Abram's Faith and Courage: Genesis 14:13 - 24

In the first part of chapter 14, the larger political setting was laid out for us.  Four strong kings swept down from what is modern-day Iraq and were attacking cities in the area of the Dead sea.  During their conquest, Abram's nephew Lot is taken captive.  We pick up the story as they head back to their kingdoms in the North and news of Lot's capture reaches Abram.

Abram decides to rescue Lot and takes with him men from his household and the households of the tribal chiefs he was allied with (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner).  He makes a coordinated attack at night and succeeds in recovering everything the 4 kings took.

There is some room for speculation about Abram's success here.  Did he, with only 318 men defeat the strong and battle-tested armies of 4 conquering kings?  Did the 318 men include the men from Abram's allies or were they additional?  Was Abram's coordinated night-attack a stroke of military genius?  Did they attack the main force of the kings or just a plunder-transport crew?  Maybe the armies of the kings were tired and their numbers reduced from all of their previous conquests...

These are valuable questions to ask.  But their answers are glaringly missing.  The battle and its success take a single sentence (verse 14:15).  The author seems much more interested in what happens afterward.  Perhaps we should be too.  Let's have a look.

When Abram returns, two kings come out to meet him.  The king of Sodom (who's name sounds like evil and who's townsfolk were wicked) and Melchizedek, king of Salem (who's name means "king of righteousness", who is a priest of God, and who rules Salem - which means "Peace").  If we were only to judge by their names and kingdoms, there could be no greater contrast.

Abram accepts a blessing from the king of Salem and gives him one tenth of the recovered plunder.  At first, this seems a bit confusing.  Who is this second king?  Where did he come from?  His kingdom wasn't conquered so why should he get anything (or be included in the story)?  But Abram wasn't returning this king's property.  This king was God's priest.  By accepting the king's blessing and giving a portion of the recovered goods to him, Abram acknowledged that his success was because of God.  This is apart from any recorded miracle or other intervention.

What a change in character!  In chapter 12, Abram was afraid of the Egyptian king, schemed with his wife to avoid an unrealized (almost imaginary) danger, and ended up having God actively rescue him from his failed scheme.  But there is no mention of him thanking or acknowledging God's role.  Now, in chapter 14, Abram faces a very real danger from 4 conquering kings, has a good plan, and appears to be successful in implementing it (apart from any recorded divine intervention).  And here, he DOES acknowledge God as an ally by giving a portion to His representative (note that Abram's earthly allies received a portion in verse 24).  The contrast is night-and-day.  But why?  What caused the change in character?  Why was Abram suddenly so courageous?

Let's go back to the second king for a moment.  The king of Sodom proposes a deal where Abram would keep all the riches and return his people (verse 21).  Abram rejects this deal and gives the king of Sodom both people and riches (less the portion given to his allies).  He also gives his reason for keeping nothing for himself - an oath he made to God.  

We still don't know why Abram showed such courage in this section.  I propose a few reasons.  First, At the end of chapter 12, Abram sees God very actively protecting him as He promised He would.  Second, after trusting God's promise a little in Chapter 13, God shows Abram the land He promised to him.  Now, Abram has seen two promises fulfilled by God.  And now, he trusts even more.  In this instance, he trusts that God will protect him and he acknowledges God's protection by treating him as an ally.  Therefore, I think Abram's courage comes from his trust in God.

An Ancient Geopolitical Interlude: Genesis 14:1-12

Looking back:  At the end of chapter 12, we saw God rescue Abram from his cowardice and failed scheme.  Chapter 13 set the stage for Abram to show a little faith and settle in Canaan - West of the dead sea.  Now the scene shifts and the trouble foreshadowed for Abram's nephew Lot (in 13:13) will start to bear fruit.

Chapter 14 opens with a lesson in geography and politics.  It seems that four kings were making war around the area of the dead sea.  I'll describe what's going on shortly but you might want to check out some of the pictures here:  http://www.jesuswalk.com/abraham/3_rescue.htm.

These four kings were from cities in the fertile plains watered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.  Their combined kingdoms likely spanned the length of what is modern-day Iraq.  In 14:2 we find out that 5 kings in the area of the dead sea were under their rule for 12 years (probably a result of earlier conquests).  In verses 14:3-4 we find out that these 5 kings join forces to break free of the rule of the 4 kings.

This rebellion is successful for about a year while the 4 allied kings join forces and begin attacking cities as they sweep down East of the Sea of Galilee to the The area that has become the southern most tip of modern-day Israel.  Then they zig-zagged their way North until they met the 5 kings in the Valley of Siddim (near the Dead Sea).

The battle was clearly very one-sided since we are only told about the retreat of the 5 kings (verse 10).  The four victorious kings pillage the region and then return to their land (probably along the west of the Dead Sea and Jordan river).

There are two details we should probably be interested in at this point.  First, an ancient reader would have picked up on the wickedness of the 5 defeated kings since the names of two of them (the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah) appear to be a play on the hebrew words for evil and wicked (Thanks to Derek Kidner's commentary "Genesis").  Second, verse 12 tells us that Abram's nephew Lot is carried off as part of the plunder.  This sets the stage for Abram to take action.

Affirming the promise: Genesis 13:1 - 13:18

After Abram and his family leave Egypt, they wander for a while.  His nephew Lot had been with him throughout his travels and now they both had flocks so large that the land could not sustain both of their herds.  So they decide to part ways on friendly terms.  According to Derek Kidner in his commentary "Genesis", this is a subtle demonstration of faith on the part of Abram.  The land of Canaan was failing to meet his needs.  But, instead of abandoning the land that God showed him, he offers Lot an obvious choice.  Stay here, where we have used up the land, or go East to the fertile plains there.  Lot heads to the fertile plains (probably to the region south of the dead sea) and Abram stays in Canaan.

The results of the decisions of Lot and Abram are immediately affirmed.  In verse 13 the wickedness of Lot's neighbors in Sodom foreshadows trouble.  Conversely, in verse 14, God reaffirms his promise to Abram.  Notice God's affirmation focuses on the land that Abram can now see, but He foreshadows the unfulfilled part of the promise - a nation of descendants that will inherit the land forever.  Abram must still trust God to provide descendants.

Also notice the role God plays in this passage.  God - the hero and protector of chapter 12 (in spite of Abrams scheming faithlessness), is the comforter and encourager of chapter 13.  He kindly reminds Abram of the promise He made and lovingly assures him that He will fulfill all of it.

Looking forward:
This story would have been particularly important to the people who God promised to to deliver from Egypt and bring to the promised land.  Abram was in a promised land and hoped for a nation of descendants.  They were a nation of descendants hoping for the promised land.  Neither would see the full promise.  But God gave protection and comfort to both.

The Call of Abram: Genesis 12:1 - 20

Abram's story begins with God's calling.  God calls him to leave his country, people, and family behind and go to a land that God will show him.  I imagine this must have been difficult for Abram.  I've had times in my life where I felt I was uprooting everything and it hasn't been easy.  But, Abram is called with a purpose as well.  Beginning in 12:2, God says:

(2)I will make you into a great nation,    and I will bless you;I will make your name great,    and you will be a blessing.(3)I will bless those who bless you,    and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth    will be blessed through you.

God is calling him out of his land and away from his family so that his descendants will one day become a great nation that will bless everyone on earth.  Now THAT's a big purpose!  Also notice that God promises Abram protection at the beginning of verse 3.  God gives Abram assurance that he will carry out his plan to bless the earth through his descendants.

The next section gives some details about Abram's journey South to Egypt.  His passage through the land of Caanan would have been an important detail for ancient readers.  This was the land God had promised to Abram and his descendants (them).  This was the land that they, during the exodus, were journeying to.

But notice how Abram responds to the promises of God.  Even after God shows him the land he and his descendants would inherit.  In the very next section we see Abram hatching a scheme to protect himself (verses 11 through 13).  He was afraid the Egyptians would kill him and take his wife.  So he tells his wife to hide their marriage and say they are siblings (they are half-siblings from Genesis 20:12).  I'd love to criticize Abram because he so quickly forgot the purpose and  promises God gave him in verses 2 and 3.  Does he think God won't be successful?  Does he think God won't protect him?  Why should he act so dishonestly?  When I wonder these things, I also realize I probably wouldn't have acted differently.  I also quickly forget God's promises and purposes.  I quickly seek my own solutions.  I also doubt His faithfulness.  I suspect we all do.  And, this should not be surprising.  As we have already seen, we are not the hero of our stories, God is.

And on that note, we read verses 12:14-20.  Abram's scheme backfires and his wife is taken from him.  Oh, how sad it is that I can identify with his cowardice!  But God is faithful and God rescues Abram from his own failed scheme (in spite of Abram's faithlessness).

The Family of Abram: Genesis 11:10-32

As we've seen before in Genesis, the scene shifts.  This time it narrows to the ancestors and family of Abram.  His story was particularly important to the people who were with Moses since he was their ancestor (well, most of them, Exodus 12:38 records that people who were not descended from Abram were also part of the Hebrew nation).

Let's skip the family tree and move to verse 27.  Abram's father was Terah (who, according to Joshua 24:2, did not worship God).  His descendants will all play important roles later in the Bible.  Their relationships can be easily viewed here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terah

Terah had three sons (Abram, Nahor, and Haran). After the death of Haran, Terah moves his family from Ur (near Babylon) to Haran (near the border of modern Turkey and Syria.  North of the land of Caanan).  It is in the land of Haran that Abram hears from God.  His story spans the next 12 chapters of Genesis (nearly 1/4 of the book!).

The Tower of Babel - Genesis 11:1-11:9

Some time after the flood, populations began to expand and people moved East into what would be modern day Iraq.  A quick look at the map and you will see a fertile region that roughly extends from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf.  The story of the Tower of Babel takes place in the southern part of this region.

Let's have a quick look at verse 11:3-4.  It says:

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.  Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

The choice of building materials is interesting.  It says they used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar.  Reading around the internet, the general consensus is that this river-rich region has a lot of clay and very little stone.  The phrasing seems to hint that stone would have been a preferable material and that they are using brick out of desperate necessity.  And why desperate?  The second half of the passage betrays an undercurrent of fear.  They are afraid of being spread out.  

Or perhaps their fortified city is a way to feel secure against another flood.  Perhaps baked bricks and waterproof tar for mortar would not crumble in a flood.  Similarly, a tall tower would allow them to escape another flood.  I'm speculating about this, but, consider the implications.  If this is true, it means there was a general mistrust of God among these people.  They didn't believe his promise to never eradicate life through a flood (from Genesis 9:15).  Or, even more speculative, they knew that God flooded the earth because of human corruption and were taking measures to protect themselves from a similar fate (so they could safely sin however they pleased).

Also consider their stated purpose.  They want to make a name for themselves.  They want to be considered great.  There is an attitude of pride alongside their insecurity.

If they wanted to stand up to God and sought security through their numbers, God's solution was to divide them (verse 8).  God confuses their language and they are scattered.  But consider God's statement in verse 6, "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them".  If, in fact, they are fear and pride driven, I wonder if there is some sarcasm implied here.  Their choice of building materials and their grandiose plans to build "a tower that reaches to the heavens" makes me think that God was showing mercy when he halted them. 

Noah's Sons: Genesis 9:18-9:29

After the flood, life moves on and so does Noah's family.  In this section we get a short glimpse into the dysfunction of the family.

Let's start with Noah.  Remember back in 5:29, Noah was given his name because his parents were hopeful he would bring them comfort as they worked the cursed ground.  So we should not be surprised in 9:20 when it says Noah was a "man of the soil" which I read to mean he was a farmer.  At some point after the flood, he plants a vineyard, makes wine, and gets drunk from it (while naked in his tent).  We can come up with several theories about this.  Perhaps this was a regular occurrence where some of Noah's human weakness is exposed.  Or perhaps this was an isolated incident since he didn't have much experience with wine.   I'm inclined to think this is the more likely scenario given his responses in 9:25-27.  Even so, Noah is human; flawed and weak.  We should remember this if we are tempted to think he was the hero of the flood.  The place of the righteous hero is reserved entirely for God.  

While Noah is passed out naked in his tent Ham comes in and sees him lying there.  He tells his brothers who respectfully and carefully (so as not to see anything) cover up their father.  There is a sense when reading this that Ham should have done what his brothers did (respectfully covering his father) instead of running to tell them.  There may also be an implied attitude of disrespect here too.

In any case, Noah blesses the two sons who showed him respect and curses Ham's son Canaan.  This may have been significant to the audience originally reading this passage since they were descendants of Shem (the oldest of the 2 respectful brothers).  They were traveling to the promised land (which just happened to be the land occupied by the descendants of Canaan).

For my next post, we will skip the lineages and geography lessons of chapter 10 and speed along to chapter 11 - The Tower of Babel.  Bear in mind that chapter 10 will be a good reference as the Israelite nation encounters these people groups.  Also, take a brief note of Nimrod, the hunter king who founded the cities of Babylon and Nineveh.  These two city-regions will play a big role in the history of the nation of Israel.  But that will happen much later in the Bible.

New Beginnings: Genesis 9:1 - 9:17

After the flood, God speaks to Noah and his family.  His goals seem to be three-fold.  First, to establish blessings similar to those he gave to Adam and Eve (9:1-4).  Second, to establish some new responsibilities (9:5-7), and third, to reassure Noah's family after the ordeal of the flood (9:8-17).  Let's have a look at each of these

In 9:1, God repeats the blessing of Genesis 1:28: "Be fruitful and increase in number".  Notice, however that instead of subduing the earth, God tells Noah and his family that their rule over the animals will be one characterized by fear.  And, notice that God includes the animals as food for mankind while in Genesis 1:29 God only included plants as food.  There are many speculative things we could say about these differences but the thing to grasp is that things will be different for mankind after the flood.

In 9:5 it looks like God will hold man (and animals) accountable for the life of "his fellow man".  This makes sense since the examples of Cain and Lamech earlier in Genesis suggest that there may have been a murder problem among the people of Noah's day.  God follows this up in verse 6 by delegating to mankind the authority to punish bloodshed (murder).  The second part of the verse makes a justification for this change: "for in the image of God has God made man."  This has three effects.  First, it places importance upon mankind as image bearers of God.  It is no small thing to kill a human being.  Second, there is an implication that previously, mankind did not deal with murderers, God did directly (as with Cain).  Third, there is a suggestion that God is justified in delegating the task to mankind (since they bear his image).

From verses 9:11 through 9:17, God establishes a covenant to never flood the earth again.  He designates the rainbow as a sign of this covenant/contract/promise.  Notice that this contract is one-sided.  God initiates the contract, provides terms, and is the enforcer of the promise.  God will be merciful.