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GENESIS 14

Study Notes

LOT'S CAPTIVITY AND RESCUE

Four Kings of Mesopotamia

Genesis 14:1 (NKJV) 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,

Four Mesopotamian kings are mentioned in this verse.

1. Amraphel king of Shinar
a. Amraphel - sayer of darkness; one that speaks of hidden things are ruin.
b. Shinar - The watching of him that sleeps or city of two rivers.
2. Arioch king of Ellasar
a. Arioch - lion-like
b. Ellasar - revolting from God or God is chastener.
3. Chedorlaomer king of Elam
a. Chedorlaomer - Sheaf band or binding of the sheaf. He is chief among them (14:4-5).
b. Elam - eternity.
4. Tidal king of nations
a. Tidal - From root meaning dreadful or fear.
b. Nations - Seems to imply a confederation of small nations allied together.

Mesopotamia was a large province lying between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. It was the first dwelling of men, before and after the deluge (Deut. 23:4). Babel was located in the area of Mesopotamia. These kings would seem to suggest the kingdom of darkness.

The Five Kings of The Mediterranean

Genesis 14:2 (NKJV) [that] they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

This verse lists five kings from the Mediterranean area.

1. Bera king of Sodom -
a. son of evil or in the evil
b. burning
2. Birsha King of Gomorah
a. With iniquity
b. Bondage or submersion
3. Shinab king of Admach
a. Glory of the father
b. Earthwork or fortress
4. Shemeber king of Zeboiim
a. lofty flight, soaring
b. gazelles
5. King of Bela or Zoar
a. Destruction or consumption
b. insignificance

Genesis 14:3 (NKJV) All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

The five kings of the Mediterranean formed an army that gathered in the Valley of Siddim, the valley or plain where the salt sea is now located.

An Act of Rebellion

Genesis 14:4 (NKJV) Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

After twelve years of working to the benefit of Chedorlaomer, the chief of the Mesopotamian confederation, the Mediterranean confederation revolted.

THE FIRST CAMPAIGN OF THE MESOPOTAMIAN KINGS

Genesis 14:5 (NKJV) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that [were] with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which [is] by the wilderness.

1. Defeat of the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim
a. Rephaims - giants, strong
b. Ashteroth of the twin peaks - The name implies heathen idolatry of a mountain area.
2. Defeat of the Zuzims In Ham
a. Roving creatures
b. Dark colored or sunburnt
3. Defeat of the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim
a. Terror or terrible
b. The plain of twin cities
4. Defeat of the Horites in their Mount Seir unto Elparan
a. Cave dwellers; they dwelt in the sandstone cliffs and mountains of Edom.
b. Hairy or shaggy; the land south of the Dead Sea
c. The plain or desert areas of Paran, south of Judea

THE SECOND CAMPAIGN OF THE MESOPOTAMIAN KINGS

The Southern Campaign

Genesis 14:7 (NKJV) Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that [is], Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

1. They turned back to
a. En Misphat - spring or fount of judgment
b. Kadesh - holy
2. They attacked
a. The country of the Amalekites - The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau. There were no Amalekites at this time, so the reference is to the people who dwelt in the land to be occupied by the Amalekites-"the country of the Amalekites."
b. The Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar
i. Amorites - sayer
ii. Hazezon Tamar - Seems to reference a double row of palm trees.

The Response of The Mediterranian Kings

Genesis 14:8 (NKJV) And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that [is], Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim [was] [full] [of] asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; [some] fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

The Rebellion Fails

The battle, if there was one, was short lived. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled the scene of battle, leaving their subjects at the mercy of the Mesopotamian confederacy and the evil Chedorlaomer. Those who were able to escape Chedorlaomer escaped to the mountains, but only with their lives. In short, the rebellion was crushed and the rebels were defeated.

The Spoils Of War

First and least significant, Sodom and Gomorrah were looted. Chedorlaomer took everything and anything of value as spoil.

Second and more importantly, Chedorlaomer took Lot and his goods and departed. The last time we saw Lot, he was pitching his tent toward Sodom, but here he is said to be dwelling in Sodom. When Chedorlaomer enters Sodom, he treats Lot like any other Sodomite and takes him captive.

Everything that Lot had sought to preserve was lost in a day. His carnality cost him his freedom, his family, and his possessions. If a man seeks to save his life he will lose it, but if he loses it for Christ's sake, he will gain it.

THE RESCUE OF LOT

Genesis 14:13 (NKJV) Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they [were] allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained [servants] who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which [is] north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

One who had escaped informed Abram of Lot's fate. Immediately, Abram armed 318 servants and prepared to pursue Chedorlaomer. These servants were men born in his own house and trained to fight. In addition to Abram's private militia, his allies, Mamre, Eschol, and Aner joined him. Using the element of surprise and the cover of darkness, Abram divided his forces, attacked, pursued, and defeated (see 14:17) the mighty Mesopotamian confederacy. This victory liberated the spoils of Sodom, the people of Sodom, and Lot and his goods.

ABRAM IS GREETED BY TWO KINGS

Genesis 14:17 (NKJV) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that [is], the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who [were] with him.

Genesis 14:18 (NKJV) Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he [was] the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.

Genesis 14:21 (NKJV) Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself." 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 "that I [will] [take] nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that [is] yours, lest you should say, `I have made Abram rich'-- 24 "except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."

The Encounter With Melchizedek

Verse 17, confirms that the king of Sodom had evaded captivity. Though he is the first to go out to meet Abram, it is Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, who first encounters Abram. Melchizedek is a type of Christ in His unending priesthood. As such he meets Abram with bread and wine, and greets Abram with a blessing. The "bread and wine" are definitely reminiscent of the elements of communion and of the New Covenant. While I do not deny the typical significance of the bread and wine, in this setting they were primarily a source of refreshing to Abram.

Following the importation of bread and wine, Melchizedek pronounces two blessings. First he blesses Abram and declares the source of the blessing to be "God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth." Melchizedek, like Abram, was a servant of and worshiper of Elohim. In his simple statement he declares that God is the absolute sovereign of the universe and that there is no other God besides Him or above Him. This separates him from Canaanites who worshiped pagan deities. Second, he blesses God and states that He is the source of Abram's victory-"Who delivered your enemies into your hand."

Abram's response was to gift Melchizedek with a tenth of the spoils. This suggests several things. First, Abram was honoring Melchizedek. Second, by giving a tithe to Melchizedek, Abram acknowledged God to be the source of his victory.

There is a difference between the tithe given by Abram and the tribute paid by the Mediterraneans to the Mesopotamians. A tribute is given under duress, while the tithe is a voluntary act. We are called to give a tithe, not to pay a tribute. We must also acknowledge that Abram's gift to Melchizedek was not an act of obedience to law, but an act of worship.

The Encounter With Bera king of Sodom

The first words out of Bera's mouth are "give me." This is quite a contrast to the blessings brought and spoken by Melchizedek. This encounter with Bera is more dangerous than Abram's encounter with Chedorlaomer. Bera comes to pollute the testimony of the Lord-"Give me the souls, and take the goods for yourself" (v. 21). Where was Bera when Chedorlaomer was hauling the souls and goods away as captives? What authority or right does Bera have to set conditions on Abram? This audacious coward is an apt symbol of the world. God enables Abram to bring deliverance and Bera seeks to take charge of the results. Abram, armed from his encounter with Melchizedek refuses Bera's proposition. First, he refuses to take the goods on the grounds that Bera will say he had made Abram rich. This statement and decision is based on the blessing spoken by Melchizedek, in which he declared God to be the "possessor of heaven and earth." Secondly, Abram seems to have settled this issue before he went in pursuit of Chedorlaomer-"I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours." Third, the only thing that Abram keeps is the food eaten by his servants and the portion that is due to Aner, Eschol, and Mamre. Other than this he takes nothing for himself.

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