Genesis 14:1-12

We are reading through the book of Genesis and at this point in the narrative we are reading about the life of Abram. God has chosen Abram to receive His blessing but up to this point in Abram’s life he hasn’t really figured out what that means or how it is supposed to come about. We are at a place in Abram’s life where he has failed in trusting God and one of the results of his failures has been the separation of him and his nephew Lot. Lot chose to go down to the city of Sodom where there’s trouble brewing and Abram has taken refuge in the hills among his tents in his Eden ark. 

All of the themes we have mentioned so far will be manifested in this one chapter of Genesis. The story happens in three sections. Today we will read the first section that sets up the battle. 

Next week we will read about the next two  sections which shows Abram’s role in the battle and the third section  where we will meet a pretty famous Bible character who appears only in this story. He is the priest king, Melchizedek, who’s name means “My King is Righteous.” 

Let’s begin with the battle. First we are introduced to the four kings who formed a coalition from Mesopotamia & Babylon. 

We have Amraphel, the king of Shinar which is a plain of Mesopotamia. He’s leading the group. 

The last time we heard of the plain of Shinar was in the narrative of the building of Babylon, back in chapter 11. You may recall, the people went east and they found the plain of Shinar and they tried to build a tower there. One that would reach the heavens. 

This also happens to be the very place from which Terakh and his son Abram left. Babylon has managed to follow them. 

Accompanying Amraphel was 

Arioch, king of Ellasar and 

Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam and 

Tidal, king of Goiim. 

These four kings have made war with five Canaanite kings. 

Here’s where the narrative adds some humor. The meaning of the names of the five kings are all ironic, sarcastic word plays that are supposed to make you laugh. Picture reading a comic book full of villains and you will get the point. 

Villain number one was Bera, King of Sodom, his name means “In Evil.” 

Number two was Birsha, king of Gomorrah, whose name means “In Wickedness.” 

Third was Shinab, king of Admah, whose name means “I Hate My Father.” 

Fourth was Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, his name means “Name of Destruction.” 

The last was king of Bela, whose name means, “Devour” or “Consumed.”

Then, written in parentheses, we are given a side note from the narrator. We read that the town Bela, is Zoar. The reader has no idea why this is important and won’t discover the reason until we get to chapter 19. But remember it if you can.

At this point in the story we have four Mesopotamian kings and five Canaanite kings meeting in the Valley of Siddim, or the sea of salt. We call it the Dead Sea today, but at the time it was considered “like Eden.” Interesting.

Four kings plus five kings equals nine kings. All kings of wickedness. But wait for it, remember, next week, the tenth king will enter who is the king of Zedek, which means Righteousness. 

Here’s the comic book scene again, where evil meets good. The wicked kings just kill everyone in sight, but the king of righteousness will make peace. He will bring out bread and wine. Is anyone else picturing this in comic book caricatures?

Back to today’s Scripture. We have nations doing what nations do, slaughtering each other. But, next, the narrator decides we need a back story. Verse four, for twelve years the five Canaanite kings have been slaves of Chedorlaomer. Now I feel like I am reading the “Lord of the Rings.” Finally, in the thirteenth year they had had enough and stopped paying their taxes and rebelled. This resulted in the fourteenth year when Chedorlaomer and his cohorts with him, went on a rampage. 

Then we get to verse five and the narrator tells us about what these four kings did before they actually started the battle with the five kings. They went on a side mission and killed lots of people. Again, all of these names have particular meanings. When they had completed their killing spree they turned back and went to Kadesh, “the spring of judgment.” While there, they struck all of the Amalekites, and also those Amorites. 

Okay. What are we supposed to do with all of this information? Actually, this was all just background, things that had happened before the battle. 

In verse eight we return to the Valley of Siddim, where we are again given the list of four kings versus five kings lined up for war. Somebody really, really wants us to count the number of kings and count the number of their names. Which reveals the importance of king number ten, Melchizedek. His one name is as important as all of the nine kings before him. 

Next we read that the Valley of Siddim was full of pits of tar. It’s the same stuff the people of Babylon used to make the bricks and the walls for their tower. As for the Canaanite kings? Well some of them fell into the pits of tar and the others fled to the hills. 

Oh, and where was Abram? He’s not even around. 

Why should we care about any of this? 

Let’s not forget we are reading a narrative, a story. The narrator emphasizes the names of the kings and how many there are. These kings are going to play key roles later on in the biblical story, just think about Persia and Babylon. Like any good story writer, the narrator has designed this story with a focus on things that will be appearing later on in the narrative. 

There is also significance given in the middle section where the four kings sweep through the hill country killing all those people. It turns out the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim are all giants and will all show up later on in the Torah. It just so happens that in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses talks about a particular king of the Rephaim, named Og. There is even a description of his massive 12-foot iron bed that he slept on. We also read later on that Moses and Joshua actually meet one of the remaining giants from this actually slaying by the Babylonian kings. So when you meet this Og later in Deuteronomy and read that he was a remnant of the Rephaim, you will remember where the rest of the Rephaim went? Again, I feel like I am reading a novel like the “Lord of the Rings.”

You will read about the Zuzim in Deuteronomy 2, where Moses meets them and calls them “a huge, tall people, like the Anakim.” 

These words, especially “Rephaim” have been translated in the Septuagint, which is the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, with the word, “gigantas” or giants. Which can be traced back to the Nephilim, remember them? The mighty warriors, man-slayers, back in chapter 6.  

Not much has changed, the same thing exists today. We are a bit more cultured and rather than competing to the death, today we compete to defeat. We call them professional athletes. Today we have ritualized warfare of cities through modern sports. It’s our version of giants and superhumans. When you think about it we’re not that different from the ancient world. The idea of superhuman warriors who spread violence in the land, were the heroes of Babylon and Canaanite culture. In the Israelite biblical version of the story they represent everything that is wrong with the human family. 

Basically, they were men who decided if they couldn’t get along with someone, they just chopped off their heads, took all your stuff and built their city on top of what they conquered. It’s significant that whenever we read in the Bible where human violence reaches a critical point and God has to intervene to bring about justice, there are very often giants or something that reminds you of giants somewhere in the story. 

In fact, this story is about as gory as it gets. It’s violence galore, an actual flood of violence. It’s a “Clash of the Titans.” 

How does it all get connected to Abram? 

Verse 11 & 12, 

“The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.”

The kings took what was for eating. Hyperlink back to the garden of Eden. The four kings seized everything and took it with them. Everything. Which included Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions. Remember, Lot was living in Sodom. 

Cliffhanger! 

We will continue with the story next week. For now, we are left with destruction, kings at war, destroying whatever gets in their way that they don’t like. Again, cultures don’t change much. But like all good narratives where good versus evil, we have hope. It comes from the one who started the whole thing, Almighty God. 

Humans make messes 

of the world, of relationships, 

often of their own lives.

But God has been and 

will always be 

in the midst, 

ready to heal. 

We can always reach out with a hard fought hallelujah of thanks for what Christ has done to save us from such  destruction. 

Lord’s Supper.

Sermon

Why Does God Allow Bad Days?

Print

Theme

Bad things happen…but Why?

Object

God can use bad days to discipline us, to teach us how to lean on Him and then bless us.

Scripture

Hebrews 12: 5-6: My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son He recieves. Hebrews 12: 10: (Our parents) discliplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

•  

You know, sometimes I just have a bad day. Does that ever happen to you? Do you ever feel like your day just can’t get any worse? Now, think quietly to yourself about the last time you had a bad day. Maybe you’re not having such a great day right now! How did you feel when you had a bad day? Angry? Frustrated? Hurt? Embarrassed? Sad? I have felt all those things, and I’m sure you have too. But there is something I want you to think about the next time you are having a difficult day. I call it ‘The three L’s of Life’. Can you guess what they are?

First, remember that God allows us to LEARN.

Bad days teach us something. They teach us compassion. Think about this verse from Hebrew: We do not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. Jesus has compassion on us. He had to endure terrible things, and he is able to have understanding on us. Jesus certainly had bad days, too!

Our 2nd ‘L’ is LESSON.

God is always disciplining us. Now that doesn’t mean he is punishing us. He is making us better. He is improving us, training us. That’s discipline. In each bad day, God has a lesson we can learn! What is the lesson God wants you to learn today? Maybe He wants you to learn that how to overlook an offense. Maybe He wants you to learn that you can trust Him to bring you through this bad day. I know someone who had a lot of bad days–David. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! Was God there for David? God was right there the entire time. But God gave David difficulties to discipline him–to help David become better. David learned many lessons in his life, and He trusted God through all those many bad days.

The 3rd ‘L’ to remember is LOVE.

Have you ever watched Clifford the Big Red Dog? It’s about a little girl named Emily who loved her dog so much that he (Clifford) grew bigger than any other dog in the world. Do you think God loves you that much? He loves you so much more than that! Why does God let you have bad days? Because He loves you. God wants you to grow into a beautiful person. Just like Emily’s love for Clifford made him grow Big, God’s love for us makes us grow big too–we become filled with big, wonderful heavenly blessings. He wants blessings for you–not blessings like toys and candy, which fade away, but heavenly blessings that will last forever. Blessings like being a good friend, being humble and sweet, being kind, loving, compassionate and caring. Those kind of blessings you can’t buy in a store. You have to become them. And you don’t become those things without God–God gives them to you through difficult times, through bad days, hard weeks, tough years.

“All discipline at the moment seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11.

How will you endure your next bad moment, or you next bad day? Will you remember that you can learn from it? That God can teach you a lesson about Him, or yourself? That God is loving you, even though it feels like you’re all alone? Remember those things, and see how good is the Lord our God.