The desire to conquer and dominate others is a trait which we see whenever we watch games such as football, soccer or cricket. We even see it in the workplace as people will do anything for recognition or promotion, even if it means stepping all over their colleagues! On a larger scale, we sadly have witnessed the desire to dominate and conquer as people have risen against each other in physical battles throughout the history of mankind.
Today's reading as we move through Genesis, is a bit heavy going and I'm not just referring to trying to pronounce the abundance of tricky names! We read the first recorded war in scripture! A group of kings wanted to be free from the domination of Kedorlaomer (also known as Chedorlaomer in other translations!) who was king of Elam. This was all taking place in Canaan, the land that God had brought Abram to live in. The action starts as one group of kings is going to war against another:
"At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 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. A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.""
Genesis 14:1-24 NIV
So, here we have a classic power struggle between two kingdoms. There were basically four kings who joined forces against five kings. In the battle that ensued, the four kings conquered Sodom and Gomorrah, and of course took all the goods and people.
They may have thought it was over but the bad news for the four kings was that Abram's nephew, Lot, was among them. When Abram heard this news, he armed his men to go and rescue Lot. Abram goes to battle with just 318 servants against the power of four kings and is successful as he had surprisingly great military wisdom, cleverly attacking at night with his army split into two groups. He rescues Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Having God's blessing was the ultimate advantage!
Abram returns triumphantly and is met by Melchizedek the King of Salem (which would become Jerusalem). This is very significant! King Melchizedek who was also a High Priest, brought bread and wine, a symbol we will see much later in the Bible at the Last Supper. King Melchizedek blessed Abram and acknowledged that the source of their victory was the God Most High!
In thanksgiving, Abram then gives Melchizedek one tenth or a tithe of all he has. The King of Sodom wanted to reward Abram for what he did by giving him a large share of the plunder but Abram strongly refuses the gesture as he knows that God was the One who deserved all the credit! Abram had used the wisdom God gave him so God was to receive all the glory!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
What a blessing it is when we see You at work in our every day situations! The battle Abram found himself in was just a situation that came up in his day. Our situation may be very different but we still need Your blessing over us. Thank You for all the ways you are at work on our behalf in ways we cannot imagine.
Often we seem to get caught up in various battles in the workplace or even in our families and relationships. Help us to have the right attitude and to always ask for Your wisdom and help. May we always be grateful and thank You for the answers and praise You for the victories as Abram did and as David sings in Psalm 144:
"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge..." Psalm 144:1-2 NIV
Also thank You for the ultimate victory we have in Jesus,
In His Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritualA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
