because the Spirit of God has written it. Anyone who accepts the statements of Scripture only when outside evidence confirms them is at heart an unbeliever.

Genesis 14 gives the first campaign on record. We cannot say what its political results may have been. But a spiritual outcome came out of it, and its value will last "for ever."

We can have little doubt that the confusion of tongues at Babel, and the division of mankind into nations that followed, must soon have given rise to fighting and regular warfare. But we have no record of a battle in the Scriptures until we reach Genesis 14. Four kings from the Mesopotamian district then marched towards the Dead Sea. They ravaged cities on the way, and in the end defeated the five kings of the cities of the plain. Most of these "kings", if not all, were leaders of single cities — what we would now call petty chiefs. Chedorlaomer seems to have been the overlord of the kings joined with him, and he had extended his rule over the region of Sodom. The rejection of his rule was the reason for the expedition.

The five kings are typical of the outright wickedness of the ungodly, corrupt world. The king of Sodom, Bera, means "in the evil," and Birsha (king of Gomorrah) means "in wickedness."

One of the five cities of the plain in the land of Canaan, and the only one that survived when they fell under the judgement of God. It was formerly called BELA. Lot fled to it when Sodom fell, but he was afraid to stay there.

The Bible stoops to small matters as well as unfolding the highest themes. To the believing heart that is one of the many proofs that it has really come from God. Every detail about His own people in the world is of the deepest interest to God. That is a most precious fact. He numbers our hairs; He takes account of our tears; He remembered Paul's need of a cloak; and He considered the weak condition of Timothy's stomach. If His people are caught up in a small raid, it matters more to God than the mightiest military campaigns that leave them untouched.

Although Abraham was not affected by the battle of "four kings with five," Lot was. His position was such as to involve him in the whole affair. As long as grace enables us to walk the path of simple faith, we shall stand completely outside the range of this world's circumstances. But we may give up our high and holy position as those whose "citizenship is in heaven," and seek a name, a place, and a portion on the earth. Then we must expect to share in earth's upheavals and changes.

The expedition of Chedorlaomer and his allies against the King of Sodom and the kings with him was not a very big thing in itself. Yet Scripture gives a whole chapter to it, for two important reasons. First, one of God's people (Lot) was caught up in the affair. Second, the world's first recorded battle pictures in many ways the last great disaster, Armageddon.

One passage reads "the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea)"; another says the valley was full of "slime-pits," older wording for bitumen springs. Genesis 14:3, 8, 10. It was no doubt near the Salt Sea, but no one has identified its site.

No one knows what connection, if any, there is between the present state of the Salt Sea and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The four kings had come from a distance. The five kings, two of whom were the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, were near home. No one can trace the connection further than that. This sea is now called Bahr Lut, the "Sea of Lot."

These kings then came into conflict. The fighting did not happen in the far distant east, where some of those in the fight had come from. God's deliberate hand brought it close to the spot where His witness walked. We see them in the valley of Sodom.

The chapter opens with a solemn picture of this present evil world. In it the nations form themselves into groups. They enter into alliances to carry out their schemes of self-advancement, and to defend themselves from attack.

What has always made the history of nations, and the movements of mighty kings and conquerors, matter to the Holy Spirit is their connection with the history of the people of God. Beyond that, they held nothing of importance to Him. But when such things touch even slightly on the history of a "righteous soul," the Holy Spirit can be very detailed in describing a battle.

His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things — it marked him as one to whom the battle of "four kings with five" would be a matter of very trivial importance. And his altar marked him as one whose pursuits were quite of another kind, even heavenly. His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth — his altar showed him to be at home in heaven. It did not matter to Abram whether the victory went to the king of Sodom or to Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. His portion was not in danger through their strife. He had it in that place "where thieves do not break in and steal."

Abram's happy lot was to have his life and his portion in a place where wars could have no effect on him. That was not the case with his more worldly-minded relative. His position placed him in the middle of the strife. So the outcome of this battle was of the deepest importance to him. If the child of God will stoop so low as to mix himself up with the world, he must expect to share in its upheavals.

It is soon discovered what a disappointing world Lot was choosing. The well-watered plain soon becomes a field of battle. If it had not been for Abram, or Abram's God, Lot would have lost his freedom there and all his possessions.

Lot had no idea what was coming. Before long the fair valley on which he was feasting his eyes would be the scene of devastating divine judgment. Much of the fertile pasture that promised him so much would lie beneath the waters of a salt sea.

Scripture gives us no record of a battle until we reach Genesis 14. There four kings from the Mesopotamian district marched towards the Dead Sea. They destroyed cities as they went, and in the end defeated the five kings of the cities of the plain. Most of these "kings," if not all, were the leaders of single cities — what we would now call minor chiefs. Chedorlaomer seems to have been the overlord of the kings allied with him. He had extended his rule over the region of Sodom. The rejection of his overlordship was the reason for the expedition.

The events which fill the history of the world with their commotion scarcely count for anything in the inspired book. God does not mention them except when they intervene in one way or another in the history of His people... In fact, the Word records the great clashes of nations for one purpose only: to let us witness the deliverance of a single person among those He loves. (Gen. 14)

It is a lawless world where men are forced to serve governments against their will, or rebel against governments to get their freedom (v. 4).

Abraham personally had nothing whatever to do with the revolt or its consequences. His "tent and altar" were not likely to give anyone a reason to declare war. They were not likely to be much affected by the war breaking out, or by how it ended. The portion that belongs to a heavenly man could never tempt the greed of this world's kings and conquerors, or stir their ambition.

As long as grace enables us to walk the path of simple faith, we are kept right outside the range of this world's circumstances. But suppose we give up our high and holy position as those whose "citizenship is in heaven." Suppose we seek a name, a place, and a portion on the earth. Then we must expect to share in earth's upheavals and changes. Lot had made his home in the plains of Sodom, and so the wars of Sodom affected him deeply and keenly.

The five kings were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years. This pictures the world held under false religion. In the end they rebelled against this bondage (v. 4)... But the sinful, ungodly world has little power against religion inspired by Satan. To be truly delivered from such a yoke, you need a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

We have no record of a battle in the Scriptures until we reach Genesis 14. There four kings from the Mesopotamian district made an expedition towards the Dead Sea. They ravaged cities as they marched, and finally defeated the five kings of the cities of the plain… Chedorlaomer was apparently the overlord of the kings with him, and he had extended his rule over the region of Sodom. The rejection of his rule was the reason for the expedition.

rapha means "a fearful one." In the plural, with "the" in front, it works as a proper name: the REPHAIM, or sons of Raphah. They were a race of giants who lived beyond the Jordan, and Og the giant king of Bashan came from them… At times the term Rephaim applies to any people in Canaan who were of great stature… The word Rephaim is untranslated in Gen. 14:5.

A people, described as "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim," who lived on the east of the Dead Sea. Chedorlaomer and his allied kings struck them down. Their land later passed to the Moabites, who called the people EMIM, that is, "terrible."

Ashteroth-Karnaim — Double-horned Astarte (Phoenician); Venus.

King of Elam in the time of Abram… The inscriptions carry the name of KHUDUR-LAGAMAR king of Elam, thought to be the same as Chedorlaomer. He had subdued the five kings near the Dead Sea. That was some 700 miles away across the desert, or 1,000 by the Euphrates and through the land of Canaan.

At this point in the Scripture narrative we come to names of people that the archaeologists believe they can identify from their research into the past. Some of these greater kings, such as Amraphel and Chedorlaomer, left their mark on very ancient records. Abram the pilgrim left no mark of that kind. Years before, he had cut himself off from their cities and their whole way of life.

The five kings were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years — a picture of the world held under false religion — but at last they rebelled against this bondage (v. 4)… Chedorlaomer and his allies began by defeating six nations (vv. 5-7) before they came to Sodom and Gomorrah… But the ungodly world of the flesh has little power against religion inspired by Satan. To be truly delivered from such a yoke, you need a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things. To him the battle of "four kings with five" would be a matter of very small importance. And his altar marked him as one whose pursuits were of quite another character, a heavenly one… It did not matter to Abram whether the crown of victory was about to rest on the head of the king of Sodom or of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. His portion was not in danger through their strife.

Descendants of Seir, and the original inhabitants of Mount Seir. The children of Esau destroyed them. It is thought that they were cave-dwellers, as the name implies. The sandstone rocks of Mount Seir are full of dwellings cut into the rock. There are traces of the same throughout the region of Edom.

Seir was a Horite who lived in the land, and as a chief he may have given his name to Mount Seir. The Horim were dispossessed by the children of Esau.

Some translations put 'the plain of Paran' in the margin. It may have been a boundary mark in the wilderness of Paran, in the south of Palestine.

In the days of Abraham we hear of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. He and his three allies came 2,000 miles to punish the kings under his rule in the valley of Siddim. That is plain proof of early power. Yet the father of the faithful punished him hard.

It is an interesting fact that at this point in the Bible's story we come to names of people that archaeologists believe they can identify. Their digging into the past has turned these names up. Some of these greater kings, such as Amraphel and Chedorlaomer, left their mark on very ancient records. Abram the pilgrim would leave no mark of that kind. Years before, he had cut himself off from their cities and their whole way of life.

The possessions referred to here had long ago been in the hands of giants. But it was God's purpose to give their territories to the children of Esau and Lot, and so He destroyed these giants. Who or what can stand in the way of what God has planned?

The five kings became subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years. This pictures the world under the control of false religion. In the end they rebelled against this bondage (v. 4). But false religion can be determined and strong, as the history of the professing church through the middle ages teaches us. Chedorlaomer and his allies began by defeating six nations (vv. 5-7) before they approached Sodom and Gomorrah.

Turning away from the world is the path to victory over it. Choosing it means being held captive by its power. The powerful ones of the earth carry Lot away captive, along with the people his worldly leanings had led him to live among. Abram is free and walks in the faith of God. From God he has more force than all the kings, conquerors or conquered. He delivers Lot and the kings who could not help themselves.

Chedorlaomer and his allies began by defeating six nations (vv. 5-7) before approaching Sodom and Gomorrah. Then the king of Sodom and Gomorrah, with three other kings, went out to engage the four kings in battle (vv. 8-9).

So the whole world becomes a scene of warring interests and selfish conflicts — high places and lower ones alike, the mountain or the wilderness (v. 6).

This place is first mentioned in connection with the battle of the kings, when Lot was taken captive (Gen. 14:7). It was one of the stopping places of the Israelites, and they stayed there a long time. From there they sent the twelve spies into the land. At the end of the thirty-eight years' wandering they came back to Kadesh, and Miriam died and was buried there. It was here also that Moses struck the rock when the people complained about water.

En-mishpat — Fountain of judgment.

Same as En-gedi. Gen. 14:7. It is Hazazontamar in 2 Chr. 20:2.

He was at the time living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, who with his two brothers were allies of Abram. In later years a link of this kind would have been wrong, but at this time "the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete" (Gen. 15:16), and the Lord makes no issue of it.

This early mention seems to show that the Amalekites were not the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Gen. 36:12). Unless, that is, Scripture is naming the land that the descendants of Eliphaz would later occupy.

From Numbers 24:20 we learn that "Amalek was the first of the nations." He had won that place of supremacy by natural power and skill, long before Israel had become a nation. Here was Amalek, the man after the flesh, who had made himself great, resenting the intrusion of a people that God had chosen for Himself (Ex. 17).

His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things. It marked him as a man to whom the battle of "four kings with five" hardly mattered. And then his altar marked him as one whose pursuits were quite of another character, even a heavenly one. His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth; his altar showed him to be at home in Heaven.

He was not taking sides with the four kings of the Babylonian empire, or with the five kings of the cities of the plain. He had no need to enter the conflict to defend himself. It was for the express purpose of delivering a brother who had come under the power of the world.

Here we have a very detailed account of a battle fought by "four kings with five." We may ask: what did this fight between "the potsherds of the earth" have to do with the history of the people of God? With Abram none, in one sense, for he was outside it all. His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things. It marked him as one to whom the battle of "four kings with five" mattered very little... His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth — his altar showed him to be at home in heaven. It did not matter to Abram who won the victory wreath — the king of Sodom or Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. His portion was not in danger through their strife, because he kept it in the place "where thieves do not break in and steal."

Notice how abruptly this comes in. God leaves us to form a spiritual judgment about how it connects with what came before... War was no such uncommon matter; but there was something very unusual in the results of this battle. God ordered things so as to draw everyone's attention unmistakably to Himself. There was a lesson shown to the world, and a lesson now taught to Lot, that ought not to be forgotten.

One passage reads "the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea)"; another says the valley was "full of bitumen pits," that is, springs of tar. It was no doubt near the Salt Sea, though its exact site is unknown.

The five kings served Chedorlaomer for twelve years. This pictures the world under the rule of false religion. At last they rebelled against this bondage (v. 4)... Then the king of Sodom and Gomorrah, with three other kings, went out to engage the four kings in battle (vv. 8-9). But the sinful, godless world has little power against religion inspired by Satan. Only a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus can free you from such a yoke.

Abram's happy lot was to have his life and his portion in a place where wars could have no influence. It was not so with his more worldly-minded relative. His position placed him right in the middle of the strife. So the outcome of this battle was of the deepest importance to him. If the child of God will stoop so low as to mix himself up with the world, he must expect to share in its upheavals.

It is still true that the believer who settles down in the world has no power against the world. Where there is not the faith that keeps the coming glory in view, there is not the faith to overcome the present evil world. This is the case of Lot... In the end, living in Sodom, he finds that on the day of conflict he is a lonely man. He has no strength, no friends to help, and cannot count on God's support. Powerless in the day of battle, he falls captive to his enemies.

Genesis 14 presents the conflicts of the world — nations warring against nations. In them the believer who has refused the world gains the victory. The believer who walks by sight falls under its power. We also learn where the world's conflicts finally lead. Through the judgments of God they end in the deliverance of God's people and the setting up of the reign of Christ as Priest and King.

We can have little doubt that the confusion of tongues at Babel, and the division of mankind into nations that followed, must soon have given rise to fighting and regular warfare. But we have no record of a battle in the Scriptures until we reach Genesis 14. Then four kings from the Mesopotamian district marched towards the Dead Sea, destroying cities as they went, and in the end defeated the five kings of the cities of the plain. Most of the "kings" mentioned, if not all, were leaders of single cities — what we would now call petty chiefs. Chedorlaomer seems to have been the overlord of the kings with him. He had extended his rule over the region of Sodom. The rejection of his rule was the reason for the expedition.

Every detail about His own people in this world is of the deepest interest to God. That is a most precious fact. He numbers our hairs. He takes account of our tears. He remembered Paul's need of a cloak. He noticed how weak Timothy's stomach was. In God's sight a small raid matters more, when His people are caught up in it, than the mightiest military campaigns that do not touch them. This is why Scripture gives a whole chapter to Chedorlaomer's attack on Southern Palestine (Gen. 14). Many of the great wars of the ancient world, which historians write about at length, get no notice in Scripture at all.

The chapter opens with a solemn picture of this present evil world. In this scene the nations form themselves into groups. They make alliances to push their own advancement, and to defend themselves from attack.

Here we have a very detailed account of a battle fought by "four kings with five." We may ask: what did this quarrel between "the potsherds of the earth" have to do with the history of the people of God? With Abram indeed none, in one sense, for he was outside it all. His tent marked him as a stranger to all these things. It marked him as one to whom the battle of "four kings with five" would be a matter of very small importance. His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth. His altar showed him to be at home in Heaven.

At this point in the Scripture story we come to names of people that archaeologists believe they can identify from digging up the past. Some of these greater kings, such as Amraphel and Chedorlaomer, left their mark on very ancient records. But no mark of that kind would be left by Abram the pilgrim, who years before had cut himself off from their cities and their whole way of life.

Then the king of Sodom and Gomorrah, with three other kings, went out to engage the four kings in battle (vv. 8-9), but the fleshly, ungodly world has little power against satanically inspired religion. To be properly delivered from such a yoke it is necessary to have a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

These four kings — and the verse calls our attention specially to the number here (v. 9) — are at war with the five petty kings of the plain of Jordan. As a type, the five stand for the world in its open and sensual wickedness. The Babylonian kings stand for the religious world-power, always seeking to hold that more open evil captive, and usually succeeding.

In that conflict of the kings, four against five, Abraham's nephew, who lived in Sodom, was taken captive with all his goods. Abraham heard of this. He armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, chased the enemy, struck them, and rescued his nephew and all his goods, his women and his people. This no doubt pictures our Lord delivering His people by the victory of Armageddon and the deliverance of Jerusalem.

One passage reads "the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea," and another says the vale was "full of slime-pits," that is, bitumen springs (Gen. 14:3, 8, 10). It was no doubt near the Salt Sea, but its exact site is unknown.

The valley of Siddim was full of slime pits in which the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah became trapped. This is the very picture of the ungodly, snared in their own sinful lusts, the slime of this world. Others who escaped this fled to the hill country. Yet they could hardly carry much in the way of their possessions with them.

The first battle recorded in Scripture is only a picture of the last great battle, still to come. Some remarkable features come to light here in Genesis 14. We read of four kings, and four suggests what is universal. These make war with the five kings, and five is the number of human weakness. The kings stand for the natural strength of man, which everyone boasts about. They also stand for the real condition underneath it, which is weakness.

These kings then came to a conflict, which did not rage at all in the far-off east where some of those in the strife had come from. God's deliberate hand brought it close to the spot where His witness walked. We see them in the vale of Sodom. There things came to an end that seemed final. … Now comes the connection with our story in verse 12.

As long as grace enables us to walk the path of simple faith, we stand completely outside the range of this world's circumstances. But our high and holy position is that of people whose "citizenship is in heaven." If we give it up and seek a name, a place, and a portion in the earth, we must expect to share in earth's upheavals and changes. Lot had made his home in the plains of Sodom, so the wars of Sodom hit him deeply and keenly.

It is still true that the believer who settles down in the world has no power against the world. Where there is not the faith that keeps the coming glory in view, there is not the faith to overcome the present evil world. This is the case of Lot. He never overcame, but was constantly overcome by one evil influence after another. … In the end, living in Sodom, he finds that on the day of conflict he is a lonely man. He has no strength, no friends to help, and cannot count on the support of God.

And note this. In Psalm 110, the oath of God made Christ "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." So is it wrong to say that out of this passing conflict in the slime pits of Sodom comes a spiritual result that lasts "forever"?

The valley of Siddim was full of slime pits in which the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah became trapped. This is the very picture of the ungodly being snared in their own sinful lusts, the slime of this world. Others who escaped this fled to the hill country. Yet they could hardly carry much of their property with them. The four kings took the goods and food supply of their defeated foes. They also took Lot captive, along with his goods.

The history of nations and the movements of mighty kings and conquerors have always interested the Holy Spirit for one reason: their connection with the history of the people of God. He could find no pleasure in dwelling on the mere history of man. The busy strife and noise of nations could not attract the notice of the Spirit of peace. Neither could the fierce contests of ungodly tyrants grasping after power, or the movements of armies. Yet when such things became even slightly connected with the history of a "righteous soul," the Holy Spirit can be very detailed in describing the circumstances of a battle.

The chapter opens with a solemn picture of this present evil world. It is a scene in which the nations form themselves into groups and enter into alliances to carry out their schemes of self-advancement and to defend themselves from attack.

His tent showed him to be a stranger on earth; his altar showed him to be at home in Heaven. It did not matter to Abram which king won the day, because his portion was not in danger through their strife. Though it was Abram's happy lot to have his life and his portion in a place where wars could not touch him. It was not so with his more worldly-minded relative. Lot's position put him right in the middle of the strife. So the outcome of this battle was bound to matter to him. If the child of God will stoop so low as to mix himself up with the world, he must expect to share in its upheavals.

The kings made him a prisoner and took all his goods. He had laid up treasure for himself on earth, and the thieves had broken in. Abram was above it all, in the separating power of communion with God. Lot found himself a prisoner and a beggar.

When saints take a wrong course, they are never left without warning. Lot has settled down in the plains of Sodom, and God sends four kings to drive him out. All his coveted wealth is taken, and he himself a captive. If Lot had had faith, he would have seen in this that Sodom was no place for him. But he did not see it. The fruitful plain, the rich pasture, the world's wealth, filled his eye and his heart. Lot ignored God's warning call. Abram rescued him and recovered his wealth, and Lot settled down again in his old place. Then a heavier judgment came.

In the end Abram recovered everything, including Lot, his household and his possessions. How striking the picture, and how important its lesson for us! The man — even though he was "just" — grasped at the world with its outward prosperity and pleasures. He lost everything and found himself a captive. The man who gave up the world and walked with God was the only one in the whole region who could act in faith.

Abram reached his goal of freeing Lot. He also freed others and recovered the property the kings had taken. Do we have such energy of faith to seek to recover saints of God who have been trapped by falsehood? It was not anger against the enemy that moved Abram, but love for his brother.

It is worth noticing what happened to Lot. In an earlier chapter he chose all the plain of Jordan and "pitched his tent toward Sodom" (Gen. 13:12). He has now taken a further step on his downward course, for here we read that he "dwells in Sodom." We may be sure that it was never Lot's intention to dwell in Sodom when he pitched his tent toward it. But one false step leads to another. Drawing near to the world, he is soon in the world. And living in the world, he gets caught up in its conflicts and falls captive to its power.

Verse 12 lets us see another step in the downward course of Lot. He was not content with pitching his tent toward Sodom. He had now given up tent life altogether and taken a permanent home in the wicked city. That spot was worse than Ur, the place he first left under Abram's guidance. He now shared the fate of the people of Sodom, and the enemy carried him away captive with all his house.

Is it not striking that the Spirit of God mentions in Genesis 13:12 that Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan, and that Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain? Then in Genesis 14:12 He adds, "For he dwelt in Sodom." He says it as though to give point to what He had just recorded about Lot being carried away into captivity. No one can dwell in Sodom without breathing its poisoned air and feeling its polluting influences. Its people were wicked and great sinners before God. Poor Lot, by his associations, was helpless in the presence of the world.

At last, dwelling in Sodom, the day of conflict comes. He finds he is a lonely man, without strength and without friends to help. He cannot count on the support of God. Powerless in the day of battle, he falls a captive to his enemies.

What then were the results of this contest to Lot? Ruin to him and his family. The enemy made him a prisoner and took all his goods (v. 12). He had laid up treasure for himself on earth, and the thieves had broken through. Abram was above it all, in the power — the separating power — of communion with God. Lot found himself a prisoner and a beggar.

What was no small rebuke to Lot became the occasion for Abram. He came out as one who walked with God and trusted Him. He shows us, too, that power of grace which rises above whatever has personally been wrong. There was no doubt about Lot's failure in testimony. But Abram thought nothing about his faults now. What he saw was a righteous man swept away while the powers of the earth crashed together like clay pots. For no doubt Lot, despite everything, was righteous. This drew out his loving desire for Lot's rescue.

In Lot's case it is made clear once more that circumstances have not made him what he is. A change of circumstances does not change him. God's hand freed him by using another man, yet he is not really free. Soon we shall find him needing rescue again — this time from a place that escaped man's judgment but falls under God's.

The root of the word is "to pass over," as when one passes over a river, or from one region to another. Abraham was told to leave his country and his relatives and to go into the land of Canaan. The word Hebrew is not used until Abraham had left his country and was in the land of Canaan (Genesis 14:13). When he was there he was a "sojourner" in a strange country, living in tents (Hebrews 11:9). The name was therefore descriptive, and the people of the land could go to Abraham the "sojourner" and tell him that Lot had been taken prisoner.

That Genesis 14:13 connects Abram with the crossing of the eastern river, rather than his distant ancestor Eber, seems clear. This was the regular Gentile name given to God's people by those outside — not Israel but Hebrews, as we find from the earliest to later times.

One loaded word reveals the secret of Abram's power. Used of him here, it throws light on the whole scene: "Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew." That word, family name though it may be, is still significant: it means "the passenger." So Peter urges us, as "sojourners and exiles," to "abstain from the passions of the flesh."

The only safeguard against the world taking you captive, dear friends, is to keep up pilgrim separation from it. Abraham had not settled down in the world, and God used him to free Lot. In the same way, the spiritual among God's people can sometimes set free those the world has trapped and led captive.

A fugitive from the battle brought news to Abram, who is here called "the Hebrew" for the first time (v. 13). He was at the time living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, who with his two brothers were allies of Abram. In later years a link of this kind would have been wrong, but at this time "the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete" (Gen. 15:16), and the Lord makes no issue of it.

When Abraham was at Hebron some formed an alliance with him (Genesis 14:13). A remnant out of the Gentile nations was in this way joined to the heir of promise, though Lot (a type of Israel after the flesh) had separated from him.

Abram troubled himself very little with the quarrels of the broken pieces of earth. It mattered little to the pilgrim of Mamre what happened to the nations fighting around him. His expectations were set on a "city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." But when he learned that his "brother" was among these captives, his whole soul was stirred to rescue this "righteous" but easily tempted man from hostile hands.

But this was the very moment for Abram to show himself in the powerful activities of love. Until now he had watched these movements of "kings and their armies" with calm indifference. Yet the same faith that made him indifferent to the quarrels of men made him quick to notice a brother in distress. Faith not only purifies the heart from worldly and fleshly desires; it also "works by love." Abram's case shows this with power.

Now notice this. In the hour of distress and difficulty, the relationship of brother takes the prominent place. In days of untroubled peace Abram might know Lot as "his brother's son." But now Lot was in sorrow, so the claims of brotherhood act — and act with power and effect. True, he had argued over a piece of land — he had turned away from his old companion and settled at Sodom, but what of that? He was now in trouble, and so everything is forgotten except that they were brothers.

There was no doubt about Lot's failure in testimony. But Abram thought nothing about his faults now. What he looked at was a righteous man swept away by the clashing powers of earth. Lot, despite everything, was truly righteous. This drew out his feelings of loving desire for Lot's rescue.

Do we have such energy of faith to seek to recover saints of God who have been ensnared by falsehood? It was not anger against the enemy that moved Abram, but love for his brother.

Suppose Abram had gone into battle against the enemy without servants trained to bear arms. He and they would most likely have been overcome. But they were both trained and also armed. Training assumes a long and varied discipline in the house. Arms mean the right weapons of attack and defence for the moment. Lot had neither. Comfortable and settled, he imagined no enemy, so the attack caught him off guard and left him defenceless.

There is a lovely picture here of those born again in the house of God, the church of the living God. They have not needed the training of worldly wise men or of theological schools. God has trained them in His own house, the assembly of the living God. The best training happens there, in the fellowship of the saints of God. There He is free to teach in His own way, through every gift He has given to His saints.

Scripture gives us no idea of the number of his opponents, but it does tell us the small number of Abram's forces — 318 besides himself. We believe it tells us this to show that Abram's action came from very extraordinary faith. The army he attacked must have been far stronger than his own, and it was flushed with victory at every point up to then. Yet he did not hesitate, and God was with him.

One man grasped at the world with its outward prosperity and pleasures. Even though he was "righteous," he lost everything and found himself a captive. The other gave up the world and walked with God. He alone in the whole region could act in faith, and the power of God answered that faith and gave him the victory.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, and we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Even so, the Christian conflict is very real. We contend for the truth. We seek to deliver those in danger of falling into the religious world, and those it has already taken captive in its snares.

One verse (v. 15) is enough to describe the battle of Abram with the four kings, and his decisive victory. No doubt his adversaries far outnumbered his force of 318 men, but the Lord does not depend on numbers. God rewarded Abram's faith by making his enemies flee as he pursued them for a long distance, to north of Damascus.

Abram acted with great decision as soon as the news of this disaster reached him. He armed his servants, went after the victorious kings, caught up with them by night, and utterly defeated them. We are told nothing about the number of the enemy, but we are told the small number of Abram's forces — 318 besides himself. We are told this, we believe, to show that very extraordinary faith prompted Abram's action. The army he attacked must have been far stronger than his. It was also flushed with victory all along the line up to that point. Yet he did not hesitate, and God was with him.

Here were victorious kings marching home with their armies. And here was a private individual, a pilgrim and a stranger. God so led and strengthened him that the victors are defeated in their turn, and the failing believer rescued.

But renouncing the world is the path to victory over it; the choosing of it is captive subjection to its power. Lot is carried away captive by the powerful ones of the earth, along with those among whom his worldly leanings had led him. Abram is free and walks in the faith of God. He has more force from Him than all the kings, conquerors or conquered. He delivers Lot, and he delivers the kings who could not help themselves.

What was no small rebuke to Lot became the occasion for Abram to come out as one who walked with God and trusted Him. He also shows us that power of grace which rises above whatever had been wrong in a person. There was no doubt about Lot's failure in testimony. But Abram thought nothing about his faults now.

Do we have such energy of faith to seek to recover saints of God who have been ensnared by falsehood? It was not anger against the enemy that moved Abram, but love for his brother.

Suppose Abram had gone into conflict with the enemy without ready servants trained to bear arms. He and they too would probably have been overcome. But they were both trained and armed. Training means a long and varied discipline in the house. Arming means the right weapons of attack and defence for the occasion. All of these Lot lacked. At ease and settled here, he dreamed of no enemy, and so was taken unawares, and found defenceless.

Here we get Melchizedek, and a millennial picture. You have the heir of faith beating his enemies entirely, and then, looking at it as the accomplishment of victory, Melchizedek comes out to meet him... Seen as a picture, it is the final triumph. Christ is the Melchizedek who comes out to bless upward and bless downward. That is just what Christ will be in that day.

Nothing is said of any slaughter. Abram reached his aim of freeing Lot, and he freed others too and recovered the property that had been taken.

In the end Abram recovered everything, including Lot, his household and his possessions. What a striking picture, and what an important lesson for us! One man grasped at the world with its outward prosperity and pleasures — and though he was a righteous man, he lost everything and ended up a captive. The other man gave up the world and walked with God. He was the only one in the whole region who could act in faith, and God's power answered that faith and gave him the victory.

I may shut myself away from the world and make myself the centre of my own life, like a monk or a cynic. But separation to God is a completely different thing. The first chills and shrinks the heart; the second warms it and opens it out... So in Abraham's case, his separation was the very thing that let him give real help to a man who had landed himself in trouble by his worldly ways.

True, he had argued about a piece of land. He had turned away from his older friend and settled in Sodom. But what of that? He was now in trouble, so everything is forgotten except one thing — they were brothers.

Lot had come to nothing. That was where following his own ideas led him, with his desires never judged. On the other side stood the power and honour of God with Abram. This was clearly not a natural affair. Here were winning kings marching home with their armies. And one private man, a pilgrim and a stranger, was so led and strengthened by God that the winners were beaten in their turn, and the believer who had failed was rescued.

Later Lot accepts the world and is captured by it. Abram is the recovered man, in the place where God can use him to free his brother from the enemy's trap... What we should long for is this: to let faith control us so completely that God can use us to free others from such ties, because we have overcome the enemy in these very things ourselves. While Abram was still in Egypt he had given up his pilgrim life, and he could not have rescued Lot from this trouble.

Lot's case shows again, and it is a serious thing to see: circumstances have not made him what he is, and changing his circumstances does not change him. God's hand set him free through another man, yet he is not really free. Soon we will find him needing rescue once more — this time from what escaped man's judgment and falls under God's.

If Melchizedek had turned up to encourage Abraham before the campaign, that would have seemed natural. If he had prayed for his success, we would have thought it fitting for a priest of the Most High God. But his first and only meeting with Abraham came when Abraham needed no one to pray for him. He came to bless him after the victory, as he returned loaded with all the goods, with Lot and his goods, and the women and the people (Gen. 14:16).

The man of faith is not free from the enemy's attacks. Often, right after a victory, he has to face a fresh temptation. So it was with Abraham. "After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him." There was clearly a deep and cunning design of the enemy in this move. "The king of Sodom" presents a very different thought. It shows a very different side of the enemy's power from "Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him." In the first we have the hiss of the serpent. In the second, the roar of the lion.

Abraham returns from defeating the kings in victory. And the king of Sodom comes out to meet him. The Lord knew that would be a critical moment for Abraham, and He knows all about our future path. It is hidden from us, but He has given us His word as a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. So we may see the end, and have light for every step. But God sees the end from the beginning. He knows what will happen to us, and He knows how to prepare us for it. This was a moment of temptation to Abraham, and God gives Melchizedek to meet him first. God knows how to fill in all the blanks.

Why did "the priest of the Most High God" not come to meet Abram earlier? Because this was the very moment when Abram most needed the strength he had to bring. The enemy was about to dangle his glittering bait before the eyes of the man of God. So Melchizedek is on hand to show him the divine realities of the kingdom.

Melchizedek's ministry, king of Salem, in the valley of Shaveh — the King's valley — had strengthened Abraham, so that he was able to meet and overcome the alluring favours of the king of Sodom. And it is only as we remain in the King's valley, the low place, that we experience the priestly support of our true Melchizedek, the One who says, "I am gentle and lowly in heart."

The king of Sodom had gone out to meet the victorious Abram, as mentioned in verse 17, but he does not really come into the picture until verse 21. Wanting to repay Abram, he offered him all the goods of Sodom that he had recovered. The way Abram declined the offer is very striking. Through Melchizedek's ministry he now knew God in a new way. Now he was in touch with the Possessor of heaven and earth. So the goods of Sodom had no value for him, however attractive they might have seemed to others. What is more, they were all stained with the terrible sins of that city, and they brought defilement with them.

Melchizedek fully foreshadows the millennial glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. See Zechariah 6:9-13. He will receive His own throne and be a priest upon that throne. Significantly he appeared suddenly when Abraham was returning from defeating the allied kings. And then he blessed Abraham and made God known to him as the Most High (the millennial name of God), the possessor of heaven and earth. In the same way the true Melchizedek will one day appear, and after the defeat of the kings will begin His glorious rule.