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Created Through Him

Consequences of war

10/31/2013

3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. 11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed (Genesis 14:3-12).

The consequences of war are far reaching. What starts as a simple conflict, often transitions, rather insidiously, to something that is much greater. We see this in modern warfare as well. Alliances can also lead to expanded conflict. It is not that alliances are bad, but that the ramifications of alliances are very pronounced in the presence of war. The unfortunate consequences are that innocent people suffer. This is the case with Lot. Lot was caught up in the conflict. This is why God desires us to live in peace in as much as we have ability and control. The sorrow from war is profound to the people involved and to the God that created the people.

Fighting our own way

10/30/2013

1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar (Genesis 14:1-2).

This was the beginning of a regional war. It seems that not too many generations after the flood, alliances and wars began to occur. This happens all too frequently when nations forget to serve and worship God. The wondering of people away from God is due to a lack of true commitment towards God. This lack of commitment leaves people little choice but to go their own way. This way is not the way that leads to life.

Abraham's faithfulness

10/29/2013

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. 14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord (Genesis 13:13-18).

Abraham’s faithfulness is in stark contrast to the unfaithfulness of the people of Sodom. Abraham was rewarded and was reminded of God’s promise to give a land to Abraham and his decedents. God’s faithfulness and care for Abraham is clearly important. This importance is the fulfillment of the promises of God.

Lot went east and Abraham west

10/28/2013

7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:7-12).

Possessions can be a problem. They are a problem when the possessions themselves become the focus of relationships. Abraham and Lot had to find a way to deal with rivalry between their clans over land. It is significant that although Abraham offered Lot the first choice of land, Lot choose the best. And yet as we know from scripture Lot ended up choosing the land that would ultimately get destroyed. So we are not good at recognizing true value of things to begin with so we ought not to be in conflict over them.

Abraham called on the name of the Lord

10/27/2013

3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together (Genesis 13:3-6).

Abraham worshiped God. He did so at the soonest opportunity in any given situation. The result of Abraham’s worship was blessing. The true worship of God always results in blessing. The key points here are that God blesses according to how He chooses. Often this occurs without the proper conditions being set and that worship is an active action on the part of Man. But while the blessings might occur without conditions being perfect, the out

The caveat to blessings

10/26/2013

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold (Genesis 13:1-2).

Not only did Abraham survive Egypt, apparently his wealth increased during his time in Egypt. This is all the more remarkable since the entire reason he went to Egypt was because of a regional famine. So even though God was likely not pleased with Abraham’s tactics in regard to Sarah and Pharaoh, He did bless Abraham. But we should not read too much into the material wealth blessing of Abraham since God doesn’t promise to materially bless in this world those who are faithful to Him. And although Abraham was blessed with material wealth, we should be all too aware that in many cases God calls us to reject wealth and rather follow the Son of God to the way that leads to life, a way that is often through ‘briar patches’, times of trouble and austerity. We ought not to seek these things out but be willing that if God says, ‘jump’, we say ‘how high’.

Consequences

10/25/2013

14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had (Genesis 12:14-20).

While Abraham’s plan worked in terms of protecting himself from harm, it did not please God. There were also severe consequences for others including Pharaoh. Pharaoh did not appear to know that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, and yet he was still punished for his actions. Unawareness of wrong does not always mean innocence of wrongdoing. Pharaoh was not obedient to God to begin with so God’s judgment was and always is, just.

Seemed like a good idea at the time

10/24/2013

9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. 10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee (Genesis 12:9-13).

Although Abraham was clearly obedient to God in many ways throughout his life, he also was still human and made mistakes. We, like Abraham make mistakes and sin when we do what seems right and necessary to us without looking to and relying on God. For it is in the reliance on God that we are complete and cannot falter. Many times what leads us to ‘go our own way’ is fear. Abraham was fearful and he resorted to his own logic even at the expense of placing his wife in a bad situation. The lesson from Abraham is to follow God wherever He leads and in doing so rely on God and God alone.

Unto Him

10/23/2013

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:7-8).

There are some important concepts to be derived from these verses. The most important concept is that all worship both formal and informal must be directed toward the Lord. Worship directed toward the Lord is started by calling on the Name of the Lord. The true meaning of this may be lost to us, but in antiquity, much importance was placed on a name. The name was the very essence of identity. In this case, the meaning of the Name of the Lord was above all things and therefore of infinite value. To call upon the name of the Lord, is to recognize His ultimate power and glory.

And so Abram departed

10/22/2013

4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land (Genesis 12:4-6).

We are never too old to start in a new direction, especially if God desires it to be so. Abraham was an old man when he obeyed God and departed his homeland. He went ‘all in’; he took everything and put his entire trust in God. He went to a place and to a people he was not familiar. Can you imagine the conversation with Sarah? Ya, Sarah, God told me to leave for a distant land and take everything with me, including you. But Abraham knew God and he knew that God would provide. Human history was changed through God’s faithfulness to Abraham.

Created Through Him