Discovering God's Will for Your Life

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

Christians need to remember that God is not hiding his will from them.  Therefore, we must get beyond the thought that we must find what God is hiding. Here are some Biblical steps that will help you in understanding God’s guidance in your life, and with making choices that are pleasing to God. You can’t bypass a step when using this guideline!   

First, read your Bible.  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) When you want to know God’s will for your life, always begin with his preceptive will.   What does the word of God say?  This will take daily discipline in reading, memorizing, and obeying the scriptures. 

Second, cultivate a heart for God.  “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)  When you walk in obedience to God’s word and keep in step with the Holy Spirit, you will develop a heart for God.  The Holy Spirit will give you direction. 

Third, you may need to get counsel from godly Christians.  “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” (Proverbs 1:5) When you walk with the wise you become wise.  

Fourth, look for God’s providence.  God will open and close doors of opportunity. “A man makes plans in his heart, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) 

Fifth, use sound judgment.  Sometimes God allows us to use what we call “common sense.” But only after we have made our way through the first four steps. “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch.” (Acts 15:22)

·      It is important to understand that the key to discovering God’s plan for your life is consistently walking with the Lord on a daily basis.  What are you doing to cultivate a daily walk with the Lord? Are their some things you need to change?

·      With 2012 right around the corner, write down some spiritual goals that will help you cultivate a closer walk with the Lord. 

·      Commit your goals to daily prayer. 

To Dream Again

“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” (Exodus 15:22-25).

The Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promise Land is a great illustration for the journey of life.  Life is full of different experiences.  Like the Israelites in the above   passage, some are bitter experiences.  We all find ourselves, at times, at the water of Marah in life. 

Even so, we must remember that no matter how bitter our circumstances might be God is able to make them sweet.  For the Israelites, the Lord told Moses to throw a tree into the water and it became sweet.  For us, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to hang on a tree for our sins.  Yes, Jesus, the sweetest name I know makes all things sweet.

When we find ourselves in bitter experiences, we must cling to Jesus, and wait        patiently for the Lord to act on our behalf.  Recognize that bitter circumstances make us candidates for God’s blessings.  Notice what happened to the Israelites after the water was made sweet; “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.” (Exodus 15:27)  The next stage after the bitter experience was blessing.

If you are at the water of Marah, hold on, because Elim is around the corner. Your bitterness is about to become blessings.

  

· Take some time and count your blessings.  Don’t forget that even the bitter situations in life can be a blessing.

· Pray for greater faith for your daily walk with the Lord.  Pray for people you know who are currently at the water of Marah.  Ask the Lord to turn their bitterness into blessings. 

· Take some time to call or write someone who needs some encouragement.

Shattered Dreams: Dead-end or Doorway?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The above passage has been a wonderful promise and encouragement for God’s people throughout redemptive history.  From the very first Jewish audience that heard the words for the first time to modern day Christians, God has assured His people of His plan and purpose for them.   Even so, many believers don’t grasp the significance, because they do not understand the context in which it is given. 

God gave this wonderful promise to Israel, one that would be fulfilled after they experienced God’s judgment.  Jeremiah was sent to Israel to call the Israelites back to the Lord.  They didn’t listen; therefore, God brought destruction upon Jerusalem, the temple, and the people of God.  A remnant of the people was exiled for 70 years.  In other words, their dreams were shattered.  

Nevertheless, in God’s economy, shattered dreams are not a dead-end, but a doorway for God’s grace.  Notice what the verse before the one above says, “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).  God was going to enable them to dream again.  Shattered dreams are a doorway for God to do great and higher things in our lives.   

·      Think of discomforting times in your life that caused distrust.  How did you respond? What are some of the lessons God taught you?

·      Think of a time of devastation in your life that became a doorway for greater and higher dreams.  If you are a parent, share it with your children and teach them about the forgiveness and faithfulness of God.   

Pray for a greater awareness of God’s activity in the lives of your family. Pray for opportunities to share God’s faithfulness with those around you.

By Faith: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

THE WAITING IS
THE HARDEST PART

Genesis 16:1–16

Introduction

If you live in Dallas, one of the “privileges” you have is dealing with the enormous traffic problem. I was reminded of this problem recently when I took a day trip there. To make matters worse, it rained on the day I went.

That particular day the traffic seemed to be bumper to bumper and I never got over forty miles per hour. Needless to say, I grew impatient. I gripped the steering wheel waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to move. I was frustrated because I had a destination in mind, but it seemed as though I would never get there.

My story illustrates a well-known fact about human nature: we don’t like to wait. We have fast-food restaurants because we don’t like to wait, and we’ll avoid sit-down restaurants if the line is too long.

The ABC show 20/20 once aired an experiment with children on waiting and self-control. The children were given two choices: they could have a cookie right away or they could wait while the reporter ran an errand and then they could have two cookies. Some of the preschoolers grabbed the single cookie immediately, while others waited up to twenty minutes to receive their two cookies. Those who wanted the two cookies used all kinds of tactics to sustain themselves. Some covered their eyes so they would not see the cookies set before them. Some rested their heads on their arms, talked to themselves, sang, and even tried to sleep. The follow-up of this study revealed that those who were able to wait and forgo the instant gratification kept that same temperament throughout their adolescence. The more impulsive kids, those who gave into instant gratification, grew up to be more stubborn, indecisive, and stressed.

In the life of faith, waiting on God is the hardest part. Just as we dislike waiting at restaurants, in lines, and in traffic, we also dislike waiting on God to act on our behalf. It is not that we don’t want God to act; it is just that we want him to act on our behalf according to our timing, not his. We know that God wants to teach us patience, but we want him to hurry up and do it. In Genesis 16 we see Abram and Sarai struggling with waiting on God. They are growing impatient. In Abram and Sarai’s growing impatience we see why the waiting is the hardest part.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Genesis 16:1 shows that Abram and Sarai are in God’s waiting room, “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children.” We started our study in the last part of Genesis 11 where we were told that Sarai was barren. Yet God had promised Abram that he would be a “great nation” and that his descendants would outnumber the dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens, but still they had no child. Abram and Sarai were in God’s waiting room, in God’s holding pattern. Genesis 16:3 tells us they had been in this pattern for ten years. This was the ten-year time period between God’s promise of a child (Genesis 11 and 12) and their current situation (Genesis 16). They had been waiting for God to fulfill his promise of a seed for a decade.

From Genesis 15, we remember that Abram wondered how God would fulfill his promise when he asked the Lord if it would be Eliezer, his servant, who would be the heir, and the Lord told him that Abram’s heir would be from his own body.

Now the Lord never specifically said that the seed would come through both Abram and Sarai, but it sure is implied in verse 16:1 where the narrative says that Sarai was Abram’s wife. This designation of Sarai as Abram’s wife points us back to Genesis 2 where we see God creating the institution of marriage—a man shall leave his father and mother and become one flesh with his wife. God’s creative intention is that there be one man and one woman in marriage and that procreation would take place through this institution.

The scene is set. We find Abram and Sarai in God’s waiting room, longing for God to fulfill his promise. But the waiting is the hardest part, and during that time we are often tempted to question God’s timing and ability in our situation when he seems to be doing nothing about it.

We Are Tempted to Question
God’s Timing and Ability in our Situation

We are told in verse 1 that not only was Sarai childless, but also that she had a maid whose name was Hagar. Hagar is an important character in Genesis 16, one that we will see more of in following verses.

After the setting of the scene in verse 1, the author reveals that Sarai is beginning to question God’s timing and ability in this situation, “So Sarai said to Abram, ‘Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children.’ ” To some degree Sarai is right about the Lord preventing her from bearing a child, but she is not making a statement of fact; instead she is complaining and even blaming God for her childless situation. We need to recognize Sarai’s frustration, which is directed toward the Lord.

When Sarai was promised a child she was no spring chicken, but now, some ten years has passed and it is very possible that menopause had set in, eliminating any human possibility for her to have a child. Therefore she directed her frustration with the Lord to Abram. Sarai questioned not only God’s promise, but also his character. This is the temptation that can arise when we are in God’s waiting room, a temptation that is presented before us from the Devil himself.

What took place in Genesis 16 parallels what happened in Genesis 3. When the serpent (the Devil) tempted Eve, he did so with questions about God’s truthfulness and God’s character. The Devil was at it once again; he wanted Sarai to give into the temptation and to question God’s timing and ability.

The Devil had a vested interest in tempting Sarai. You have to remember that the Lord sentenced the Devil to ultimate defeat back in Genesis 3 when he said that the seed of the woman would crush the seed of the serpent. This was an indication of the Devil’s ultimate doom, a doom that would come through the seed of the woman, through the seed of Abraham, and that was sealed by the person of Jesus Christ. The Devil did not want the promised child to come about because he did not want to meet his ultimate destiny of destruction.

In the same way that the Devil tried to thwart the plan of God’s unfolding redemption, he also tries to thwart God’s plans for our lives when we are waiting on God to act on our behalf. In thwarting that plan he will tempt us so that we will begin to question God’s timing and ability.

It is important to note that even after Genesis 16 and all that takes place in it, Sarai will still have to wait about another fifteen years to see the promise of a child fulfilled. The reason for the long wait is that God wants Abram and Sarai to be in a situation where only God’s ability and power could bring about the fulfillment of the promise.

Similar temptations take place with people who sign up for short-term mission trips. They put their name down to go even though they don’t have the money. They make their needs known, but the money does not come. They begin to question God’s timing and ability almost to the point of backing out. I tell people like that to wait because the Devil wants to keep people from going to share the gospel, but God likes to get us to where we know without a doubt that he, and he alone, provides.

If we fail to overcome the temptation of questioning God’s timing and ability, it can lead us to more troubles. When we get frustrated with God, then we are tempted to look to the world for solutions to our situation.

We Are Tempted to
Look to the World for Solutions

That is exactly what Sarai did. Past the point of no return, she let the temptation of the Devil cast doubt about the Lord and seduce her senses, and with this she would now look to the world for a solution to her situation.

Sarai had a plan, a worldly strategy, but at least she could see something in action. That seemed more than what God was doing at this point. Sarai devised her own plot with her maid Hagar and Abram as the main characters, “Please go into my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her” (Genesis 16:2). You can see her thinking at this point, “God gives us the ability to make decisions and act on them, so maybe he’s waiting for me to do something.” At this point, Sarai, like Eve, decided to be like God and help him out with fulfilling his promise. But in reality she resorted to a human solution to a divine situation.

What Sarai proposed was a regular and accepted practice in her culture. If the wife was barren, it was not uncommon for the husband to take another wife for the purpose of having children. We should not think it too odd; it is similar to our having surrogate mothers today. But the reality of this solution is that it was a worldly way out.

Further evidence this was a worldly resolution is found in the fact that Hagar was an Egyptian. Most likely, Abram and Sarai attained Hagar during their journey into Egypt, a journey they took because Abram, instead of waiting on God, looked to the world for solutions. Also, you may remember that for the most part when God’s people went to Egypt they did so because they were not trusting in the Lord, but looking to the world for solutions. That is what Sarai did; she looked to the world instead of waiting on the Lord.

What may seem to be an acceptable practice to the world may not be from the Lord. The Lord intended for man to be married to one woman and to have children with his wife. Thus, the world may accept a common solution to a situation, but that does not mean that it is God’s will. Yet we are quick to act on our own, as evidenced by Abram’s response to Sarai’s suggestion. Here, Abram reveals one more temptation: when waiting on God we listen to other voices for our supervision.

We Are Tempted to Listen to
Other Voices for Our Supervision

Sarai told Abram the plan and then he responded, “And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.” (Genesis 16:2). Who did Abram listen to? He listened to his wife. This is exactly what happened in Genesis 3 with Adam; he listened to the voice of Eve. In both instances the husbands relinquished their responsibility of leadership by listening to the voices of their wives when they should have listened to the voice of God. In Adam’s case he should have remembered that the Lord told him personally not to eat of the tree. In Abram’s case he should have told Sarai that the Lord promised him in a vision a child through Abram and his God-ordained wife. Don’t get me wrong; sometimes it is wise for husbands to listen to their wives, but never in disobedience to God’s word, which is the context of Adam and Abram’s situations.

When we are in God’s holding pattern, we will begin to hear many voices, voices of doubt, temptation, and despair, voices with worldly solutions. But the one voice we must listen to is that of the Lord. Waiting on God is the hardest part because we are often tempted to question God’s timing and ability, to look to the world for solutions, and to listen to those whose counsel is not godly. When we give into these temptations instead of waiting on God, we will find that the troubles we are trying solve will not depart.

The Troubles Will Not Depart

Sarai might have had good intentions when she took things into her own hands, but her plans would cause problems. When Sarai and Abram tried to solve a divine situation with a human solution, they learned two lessons. First, they learned that when you fail to wait on God and resort to human solutions, troubles are not solved; instead, they become worse.

Human Solutions Can Make Troubles Worse

In verses 3 through 6 Sarai and Abram resorted to the human solution for fulfilling God’s divine plan, “After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband as his wife.” This designation of Hagar as “Abram’s wife” elevated Hagar from her lowly position as Sarai’s servant to being her equal. The change in status also shows a transfer of authority and responsibility. Hagar was previously Sarai’s responsibility, but now she would be Abram’s responsibility.[1]

Verse 4 tells us that Abram and Sarai had relations and that Hagar conceived. Their plan was successful. Or was it? Sarai would soon find out that in addition to this not solving her infertility problem, she had made things worse.

Hagar, enjoying her elevated status and the fact that she was carrying Abram’s child, let pride take over. “He went into Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.” Hagar had an attitude problem. We are told that she despised Sarai in her sight. The Hebrew word translated “despised” in this verse is the same root of the Hebrew word translated “curse” in Genesis 12:3 where the Lord promises Abram that he will curse those who curse Abram. Hagar showed great disrespect and dishonor toward her former mistress. Not only did that make things worse between Hagar and Sarai, but it also caused problems between husband and wife.

The once quiet and peaceful home was now a battlefield with Hagar despising Sarai, Sarai in turn despising Hagar, and now Sarai blaming Abram for Hagar’s attitude, “And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” Sarai, in so many words, attacked Abram and blamed him for her problems. Isn’t that just like human nature? Instead of taking responsibility for our own sins we blame others.

Abram would respond by once again acquiescing to his wife instead of assuming leadership, “But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” Abram put Hagar back under the power and responsibility of Sarai by moving Hagar back to her servant position.

Sarai would use her rank to get back at Hagar, “So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.” The word “harshly” is the same word used to describe the treatment of the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt. Hagar received treatment so cruel that she had to flee from Abram’s home.

The human solution to a divine promise did not work out. Things got terribly worse within the household of Abram. Disunity as well as abuse plagued the home. Why? Human solutions often intensify troubles. One person has rightly said, “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.”[2] Though the conception might have seemed like a successful solution to their problem, their troubles multiplied—and they became permanent.

Human Solutions
Can Make Troubles Permanent

After Hagar fled, she made her way into the wilderness and stopped by a spring on the way to Shur. It is by this spring that Hagar would have an encounter with the angel of the Lord. The appearing of the angel of the Lord is what theologians call a theophany. In this theophany we see God address Hagar’s affliction. What took place between the Lord and Hagar demonstrates the concern God has for all people. Abram was God’s chosen man, but God was and is still concerned for those (like Hagar) outside the covenant.

The Lord would take care of Hagar and her child; however, another gross effect of Sarai and Abram’s human intervention would result in Hagar’s son Ishmael becoming a permanent problem for the nation of Israel. In Genesis 16:10, the Lord told Hagar that he would “greatly multiply her descendants, so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the Lord went on to say, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of his brothers” (Genesis 16:11–12). Ishmael’s future would be characterized by hostility. To be a “wild donkey” means to be in constant conflict. Ishmael and his descendants would always be in conflict with Abram’s promised child, Isaac.

Even today, looking at the relations between the Middle East and Israel, we witness the enduring and permanent nature of the problem that Sarai and Abram created by resorting to their own solution. Despite the great deal of talk about peace in the Middle East and between the Israelis and Arabs, it will truly never happen because the Lord says here that there will be constant conflict between Ishmael and his half brother Isaac. Every time you read about an explosion in Israel or about Israel attacking the Palestinians, remember that the conflict is the fruit of not waiting on God.

How can we avoid making mistakes like Abram and Sarai? How can we keep ourselves from the temptation to act on our circumstances while we should be waiting on God? The answer is found in the heart.

The Answer Is in the Heart

Let’s examine the dialogue in Genesis 16 between the Lord and Hagar. In this discourse the Lord reveals a truth that Abram and Sarai knew, but because of their impatience they forgot. What the Lord promised Hagar and how she responded reveals the great truth of this chapter—answers are found in who God is and can be attained only from within the heart of God’s people. To wait for the Lord, not resorting to our own hasty actions, we need a heart that prays.

A Heart that Prays

The dialogue between Hagar and the Lord says nothing about prayer, but the implication exists in the name the Lord gave to Hagar’s son, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.” The name Ishmael means “God hears.” It does not say that Hagar prayed, but we know that the Lord heard her affliction, her crying out because of the harsh treatment at the hands of her mistress Sarai.

When Hagar went back to live in the house of Abram and gave birth to the child, Abram did indeed name him Ishmael. Hagar told Abram everything the Lord told her when he appeared to her in the wilderness. Every time Abram and Sarai said the name Ishmael they would be reminded of their failure to fervently pray and wait on God instead of resorting to human devices. Too many times God’s people have the attitude “when all else fails, pray.” But the reality is all else will fail, unless we pray. Unfortunately, Abram and Sarai found this out the hard way.

Are you in God’s waiting room? Then pray. God hears you and he understands the affliction you are in. Don’t question God. Don’t look to the world. Don’t listen to other voices for direction. Pray fervently to the Lord, for he hears you and he sees you, he knows what you need and when you need it. Have a heart that not only prays, but that also believes.

A Heart that Believes

Genesis 16:13–14 proves that Hagar believed what the Lord told her, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive after seeing him?’ ” What a great declaration of faith and hope. She believed the promise of God, put her hope in the promise, and then made her way back to Abram and Sarai as the Lord commanded.

God puts us in his waiting room, sometimes in long holding patterns for a reason. He makes us wait so we will learn to seek him in prayer and take him at his word. He doesn’t answer right away so that he can produce within us a character that perseveres. His purposeful delay helps us learn to trust in his wise and sovereign will. The more quickly we learn to submit and yield to him, the less trouble we will bring upon ourselves and the more blessings God will shower upon us.

As I was writing this section of the book, a secular song that I listened to as a teenager kept coming to my mind, The Waiting by Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers. The lyrics speak of a man waiting for a relationship to flower into full-blown love. But the chorus of the song can really speak to the journey of faith and walking with God. In fact, I “borrowed” words from the chorus for the title of this chapter.

The waiting is the hardest part

Everyday you see one more card

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting is the hardest part

Certainly on the journey of faith the waiting is the hardest part. It is hard because of the temptations that will come as we wait for God to act. It is difficult because when we give into those temptations and resort to human solutions apart from God the troubles do not really depart, but often become worse and sometimes permanent. The answer for waiting is found in the heart that knows that God hears and sees, leading us to pray and believe, yielding patiently to God’s wise and sovereign will.

Are you waiting on God? To give you guidance? To bring you deliverance? Pray, believe, and wait patiently because the Lord hears you and sees you. Pray and believe because “the Lord fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:19). Keep waiting—God will act on your behalf in his perfect timing.

---

[1]Hartley 165.

[2]Wiersbe 56.

By Faith: Standing on the Promises of God

STANDING ON
THE PROMISES OF GOD

Genesis 15:1–21

Introduction

J. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, traveled to a bank in England to open up an account for the China Inland Mission. While filling out the application, he came across a question asking him to designate his assets. Taylor wrote, “ten pounds and the promises of God.” Hudson Taylor was a great man of faith, and the foundation for his life of faith stood on the promises of God. The promises of God are stepping-stones upon the path of life that enable his people to move forward in the life of faith.

The promises of God in Genesis 12:1–3 enabled Abram to take a step of faith toward the Promised Land. The promises of God saved Abram when he took a different path, a path that was not in line with God’s plans. The promises of God gave Abram the victory over the four kings in Genesis 14, and in Genesis 15 we’ll see how they enabled Abram to continue on his journey of faith.

The promises God declares in Genesis 15 are not new; rather, they are God’s confirmation of promises he gave to Abram in Genesis 12. God’s continuous confirmation and reassurance of his promises keep Abram going in the right direction.

Genesis 15 is a pivotal chapter both in the narrative of the life of Abram as well in the story of God’s great plan of redemption for all humanity. It begins a significant transition from a focus on the Promised Land to a focus on that of the promised seed, or the heirs of Abram. Of great importance is the glimpse Genesis provides of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Genesis 15 is mentioned three times in the New Testament, twice by the apostle Paul and once by the apostle James. In all three occurrences we find them defending justification by faith and expounding on the nature of true saving faith.[1]

All those who are on the journey of faith can stand on the same promises that Abraham was able to stand on. Charles Spurgeon has rightly said that the promises of God are the Christian’s “Magna Charta of liberty, they are the title deeds of his heavenly estate. They are the jewel room in which the Christian’s crown treasures are preserved.” The first observation that we make in Genesis 15 is that God’s people stand on his supernatural promises.

Standing on God’s Supernatural Promises

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.” (Genesis 15:1)

As I’ve mentioned before, God’s people are most vulnerable to temptation and discouragement after great victories won by the Lord. Abram, after making a great declaration of no-compromise to the king of Sodom, would become discouraged and somewhat dismayed. After the great battle we read about in Genesis 14, God, knowing Abram’s thoughts and feelings, would address them in a supernatural way, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.” Before we examine the nature of the word of God that came to Abram, we would do well to recognize the means by which Abram received this word.

The text tells us that the word of the Lord came to Abram “in a vision.” This type of vision was one way that God’s prophets would receive a word from him. The manner in which Abram received the word suggests that Abram was a prophet, a title that in Genesis 20:7 would be specifically given to Abram.[2]

In addition, the vision that brought about the word was similar to other instances in the Bible where God’s word was used to bring encouragement to certain people or groups. The Lord also calms fears as well as encourages. In the New Testament three such occurrences (Acts 18:9; 23:11; 27:23) take place with the apostle Paul.[3] God’s vision to Abram would come to calm his fears as well as to encourage him.

The very first thing the word of God addresses is Abram’s fear, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not fear.’ ” We can only speculate as to what caused Abram to fear. It could have been the reality of the hostility that he would have to face on his journey of faith. Perhaps while he was waiting for God to fulfill his promises, doubt and fear set in. One thing we know for sure: the Lord is going to address Abram’s fears and he does so through his supernatural promises. The first promise he gives to Abram is one of supernatural protection.

The Promise of Supernatural Protection

The promise of supernatural protection is found in the Lord’s declaration to Abram, “I am a shield to you.” The Hebrew word translated here as “shield” is the same root of the Hebrew word in Genesis 14:20, which is translated “deliver.” The context of the latter is when Melchizedek declared that the Lord was the one who brought Abram’s deliverance from the enemy. In Genesis 15:1 the Lord confirmed his blessing upon Abram by promising him continual supernatural protection. The word translated as shield is appropriate because a warrior would carry a shield for protection. In the same manner, the Lord promises Abram that he would deliver him from the enemy, that he would be his protection in the midst of a hostile territory. Just as the Lord supernaturally protected Abram from Pharaoh, and just as the Lord supernaturally protected Abram from the power of the four kings, the Lord would continue to give Abram supernatural protection throughout his journey of faith.

King David trusted in the Lord’s supernatural protection when he said in Psalm 3 that the Lord was his “shield.” Likewise, when David declared in Psalm 23, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me,” he was declaring that the Lord would protect him with a supernatural protection.

The Promise of Supernatural Provision

The Lord also gave Abram a promise of supernatural provision in the latter part of verse 1, “Your reward shall be very great.” The idea the Lord conveyed to Abram is that of “payment.” This phrase is tied in with the previous chapter. It was after the blessing of Melchizedek that Abram responded by giving a tenth of all the plunder that he accumulated from the battle. By tithing on the plunder, Abram acknowledged that the Lord was truly the “possessor of heaven and earth” and that God was the source of victory.

After tithing ten percent of the plunder, the king of Sodom offered Abram all the plunder for himself; however, Abram did not accept it because he did not want to compromise his faith and bring dishonor upon the Lord.[4] The Lord affirmed to Abram that his faithfulness did not go unnoticed and that the Lord would take care of his provisions.

Some translate this verse to mean that the Lord is Abram’s reward, that is, because Abram has the Lord he does not need the tainted plunder of earthly kings.[5] I would say that because Abram has the Lord as his reward, he could be sure of the Lord’s provisions. Abram does not have to take tainted plunder because the Lord, the King of kings, is greater than any king, including Pharaoh or the king of Sodom. Abram did not have to compromise his faith to get ahead because the Lord would reward his faithfulness.

The apostle Paul declared this truth when he wrote, “My God will supply all your needs according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Just as the Lord promised to reward the faithfulness of Abram, he also promises to reward the faithfulness of all his children.

The promise of supernatural provision reminds me of one of the stories that I heard while I was serving at First Baptist Church of Dallas. A woman in the church was a very generous giver to kingdom purposes. She always wore a necklace with a gold shovel pendant. She said that she wore it because it reminded her that she could never out give the Lord and that her “reward shall be very great.”

Many men would have been totally satisfied with the supernatural promises of protection and provision given to Abram, but Abram wasn’t. This is not to say that Abram disrespected these two great promises or that he did he not care for them. But Abram was looking for something greater—the fulfillment of the promise of a supernatural progeny.

The Promise of a Supernatural Progeny

Up to this point we have seen monologue recorded on the part of the Lord, but now we will “listen in” on a dialogue between Abram and the Lord. Genesis 15:2 presents the first recorded conversation between God and Abram.[6] Abram responded to the Lord’s promises with what seems at first like a complaint, “Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ ” The “ complaint” that Abram made is by no means from a lack of faith in God or from unbelief, rather it is a show of Abram’s confidence that God would, as promised in Genesis 12 and 13, make him a “great nation”[7] and make his descendents “as the dust of the earth.”[8]

In Abram’s mind the promises of supernatural protection and provision meant nothing if he had no son to benefit from the inheritance. If anything, the question Abram posed arose out of trust. Abram believed the Lord would make him a great nation and make his descendants as many as the dust of the earth, but he wanted to know when and how God would fulfill his promise.

Abram and Sarai were already up there in years and, from Abram’s perspective, God seemed to be taking his time in fulfilling his promise. Their biological clocks stopped ticking a long time ago and Abram thought a delay was not going to help. Cultural practices were also at the forefront of Abram’s mind when he said to the Lord, “I am childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer of Damascus.” It was common practice that if there were no blood heir, the head of the household would adopt a servant in the household to be the heir.[9] But as we read further, we see that the Lord addressed Abram’s concern. God revealed how he would bring about the fulfillment of his promise, and then he illustrated the magnitude of the promise.

First the Lord addressed the “how.” “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body” (Genesis 15: 4, emphasis added). The Lord told Abram to have no doubt about how he would bring about this promised seed. Though Abram and Sarai were childless, God would bring through them a promised descendent.

To be without a child in Abram’s day had different connotations than it does today. In Bible times, people thought being childless was a sign of God’s judgment from their wickedness. But in Abram’s case it was an opportunity for God to show his supernatural power. Abram and Sarai were both well past childbearing years and the prospect of having a child eluded them long ago, but God would use their childlessness as an opportunity to show his power. The Lord would use his supernatural power to turn Abram and Sarai’s hopeless situation into one filled with hope.

The Lord confirmed his promise of a supernatural progeny with a sign in verse 5, a sign that showed the magnitude of God’s promise, “And he took Abram outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And he said to him, ‘so shall your descendants be. ”

Obviously, from this verse we learn that Abram’s vision came to him while he was in his house. The Lord took Abram outside to look into the sky and count the stars. Imagine Abram’s thoughts as God revealed the enormity of his promise in this great object lesson. The first time the Lord reaffirmed his promise to Abram he had him look down to the ground and count the dust. Some say that this was to reaffirm the Lord’s commitment to give Abram the land. This time the Lord had Abram look up to the stars.

Most likely the use of “stars” to reaffirm the promise is pointing back to Abram’s earlier declaration in Genesis 14:22 when he said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.” To declare God to be possessor of heaven and earth pointed to the creative power of God. It was God’s creative power that made the heavens and the earth, and it will be God’s supernatural, creative power that would enable Abram to have descendants that outnumber the dust of the earth and the stars of the sky. Just as the Lord was faithful in his supernatural and creative power in the past, he would also be faithful to demonstrate this power in Abram’s future.[10]

Abram could stand on the Lord’s supernatural promises of protection, provision, and progeny. In the same way, we who are living the life of faith can stand on the promises of God, knowing that the all-powerful God who made the heavens and earth will uphold his promises.

When we claim a promise such as the one given in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” God’s people can be assured that an all-powerful, supernatural God will keep that promise because of his supernatural power. Not only do we stand on God’s supernatural promises, but we also stand on God’s saving promises.

Standing on God’s Saving Promises

Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Abram will respond to the Lord’s reaffirmation of his promise in verse 6. We find that this was a saving response to God’s promise. It is important that we understand before we get into this verse the importance it plays in God’s unfolding plan of redemption and justification before God by faith alone. This great verse is used in the New Testament to teach how one is saved, by faith alone. That is why I call it Abram’s saving response to God’s promise.

The Response to God’s Saving Promise

“Then he believed in the Lord”(Genesis 15:6). This declaration is a transition statement for the whole chapter, showing us the response to the first appearance that Abram had with God in this chapter and preparing us for a second appearance (which might never have happened had Abram responded differently).

To say that Abram believed the Lord in this verse is not to say that this is the first time Abram had faith in the Lord, for it was by faith that Abram left his home of Ur and traveled to the Promised Land. Abram’s faith had been demonstrated by his actions, that is, by his obedience to the word of the Lord. We need to view Genesis 15:6 not as Abram’s initial step of faith, but instead as his response to the supernatural promise of God reaffirmed in the first five verses of Genesis 15.

This is the first time the word “believed” is used in the Bible. It is the Hebrew word “amen.” The idea conveyed by this word is that of certainty. Faith is not something that we deem possible or hopeful, but instead, biblical faith means to believe with total firmness and certainty in the object of belief.[11] This invites the question concerning that which Abram believes with certainty. In what did Abram place his total trust concerning the Lord’s supernatural promises?

From the immediate text we can conclude that Abram believed the Lord would protect him, provide for him, and ultimately give him a child. All of these promises are directly related to the promises given to Abram back in Genesis 12. His belief revealed in Genesis 15 is connected more with the supernatural progeny than with anything else, and it is connected with the promises to become a great nation and to have descendants that outnumber the dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens. If all we had was the book of Genesis, we could conclude that this is exactly what Abram “believed in the Lord.” But the New Testament, especially the teachings of Paul found in the book of Galatians, gives us greater insight into exactly what Abram believed.

In Galatians 3 we see three indications of exactly what Abram believed here in Genesis 15. First, Paul told us that Abram believed in the gospel, “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel before hand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you’ ” (Galatians 3:8). Paul pointed back to God’s promise of Genesis 12 and declared that Abram understood the statement, “All nations will be blessed in you” as more than a physical blessing, but rather as the greatest spiritual blessing of all, salvation.[12]

Second, we learn from the third chapter of Galatians that Abram believed in redemption. According to verses 10 through 14, Paul declared that Christ redeemed us from the curse of sin. This was done in Christ Jesus, who as Paul says “is the blessing of Abraham.” Christ made the payment that set us free from the penalty and the power of sin. Abraham believed in God’s redemption.[13]

Third, we learn from the teachings of Paul that Abraham believed in Christ. Paul points to this truth in Galatians 3:16 when he wrote, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.”

If we go back to the book of Genesis we can confirm that Paul is referring to the use of the Hebrew word translated “descendants” or “seed.” The literal translation is the singular form of the word “seed.” Paul explained that Abraham understood this promise as more than just a promise of many descendants, but as a promise of one particular descendant—the Redeemer Jesus Christ—who would bring justification from sin to the whole world.[14]

Abram believed in God’s good news, in God’s redemption, and in a specific descendant who would bring salvation and justification. Did he understand the promise fully? No! But what he did understand completely is that he believed in the Lord. This was Abram’s saving response to God’s saving promise, which brought about a saving result.

The Result of God’s Saving Promise

The result of Abram’s belief in God’s supernatural promise is declared in the latter part of verse 6, “and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” There are two words we need to understand in the saving result of God’s promise: reckoned and righteousness.

As Abram placed his faith in the gospel, in redemption, and in the coming of a particular descendant whom we know as Christ, and God “reckoned it to him as righteousness.” The word “reckoned” has the connotation of crediting or paying something to someone’s account. The Lord imputed righteousness to Abram’s account on the basis of his faith.

Some say that “righteousness” refers to Abram’s act of faith, that is, his act of faith is an act of righteousness, and to some degree it is. But, what this verse means is that when Abram believed in the promise given to him about a particular seed, a seed that would bring eternal blessings, the Lord enabled Abram to have a right standing before God.

Since the fall of humanity recorded in Genesis 3, man has been condemned before God, objects of his wrath. The question that has been asked throughout the ages is, How can a person be righteous before God? Some argue that good works will give a person right standing before God, but the Bible clearly says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No matter how good our works are before God, our works of righteousness are as filthy rags before a perfect God (Isaiah 64:6).

Only God can make a person righteous before him. Only God can give a person right standing before him. The way God made this possible is through the seed of Abram, who is Christ. Christ took upon himself our sin and has given us his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). The only way that we can have righteousness credited to our account is through faith in God’s provision of salvation. For Abram, his faith was in the promise of salvation, but for you and me our salvation is in the fulfillment of that promise, the fulfillment being Christ.

Abram demonstrated a great theological truth, a truth that Paul declared in Ephesians 2:8–9 when he said, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The only way one can truly have salvation, the only way one can have a right standing before God is by standing on God’s saving promise of salvation in Christ. And the way that we stand on that promise is with a confident trust, not a probable trust, not a hopeful trust, but a certain trust that Christ and Christ alone is our salvation. One of the hymns of the faith describes this truth well.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in his righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.[15]

Any other promise of salvation is no promise at all; it is sinking sand. Abram was standing on the Lord’s supernatural promises, the Lord’s saving promises, and the Lord’s sure promises.

Standing on God’s Sure Promises

After Abram demonstrated his certain belief in the promise of eternal life, the Lord would then make a sure covenant with Abram, a covenant that came only after Abram placed his total trust in the Lord’s saving promise.

The Sure Covenant of God

The covenant that is made in the next verse is one primarily concerning the land the Lord promised to Abram and his descendants, but it is also a covenant that guaranteed the Lord’s fulfillment of both the promise of land and seed.

The Lord said to Abram in verse 7, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” Here the Lord reaffirmed the promise of land to Abram, and Abram responded in verse 8, “How may I know that I will possess it.” Abram believed, but he needed a little help with his faith. In giving Abram help, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, as we’ll read in the verses that follow.

This is not the first time we read of a covenant in Genesis. The Lord made a covenant with Noah in Genesis 6 and with all humanity in Genesis 9, right after the flood. This next covenant the Lord made dealt with Abram’s physical descendants and applies in a secondary manner to Abram’s spiritual descendants, those of us who have placed our faith in Christ Jesus.[16]

Covenants were very common in the ancient Near East. They were made between parties for the purpose of defining the nature of the relationship that was being entered into. The covenant defined the responsibilities and the obligations of both the parties entering into covenant together.[17] But the covenant the Lord made with Abram was different. It was one-sided. God gave the directions to Abram concerning the covenant in verses 9 through 11, telling him to gather animals for sacrifice. The Lord then prophesied concerning the future of Abram’s descendants and how they would suffer under Egyptian bondage and how the Lord would deliver them to back to the Promised Land. After he prophesied, the Lord ratified the covenant, “It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces” (v. 17). The Lord passed through the animal pieces that Abram had cut.

Normally, a covenant like this would require that Abram pass between the cut-up animals; however, it is significant that Abram did not have to pass through. This one-sided covenant was not dependent upon Abram, but upon the Lord himself. The sure covenant of God was based upon the sure character of God.

The Sure Character of God

The covenant was dependent upon God’s grace and upon God’s character. Though potentially Abram would fail at times to fulfill his covenant obligations, the Lord would never fail his. That is why the Lord told Abram that he could be sure that after Egypt he would bring Abram back to his land; God would uphold his end of the covenant. And just as the Lord has been faithful throughout history to his covenant with Abram, Christians can be assured that the Lord is always faithful to his promises. For the eternal covenant that the Lord made is made not with the blood of animals, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19). God’s promises are sure because they are not based on what we do, but on who God is.

What promises are you standing on? The only sure promises to stand on are the Lord’s supernatural and saving promises. The only way we can stand on those promises is through total trust in Christ Jesus. If you stand on anything else, you are on sinking sand.

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[1] Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23.

[2]Hamilton 418.

[3]Hamilton 418.

[4]Hartley 155.

[5]Hamilton 419.

[6]Hamilton 419.

[7]Waltke 241.

[8]Genesis 13:16.

[9]Walton and Matthews 41.

[10]Sailhamer 151.

[11]Gleason L. Archer, Jr., R. Laird Harris, and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Workbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980) 51.

[12]Boice 549.

[13]Boice 549.

[14]Boice 550.

[15]“My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” words by Edward Mote, circa 1834; music by William B. Bradbury, 1863, verses 1 and 4 and refrain.

[16]Boice 561–562.

[17]Hartley 157–158.

By Faith: Spiritual People Involved in Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual People
Involved in Spiritual Warfare

Genesis 14:1–24

John Milton, in his great works Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, spoke about the great cosmic combat that occurs in Revelation 12. In describing that chilling chapter of Revelation, Milton says that heaven and hell are the central focus, and earth is the battleground in which the cosmic combat takes place.[1] That is an accurate description of the spiritual battle that happens within our world.

With all the talk about war going on in our own society and around the world, Christians often forget that we are in a war of our own, a spiritual war, a cosmic combat. The battle is between heaven and hell, but the fight is here on earth.

The church often loses sight of the truth of spiritual struggle. American Christians have become so comfortable in our Christianity that the thought of spiritual warfare hardly even crosses our minds. But it is paramount that we understand that the Lord has called his people to fight a spiritual battle, to wage war against the forces that oppose God’s righteousness and rule.

Understanding the nature of spiritual warfare begins with understanding the nature of the life of faith. You could say that the life of faith is really a “life of war.” Yet, the war that we fight is not fought with conventional weapons nor is it fought against flesh and blood. Instead, we fight spiritual wars with spiritual weapons against spiritual enemies.

There is no greater description of this type of spiritual warfare in the New Testament than that found in the book of Ephesians where Paul gave Christians a command to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10). To be “in the Lord” is to be a spiritual person, one who has started the life of faith by following Jesus Christ. Thus, it takes spiritual people to handle spiritual combat.

Furthermore it takes spiritual weapons to fight a spiritual enemy. Paul describes these weapons as the armor of God, which consists of truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the word of God, and prayer. We need spiritual weapons because “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, emphasis added).

Our study of the life of Abraham supports that what is true of those who live the life of faith under the New Covenant was also true of believers under the Old Covenant. But notice in Genesis 14 that the spiritual battles Abram fought often worked themselves out in physical battles against the enemies of God and his people. This was also true of Moses and of Joshua. And because these physical battles were the manifestation of spiritual struggles, we as God’s people can glean great truths for our own cosmic conflicts.

The life of faith is a life of war with spiritual bullets and missiles flying overhead. Those who are on the journey of faith cannot merely ignore the fight; they must be aware of it, but even more importantly, they must get involved.

The Involvement in Spiritual Warfare (v. 1–16)

In the first sixteen verses of Genesis 14, we see conflict, casualties, and contribution. The conflict is described in the first eleven verses of the chapter.

The Conflict

And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim 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. (Gen. 14:1–11)

The conflict recorded in these verses is on the international level—as “international” as Abram and his contemporaries knew, not on the international level we know. This is the first record of war and conflict in the Bible; some say it is the first record of war within the annals of history.[2]

The conflict takes place between nine kings, four on one side and five on the other. Because of the advantage of numbers, it would seem that the five kings would have more power, but as the record of the conflict unfolds, it is quite obvious that the smaller group of rulers was much more powerful.

Verse 1 introduces us to the four kings, “Amraphel the king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedoorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim.” The four rulers were located east of the five kings, which today is in Iran and Turkey.[3] The five kings they warred against were the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. They reigned in the same region Abram lived.

The reason for the war was not an uncommon one. Verse 4 gives an indication of why the war was taking place, “Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.” The five kings served the four others for twelve years, but they finally had enough, so they rebelled. It was customary for the more powerful to ally together to subjugate those who were less powerful into serving them by paying tribute through means of money, produce, and other goods.[4] After twelve years of paying tribute, the western kings decided that enough was enough.

It was highly probable that the five kings decided to rebel against the four because there were troubles in the eastern kingdoms that would keep them from taking action against the rebellion.[5] For though the rebellion took place in the thirteenth year, it wasn’t until a year later that the four kings would respond (v. 5).

When the four kings finally did act against the rebellion, they began to make their way westward, a journey recorded in verses 6 through 8. Scholars believe they sojourned on what was known as the King’s Highway. As the four kings made their way down the King’s Highway to deal with the rebellion of the five kings, we are told in verses 5 and 6 that the four kings would defeat many others along the way. Most likely the rumors of their coming and their power was making its way to the five kings because we are told in verse 8 that the five kings came out to meet the four at the valley of Siddim.

It did not take long for the five kings to see their enemy’s power, so they retreated. Some did not fair well in the retreat because they fell into the tar pits that made up that area. Those who did not fall into the tar pits retreated to the hills.

The retreat of the five kings left the town of those kings vulnerable. The four kings in verse 11 capitalized on this vulnerability. “Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and their food supply, and departed.” If the five kings were not going to voluntarily pay tribute, then the four kings would take it by force.

Up to this point in the narrative it seems the story has nothing to do with Abram, but that changes in verse 12 when Abram would be brought into the battle, “They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.” Abram’s nephew would become one of the casualties of the battle.

The Casualties (12)

It is interesting to see the digression of Lot revealed in verse 12. According to Genesis 13:12, Lot moved his tents just outside of Sodom. But now Lot is no longer outside of Sodom; he is living in Sodom. In Genesis 13 we were warned about the poor choice Lot made to live in Sodom, and Genesis 14 reveals why it was a mistake.

But Lot is not the only casualty of the battle. One must understand that the four kings are being unjust. Subjugating weaker people for the purpose of personal gain is a grave injustice. Because the people who dwelt in the weaker cities were subjugated to the injustice, they also were casualties of the battle.

Furthermore, the scope of the spiritual war taking place surpasses any war that has ever taken place on earth. The spiritual war is a global war that is taking place in every country, city, church, home, and family. The casualties of this war are wayward Christians, who like Lot, let the world consume them. Though we know from Scripture that God saved Lot (2 Peter 2:7–8 tells us that God rescued “righteous Lot”), Abram’s nephew did not put on the full armor of God and stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

This is why those in a life of faith must get involved. This is where spiritual people must be concerned for those who have gone astray from the family of faith. This involvement in spiritual warfare is demonstrated by Abram’s involvement in hand-to-hand combat with the ungodly kings.

The Contribution (vv. 13–16)

Abram has not been mentioned in this story up to this point, but we see his involvement beginning in verse 13. “Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite.” Abram had not moved since he and Lot separated for the sake of peace. He was exactly where God wanted him to be. He was comfortable and things were peaceable because Abram made allies with those around him. But his peaceable and comfortable situation was about to change.

God, in his providence, had someone escape so that Abram could know about the battle, the casualties, and especially the fact that the four kings had taken his nephew Lot captive. The news brought to Abram would be a test of Abram’s faith. Abram now had to make a decision. Was he going to get involved in world affairs or was he going to isolate himself?

Abram could very well have rationalized away his involvement in this matter. In regard to helping the five kings he could have said, “You know, that king of Sodom is an ungodly man. In fact, Sodom and Gomorrah is filled with sinners. They are only getting what they deserve.” In regard to his own nephew he could have said, “Lot made his own decision; he deserves what he is getting. He did not give me one thought when I gave him the choice. It serves him right.” Abram could have rationalized staying out of the matter, but he chose not to.

He realized that the life of faith does not mean isolation from the world, nor does it mean identification with the world. Abram understood that if he was going to be the blessing bearer to the world, if he was going to declare the truth of the one true God, he was going to have to get involved. Paraphrased, Jesus put it this way, “Be in the world, but not of the world” (John 17:14ff). That would be the balance that Abram would have to find.

After the news of the conquest of the four kings, Abram, moved by his love for his nephew and his desire to be involved with world affairs for God’s glory, went into action. We are told in verses 14–15, “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. 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.”

Abram got involved in the battle for the sake of the casualties. In doing so he gathered three hundred and eighteen men from within his house. At first one may think that three hundred and eighteen is not very many, and it’s not—if the one you are fighting has more. But the number of men that came from Abram’s house gives an indication that Abram was prospering. To have three hundred and eighteen servants in one house is impressive.

We can only speculate on how many troops the four kings had, but one could speculate that they had quite a few. The number of men that Abram brought may well have been fewer than the ones they were fighting, but the fact that they surprised them by night and that God was on their side enabled them to have victory of the four kings, “He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.”

Abram’s concern went beyond his nephew Lot; he was also concerned about all the people who were subjugated to the unjust rule of the four kings. Abram understood that being the blessing bearer and a witness for the one true God meant he had to be in the world, but not of the world. He understood that he had the responsibility of declaring the righteousness and the salvation of God, and to do this he had to be involved.

Those who live a life of faith today are in a battle, a spiritual battle, one that we must be involved in. We must avoid isolating ourselves from the world. Yes, there are sinners out there, and yes, there are ungodly people out there, but these are not the enemy, they are the casualties of the war. They need a witness of the righteousness, hope, and salvation of God found only in the person of Jesus Christ. God accomplishes his will by using his people, as they get involved in the spiritual battle.

Our Lord gave us marching orders when he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27)” and “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19–20). To love our neighbor as ourselves means that we will get involved in the spiritual battle because we don’t want our neighbors to be casualties of the war. To go and make disciples of all nations means that we get involved for the purpose of saving people from destruction.

God’s people must step into spiritual warfare by using the weapons of truth and righteousness, by advancing the kingdom of God through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by standing up for righteousness and justice. God’s people can do this only by getting involved in the battle. The life of faith is a life of war. Another truth that we see in this Genesis 14 concerning spiritual warfare is the truth concerning the attitude for spiritual warfare.

The Attitude for Spiritual Warfare (vv. 17–20)

After the defeat of the four kings, Abram would encounter two kings. The arrival of the two kings brought spiritual opposites. One king ruled over the excessively sinful city Sodom. The other king of righteousness reigned over the city called Salem, which means “peace.”

The Arrival of Spiritual Opposites

The arrival of the two spiritual opposites is stated starting in verse 17, “Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in 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.”

As was stated earlier these two kings were spiritual opposites. Sodom ruled an ungodly city, a city that would eventually be destroyed on the basis of God’s judgment, but Melchizedek is quite the antithesis. The very name Melchizedek[6] means “king of righteousness” or “my righteous king.” He ruled over Salem, which many people believe was Jerusalem. Melchizedek suddenly just showed up on the scene. The Bible records no genealogy. But the text does tell us that he was a “priest of God Most High.” It is in the blessing that Melchizedek gives to Abram that we see the source of the victory of Abram’s battle and also the source of the victory of the spiritual battle.

The Source of Spiritual Victory

It is important that we understand what the blessing of Melchizedek means, because it is central to understanding the whole chapter.[7] The blessing is set forth in verses 19 and 20, “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.’ ” The blessings that are given are both outward and upward.[8]

The outward blessing is directed toward Abram when he says, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High.” Abram is blessed because he belongs to God, because he bears the name of the one true God. The upward blessing is directed toward the Lord, “Blessed be God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hands.” Melchizedek had the proper perspective concerning Abram and his defeat. He understood that the source of Abram’s victory was “God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.”[9] The Hebrew word “El-Elyon” which we translate “God Most High” refers to the superiority of God. The phrase “possessor of heaven and earth” refers to God being owner not only of Abram’s plunder, but also of all creation.[10]

What do we understand from this blessing about the whole fourteenth chapter of Genesis? We learn from Melchizedek that what Abram experienced was only realized because the “God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth” empowered Abram to win this great victory.[11]

Abram responded to this blessing by tithing his plunder as an act of honor toward God who empowered him to be victorious. Abram’s tithe was a declaration of trust in the Lord as well as an acknowledgement that the source of his victory was the Lord. The source of all spiritual victory is the Lord and it’s important that God’s people cultivate this attitude so we remain totally dependent on the Lord.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby tells the story of how he and about two thousand other churches in Vancouver’s Baptist Association were convinced that the Lord wanted them to reach the more than twenty-two million people who would come to the World Expo Fair in 1986. They began making the plans two years before the fair. The budget of the association, two years before the fair, totaled nine thousand dollars. For the year of the fair, they set the budget for over two hundred thousand dollars. They had gained commitments that would cover thirty-five percent; the remaining sixty-five percent would have to come though prayer. The whole association prayed fervently for the Lord to provide what they needed. By the end of the first year the Lord had provided two hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars. The outreach at the fair that year brought twenty thousand professions of faith. Blackaby said, “You cannot explain it except in terms of God’s intervention. Only God could have done what was done.”

This is true of all spiritual victory; only God can bring the victory. And it is paramount that the life of faith cultivates such an attitude for spiritual warfare. God’s people involved in spiritual warfare must say with Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

Abram was granted great victory because the Lord empowered him to defeat the powerful kings, but the battle was not over. A test of faith would come to Abram, one that could bring defeat if he did not pass the test, one that reveals the temptation within spiritual warfare.

The Temptation within Spiritual Warfare

The most vulnerable time for believers in spiritual warfare is immediately after great victories won by the Lord. This was the case with Joshua after the triumph over Jericho. In Joshua 6, we learn that God gave the Israelites great victory, but in Joshua 7 we read that they were defeated.

Elijah is another example of this truth. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah was victorious on Mount Carmel, but soon after that victory, he ran for his life, afraid of what Jezebel would do with him. Again, the reason for such collapse of faith on Elijah’s part is that God’s people are most vulnerable to temptation after great victories won by God.

The late preacher Andrew Bonar understood this when he said, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”[12] And what is true of Joshua and Elijah is going to be true of Abram. After this great victory that the Lord gave him, Abram is going to be vulnerable and tempted.

The Temptation Presented (v. 21)

We see the temptation presented in verse 21, “The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.’ ” The proposition from the king of Sodom at first glance seems proper in light of what Abram just did for the five kings. It was usual that the defeating general got the spoils of the war and for the people to go back to the king who was rescued. But within this offer was a subtle temptation, a temptation of compromise. Yet unlike his time in Egypt, Abram would now pass the test and avoid the temptation.

The Test Passed (vv. 22–24)

Abram responded 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 for fear you would 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, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.” Abram’s response reveals that he was learning to trust the Lord rather than to manipulate circumstances for his own gain.

Abram made an oath with the Lord of no-compromise. Although he deserved the spoils from the fight, Abram recognized that the spoils were not from the Lord and that to take them would compromise the Lord’s honor as well has his total trust in God.

The actions of Abram in these verses are completely different than those he chose in Genesis 12:16. In Egypt Abram had no problem receiving the goods Pharaoh gave him. Why such different actions? In Egypt Abram had compromised his faith, but Abram had learned his lesson and therefore, before he was tempted again, he made an oath to the Lord of no-compromise when tempted by the things of this world. If Abram were going to be involved instead of remaining isolated, he had to be indifferent to the ways of the world. The only way Abram could be in the world, but not of the world was by making an oath of no-compromise.

A few years ago, before my wife and I had children, some dear friends of ours took us on a trip to Colorado. While there we were able to visit the Continental Divide, a ridge of mountains that separate streams that flow west into the Pacific Ocean from those that flow east into the Atlantic Ocean.[13] The snowcap was full of snow and it seemed that the snow was in unity, but it really was a great illusion. It was an illusion because it set on a great divide. When the snow melts in the spring, the water on the western side makes its way to the Pacific Ocean and the water on the eastern side makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. What seemed unified at one point would end up thousands of miles apart. The Continental Divide marks a dividing line.

There is a great dividing line between being in the world and living the life of faith. There is a great dividing live between being in the world, yet not being of the world. God’s people have to be careful to end up on the right side of the dividing line. We have to be careful not to compromise godly principles by accommodating the prevailing culture. For when we compromise, our involvement and effectiveness in the spiritual battle is diminished.

It was A. W. Tozer who put it well when he said, “Religion today is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society’s own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smiling accepting its compromise.”

There is a war taking place in every community, city, and church. A war that is global. God’s spiritual people must get involved having total dependence upon the Lord who gives the

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[1]Philip Yancy, “CT Classic: Cosmic Combat Part 3,” Christianity Today Magazine 1 December 1999 .

[2]Phillips 125.

[3]Walton and Matthews 39.

[4]Ross 298.

[5]Hartley 147.

[6]This is the first mention of a priest in the Bible. Melchizedek is mentioned again about 900 years later in Psalm 110, and then another 1,000 years later in the book of Hebrews. There is much scholarly debate on whether Melchizedek was the pre-incarnate Christ or a type of Christ; however, for the purpose of our study, we’ll discuss Melchizedek only in the context of Abram’s life.

[7]Ross 302.

[8]Hamilton 412.

[9]Hamilton. 412.

[10]Hartley 150.

[11]Hartley 150.

[12]Wiersbe 37.

[13]“Continental Divide,” Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, CD-ROM (Microsoft Corporation, 1997).