Abraham's People
- Strength For Life
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
It is both impossible and unbiblical to love all people equally. If I am forced to choose between spiritual family and physical family, I must choose my brothers and sisters in Christ over my brothers and sisters by blood. If I must choose between meeting a need for my family or meeting a need for a stranger, I must choose my family. Likewise, the needs of those who are near me take priority over the needs of those far away from me. The second situation might be the most difficult one to accept, but in general--and in practice--we understand that in a world where we must choose how to spend our time and resources, Scripture provides us with guiding principles.
Consider Abraham, the man of faith. He was called by God to depart from “thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house” to follow the leading of the Lord (Gen. 12:1). By faith he went. However, he continued to take responsibility for his orphaned nephew, Lot, for many years. Lot was a famously problematic responsibility for Abraham. However, in the contentions surrounding their relationship we see an excellent example, from a godly man, how to invest resources for the good of those who should matter most.
In Genesis 14, Abram learns that Lot has been taken as a captive in war. The city Lot foolishly chose for his home, Sodom, had participated in a coalition rebellion against a confederation of kings from the east. Quite unsurprisingly, the confederation refused to tolerate the rebellion of Sodom and the other cities, and so Chederlaomer and his armies crushed their rebellious vassals and spoiled their possessions. “And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed” (Gen. 14:12). Upon hearing this news, Abram quickly organizes his own personal household army of 300-plus trained servants, recruits the help of the local tribes with whom he was allied, and pursues Chederlaomer. His specific purpose was to rescue his nephew, and he was willing to put the sword to whomever resisted him.
With the Lord’s help Abram overtakes and routs Chederlaomer’s confederation. “He divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them” (Gen. 14:15). Abram’s surprise attack allows him to recover all that had been taken. “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people” (Gen. 14:16). The unnamed king of Sodom is so grateful that he personally makes the trip to meet Abram as the victorious procession returns south. He also offers Abram all the spoil that he had recovered. Abram, however, refuses to strike a deal with this king and willingly returns home empty handed.
At this point we should pause and consider Abram’s connection to these different tribes and kings. How the man of faith conducts himself among the various groups mentioned can teach us much about who we should think of as “our people,” and which people we ought to avoid.
Abram’s immediate loyalty is to his nephew, Lot. It was to rescue him that Abram responded so decisively and aggressively. Though the Bible does not directly say this, it is obvious from the account that Abram would not have gotten involved if it had been a matter of a foreign coalition punishing their rebellious vassal states. Lot was the only person Abram was willing to risk his own life for, and the only one Abram was willing to kill to protect. While Abram was willing to recover the goods of the king of Sodom, these actions are presented as the normal behavior when conducting battle. Abram was fighting for Lot, not for Sodom, because Lot was his kin, and therefore his responsibility. Having rescued his nephew, Abram's duty has been fulfilled and he returns home without taking the spoils of war.
Abram’s next closest ally was the men of the plain, mentioned in verse 13: Mamre the Amorite, Eschol, and Aner. Scripture says that “these were confederate with Abram.” He apparently had established a mutually beneficial relationship with these native Canaanites, such that two things were true. First, they were honor-bound to help Abram in a crisis of his household, so they joined him in battle. Second, Abram reciprocates by negotiating with the king of Sodom to ensure they receive their due reward, their “portion” of the battle (v. 24). They are his neighbors by proximity, and so they work together to ensure their mutual survival and benefit.
However, these relationships do not represent the highest level of Abram’s loyalties, though it was on their behalf and with their help he organized, pursued, and fought. Remember, this is the man who left his heritage behind to become a nomad at the call of God. Abram’s highest loyalty was to God’s people. We see this illustrated in the contrast of relationships presented in Genesis 14.
First, Abram avoids any entangling loyalty toward Sodom and its king. As mentioned previously, the king of Sodom comes out to meet Abram, offering him sole possession of the material spoils of war. Evidently this would have put Abram into the debt of the king of Sodom, so the man of faith rejects this offer. “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,” Abram says in verse 22. The Lord was his sovereign and his liege (his superior whose authority would override all other authorities). Abram had made an oath to the Lord: in his words, “that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, “I have made Abram rich’” (v. 23). Abram believes that receiving the spoils of war from the king of Sodom would place him in the king’s debt, a place he does not wish to be. The reason for this decision seems to be two-fold. Abram desires to clarify his allegiance to the Lord. But also, Sodom had the reputation since the time that Lot first moved near the city that its citizens “were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly” (Gen. 13:13). Abram’s loyalty to God prevents him from establishing any dependent relationship with such people.
Second, while Abram carefully avoids receiving the spoils of Sodom, he does receive food and drink from another king. “Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God” (v. 18). Not only does Abram receive food from this righteous king, he also receives a blessing. Melchizedek, like Abram, understands that God gave the victory to Lot’s rescuers (v. 20). Since the Lord gave the victory, any ceremony of loyalty and benefit, then, must be done in His name. Abram and this king of Salem are of one mind on this matter.
Abram further shows his willingness to be the subject of this king by paying him tithes (v. 20). The man of faith humbles himself before this king, because they both are subjects of the Most High King. That greatest loyalty is the key distinction between how Abram negotiates with Sodom and how he negotiates with Salem.
To summarize, Abram’s most fundamental loyalty was to the LORD and those who bore His name; those were the men he joined himself to without reservation. Abram’s immediate loyalty was to Lot, one of his own household, for whom he was willing to both kill and die. This commitment to family duty was something God approved of by giving the victory. Abram fought alongside his neighbors, and negotiated with the king of Sodom for their good. Abram rejected any dependence on the king of sinners; though he acted in Sodom’s benefit, it was entirely incidental to the rescue of his nephew.
Genesis 14 provides an excellent study into the proper order of the Christian loves. While the relationships will differ because the modern context is different from Abram’s, the principles remain the same. Love your own, dedicate yourself to those who also love God, and be willing to lay down yourself for either of those relationships.
The above article was written by Jonathan Kyser. He is a pastoral assistant at NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
Every Tuesday, SFL publishes relevant Bible-based content. Check back next Tuesday to read the next SFL article.
More SFL...
Comments