Abraham-Man of Action

Turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to Genesis chapter 14, as we continue to make our way through the book of beginnings, Genesis chapter 14.

Follow along with me as I read these verses. And it came about in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariok, king of Eleazar, Kedolahomer, king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goim, or nations, that they made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Bersha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Adma, and Shemeber, king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar. Still with me? Good. All these came as allies to the valley of Siddam, that is, the salt sea, or as we know today, the Dead Sea. Twelve years they served Kedolahomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.

And the fourteenth year, Kedolahomer and the kings that were with him came and defeated the Raphim in Ashtaroth, Carnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh, Chariathim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as Eparan, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mitzpat, that is, Kadesh, and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon Tamar. Now, are you still with me? Good. You'll be quizzed on all those names and their geographical location when our time is over.

And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar, came out and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddam, against Kedolahomer, king of Elam, and Tidal King of Goim, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Ariok, king of Elassar. Four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddam was full of tar pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country.

Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food supply, and departed. And they also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions, and departed. For he was living in Sodom. Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the Oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Escol, and the brother of Anar. And these were allies with Abram. And when Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot, with him, his possessions, and also the women, and the people. Then after his return from the defeat of Cedolahomer, and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is the king's valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.

Now he was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give the people to me, and take the goods for yourself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong, or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.

I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre. Let them take their share. Now if you're visiting today and never been with us before, you're probably wondering what we're doing reading through Genesis chapter 14. Why we're pronouncing all those names and what relevance does it have to our life this day? Well, that's why you're here, because God has brought you that you might understand exactly what God's Word has for you today.

This is a very unique chapter. As I sat and studied it again this past week, I realized that there is so much here. I could spend two or three weeks on it, but we'd be here forever. We want to move on through Genesis. And so we're going to just spend one week on Genesis chapter 14 talking about Abraham, the man of action. This is the first time the word priest is used in the Bible.

The word king is used in the Bible. This is the first record of a war in the Bible. First mention of bread and wine in the Bible.

And first mention of the word tithe in the Bible. All play significant parts in understanding what Genesis 14 is all about and Abraham, the man of action. We want to look at three things with you this morning.

Number one is the rescue, excuse me, the raid on the land. Number two, the rescue of Lot. And number three, the response of Abraham.

Three things that will help you understand the significance of Genesis chapter 14 as it relates to your life as we see Abraham, a man of action, going to work for his God. First of all, the raid on the land.

Notice with me four things. Number one, you're going to want to notice the cause. Number two, the coalition.

Number three, the conflict. Number four, the consequences of the raid on the land. First of all, the cause.

There are two aspects to this raid. One is a surface aspect. The other is a sovereign aspect. What caused these five kings, the king of Sodom and Gomorrah, the kings of Adma and Zeboim and Zoar, to rebel against Cedar Laomer and his oversight of them? What caused them to revolt? Well, they had been under subjection to this king for 12 years. They were tired of that. So in the 13th year, the text says, they decided to rebel against the other four kings. These five kings rebelled against four kings and no longer wanted to be in subjection to them.

Now, why they rebelled, what was happening, the text does not tell us. But I want you to note this. That really is insignificant. Why? Because there's going to be a battle. There's going to be a war in Genesis 14. Listen very carefully. And it all has to do with one man. Just one. That's a lot. That tells me a lot about my God. My God is going to move nations for one man. He's going to move a multitude of people for one city. He is going to take control, which he already has taken, and move people to accomplish his purposes because there's an individual, there is a family, there is a city that needs to wake up and follow God.

Folks, this is so significant. I read this and thought to myself, you know, what's the significance of this war? Why is it even recorded? What difference does it make? Well, it makes a big difference for a lot. It makes a big difference for Abram. But significantly, God is going to use this battle to get the attention of Lot that he might repent of his ways from his sinful ways and get right with God. And as you read through the story, you'll realize that the man does not repent. He still goes back to Sodom, even after losing everything in the war.

But God orchestrates the events of this world to get our attention. If you leave with anything, leave with that this morning. You see, as I look in Bible prophecy and realize how the nations of the world will align themselves against Almighty God, I realize that's all part of God's sovereign plan. God orchestrates it all because God is in heaven above. He sits on His throne and He rules over all. God's in charge. Nothing happens that escapes His notice.

That's the cause. The second thing I want you to see is the coalition. This is very significant. But the coalition was gathering together of these four kings or five kings in the plain of Jordan, and they would rebel against the other four kings and their leadership over them, which led to the conflict, of course. And that conflict was severe. And this conflict is very significant because, you see, Sodom and Gomorrah loses everything. They lose everything. And you would think, fighting on their own home field, they'd have the home field advantage.

But the text says, up in verse number 10, that the Valley of Sidon was full of tar pits. Now, the first mention of that is back in Genesis chapter 11.

And out of those tar pits, they would use that to solidify the bricks in which they would build the Tower of Babel. Significant, is it not? That those people who rebelled would fall into those pits. Some of them would be killed. Others would be captured. But you'd think they would know where they were. That was their own home field. They should know where the tar pits were. They had five kings. The enemy had four kings. So, they had the advantage number-wise. But when God's in charge, numbers make no difference.

But they lost. It was a devastating defeat for Sodom and Gomorrah. It was a devastating defeat for Lot. Now, listen very carefully. You would think that Sodom and Gomorrah would get the hint. That they would repent, especially after the military conquest. Especially after Abraham would go and rescue them and bring them back. That they would see the hand of God. How God would use one man and his men. Abraham and his 318 men we'll see in a moment. Bring back this whole city and the people. Because they were captured in all their possession.

But they did not repent. The raid on the land was devastating for Lot. He should have listened. Point number two, the rescue of Lot.

The rescue of Lot. That's in verses 13 and following. Four things I want you to see. Number one, the solicitation of Abraham.

Number two, the selflessness of Abraham. Number three, the soldiers of Abraham. And number four, the success of Abraham and his men. Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. That's very significant. Abram the Hebrew. Abram the outsider. When all hell breaks loose somebody's got to go somewhere. And they usually go to the one in whom they have mocked so severely in times gone by. They might laugh at your love for the Lord. They might mock your master. And they might scoff at your commitment to him.

But when push comes to shove. If you have stood strong for Jesus Christ, they know there is one who has hope. And when they have no hope, they've got to go find the one who has hope. And that's who they went to. This refugee, this fugitive went to find the Hebrew man. The man who crossed the river. The man who was from Ur the Chaldees. The man who was a stranger and a pilgrim in their land. So, he went and would solicit from Abraham his part in the war, in the battle. Number two, the selflessness of Abraham.

Text says in chapter 14 that when Abraham heard of it, he, when he heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men born in his house, 318, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Notice his selflessness.

Notice what he didn't do. He didn't say, I told him. I told him not to go there. You know, he got what he deserved. Now, the carnal part of me, that's what I would have said. Which leads me to a soldier's. Notice he says they let out his trained men.

These men were equipped. These men were prepared. Now, folks, there's something very significant in Ezekiel 16, verse number 49, that talks about Sodom and the sins of Sodom. And the text says in Ezekiel 16, verse number 49, that there was an abundance of idleness in Sodom. An abundance of idleness. Sodom was no more prepared to go to battle than a newborn baby is prepared to go to battle. I mean, there was an abundance of idleness in that city. So when they were attacked, of course they were captured.

But Abraham had 318 men and they were all trained men. They were all men prepared for battle. So when push came to shove, when somebody came calling for their support, they could be dispatched at any moment because they were ready. They were prepared. Which leads me to this. You and I, we're in a battle. We're in a spiritual battle every single day. The question comes, are we like Sodom and Gomorrah? Do we have an abundance of idleness in our lives? Or are we trained and prepared to go to war? We gotta be trained and prepared to go to war.

But Abraham, when they came to him, he was ready. His men were ready. He had trained his men. He had prepared his men for battle. Sure enough, we see their success. They went out and they went out at night and they would drive this king, Katie Olamur, 120 miles in the night. Would drive him far away. An amazing scenario. 318 men. They attacked at night. Reminds me of Gideon in Judges chapter 7 when he and his 300 men attacked at night. They didn't know what hit them. They didn't know how many men were out there.

All they knew is that they were scared to death and Abraham drove them away. Was able to take back all the possessions, take back the people and bring them home and rescue his nephew. His whole purpose was to rescue his nephew. And in so doing, he rescued a nation. Abraham was a great warrior. He was a great man of action and was selfless in his efforts to make sure that this young man, his nephew, would know that God was still trying to bring him back to him. Which leads us to point number three, the response of Abraham.

The response of Abraham. It says, after his return from the defeat of Kedar Lamer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh. That is the king's valley. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God most high. The response of Abraham is seen to the king of Salem and to the king of Sodom. At the outset, let me say this, the king of Salem stands for light.

The king of Sodom stands for darkness. The king of Salem stands for righteousness. The king of Sodom stands for unrighteousness. The king of Salem, Melchizedek, is mentioned in Psalm 110. Let me read Psalm 110 to you.

It says this, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Wow, what does that mean? Somehow the Spirit of God links Melchizedek with the Lord's anointed who will one day rule and reign in Zion. Melchizedek is mentioned in one other book in the Bible. That's Hebrews chapters 5, 6, and 7. And in Hebrews 5, 6, and 7, you begin to see the importance of this man Melchizedek and what he plays in his significant role in determining and understanding the priesthood of Jesus Christ our Lord.

I believe the answer is found in Hebrews 7 verses 1 to 4. Let me read them to you. It says in Hebrews 7 verse number 1, for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually. Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. Who is this man Melchizedek? Well, I believe he was a man. I don't believe it was a pre-incarnate Christ because Hebrews 7, 4 says that he was a man. I know the text says that he is without genealogy, no ancestry. Therefore, people believe that it's a pre-incarnate Christ because he has no beginning and no end.

But the reason that's recorded is very significant. Let me explain that to you as simply as I possibly can.

Melchizedek, the reason Christ is in the order of the priesthood of Melchizedek is for two purposes. Number one was because of the duality of his position.

He was both king and priest. Very significant. Why? Because in Jewish times, in the Old Testament, the king was not the priest and the priest was not the king, and never the two should ever be that. Number two, this man does not have a genealogy, does not have a record in the Bible because he is that perfect picture of Christ who has no beginning and no end.

If Christ is going to be in the line or in the order of the priesthood of Melchizedek, then you need to understand the greatness of this man. In fact, Hebrews 6.20 says these words about Melchizedek, that having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, that this man, Melchizedek, was a great man according to Hebrews 7 verse number four. A great man. And so therefore, we see this man who comes out to Abraham and to bless Abraham. He comes out to him, he was a man. He was the king who stood for righteousness.

He oversaw the city of peace, Salem, as Hebrews says and as Genesis 14 says, and comes out to refresh this man. He comes out to give him bread and wine, very significant, first time the phrase bread and wine is used in the Bible, and he pictures to Abraham the redemption of Christ through the bread and through the wine.

Because refreshment comes through what? Redemption. Abraham realizes and recognizes who gave him the victory. And what is Abraham's response to the king of Salem, Melchizedek? He gave him a tenth of all. Hebrews says, he gave him a tenth of the choicest spoils. Spoils. That is, he gave him a tenth right off the top, right from the very best, right from the very start. Folks, listen, so significant is this, that when Abraham recognized who gave him the victory, his immediate response was to give back to the Lord.

That was Abraham's response. He was a man of action, no praying about what to give, no hesitation, very promptly responding monetarily to the king because of what God had done in his life. That's the king of Salem. How about the king of Sodom? The king of Sodom did not come out to bless Abraham, he came out to bribe Abraham. Notice what he said, or notice what he didn't say.

He didn't say, Abraham, you know what? Thank you so very much. You are such a wonderful servant of the Lord. Comes down and says what? And the king of Sodom said to Abraham, give the people to me and take the goods for yourself. What an arrogant man. Give me the people. They're my people. Keep the goods for yourself, but give me the people. Now, folks, listen very carefully. The king of Sodom represents darkness, wickedness, depravity, unrighteousness. Is it not true that in this temptation, this was a temptation, was it not?

Give me the people, just keep it all for yourself, Abraham. What would you do? I mean, after all, you risked your life, you fought the battle. All those possessions, they should be yours, right? You own them now.

You want them back. So the king says, you can have them all. Have them all. The size of that temptation was enormous, was it not? All the riches. You can have all the goods of Sodom. The source of that temptation was from a king, a high-ranking official. The season of that temptation came right after what? His victory and his honoring God. Temptation by Satan will come as soon as you make a decision to give to God because you have recognized him as your source and significance of victory. And the minute you do that, temptation is going to come your way in an enormous kind of way.

But Abraham did not succumb to temptation. Listen to how he responds. And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have sworn to the Lord God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal fong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abraham rich. I'm not taking one thread of your stuff. I don't want to have anything to do with wickedness of your city. I don't want anybody to say, aha, Abraham, you became rich because of the king of Sodom Vera.

You see, the temptation was great. Reputation and riches. Think about it. And he would go on to say, give to these other men what's theirs. They can have whatever they choose. That's up to them. That's not my call. That's theirs. But notice this.

When you realize the call of God upon your life as Abraham did, guess what? You realize that God is the possessor of heaven and earth. He owns it all. God had already given him the land of Canaan. The land was his. He already promised to bless those who blessed Abraham and his people and to curse those who cursed Abraham and his people. He knew about God's call upon his life. He remembered it and therefore could remain steadfast amidst temptation. He was a man of action, a man of supreme action, a man of faith who believed in his God, who served his God, who longed to honor his God, who was prepared to fight for God.

Are you prepared? I trust that you are this morning. Let's pray together.