Northern Kentucky's Evening Interdenominational Community Bible Study Text of Presentation, Lesson 9, Gen 14-15 Click Here for Lesson 9 Photos Click Here to return to GENESIS Home Page

Gen 14:1-15:21
Conflict and Covenant: Tests of Faith

Last week Abraham and Lot had to split up because of their great wealth. Lot went to the Jordan River Valley, a fertile area where many other people had chosen to settle . . . and an area of great wickedness. Abraham went to Hebron in the hill country of Judah. Abraham remained in God’s “promised land”; but Lot did not.

Tonight’s story shows what a horrible mistake Lot made . . . and it shows Abraham’s character and loyalty. It also shows some things we didn’t know about Abraham: like how really rich he is (and must have been before leaving Haran). And that this man who we have always imagined as a nomadic herdsman – a “wandering Aramean” (Deut 26:5), as his grandson is described – is also a strong military leader.

Lot’s hometown of Sodom – and four other city-states in the area that is now the Dead Sea – are ruled by a coalition of four city-states further east. (The four eastern cities have not been definitively identified, but archaeology shows the narrative otherwise quite accurate in terms of places and routes and customs.) The five smaller cities revolt, and the kings of the four eastern cities bring in their armies to suppress the revolt. The military tactics mentioned in Chapter 14 aren’t essential; what’s important is that the rebels are defeated and the goods and food of Sodom and Gomorrah carried off as spoils – along with a number of captives . . . including Lot.

This calamity is promptly reported to Abraham – 30 miles away in Hebron (14:13). 4000 years ago 30 miles was really far away – and it’s 30 miles across difficult terrain in a hot country. For Abraham to get this information quickly implies he’s important enough that the people of Sodom know Lot as his nephew; and someone expects a reward for this information. Furthermore, the bible says Abraham is “allied” with important local chieftains; he’s powerful enough to form alliances.

Additional information about Abraham’s wealth and importance can be milked out of 14:14: “When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit” (Gen 14:14). Abraham has “318 trained men”; the Hebrew is literally “armed assassins,” but it just means a private police force, hired to protect Abraham’s caravans and property. Imagine having enough property to require 318 private police to protect it! And these 318 were “born in (Abraham’s) household.” Abraham left Haran less than 10 years ago; they would have left with Abraham; they weren’t hired after Abraham left Egypt with Pharaoh’s gifts. Abraham is wealthy and powerful and important – and apparently always has been!

Even though Lot chose the “prime land” when he and Abraham split, Abraham harbors no resentment . . . or maybe he’s just intensely loyal. Immediately he gathers his troops and those of his allies and pursues Lot’s captors. The four kings have a head start, but with their goods and captives they can’t travel as fast as Abraham’s army on a forced march. Abraham overtakes them at the city now called Dan, 130 miles away; and in a midnight pincer attack he routs the kings and pursues them another 50 miles or so.

Abraham’s return must have been glorious – with liberated goods and captives – but also slow. This gives a grateful king of Sodom time to arrange a victory march through the Kidron Valley below Jerusalem. It’s on the route to Hebron, and the king wants to collect the people taken from Sodom. However, Abraham insists the king also take his share of the goods; his only purpose was to rescue Lot, and he wants no stories spread that the wicked king of Sodom has made Abraham rich (14:23)!

The most dramatic part of this story is when “Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine . . . and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Gen 14:18-20). This is confusing. Melchizedek is described as a “priest of God Most High” (Gen 14:18), but so far we have the impression that – as with Noah – God has singled out one man as His vehicle of reconciliation with mankind, and that one man is Abraham . . . the altar-builder who has functioned as a king-priest for the One True God. But this is the way Melchizedek is described. How can God have a priesthood distinct from Abraham? Who is Melchizedek, and what is his role in God’s plan?

The writer of Hebrews explains. He cites Messianic prophesy from Psalms: “The LORD has sworn . . .: ‘You are a priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek’” (Ps 110:4); then he builds upon this prophesy:

“Jesus . . . (is) a high priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek. This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. . . . Without . . . genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest for ever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! . . . and without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater” (Heb 6:20-7:7).

Apparently this means the priest-king Melchizedek essentially appears out of nowhere as a prototype for the Messiah . . . whereby Jesus from the kingly line of Judah can be a priest-king, even though he is not descended from the priestly line of Levi. Furthermore, the Messiah’s priesthood has greater prestige because Abraham acknowledged the priest-king Melchizedek as greater than himself – and hence greater than his great-grandson Levi. But does God need to justify Himself this way? Only if we believe in a God of order, with a well-defined plan since the beginning of time.

There’s one more angle to this story. The bible says Abraham’s forefathers worshiped other gods at the time of Abraham’s call (Josh 24:2). However, if there are no gaps in the genealogy of chapter 11, Noah had been dead less than 20 years when this happened, and Noah’s son Shem was still alive. In fact, Shem lives over 20 years after Abraham defeats the four kings. Does this mean Shem worships other gods? Some scholars answer “No,” and claim Melchizedek is Shem! I don’t agree with this; it’s too contrived. I prefer the version of the writer of Hebrews – and gaps in the genealogy of chapter 11.

Chapter 14 teaches a lot about Abraham’s character (in addition to his military skill): loyalty to Lot, refusal to consort with a wicked king and accept his gifts, and a tithe to God’s priest as acknowledgment it was God who brought victory. And in terms of God’s promises to Abraham, we might cite “whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen 12:3). Now chapter 15 moves in a different direction: God’s Covenant with Abraham . . . which is why the Study Guide titles this lesson “Conflict and Covenant.”

At an undefined later time, “The LORD came to Abram in a vision” (Gen 15:1). This is God’s 4th recorded communication with Abraham; God spoke to him twice (12:1, 13:14), and appeared once (12:7). Now God comes “in a vision” – as He often communicates with prophets. Apparently God feels it’s time to take His relationship with Abraham to another level: the level of “covenant.” We don’t know the “why” – just the “what.”

God opens with a line He often uses when appearing in a vision: “Do not be afraid” (Gen 15:1). The appearance of God in a vision must be a fearful thing! Otherwise, why would Abraham be afraid? He’s rich . . . and so powerful he just defeated the strong armies of four urban kings from “back east.” If Abraham has any “fear” it would be that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach when we’ve been striving toward a goal – doing everything right – yet don’t seem to be getting there. Wealth in Abraham’s culture is not just property, it’s sons! And despite God’s promise of countless offspring . . . Abraham hasn’t produced the first son!

As is typical of ancient covenants, God begins with an identification statement emphasizing His power: “I am your shield, your very great reward” (Gen 15:1). Now for the first time Abraham is recorded as speaking to God. He doesn’t question the “shield” part; Abraham has been protected from Pharaoh, and he has just defeated a strong army. But this “reward” part . . . Abraham asks plaintively: “What (reward) can you give me?” . . . “You have given me no children” (15:2-3). Abraham complains God hasn’t delivered on His land or offspring promises; and he laments his heir will not be a son – or even his nephew Lot – but a household servant: “Eliezer of Damascus” (Gen 15:2).

So God assures Abraham once again that “a son coming from your own body will be your heir” (Gen 15:4). And whereas God told Abraham before his offspring will be as numerous as the “dust of the earth” (Gen 13:16), now He says his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Gen 15:5).

Putting ourselves in Abraham’s shoes . . . how would we feel about this promise? He’s over 80 (his wife is over 70). How many years have they been trying to have children? When he was 75, God promised an heir – but it still hasn’t happened. Would most of us respond as Abraham did: “Abraham believed the LORD” (Gen 15:6)?

The bible text goes further: “Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). This is an important theological point . . . the point made by Paul in Romans 4. Our good works don’t bring righteousness – even though “faith (without works) is dead” (James 2:17). Nor does righteousness come through a religious act such as circumcision or baptism. Righteousness comes through belief. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

To get back to the story . . . with confirmation of Abraham’s deep faith and resulting “righteousness,” God moves to the second part of the covenant. He starts with another identification statement emphasizing His power: “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur . . . of the Chaldeans to give you this land” (Gen 15:7). Here God reaffirms His promise to Abraham of the land, balancing reaffirmation of His offspring promise.

Abraham speaks again. It’s been about 5 years since God’s first promise of the land. Abraham is entrenched in Hebron – with local allies – but he left Shechem and Bethel-Ai because of powerful Canaanites there. He asks God for a sign the land is his: “how can I know that I shall gain possession of” the land (Gen 15:8). It’s not that Abraham’s faith is weakening; this is just a request for details and evidence.

In response, God calls for “a heifer, a goat and a ram” – cut in two with “the halves (arranged) opposite each other” – along with “a dove and a young pigeon” (Gen 15:9-10). Then “Abram fell into a deep sleep” (Gen 15:12) of the kind which fell upon Adam when Eve was created . . . a sleep produced by a supernatural agency which (according to the Hebrew) is so deep all consciousness of the outer world and one's existence vanishes.

Now God explains how Abraham’s descendants will come to possess the land. They will go as “strangers” to a foreign land – which as Genesis ends as we learn is Egypt . . . “they will be enslaved and ill-treated four hundred years” . . . but they will be freed “with great possessions” and return to conquer the land . . . long after Abraham has died “in peace” and been “buried at a good old age” (Gen 15:13-16). Part of Abraham’s blessing is that he will end his life with contentment and fulfillment – and without turmoil.

Then God symbolically makes a covenant with Abraham . . . appearing as “a smoking brazier with a blazing torch” which “passed between the pieces” (Gen 15:17). Fire in the Bible is often a symbol of the presence of God – as is light. We won’t go into the details of ancient Middle Eastern treaty customs (as if I were qualified to discuss them) . . . but there’s widespread evidence animals were slaughtered in treaty ceremonies. Some texts suggest the two parties to a treaty walked between rows of freshly killed animals and called down a curse on anyone who violated the agreement. In Jeremiah God says the king and “leaders of Judah and Jerusalem . . . who walked between the pieces of the calf” yet broke the covenant will be treated “like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces” (Jer 34:18-19).

One feature of this kind of treaty is that the superior party places himself under sanction. It’s hard to miss the similarity between this treaty custom and what God does here; but some commentators object . . . how can God be cut in pieces like the animals if he fails to follow through? But God will follow through; perhaps God merely states the certainty of His promise in a way Abraham understands . . . which makes sense, because God begins his speech to Abraham with the words: “Know for certain” (Gen 15:13).

It’s significant that only God passes between the pieces . . . Abraham does not. This is a unilateral, unconditional covenant made by God without regard to what Abraham may or may not do (though by now God probably knows He can count on Abraham’s faith). Nevertheless, this first “covenant” between God and Abraham is actually more an assurance from God to Abraham – with a covenant ritual used to emphasize its certainty.

In conclusion, recall God’s promises to Abraham: offspring, land, and blessing. The blessing is ongoing. The land has just been clarified: not now . . . but after your descendants have been enslaved 400 years. But the offspring question is still just a vague promise . . . not part of God’s assurances to Abraham in this covenant.

Next week as we move into chapters 16 and 17, we’ll see the offspring promise developed. First Abraham and Sarah try to take matters into their own hands without God – and as usual, they mess things up. Then God makes a covenant with Abraham about offspring – just as here in chapter 15 he makes a covenant about the land.