Moses Continues His Historical Review

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 2:1) “Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and we circled Mount Seir for many days."

In the last chapter and post, Moses addressed the children of Israel in their fortieth year after their exodus from Egypt.  He spoke to a new generation of Israelites about to enter their promised land.  It was a historical review of the events that led to their having to wander in the wilderness for so many years.  The end of chapter 1 left them in Kadesh after the Lord had told them they would not be able to enter their promised land because of their unbelief.  Deuteronomy 1:40 related the words of the Lord telling the people to turn back toward the Red Sea and journey into the wilderness.

Here in the second chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses continued his historical account.  The people indeed turned back toward the Red Sea as the Lord had told them to do, and they went around Mount Seir for many days.  Most of the commentaries I study interpreted this to mean they wandered around the entire mountainous country of Edom for many, many days, as in thirty-eight years.  The original word "rab" translated as "many" means "abundant" and is a shortened form of the word "rabab" which means "increase", even "multiply by the myriad" and "ten thousands".  The word that was translated as "days", that is "yom", Strong's defines as "literally (days), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term)", which in this case is a myriad or thousands of days.

(2) “And the LORD spoke to me, saying, (3) ‘You have circled this mountain long enough; turn northward.'"

Moses told the people it was at that point that the Lord spoke to him saying they had been around that mountain long enough and that it was time to turn northward.  The following map shared by www.gantshillurc.co.uk, specifically in this blog post, shows Mount Seir's proximity to the Red Sea.  It was time to move northward toward Canaan.

(4) "‘And command the people, saying, “You will pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir, and they shall be afraid of you; therefore take good heed to yourselves."'"

Moses related to the people that the Lord then told him to charge the people to be very careful as they were to be passing through the border of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir.  The Edomites would be afraid of the Israelites and might feel threatened.  Numbers 20:21 said that Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border.  Some of the commentaries I study believe that although they could not cross into Edom, they went along the border.  The 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes referred to this as the second time they were to cross the border of Edom.

(5) "'“Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession."'"

Moses continued telling the people of the Lord's command to them regarding Edom.  They were not to meddle with the Edomites.  The Lord had given Mount Seir to Esau to possess; "Thus Esau dwelt in Mount Seir; Esau is Edom" (Genesis 36:8).  He would not allow Israel to possess so much as a footstep of the Edomites' land.

(6) "'"You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink."'"

The Lord allowed the Israelites to trade fairly with the Edomites.  Although the people had daily manna, it appears the Lord did not forbid them to trade with their neighbors when they had the opportunity.  I do believe the sense of this verse is that they must trade fairly.  They were not to take advantage of the Edomites in any way.

(7) "'"For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; He knows your walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing."'"

Because the Lord had so blessed the children of Israel in all they did so that they had lacked nothing in their forty years of wandering, they had no reason to take anything from the Edomites without fair payment.

(8) “And when we passed beyond our brethren the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath and from Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the wilderness of Moab."

Moses continued to relate to the Israelites about when they had passed beyond the border of the Edomites in Seir by way of the plain from Elath and Ezion Geber, and turned and passed by way of the wilderness of Moab.  This map from Free Bible Images offers a good idea of what was meant.  In Numbers the Israelites had requested passage through Edom along the King's Highway, but were refused.  If they instead traveled along the border of Edom from Elath and Ezion Geber on the Red Sea, they would have been in the plain west of Edom until they turned back eastward to the wilderness which was "before Moab" (as described in Numbers 21:11).
 

(9) "And the LORD said to me, 'Do not distress the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.'"

Like with the Edomites, the Lord had told Moses not to harass the Moabites, at least not at this time, because He had given Ar, the metropolis of Moab, to the descendants of Lot.  Genesis 19:37 told about Lot's firstborn daughter bearing a son named Moab, and he was the father of the Moabites.

(10) The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. (11) Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

These two verses, as well as the next verse, were sort of parenthetical statements.  Most translations even put them in parentheses.  They don't appear to be part of Moses's statements, but were either placed by him as a parenthetical, or perhaps by a later scribe.  The land of the Moabites that at that time had been given to descendants of Lot, had once belonged to the Emim, a people great and many and as tall as the Anakim, who were considered giants.  In Genesis 14, we were told about the Emim, who were destroyed by King Chedorlaomer.  Then Lot possessed their country after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

(12) The Horims also dwelt in Seir formerly, but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave them.

The Horim, or Horites, were also mentioned in Genesis 14 as dwelling in Seir, till Esau and his sons drove them out, as explained in a later verse here in Deuteronomy.  "Just as Israel did..." could have been added by a later hand after Israel had indeed driven out the inhabitants to take possession of the land promised them by their Lord, or it could have been a prophetic statement by Moses.  Either way, I believe an underlying theme is that the Lord determined who would possess what, driving out the inhabitants for their sins, and giving the land to whomever He pleased.  It should have been an encouragement to the Israelites that they would surely succeed in dispossessing the Canaanites and settling in their land, just as dispossessions of this kind had already been made, even the removing of giants!

(13) "'Now rise up', said I, 'and cross over the brook Zered.' And we went over the brook Zered."

After the parenthetical verses, we return to the words of Moses.  The children of Israel had passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab (v. 8) and at this time Moses instructed them to cross the valley of Zered, as it was more commonly known, the original word "nachlah" meaning either a brook or a valley.  They indeed crossed the valley of Zered.

(14) “And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the LORD had sworn to them. (15) For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed."

The space of time from the time that the spies were sent from Kadesh Barnea, until the passage of the Israelites over Zered, was thirty eight years, until the entire generation of men who had believed the bad report of God's good promised land, were dead and gone from the camp.  The Lord had indeed told them at the time of the bad report that none of them would enter the promised land, except for Caleb and Joshua who had trusted God's report over that of the spies.

(16) "So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, (17) That the LORD spoke to me, saying, (18) 'You are to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day.'"

After 38 years when all the former generation were dead and gone, the Lord told Moses it was time for the people to cross over the river Arnon, by the city Ar of Moab, which was situated by it; and they were to pass along by the border only of Moab, because they had been told by the Lord not to distress the Moabites (v. 9).

(19) "'And when you come near the children of Ammon, do not distress them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a possession.'"

As with the Moabites who descended from Lot's firstborn daughter's son, the children of Ammon were also Lot's descendants through his younger daughter (Genesis 19:38).  The Lord had told the children of Israel not to harass the children of Ammon, either, because He had also given them their land, and would not allow it to be given to Israel.

(20) (That also was counted a land of giants; giants dwelt there in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; (21) A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead.

Again we have a parenthetical statement; even the KJV put these verses within parentheses.  Just like the Emim who had dwelt in Moab, so the people who had formerly dwelt in the land of Ammon, were considered giants.  The Ammonites called them Zamzummims, which is thought to be the same as the Zuzims mentioned in Genesis 14:5, who were also destroyed by Chedorlaomer at the same time as the Emim.  It is said that it was the Lord who destroyed them, and the Ammonites, descendants of Lot, then dwelt in their place.

(22) As He did for the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horims from before them; they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even to this day. (23) And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

Continuing parenthetical statements in explanation of the history of the Ammonites as to why the children of Israel were not to harass them, it is said the Lord did the same for the Ammonites as He had done for the children of Esau when He destroyed the Horites and the children of Esau dwelt in their place (v. 12).  So was the case of the Avim or Avites, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza; they were destroyed by the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, and they dwelt in their place.

(24) “‘Rise up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon; behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.'"

After the parenthetical statements, Moses continued speaking the words of the Lord he had begun in verse 17 and 18.  The Lord had told the children of Israel to rise up from where they were, take their journey over the river Arnon, and seize the country of Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon.  The Lord said He had already given it to them; they just had to go in and possess it, by battling Sihon.

(25) "‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’"

Moses continued with the words of the Lord saying that as the children of Israel went in to possess the land of Sihon, when they fought, He would be there putting dread and fear of them upon all nations.  Those nations would hear about the children of Israel, all the things they, or more properly, what the Lord had done before them--in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, miracles in the wilderness, and now what would be done to Sihon and Og.  The world would know Israel's reputation and would tremble in fear at the thought of them.

(26) “And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, (27) ‘Let me pass through your land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn to the right nor to the left.'"

After reminding the people of the words of the Lord, Moses continued talking to them, telling them of his actions at that time.  He sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, asking that the Israelites be able to pass through their land, promising to stay on the king's highway, not veering off it.

(28) "‘You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, (29) as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God gives us.'"

Moses continued with his message to Sihon.  He proposed that his people also be allowed to buy food and water, paying fair money for the use, just as they had done with the Edomites in Seir and the Moabites in Ar, until they all passed by on foot across the Jordan into the land their Lord had given them.

(30) “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day."

However, Sihon king of Heshbon refused the Israelites passage through his land, because the Lord had hardened Sihon's heart against them.  Just as the Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart in Egypt for His purposes at that time, so He at this time hardened Sihon's heart for the purpose of having him destroyed at this time.  Just as with Pharaoh, the Lord did not force a good person to turn bad just so He could punish him for no reason.  Both of these were wicked leaders that were allowed to go on with their wicked ways until such time the Lord sought to deal with them.  When that time came, he hardened the heart of the enemy so that he would not listen to the words of Moses, but act with the same pride and haughtiness of spirit that he had always had that made him despise Israel.  It was not out of character for Sihon at this time, just as it wasn't out of Pharaoh's character.  I think the sense could be that the Lord didn't allow their hearts to be softened at the gentle reasonable requests of Moses, but made them stay as hard as they ever were.  At any rate, Sihon did refuse to let the Israelites pass, and the Lord made sure of that so that He might deliver Sihon into the Israelites' hands.

(31) “And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before you; begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’"

When Sihon refused to let the Israelites pass, the Lord said to Moses that this was part of His plan to begin to give Sihon and his land over to Israel to possess it.  Therefore, had said the Lord, they were to go forth and take possession of Sihon's land as part of their promised inheritance.

(32) "Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz."

Indeed Sihon came out against the children of Israel to fight them at a place called Jahaz.

(33) “And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people."

Moses reflected that the Lord had indeed delivered Sihon into their hands.  They were able to defeat him, his sons, and all his people.

(34) "And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain."

The Israelites took all of the cities of Sihon and utterly destroyed them and killed all the people so that none remained.  It was the time that the Amorites' iniquity was full, as was prophesied in Genesis 15:16 to Abraham, that after four generations his descendants would return to the land of the Amorites, but at that time of Abraham, "the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full."

(35) "Only the cattle we took for a prey to ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took."

The Israelites had destroyed all the cities and all the people, but did not kill the cattle.  They kept them for their own use, as well as plunder of anything of value or usefulness that was left in the cities after the destruction of all the people.

(36) "From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even to Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all to us."

It appears that the two phrases "which is on the bank of the River Arnon" and "the city that is by the river" both refer to Aroer.  Aroer stood on the north bank of the river, but also extended through the midst of the river via a viaduct.  From Aroer to Gilead, there wasn't a city they couldn't overtake because the Lord delivered the cities to them.

(37) "Only to the land of the children of Ammon you did not come, nor to any place of the river Jabbok, nor to the cities in the mountains, nor to wherever the LORD our God forbade us."

However, Moses reminded them, the children of Israel had not gone near the land of the children of Ammon, nor any town or city situated on the Jabbok River which was the border of the children of Ammon, certainly not into their cities in the mountains, nor any place the Lord had forbidden them to go.

The earth is the Lord's and He gives it to whom He pleases.  God had told His people which lands were to be overtaken, and only those were to be destroyed and plundered.  The Moabites and Ammonites were spared at this time, but later fought against the Israelites and committed the most shocking cruelties; the Lord would deal with them later.

Unexpected Lessons in the Life of Lot

Continuing my chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 19:1) And there came two angels to Sodom at evening, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.

We might assume that these are two of the three angels who just left Abraham in chapter 18.  As Abraham did, Lot waited to invite strangers to his house for refreshment.  However, while Abraham waited at his tent door, Lot waited at the gate of Sodom.  This might be merely because Lot lived within a busy city, whereas tents were fewer and farther between where Abraham lived, but it might also be that Lot sought to make sure strangers did not fall into the hands of the wicked Sodomites, who might abuse them.  At this point, we may assume that Lot bowed merely out of respect and not because he recognized the men as angels.

(2) And he said, "Behold now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; and you will rise up early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will abide in the street all night." (3) And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in to him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

"My lords" is a term of respect.  There is no reason to assume that Lot knew these were angels at this point.  Just as Abraham was a righteous man who willingly gave to strangers, so it appears Lot is.  This was not merely show with Lot, as he "pressed" upon the strangers to stay with him.

(4) But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. (5) And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them."

There is very little doubt that the phrase "know them" means to have sexual relations with them.  The phrase is first used in this sense in Genesis 4:1 when Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived and bore a son.  As we will see shortly by Lot's answer, it is very evident that he knew this is what they meant.  Isaiah 3:9 spoke of the people of Sodom as declaring their sin and not trying to hide it.  Imagine the depravity of a city that all the people from the city surround the house to get to the "new" men!  It's like wild dogs surrounding a slab of meat!

(6) And Lot went out at the door to them, and shut the door after him, (7) And said, "Please, brethren, do not do so wickedly! (8) Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, bring them out to you, and you do to them as is good in your eyes; only do nothing to these men, for therefore they came under the shadow of my roof."

This certainly was an unconscionable act of Lot's to offer his daughters to these depraved men.  All that can be said in any sort of defense of him is that he must have considered their intended sodomy to be a much greater evil than his pimping of his virgin daughters.  I suppose it can also be said that he placed the rights of hospitality in very high regard and took them very seriously.  It is said that a man who had taken a stranger under his care and protection, was bound to defend him even at the expense of his own life, but I'm not sure that means the lives of his daughters.  Lot probably did not realize it would come to their lives, but acted foolishly in haste to avert what he saw as a greater evil.

(9) And they said, "Stand back!" And they said, "This one came in to sojourn, and he wants to be a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." And they pressed greatly against the man Lot, and came near to break the door.

Lot was not a native citizen of Sodom, but was perceived as a stranger who had come to their city and now set himself as judge against them.  They vowed to deal worse with him than what they had intended to do with the visiting men; we can only assume this meant violence and sexual abuse.  Lot was outside the door talking to the men, and they pressed against him and came at the door to break it down.

(10) But the men put forth their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. (11) And they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.

The men showed themselves to be more than just mere men and rescued Lot from the depraved men of Sodom.  They struck those at the door with blindness.  "Both small and great" appears to be said of the blindness, which seems to be a plural of the word, so the men were struck with small and great blindnesses.  This may mean both a blindness of sight and a mental confusion or some other such condition, because if they were already pressed in toward the door, it seems that they could have found the door even if visually impaired.  But these men completely tired themselves out trying to find the door, and we know that is because the angels of the Lord prevented them from getting to it.

(12) And the men said to Lot, "Have you any others besides you here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. (13) For we will destroy this place, because the cry against them is waxed great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."

Obviously angels of the Lord know the members of Lot's family who are in the city, so this is said for Lot's benefit that they regard his kindness toward them and for his sake would save all in his family if they would take the benefit of their protection.  "Son-in-law" as singular may be part of the question, as in "Do you have a son-in-law here?"  Then it is more of a statement for Lot to take his sons and his daughters and anyone else he has in the city and get them out of there, for they are going to destroy it.  

(14) And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed as one who joked.

There may have been other daughters of Lot's besides the two in his house that had not known men because in the next verse the angels of the Lord speak of his daughters "who are here".  It has also been speculated by Biblical scholars that the daughters were espoused to Lot's future sons-in-law, but the marriages were not yet consummated.  His daughters "who were there" is in contrast to the sons-in-law who were not, as they did not take Lot seriously.

(15) And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city." (16) And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

In the morning the angels urgently hurried Lot and his family out of the city so that they would not be destroyed with the city.  They apparently dawdled, but God in His mercy, had the angels take hold of their hands and they brought them forth out of the city.

(17) And it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that He said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain; escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed."

"They", the angels, brought Lot and his family outside of the city, and "He", the Lord Himself probably speaking through another angel of the Lord, but distinguished from the angels sent to destroy Sodom, spoke to Lot. John Wesley has a beautiful commentary of this scripture, describing it as a perfect picture of what we are called to do when rescued from sin.  Don't look back to the sinful world (Sodom), don't rest in the world (the plain), but constantly reach up to Christ and heaven (the mountains).

(18) And Lot said unto them, "Oh, not so, my Lord; (19) Behold now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. (20) Behold now, this city is near to flee to, and it is a little one; oh, let me escape there, is it not a little one? And my soul shall live."

Lot actually argued with the angels of the Lord who were saving his life!  He does recognize that the Lord has been extraordinarily merciful to him, but he saw himself physically incapable of making it to the mountains, and asked if he might be allowed to flee to a little city and be safe there.  I suppose a little city, as opposed to a big one, he thought couldn't possibly be as bad as the rest.  Some scholars suggest that perhaps it is not the city that Lot is suggesting is a little one, but maybe what is meant is that Lot says his request is just a small thing that he asked.  Either way, Lot is showing great weakness of faith.  Could he not see that the Lord who personally grabbed his hand and hurried him out of Sodom was well able to carry him safely to the mountains if he tired?  God would not have given him a command that he was unable to fulfill.  Oh, but I suppose this is a perfect illustration of how we now can be guilty of this and forget what God has done for us and lose faith that He can deliver us out of (or carry us through) any trouble.

(21) And He said to him, "See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. (22) Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you come there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The Lord confirmed to Lot that He had accepted Lot's prayer and granted his request.  Isn't it wonderful to know that even in our weakness, God is so patient and merciful with us?!  It even sounds as if He must delay His plans of destruction until Lot gets safely to the small city.  Zoar means "little".

(23) The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. (24) Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of heaven. (25) And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.

The Lord rained fire and brimstone onto the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the plain (except Zoar as we know from the previous verses), and destroyed all the inhabitants and all trees and vegetation on the ground.  This area is what now forms the Dead Sea or the Salt Sea.  It is said the sea is much saltier than normal salty waters and that not many fish can live in it.  Interestingly, there were frequent eruptions of a bituminous matter from the bottom of the sea that gave the illusion that the sea continued to bubble and burn long after God destroyed the region.

(26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Lot's wife apparently didn't make it to Zoar.  From the text, it sounds as if she tarried behind Lot, so perhaps she was not so eager to leave.  Then she disobeyed the Lord and looked back to Sodom and Gomorrah, at which time she became a pillar of salt.  Whether she was struck by the lightning and brimstone that was pelting the plain because she lingered too far back and suffered the same salty fate as the rest of the plain, or whether she was instantly struck by God because she disobeyed, I believe the moral of the story is the same.  Lot's wife lingered behind and looked back, probably because she did not really want to leave, and God left her with her wish.  I feel very comfortable in this assumption because we have already seen that God was merciful with Lot even though his faith was weak.  Lot petitioned the Lord, recognizing how merciful the Lord had been with him.  If Lot's wife's heart was toward the Lord, I have no doubt that the Lord would have been as patient with her.

(27) And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. (28) And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and he beheld that the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Abraham went to the same place where he had petitioned the Lord to save Sodom and Gomorrah if He could find at least ten righteous people there.  Seeing the smoke of the destruction, he must have surely felt that God had not found that small number of righteous people.

(29) And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

But God did answer Abraham's prayer.  Even though He obviously did not find ten righteous, He brought Lot and those members of Lot's family who wished to be brought out of the cities before destroying them.

(30) And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

So Lot was able to get the mountains after all!  He was afraid to dwell in Zoar probably because he now realized that God's first advice was probably better than his own.  Then again God had promised to spare the little city, so it seems that Lot once again showed a lack of faith.  These are perfect illustrations of how we often choose our own wisdom over God's.  John Wesley points out that it is also an illustration of those who finally bring themselves to the Lord at last, who for a long time "forsake the communion of saints for secular advantages".

(31) And the firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the manner of all the earth."

Lot's older daughter observed to the younger daughter that their father was old (and may not last long, I suppose) and that there were no other men on the earth to marry them and make children with them which was the manner of the propagation of mankind in the earth.  It seemed to them that the entire earth had been destroyed by fire.  They had just left the small city of Zoar, so either it was also engulfed with fire after they left it, or perhaps the older daughter meant there were no other men of their own kind that they felt lawful to marry, as they could not marry wicked men who had been destined to destruction and were only spared because of Lot.

(32) "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father."

The older daughter reasoned that they must get their father drunk because otherwise he would have never agreed to such a thing, so on some level, she knew it was wrong.  However, it was probably not a totally wicked lustful act on her part, but she may have genuinely believed it was the only way to preserve their family line.  As did her father, she showed a lack of faith, or at least impatience, for once again, could not the Lord who brought them out of the total destruction they observed, not bring them righteous men to marry?

(33) And they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down, nor when she arose.

The girls did succeed in making their father so drunk that he did not realize that his oldest daughter lay with him that night.

(34) And it came to pass on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father." (35) And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

The younger daughter succeeded in accomplishing the same the next night.

(36) Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

Dr. John Gill wrote a sensible observation on the life of Lot and how we should learn from it.  Lot was a good and righteous man, deserving of salvation, as the Lord did save him from the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  However, he often looked to his own human understanding, rather than to the Lord, and it made his life messy.  Dr. Gill reminds us that it was Lot who offered his pure daughters to the men of Sodom, and now in an ironic twist, it was he who impregnated them both.  Although Lot was not totally to blame as far as the incestual act, he did drink excessively and allow himself to become so drunk that he did not know what happened to him.  That is why drinking to excess must be avoided as it can lead to sinful behavior to which one might not otherwise succumb. 

(37) And the firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

"Moab" is a form of a word meaning "of the father" indicating that the daughter was not ashamed of what she had done, so she had done it for what she thought to be just reasons.  However, because it was a godless act done without the Lord's guidance, it became quite a thorn in the side of God's people, as the Moabites became a wicked people often troublesome to the Israelites.

(38) And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.

"Ben-Ammi" means "son of my people".  Likewise, the younger daughter demonstrated with the name of her child that she merely intended to preserve her father's family.  However, the children of Ammon also were enemies to the children of God.

Thus we learn from the life of Lot what can happen to righteous men when they choose to live too intimately with the world's people and customs and do not seek God first in all they do.  Evidently, Lot's heart was right with his Lord.  He surely loved the Lord, as he was saved and was even referred to in the New Testament as "just".  However, from that scripture in the New Testament, we learn that "just Lot" was worn down by his surroundings:

"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" - 2 Peter 2:7

That is why we should avoid being unequally yoked with the wicked:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" - 2 Corinthians 6:14

Once again, it must be emphasized that Lot was a righteous man of God, but because he allowed himself to be so involved within the lives and customs of the wicked, he often did not see the truth of God clearly.  Indeed, his heart was right with God, but his life was not one that furthered the kingdom of God on earth.  Boy, what a lesson this has been for me!  There may be many "just Lots" among us in this world today!  Only God can judge the heart and motives of people, so we must be careful not to judge.  However, we can see in the life of Lot what can happen to a people who do not consciously seek God in all they do.  At the very least, they do nothing to further the cause of God, and they can unconsciously do things that complicate it!  At most, they can become lost in the world, slowly fading into the world.  I think of the lines of a song by Casting Crowns:

Be careful little eyes what you see,
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings.
Be careful little feet where you go.
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow.

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away.
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray.
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid,
When you give yourself away.
People never crumble in a day.
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade.

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking.
Be careful if you think you stand,
You just might be sinking.

It's how people can justify removing God from the public square because they've slowly begun to accept that it's proper to separate God and government.  It's how people come to accept an act God called an abomination and one of the things for which He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah as "marriage equality".  It's how we can accept the murder of innocent babies as a woman's right to her own body.  It's how we can continue to vote for leaders who would even take that a step further and kill innocent babies who are born alive because they have accidentally survived abortions.

Although I have learned a great lesson in that I must not judge all who have faded into some of these beliefs as being lost and Godless, I recognize there is a great danger in allowing our minds to accept the world's gray view of things and not to arm ourselves continually with God's black and white truth. Romans 1 tells of the progressive downward spiral of a people who reject the truth of God:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it to them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.- Romans 1:18-32

Does this not sound like what is happening in our country today?  We are a country founded on God and Christian principles.  We have no excuse!  We didn't glorify God, but pushed Him aside, in our schools and in the public square.  We allowed ourselves to believe it was loftier to imagine a world without Christ where all people worship the same God, but not the one true God of the Bible, but one they imagined for themselves.  We serve God's creation "Mother Earth" more than we do Him. And for this reason God has given them over to their vile affections and reprobate, or morally unprincipled minds.  That is when they begin to lust after those of the same sex.  Then comes every imaginable sin and strife.  Think of this scenario in our country today - a self-righteous people, knowing the judgment of God, openly defy His Word, and even if they personally might not partake in something like same-sex relationships, rejoice in the "right" of same-sex "marriage", calling it marriage equality!  Or they rejoice in free speech that blasphemes God or in "art" that shows a crucifix in a jar of urine!

At what point can "just Lots" become lost as the people described above?  Maybe they don't.  Maybe that is where the "once saved, always saved" argument comes in, but that's not the point.  "Just Lots" do nothing to further the kingdom of God on earth.  They can be lukewarm, and God hates that! (Rev. 3:16)  They can become part of the strife and debate!  What is happening in this country today is a direct result of a people who have first rejected God, or more specifically, Christ, because He is the only way to God, and then we see the downward spiral.  Fighting the individual sins within the spiral does nothing to help.  People have to be shown salvation in Christ!  Jesus is the ONLY answer to our country's problems - God's Good News Gift to a lost and dying world!

Once God gives a person over to a reprobate mind, I don't know if He ever brings him back. Indeed Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while he is near", indicating there will be a time when He won't be found.  The idea of God giving up on a person and leaving him to himself is a terrible thought!  But God did not leave us defenseless and without a clue.  Besides the fact that God constantly makes Himself known in His creation and in His Spirit who calls us, God has left us His Word!  He left us a historical record of flawed people screwing up just like we all do, but shows us the way out through Jesus Christ.  He left us countless insights into His love, mercy, and majesty.  He left us His guide for living!  He left us with a tangible hold-in-our-hands way to get close to Him when things get tough and we need a little peace and wisdom.  It is why I have tried to turn this blog mainly into a Bible study rather than being part of the constant strife.  It's not that I have changed my mind about any of the Godless issues that plague our country, but I have come to realize that it's not the Godless acts that will bring about God's wrath and the loss of His blessings on this country, but it's because we first turned our backs on God and rejected Him by pushing Him out that we are naturally on this decline, as described in Romans above.  It's important that we Christians turn back to God and that we show Christ to an unsaved world.  I need the constant help from the Lord's guide and my desire in posting these pages is that someone else might find something that will draw him/her to God's Word.  I know once people get into God's Word, He will take them from there!  Actually, I know that He can bring His lost sheep to Himself in any way, but I suppose because I first came to Him by investigating His Word, I have the desire to encourage others to seek Him that way.  I will close with these thoughts from my Lord's Word:

"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life..." - Philippians 2:14-16a

The Amazing Mercy and Patience of our Lord

Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:

(Genesis 18:1) And the LORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; (2) And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself toward the ground,

The Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men, probably three angels in human form to be able to be seen by and communicated with Abraham.  It is unclear if Abraham immediately recognized them as messengers of God, and that is why he ran to meet them, or as some scholars have suggested, he just invited whom he thought to be travelers in need of rest and refreshment in the heat of the day, and that he bowed, not out of adoration, but merely out of respect to the men.

(3) And said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass on by your servant. (4) Please let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. (5) And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort your hearts; after that you shall pass on, for therefore you have come to your servant." And they said, "Do as you have said."

Perhaps Abraham did not recognize these three as from the Lord initially as he sat in his doorway, but it seems as if he is getting a clue now.  The word Lord here is "adonay", rather than just "adon", and is usually used as a proper name for God.  Scholars much greater than I am have suggested that Abraham still didn't know at this point that these three were sent by God, and that it was customary for travelers to expect such refreshment from the first tent they came to on their journey, and that Abraham saw every opportunity to do good as designed by the providence of God.  "Adonay" leads me to believe a little differently, but I have not yet studied all Biblical occurrences of the word to know with certainty that it always meant God, but so far, that is the only way I have seen it.

(6) And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes on the hearth." (7) And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. (8) And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree and they ate.

Abraham and Sarah and all others who helped him hurried to prepare a meal for these visitors, as evident by all the verbs and adverbs, "hastened", "quickly", and "ran".  This must have taken some time, but they did it as quickly as possible while the men rested, and finally they did eat.

(9) And they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "Behold, in the tent." (10) And he said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

"They", the men, asked about Sarah, but "He", one man, obviously prophesying as speaking from the Lord Himself, said that He, the Lord or angel of the Lord, would return to give Sarah a son.  Obviously only God Himself could accomplish such a thing in Sarah's advanced age, so some scholars have speculated that this was God Himself or Jesus Christ in the flesh who spoke to Abraham.  I see no reason to jump to this conclusion as often God spoke through "angels of the Lord" or other messengers.  I believe "the time of life" probably meant in the time it normally took to bear a child, i.e. 9 months, although God would certainly not have needed that time.

(11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; and the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

I was tickled to see that one scholar of old had put it that Sarah's "monthly visitors had left her", so she could not possibly conceive a child in the natural way.

(12) Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" (13) And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I which am old surely bear a child?' (14) Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a son." (15) Then Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"

Whereas Abraham laughed with joy, Sarah obviously laughed in scorn and disbelief; this is evident by the fact that she lied about it.  But certainly nothing is too hard for the Lord and He reiterated His promise that she would indeed bear a son.

(16) And the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on their way. (17) And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing I am doing, (18) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? (19) For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him."

As the men left on their way, and Abraham walked them out on their way, they looked toward Sodom.  The Lord makes known that He has a plan underway.  Obviously it is not necessary that the Lord explain His thought processes to anyone, but I believe this is for our learning and for Abraham's benefit, because Abraham is part of His great plan to bring salvation to the world through his descendant, Jesus Christ, and because God knows Abraham.  We are told elsewhere in scripture that Abraham was a "friend of God" (James 2:23).  God loves Abraham, but more than that, He knows that Abraham will teach his children and all those in his household the way of the Lord.  He would teach them to do "justice", which is also translated as "rightness".  I believe God wants to include Abraham in His decision here because He knows Abraham will use this as a teaching experience, and it gives us an example, as well.  Later in scripture we are told that Sodom and Gomorrah were set forth as examples (Jude 1:7) and (2 Peter 2:6) to us.

(20) And the LORD said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, (21) I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to Me; and if not, I will know."

The first word translated as "cry" is more like a shriek or outcry.  Once again, it is not necessary for God to go and investigate the matter.  Of course, He knows the complete circumstances, but again, I believe this was to include His friend Abraham and to show the process of His justice and judgment in a way that we can understand.  Perhaps this is to show us that God does not act in a rash manner or punish merely upon the report of others, but only after His complete investigation and knowledge of the matter.  Again, it's not that He need investigate, because He simply knows.  We can rest assured He does know the entire situation, and indeed He knows it better than we can ever know, as He knows what will come in the future as a result of it, and He knows the hearts of men involved in it.  So while we can never know entirely the processes of God, although we often try to conform Him to our little human boxes, I believe this was to be an illustration to us of how God does indeed act justly and without rash anger.

(22) And the men turned their faces from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Three men first came to Abraham, and we may assume that two men now went toward Sodom, as Abraham still stands before "the Lord".  It might be otherwise assumed that all three men went to Sodom and Abraham figuratively stood before the Lord in prayer, except that later in verse 19:1, we are told that two angels came to Sodom in the evening. It's a pretty safe assumption that this is at the same time, so it appears two angels appearing as men went toward Sodom and one angel of the Lord stood with Abraham now.

(23) And Abraham drew near and said, "Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (24) Suppose there be fifty righteous within the city; will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it?"

Dr. John Gill writes that the area of which they are speaking is actually the Pentapolis which consisted of five cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar.  Therefore Abraham is estimating ten righteous people in each city.  Gill cites the Targum of Jonathan on the Prophets, used in the third century of the Christian era.

(25) "Far be it from You to do so in this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; that is far from You. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

I believe Abraham is stating a fact that it is not the way of the Lord to slay the righteous with the wicked.  I don't think he means to challenge Him, but rather seeks mercy for the few righteous in the city, perhaps namely his nephew Lot and his family.  It is certainly in God's power and He would be justified to destroy wicked cities, even if a few righteous died with the wicked.  That certainly happens today.  Bad things happen as a result of men's wickedness and rejection of God.  Because good people live among the wicked, bad things often happen to good people.  I have come to realize that just because God takes the life of a person doesn't mean He destroys that person.  Isaiah 57:1 talks about God taking righteous men away to save them from the evil to come.  After all, to leave this world as a true Christian, is to live forever with the Lord in paradise.

(26) And the LORD said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes."

The Lord indeed showed Abraham that His judgments were made with great mercy as He told him that He indeed would not destroy Sodom (the general area surrounding the city) even if there were found only fifty righteous people living there.  The word translated as "city" does not always mean just a city as we know it, but in a wider sense, means a place being watched or guarded.

(27) And Abraham answered and said, "Behold now, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, when I am but dust and ashes; (28) Suppose there are five less than the fifty righteous; will You destroy all the city for lack of five?" And He said, "If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it."

Abraham recognizes it is very bold of himself to dare to approach Almighty God with his petition, but he humbly asks Him if He would spare the city if there were a few less righteous there.  God states He indeed would not destroy the place if even only 45 righteous were found there.

(29) And he spoke to Him yet again and said, "Suppose there should be forty found there?" And He said, "I will not do it for the sake of forty." (30) And he said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak; suppose there shall be thirty found there?" And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

Abraham proceeds gradually in his requests.  Perhaps he does not want to ask too much at once, or more likely, this is for his and our learning that we understand that our Lord is truly a just, merciful, and patient God.

(31) And he said, "Behold now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord; suppose there shall be twenty found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for twenty's sake." (32) And he said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more; suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for ten's sake." (33) And the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Knowing that his nephew Lot and his family practiced the true religion of God, Abraham probably could not imagine that there were less than ten righteous people to be found in the area of Sodom, and the Lord assured him He would not destroy the place if He found at least ten righteous there. Therefore, Abraham stops his petitions and goes back to his tent to await the events that would be.

The First War Recorded in the Bible

Continuing a Bible study of Abraham:

(Genesis 14:1) 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, (2) 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, which is Zoar.

As best as I can understand from reading historical accounts of this, the "kings" of Sodom and Gomorrah and other adjoining cities had been tributaries to the king of Elam and had combined to throw off his yoke.  The king of Elam, with the help of three allies, invaded the territories of the rebellious princes.  The king "of nations" ("goy" or "goyim") may refer to the leader of various other clans, or it might actually be the name of a place called Goim, so named because there were gathered together many out of various nations and places, and they set Tidal to reign over them.

(3) All these were joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the salt sea. (4) Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (5) And 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 mount Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. (7) And they returned, and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh, and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities served under the king of Elam for twelve years and then rebelled.  A year later, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked.  We can only assume that the tribes attacked along the way were seen as allies of the five kings listed in verse 2.

(8) 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.

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities, five kings in all, responded to the attack of Chedorlaomer and his three allies, in the valley of Siddim.

(10) And the valley of Siddim was full of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. (11) And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. (12) And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

The victors in this battle, Chedorlaomer and his allies, pillaged the cities of the kings they had defeated and took everything of value, including Lot and his goods.

(13) And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they were confederate with Abram.

Someone who had escaped from the battle or the pillaging, came and told Abram what had happened.  Mamre and his brothers joined together with Abram.

(14) And 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 pursued them as far as Dan. (15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

Abram, his trained servants, and his allies, pursued Chedorlaomer and his allies.  It appears they divided their forces and attacked by night.

(16) And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and also the women and the people. (17) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's valley.

Abram and his allies were victorious and brought back all the goods that had been taken from Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot and his goods, and also brought back the other women and people who had been taken.  The king of Sodom came to meet and obviously congratulate Abram on his victory.  This is probably not the same king who was defeated in the valley of Siddim.  Verse 10 said that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell there, so this was probably a successor.

(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. (19) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him tithes of all.

So much has been written and speculated about Melchizedek and just who he is, but at this point in a chronological Bible study, I choose to accept only what has been written here.  Melchizedek is said to be the king of Salem, which may be Jerusalem, because David supposedly referred to Jerusalem as Salem.  However, I have also read that there was a town called Salem about this time near Scythopolis, a town that may be the same called Shalem elsewhere in the Bible.  There is also a Salim referenced in the New Testament.  So who really knows for certain?  We do know he was king of a city, and evidently a very pious and religious man of God.  He brought Abram bread and wine for refreshment after his battle, and then he blessed him.  Abram is the one who gave tithes to Melchizedek, not the other way around, and we know this for certain, as this account is retold in Hebrews.  Abram gave a tenth of the spoils, again knowing this as certain from the retelling in Hebrews.  It can only be assumed from this account that Abram gave a tenth of the spoils in gratitude to God for the victory, and Melchizedek accepted it as he was a priest of God.  Period.  Like I said, there has been much to-do about Melchizedek, some even claiming he was Christ Himself, with which I do not agree, and there is nothing in this account of Melchizedek to suggest any more than what I have written.  If there is more later, I'll explore it then.

(21) And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods to yourself." (22) And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, (23) That I will not take even 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 that which 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 king of Sodom, who had come to meet Abram and congratulate and thank him for the victory, told him he could take all the goods, as long as all the people were restored.  However, Abram said he would not take the smallest thing from the king of Sodom, for if he did, the king could later claim that he had made Abram rich. Lifting his hand to the Lord indicates he had vowed to the Lord he would not take anything, and he didn't, except what had already been eaten by the young men who went with him to battle.  However, Abram did not go so far as to deny Mamre and his brothers their portion of the goods recovered.

Abram Comes to the Promised Land

Continuing a chronological Bible study, we now begin a study of Abraham:

(Genesis 12:1) Now the LORD had said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."

Stephen told us in Acts 7:2, in the preface of the story of Abraham in the last post, that the God of glory appeared to Abram to give him this call.  It may also be of importance to note that the scripture says "the LORD had said...", indicating the appearance and call may have happened some time before this present time.  I say this because in verse 4 it says Abram left Haran, but Stephen made it a point to say that the Lord had appeared to Abram when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was in Haran. (Aha, maybe there was wisdom in the choice to put Stephen's speech before the call of Abraham in a chronological study, after all!)

(2) "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (3) And I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Here we have God's promise to Abram, which he had to accept on faith.  Of him would be made a great nation even though he had no child.  Note that all the families of the earth will be blessed in Abraham.  It has been God's plan since the beginning to save all the world.  Abraham became the patriarch of God's people, and Jesus Christ, being a descendant of Abraham, would be the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham in that all may come to God through the Messiah.

(4) So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (5) And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went forth to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to the land of Canaan.

Abram, his wife, his nephew, and all their families and households, moved from Haran.  Again I will note that Stephen in the New Testament made it a point to tell us that Abram had received his vision from God when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was in Haran.

(6) And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. (7) And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

This is obviously another time that the Lord appeared to Abram.  The first time He did not tell Abram where he should go, but that He would bring him to a land, and this is it.

(8) And he moved from there to a mountain east of Bethel, and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. (9) And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. (10) And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was grievous in the land.

Abram journeyed throughout the land of Canaan, but there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went to Egypt for awhile.  Imagine the great faith it would have taken to leave his homeland where he had plenty of food and come to this land of severe famine.  He could have been tempted to go back toward home because of the famine, but he actually went further from his home to Egypt to spell there.  

(11) And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Behold now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look upon. (12) Therefore it will come to pass, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. (13) Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and my soul will live because of you."

It's very interesting to note that according to other scriptures that date Abram and Sarai at different times in their lives, Sarai would have been 65 at this time, and still considered a beautiful and desirable woman.  Sarai really was a half-sister to Abram, according to Biblical scholars, but he was obviously being deceitful in desiring to hide the whole truth that he was married to Sarai because he feared for his life.

(14) And it came to pass, that, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very beautiful. (15) The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her before Pharaoh; and the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. (16) And he treated Abram well for her sake; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

And so it was as Abram thought; the Egyptians did find Sarai beautiful.  Pharaoh desired to have Sarai as his wife and because he did, treated her "brother" well.

(17) But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. (18) And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? (19) Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? so that I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, behold your wife; take her and go your way." (20) And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.

There are no details about the plagues, but it is interesting to note that through them Pharaoh seems to have figured out on his own that Sarai was Abram's wife.  Pharaoh is rightly upset with Abram who deceived him and allowed him to bring plagues on his household, but obviously knowing the source of the plagues, he sends Abram and his wife away with no harm or injury.

(Genesis 13:1) And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. (2) And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. (3) And he went on his journey from the south even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, (4) To the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

So Abram and Sarai left Egypt, and with his nephew Lot, returned to the place where they had been before going to Egypt because of the severe famine.  He returned to the altar he had previously made, and prayed to the Lord.

(5) And Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. (6) And the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. (7) And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt then in the land.

We were told previously in verse 2 that Abram was very rich in gold and silver, and in cattle.  It seems that Lot also possessed a lot, so much that there was not room for both households (not with the others who also dwelt in the land), at least not without a great deal of strife.

(8) And Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren. (9) Is not the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."

Because Abram wanted peace with Lot's household, he encouraged Lot to move away to another part of the land.  Even though Abram was patriarch of the family, and was the one to whom God was giving the new land, Abram gave Lot his choice of where he wanted to live, and Abram would go the opposite direction.

(10) And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you come to Zoar. (11) Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

It seems that Lot had no hesitation in taking Abram up on his generous offer to allow him to take his pick of land.  "The garden of the Lord" may be the garden of Eden to which the plain of Jordan was being compared, or perhaps the meaning is that the plain of Jordan IS the garden of the Lord as it was a most excellent and well watered place, and it was being compared to Egypt.  "As you come to Zoar" refers to the plain of Jordan that is well watered everywhere till you come to Zoar; it does not refer to Egypt, as Zoar was not near Egypt.  Dr. John Gill says in his commentary that some think the plain of Jordan was the real garden of Eden, thinking the word "as" was not to be taken as a word comparing one phrase to another, but to be understood as reality.  I think that may be reading more into the verse than we can really know for certain.  We do know it was a very excellent well watered area that Lot chose for himself.

(12) Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent toward Sodom. (13) But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Lot chose the area of the plain near the cities, especially Sodom, and we see that he may have chosen unwisely.

(14) And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward; (15) For all the land which you see, I will give it to you and your descendants forever. (16) And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also shall be numbered. (17) Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the width of it, for I will give it to you."

After Lot had moved away from Abram, the Lord appeared to Abram again (or at least spoke to him), and had him look in all directions to see fully all the land the Lord was going to give to Abram and all his descendants that would be as numerous as the particles of dust on the earth.  The Lord encouraged Abram to walk through all the land that He would be giving him.

(18) Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

Abram moved from the "mountain east of Bethel...with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east", to the plain of Mamre.  This word translated as "plain" is not the same as the word used for the plain of Jordan.  This word, "elon", meaning "an oak or other strong tree, plain", probably referred to an oak grove, undoubtedly, a shady and very pleasant place in which to dwell.  Once again Abram built an altar to his Lord, ever mindful of, and no doubt, thankful to, his Lord for all His blessings upon Abram.