Genesis 14:8: Six place names in one verse, and every one of them lands on the same dot
Read it →Commentary on Genesis 14:8
Five kings march out and draw up for battle against the invaders who had ruled them. Why does Scripture record a war between pagan cities? And what happens to a believer living in the middle of it?
A conflict the man of faith stood outside
The chapter names armies, alliances and a battlefield. Abram appears nowhere. One writer draws the contrast from the two things Abram owned:
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."
Why Scripture records the battle
The account breaks in with no explanation. One commentator sees that silence as deliberate:
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.
The Valley of Siddim
Scripture ties this battlefield to the Salt Sea, and its ground was dangerous:
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.
Five kings, and no strength to win
The five kings lose this battle. One writer sees more than politics in it:
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.
Lot in the line of fire
Lot, Abram's relative, had settled in Sodom, one of the cities marching out here. That address decides everything for him:
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.
The same failure shows up as a lack of power when the fighting starts:
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.
Where the world's wars are heading
One writer looks past this battle to where such conflicts end:
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.
Summary
- Position decides. Abram's tent and altar kept him outside a war that swallowed Lot; where you live decides what you get dragged into.
- Revolt without power. The five kings threw off a twelve-year yoke and lost — the godless world has little strength against the power that holds it.
- Settled, then seized. Lot did not choose this battle; he chose Sodom, and the battle came with the address. The believer who settles in the world has no power against it and stands alone on the day of conflict.
- The end of all wars. These conflicts point on to God's judgments, the deliverance of His people, and Christ reigning as Priest and King.
