Assignment # 7 Study Lesson Old Testament Gen: 13-14

Hi, we hope you are finding these lessons helpful and that you are learning from them. We would love to hear about some of the insights God is lighting up to you. This is our seventh lesson. And there is a lot to go over, so let’s get started!

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Chapter 13:

I) Abram goes back to Bethel

II) There is Strife Between the Men

III) Abram Gives Lot First Choice

IV) God Renews His Promise to Abram

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When starting out in this chapter, we find Abram (later know as Abraham) leaving Egypt after getting his wife (Sarai—aka Sarah) back. He retraced his steps back, first stopping in Negev (note: some translation simply says “to the south”). From there he continued to Bethel. Don’t miss the significance in verse 2! He went back to the Beginning! He went back to where he set up the first altar to God. He went back to the place where he KNEW God had spoken to him and had made a promise to him.

• Look up Rev. 2:4-5, what did Jesus say?

1. My friend, when we find that we have gotten off track and in a place we should never have gone… it is always wise to stop, regroup and look back at where we started falling away, and return to “that place” where we know God last spoke to us.

In verse 5, we see that Abram wasn’t the only one who came out of Egypt with wealth. Lot came away with quite a lot also. Between the two of them, they had more that the land could sustain. The text goes on to tell us that there was strife between the herdsmen.

But consider this: Where they were at, they were surrounded by hostile neighbors. The herdsmen of Abram and Lot should have pulled together.  But instead of sticking together and protecting each other, they let jealousy tear them apart. We tend to see this a lot in today’s time. Christians often bicker while Satan is at work all around them.

In putting an end to the strife, Abram decided that they needed to separate. With Abram being the oldest, and the head of the father of the family, one would think that he would have determined where he wanted to go first. Instead, he let Lot.

Abram's decision to let Lot choose first was undoubtedly a choice made by faith, with Abram not looking on things temporal, but more on things spiritual, that being God's promise. The reason I say this, is because in showing this generosity to Lot, it showed a sign of faith in God's promises, because faith does not act selfishly (seeking one's own desires) but instead, is generous and self-denying.

Lot surveyed the land before them. The saddest sentence is found in the last part of verse 10. “… like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.”

• Zoar was a small town in the plain to which Lot and his family would later flee to (see Gen. 19:18-22).
• Note: before it was called Zoar, it was called Bela (see Gen. 14:2, 8).

Remember, God never commanded Abram to go to Egypt in the first place. So, even though they left Egypt. Egypt didn’t leave Lot! He chose land that reminded him of it and wound up pitching his tent close to a very corrupt city.

While, good pasture and available water might have seemed like a wise choice at first. Lot completely failed to recognize that the wickedness in Sodom would provide temptations that wind up destroying his family.

Have you ever chosen to live (or work) in a "Sodom"? Remember, that even though you may be strong enough to resist the temptations, other members of your family may not be. Our choices (good or bad) will always affect those around us. And though God commands us to reach lost people like those in "Sodom" who are near us, we must be careful not to become like the very people we are trying to reach.

>>> My friend, may this be a solemn reminder that looking on such a garden land with intent desire can actually lead to our own down fall (look back at Gen. 3:6). Lot’s greed and desire to stay in an “Egypt fashion” would prove to be short-lived, and the greatest mistake of his life.

In verse 14, look at what we finally see again; The Lord finally speaking to Abram again. God hasn’t spoken to Abram since Gen. 12:7. This doesn’t mean God hasn’t spoke at all this time, because He did. He spoke to the Pharaoh, who had taken Sarai, He just hasn’t spoken to Abram. When we disobey God and chose to go in our direction without seeking God’s direction, we can’t expect a lot of conversation from God.

Remember, God told Abram, go to the Land I will show you (Gen. 12:1), after Abram got there, God never said, “now go to…” Abram was where God had led him and where God wanted him to be. And this is very apparent since there was no more Word to Abram after that.

•  Now look up Jer. 10:23 and write down what it says as a reminder.

In verses 14-17, we see God repeating His promise to Abram. Consider this, when Abram went back to the place where he knew he had heard God… “back to the beginning” he called on the name of the Lord (something he hadn’t done on his trek to Egypt). In a sense, by calling on God, Abram was repenting, and God forgave him. God didn’t take His promise back, instead, He repeated it, and gave Abram permission to “walk the and.” This would be the land of Canaan, which becomes the Promised Land for God’s people.

Notice too that now God has added something more to His promise to Abram. Look at verse 16 and take note of what God says about Abram’s descendants.

In 18, Abram moves to the Oakes of Mamre, which are in Hebron (which is 22 miles south of Jerusalem). And there he built another altar to the Lord (worshiping Him).

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Chapter 14:

This chapter records the battle of the four kings against the five, and also shows the outworking of God's promise to make Abram great, and to bless those who blessed him, and to curse those who cursed him (see Gen. 12:3).

Verses 1-12: In an effort to put down a rebellion, four powerful Eastern kings invaded the Jordan Valley (near the Salt Sea), that is the Dead Sea.  Thus, defeating all the forces in the region, plundering the five Jordanian kings, and taking Lot captive (see vs. 12).

• But notice something very important! In Gen. 13:12, Lot had settled next to Sodom, now we see that he is living IN Sodom! Lesson? When we start getting to cozy with evil (when we start compromising, and start accepting things we know are wrong), it isn’t long before we are tangled up in it and dragged down.
• Now look up Romans 1:21-32 (and specifically vs. 25).

!!! When we start allowing ourselves to overlook what we know to be wrong… then eventually we find ourselves in a situation where wrong has become right and right has become wrong.

>> Side Note: Shinar (see Gen. 10:10) is another name for what later became known as Babylonia. Elam (see Gen. 10:22) was east of Shinar. But the locations of Ellasar and Goiim remain unknown. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela (that is, Zoar) are the cities of the five kings who rebelled against Kedor-laomer—were near the Salt (Dead) Sea. Ashteroth and Karnaim (14:5) were in Hauran, ancient Bashan, east of the Sea of Kinnereth. Ham was in eastern Gilead, south of Bashan. Shaveh Kiriathaim was east of the Dead Sea, and the hill country of Seir was southeast of the Dead Sea, in the area later known as Edom. El Paran was modern Elat, on the Gulf of Aqaba. Kadesh and Tamar were southwest of the Dead Sea.

The route of the conquerors was well known in antiquity, being designated as "the king's highway" (see Num. 20:17; 21:22). Those four kings (Kedorlaomer, Tidal, Amraphel, and Arioch) went down the eastern side of the Jordan, turned around in the Arabah (which is the rift valley south of the Dead Sea), went up to Kadesh, over to Tamar, and then into the region of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Valley of Siddim. These four kings looted Sodom and Gomorrah and also captured Lot.

Upon hearing of the invasion (and of the capture of Lot), Abram mustered his 318 trained men (and together with his allies pursued) went out and defeated the invaders in a night attack. He pursued them all the way to Dan which is the future northern border of the Promised Land (about 140 miles from Abram's home in Hebron).

• During Abram’s time Dan was called Leshem, but it was later renamed Dan after the Israelites started conquering the Promised Land (see Josh. 19:47).

During the night Abram pursued them on to Hobah (another 100 miles north of Dan), and brought back Lot’s possessions and family, and other captives.

Lot's dwelling in Sodom was the means of Abram's being drawn into the conflict. Abram was dwelling in Hebron (see Gen. 13:18) but had a covenant with Mamre the Amorite and his brothers Eshcol and Aner (look back again at Gen. 14:13 and vs. 24). Here this covenant worked in favor of Abram, for these Amorites, who allowed him to dwell with them, had to fight with him.

Later Melchizedek attributed the victory to God as part of God's blessing on the patriarch (see vs. 20). God was working through the life of Abram in accordance to His promise. When invaders plundered the land and stole his troublesome relative, Abram instinctively sprang into action.

Well, that's all for now.... I hope this lesson has been insightful to you! I look forward to seeing you next time! Be blessed and may God’s Word grow you!

Kassie.

 

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