(Genesis) Genesis 14:12-17

Now, if you found your place in the Bible at Genesis 14, we're putting in at verse 12 today. Now, we saw last time the first war, and I found myself very hesitant because I did not know how far to go into it. And I feel that we should not probably develop a section like that too much, but here is a very interesting side line for somebody to follow through, and you will find it very absorbing and very interesting.

This is a historical document that tells of a war, the first war that's recorded. I do not know whether it was the first war that ever took place. I don't think that's the intention of the writer.

The purpose here is because Lot is involved, the nephew of Abraham. But we find that the kings of the east defeat the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. And frankly, they evidently had fought before because they had them in subjugation, and they had reached the place where they had rebelled.

Now, the thing that had happened was that Lot lived in Sodom, and Lot was taken captive, and Abraham goes out and defeats the kings of the east and delivers Lot. The question arises, how could he do it? Well, let's look at this. And as I suggested before, that when the kings of the east left the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, they moved north along the west bank of the Dead Sea.

And frankly, it's not too far from Hebron and Mamre where Abraham was dwelling. You can stand where Abraham stood in that day, and you can see any movement that takes place down toward the Dead Sea. And so when word was brought to Abraham and it was brought to him, he immediately began to pursue the enemy as he moved north.

Now, will you notice this? And they took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods, and departed. Now, that's Genesis 14, 12. And that's the reason this war is significant to the record here.

It reveals what Abraham's going to do in connection with his nephew. Now, verse 13, "...there came one that had escaped, told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner, and these were confederate with Abram." Now, you see, Abram has a group of men that are with him. Actually, they had to stand together in that day because of the pursuit of an enemy or the approach of an enemy.

And there was safety in numbers, or they either had to hang together or hang separately. Now, the thing that's startling here to us is this, and it reveals something of the extent of Abraham's possessions. Verse 14 of Genesis 14, "...and when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan." Dan's up in the north.

Now, 318, that gives you some conception of the number of servants that Abraham had. In his own household, he could arm 318. Well, how many did he have that he couldn't arm? For instance, women and children, the old folk.

But he could arm 318. Now, he's carrying on, may I say, quite a business in that area, raising cattle and sheep and that type of thing. Now, verse 15, "...he divided himself." Now, here's the way he did it.

"...he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left bank of Damascus." Now, you see he pursued them all the way north to Damascus. Now, that's quite a stretch. What Abraham apparently did here, he divided his servants and one group would make an attack from the rear as they were pursuing them.

The other group went around. And when the enemy turned to fight the first group, you could see what would happen. He'd come down upon them.

And as a result, he was able to get a victory. At least he was able to scatter them so that they fled across the desert and left the people they had captured in the booty. Now, he brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people.

You see, they were taking the women and the people as slaves. Now, Abraham has done a tremendous thing, of course. And he did it because of his nephew Lot.

That is it, very definitely. And that's the reason that all of this is mentioned here. And I would say for this reason and another reason, we'll see when we get into the next chapter, Abraham very definitely is not having a chapter put in here that's extraneous.

It's along with the life of Abraham and very important. Now, it's very important for what follows. Notice, the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Shador Laomer and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Sheba, which is the king's dale.

The king of Sodom went out to meet him. Now, someone else is going to come out and meet Abraham. And it's a good thing that he did because the king of Sodom is putting him in grave danger, at least temptation.