OUR FATHER'S WORD
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105

________________________________________________________________________________
Genesis

  A Message For The End Time

by
Jim Lisenby

________________________________________________________________________________


CHAPTER 14

Abram Rescues Lot

In chapter 13 Abram and Lot separated their considerable households so that there would be enough grazing for their large herds and flocks of livestock.  Some time has passed since then and they are all now settled in their chosen locations, Abram near Hebron in the plain of Mamre and Lot in Sodom, but they are about to become unsettled.  The dogs of war are on the prowl.

Gen. 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;

Amraphel king of Shinar here is interesting because he is thought by some scholars to be the great Babylonian king Hammurabi of yore.  He and his famous Code of Hammurabi would be a good short study for you do on the side.  Actually, no one knows if Hammurabi himself was responsible for this code of laws, but he got credit for it nonetheless.

Consider the following comment taken from my Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia under the search term Hammurabi:

"In a small room in the Louvre museum in Paris, France, stands a black diorite stela, or column. On it is inscribed in Akkadian, a Semitic language, the Code of Hammurabi. This collection of laws has been ascribed to the reign of Hammurabi, the sixth and best-known king of Babylon's First dynasty."

---------------------------------------------------------
From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc.

A little research and reading on your part will give you a general idea of this code of law, and it will also
give you some insight into why men behaved the way they did in that area in those days.  Including Abraham and Lot, and Isaac a little later on, and Jacob, and Jacob's sons and their children, and so on.  They all were generally abiding by the laws contained in the so-called Code of Hammurabi to one extent or the other, whether they knew it or not.  It was basically the law of the land in Mesopotamia, and perhaps throughout the entire area where the offspring of Noah had migrated and settled.  And, because more than 99% of the people were illiterate (my guesstimate) it would have been passed on and taught orally from generation to generation.

Now, let me emphasize that those folks in Abraham's day did not know of any specific group of laws called the Code of Hammurabi.  The black diorite stele above was given that title by modern scholars after it was discovered
because they placed its origin to approximately the time of Hammurabi.  But it may actually have come from an earlier time.  It would be very interesting to know whether this code of law was put together and instituted soon after the Noachian deluge, or to be more specific, at the same time when Noah and his offspring assembled themselves and divided the land in the days of Peleg.  My gut feeling is that it was, but it may have been amended considerably by the time of Hammurabi and Abraham.  I say that because, if my memory serves me correctly from the time that I read through that code of law years ago, it seemed to favor the rich and powerful in many ways while the poor and the common folk got the harshest penalties.  If so, not much has changed, has it?

One  important principle within the so-called Code of Hammurabi is well known today in the legal community.  It is called lex talionis     the law of retaliation     or, put in biblical language, the famous eye for an eye principle found in the Law of Moses.  And, that is not the only component in the Mosaic Law similar to one in the Code of Hammurabi.  There are other similarities as well.  Interesting!

One item of interest is incarceration, or more correctly, the lack thereof.  It is not mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi or in the law of Moses.  There was retaliation, and restoration or repayment including  penalties to the injured parties     but no payment to the authorities or to the government like today (i.e., fines, court costs, legal fees, etc).  There were beatings for certain offenses and, of course, the death penalty was administered for other serious sins.  But, it is very interesting to notice that there were no prisons to cruelly hold people in an inhuman environment like there are today.  Imprisonment was not an option.  The concept of incarcerating persons for extended periods of time in penal institutions likely came to us via the Roman Empire.

When you look at it rightly, there is no real benefit to society in the  imprisonment of its citizens, and to me it is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment.   In addition, it creates and promotes perverse thinking and behavior among the inmates, and to a lesser extent perhaps, even among the prison guards.  Further, it is very costly to maintain prison systems, and unfortunately, in America it has become a growth industry for the state, for the legal community as a whole, for political hacks and their cronies, and for corporations engaging in the penal or corrections business.

One troubling statistic for me as an American is that there are more people incarcerated in the United States than in any other country on earth.  In my country there are well over 2,000,000 people imprisoned (that we know of).  Astounding!  What a contradiction to the term "freedom" that we are so proud of and hear so much mentioned today.  In the land of the "free and the brave" at this time, more people have had their freedom taken away by imprisonment than in any other country in the world.  Hmmmm???

That could not be true if we had stuck to the principles in the law given by God to Moses at Sinai.  Prisons as they exist today would not be.  Perhaps we need to reconsider our legal and penal practices and make changes.

Now, getting back to Genesis 14:1.  In this verse Amraphel is said to be king of Shinar, which covered a large part of what is Iraq and Kuwait today around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.  It was essentially what was later called Mesopotamia by historians, and it was also called Babylonia because Babylon was the principal and dominant city.  Ellasar was a city in the southeast portion of that same area.   Elam is referring to a group of people descended from one of Shem's sons, but the area where they predominately lived was also called Elam.  The word nations  in the last clause likely means multiple tribes, perhaps nomads of unknown identity who were under the aegis of the warlord Tidal.


Gen. 14:2  That these 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, which is Zoar.

The last two clauses of this verse are not clearly translated.  Someone called Zoar may have been the king of Bela, but maybe not.  Zoar was also the name by which the city was called at a later time, and it literally means insignificantBela literally means destruction, but it was not destroyed in the impending disaster like the other four cities partly because Lot begged God to spare it.  More on God sparing Bela later in Genesis when we cover the disaster which befell Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and the surrounding area.

Gen. 14:3  All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

The vale of Siddim, where these five cities were, was a valley then fed by the Jordan river and possibly some other streams, and it was fertile and lush for grazing.  That is why Lot chose to live there.  Today, it is mostly covered by the Dead Sea which the writer calls here the salt seaSiddim could possibly be a variant of Sodom.

Gen. 14:4  Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Chedorlaomer was the king of Elam, so it can be deduced from this verse that the Elamites (descendants of Elam, a son of Shem) were a dominant people in the area.  It is interesting that the subjugated people rebelled in the thirteenth year because some of those who dabble in biblical numbers associate thirteen with rebellion.  Related to this, can you name a modern country which originally was comprised of thirteen colonies that rebelled against their tyrannical king not long ago?

Of course, even today the number thirteen is considered by many to be an unlucky number to be avoided, a truly bad number as it were.  Some buildings don't have a thirteenth floor, and people try to be more careful on spooky Friday the 13th.  An interesting superstition that may very well have its roots in the Bible.

If you are interested in biblical mathematics try the book by the same name, Biblical Mathetics by Ed Vallowe,  published by Faith Printing Company, Taylors,  SC 29687.

Why were these people in the vale of Siddim under subjugation to a people from around Babylonia (modern Iraq) which was a land hundreds of miles away?  There could be several reasons but two come to mind that would be of supreme importance.  Sustenance and survival.

Again I ask, as I did in earlier chapters     what really happened that  caused the tower of Babel to fall and the people of the area to be dispersed so suddenly?  It had to be a natural disaster so severe that it changed the environment, certainly temporarily, perhaps permanently.  Was the famine in Canaan that caused Abraham to go into Egypt a result of it?  Who knows, but it is certainly possible.  A disaster like that, of biblical proportions as we say, would certainly disrupt the agriculture and the production of food.  The people who stayed in the area following the disaster would be subjected to famine, perhaps severe famine.  The acquisition of food would become of paramount importance immediately, thereby causing armies to forage abroad for it.

The vale of Siddim was a reasonably short distance to the west of Babylonia and was a lush and very  productive area.  That would be reason enough for it to become a target for a hungry army to invade.  They would force the conquered people to engage in heavy agriculture from which  produce could be taken back to their suffering people on a continual basis.  Make sense?  I hope so.

So much of history, and things being what they are even today, are the result of people being motivated and driven by need, especially need created by adverse weather phenomena or warfare.  In our day now, wars and invasions are fought for the acquisition of oil and other natural resources, perhaps in that day it was something as basic as food and outright survival.  Babylonia, the land of Shinar, and the area where the Elamites lived, possibly were rendered temporarily unproductive as a result of what happened at Babel, whereas the vale of Siddim was green and very productive.  It could have been a source of vital sustenance for the people of Babylonia and they subjegated it for that reason.

Now, having said all that, let's ask the question     what precipitated the rebellion among the cities in the greater area surrounding  Sodom and Gommorah and the vale of Siddim?  And who was it that rebelled precisely?  There could be several factors because we really don't what conditions the subjegation by the Elamites created in the area.  Nobody likes to be dominated but there could be more talk to it than that.  One big  factor could have been the hybrid giants that lived in the area beside and among the offspring of Noah.  As a matter of fact, I am confident that they were.  Notice the following verses.


Gen. 14:5  And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

So, ol' king Ched, king of the Elamites, sings the blues to his allies concerning the rebellious insurgency and rallies them to his cause.  But notice who they attack and take out first.  The coalition attacked the Rephaim, the Zuzim, and the Emim first, with overwhelming force.  Hidden within this verse is some important information with regards to the reason of the impending utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area, not by four Babylonian kings, but by Almighty God Himself.  That hidden information is concerning the true identity of the inhabitants of the land that were attacked by this coalition of kings.

The following definitions are taken from my Logos 2 Enhanced Strong's Hebrew Lexicon:


7497 raphaÕ { raw-faw’}  or raphah { raw-faw’}
1)    giants, Rephaim
1a)    old race of giants

2104 Zuwziym { zoo-zeem’}
Zuzim = “roving creatures”
1)    an ancient people of uncertain origin, perhaps, inhabitants of ancient Ammon east of the Jordan

368 ÕEymiym { ay-meem’}
Emims = “terrors”
1)    ancient inhabitants of Moab

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.

Actually, these could be thought of as monsters because they certainly were that.  Where did they come from?  Essentially the same place as the giants mentioned in chapter 6, the gibbor, the nephilim, before the flood of Noah.  They were the mixed offspring of fallen angels and humans.  Gen. 6:4 reveals that rebellious angels came before the flood of Noah, and also after that.  Once again, here in the region surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah, the people had received them, mixed with them contrary to God's law against adultery and hybridization, and produced legions of illegitimate, rebellious, dominating, giant blivits.  I believe Nimrod was of such.

Dumb and dumber!

The resultant effects of crossbreeding are seen in these bastardized people called Rephaim, Zuzim, and Emims.  As stated above, the Bible records that there were giants in the land before the flood, and also after the flood.  I feel very confident that the Noachian flood, a planned act of God, was brought on primarily by the offspring of Adam crossbreeding with fallen angels, and the impending utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding area, will be chiefly for the same reason.  More on that later when we cover the catastrophe.

In any case,
I am certain that these unnatural giants played a big part of the rebellion that was being put down by the Babylonian alliance.  The Babylonian coalition knew that and they hit them first and they hit them hard.

Gen. 14:6  And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

It is not clear who these Horites were, but their name is said to mean "cave dwellers".  It is entirely possible that they were some of Canaan's descendants, but that is not proven conclusively.  It is also very possible that there were giants among them like those mentioned above.  If they dwelt in Mount Seir by the wilderness, then it is probable that at least some of them dwelled in the caves in the ancient city of Petra which is located in that area.  Do some research on  Petra if you are not familiar with it, because it is an interesting place.  I seem to recall from past studies that some scholars mentioned Petra was occupied by giants at some time.  Maybe, maybe not, but these Horites were definitely on the planned war agenda of the Babylonian alliance of kings.

I know that the Babylonian kings were primarily putting down a rebellion in the area surrounding the vale of Siddim, but I have to wonder if that was their only objective.  These Babylonian kings were descendants of Noah.  Did they realize that these giants needed to be eradicated before God brought another disaster on them?  Shem, a righteous man, was still alive, as were many of the patriarchs mentioned in the generations of Noah.  Some scholars believe that Shem went after Nimrod and killed him, and many, if not most, of these Babylonians were Shem's offspring.  So I ask the question     is it possible that Shem had something to do with the agenda of these kings, either directly or indirectly?  If you will remember from chapter 10, his son Asshur built cities in the area and was the father of the Assyrians.

Gen. 10:11  Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

The Assyrians were destined to play a very important role in the history and direction of Israel, as well as with the other nations of the Middle East.

Gen. 14:7  And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

Here is another case where some biblical scoffers may take a shot at the veracity of the Bible.  The Amalekites were the descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau who was not yet born when these Babylonian kings were attacking the area.  But it is not a problem when you consider that the scribe, or Moses, or whoever wrote the verse, perhaps lived hundreds and hundreds of years later.  He is not saying here that Amalekites were being smitten, but the people that lived in the area that he knew in his day as the land of the Amalekites, they were the ones being hit whoever they were.  The Amorites are another story.  The Amorites that dwelt in Hazezontamar (probably the more familiar Engedi) were being given an attitude adjustment as it were.    

Gen. 14:8  And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;

They did what the Bible sometimes calls setting the battle in array.  They lined up opposite each other in some fashion, and at the sound of a trumpet or other signal device, they moved quickly toward each other and fought.  It was really a stupid way of carrying out a battle, but it persisted for millenia until very recently.

Gen. 14:9  With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

Gen. 14:10  And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

The words was full of are not in the MSS.  It was added by the translators for the sake of clarity.  What did these slimepits (tar pits) have to do with the ongoing battle, and its outcome?  Evidently, the armies of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were being overrun by the Babylonians and they turned and ran in a frantically blind panic.  Right into the tar pits that filled the land.  The words was full of slimepits means exactly what it says.  The tar pits were numerous and side by side.  In other words they were virtually unavoidable in places.  Some of the tar pits were also undoubtedly hidden by vegetation and other objects, while in other cases those in front of the stampede would have been pushed by the press of the crowd behind them into the pits.  Those who fell into the tar pits became frozen in time forever after they were trapped and wrapped up by the tar.  It is also possible that the people who lived in the area never bothered to mark the tar pits so that they could be easily seen and possibly avoided.

Why did the Babylonians not get trapped in the tar pits like the Sodomites?  Because they were  always behind the fleeing armies and could see what was happening ahead of them.  It is also possible that they did not bother to pursue those who fled.  Maybe those who fled were fleeing when none pursued.


Gen. 14:11  And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.

These four Babylonian kings soundly defeated the forces of those who lived in and around the vale of Siddim, and of course they took booty, but notice especially that they took all their victuals, or foodstuff.  There were several reasons for doing so.  1)  To punish the rebels severely by creating famine amongst them, 2)  to feed their armies, 3)  but also to take precious provisions back to their lands and hungry people.  Any or all of these reasons are possible.

Remember, I suggested above that one possible reason for the Babylonian subjugation of the people in the vale of Siddim was that they could provide necessary food and sustenance for them and their homeland.  The vale of Siddim was very productive agriculturally but perhaps not Babylonia at that particular time.  I also suggested that the reason that that portion of the "fertile crescent" was not so productive was the possible lingering effects of whatever destroyed Babel and the famous tower, or ziggurat, that was there.  Whatever method God used there had to be His version of "shock and awe".


Gen. 14:12  And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Why they took Lot is not explained, but you should consider the fact that he was one of them originally.  It was only a few years ago that he and Abraham had departed Babylonia.  I believe that Lot was very smart like his venerable uncle Abraham.  If Abraham actually had done the things attributed to him in other writings, then he had to be famous, or perhaps infamous depending on your point of view, but certainly well known.  Lot was a major member of their family and so also was probably at least known by some.  In other words, he may have been recognized by some of the commanders of the invading Babylonian armies.

Additionally, he probably was valuable to them, an asset that could be used to promote production and prosperity back in their lands.  He obviously was already very successful with regards to that in the vale of Siddim.  So, I think they were going to take him back home with them and use him to better their situation.  Otherwise they simply would have killed him.

There is one other less likely consideration.  They may have resented his departure from Babylonia,  that would also include Abraham, and regarded them as a traitors or criminals.  In which case they may have been taking him back for prosecution and possible execution as an example to others.  Who knows, it is only speculation, but in any case one thing is very obvious      they did take him with them when they left the area for whatever reason.

Gen. 14:13  And there came one that 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 these were confederate with Abram.

News about the invasion by the Babylonians probably spread like wildfire across the general area, so Abraham was aware of what was happening in the vale of Siddim and the surrounding territory.  He likely had already formed this confederation with his neighbors in case they were attacked.

Gen. 14:14  And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

Whether this means that Abraham had 318 servants, or the whole confederation was 318 men is not clear, but either way it was a very small army to go against a much larger and superior force.  Maybe the armaments that Abraham provided here were WMD's     you know, "weapons of mass destruction".  Like bows and arrows, spears, clubs, swords, and knives.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist that).

Gen. 14:15  And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

Abraham attacked at night when the Babylonians were not alert or even suspecting an attack.  Very intelligent.  He did not stupidly set the battle in array and join battle with the opposing forces as the nine kings mentioned above did.  He fought guerrilla warfare and was on them before they knew it.  They were probably relaxed and sleeping confidently because they had essentially already subdued everyone in the general area     or so they thought.  Big mistake!  Guess they just didn't have enough intel working for them, and they didn't know Abraham's character and resolve.

Gen. 14:16  And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Lot of course was not Abraham's brother, he was his brother's son, his nephew.  It was a common practice for invading armies to kill the men and keep the women and children, and their reasons for sparing the women and children were generally not altruistic.  They were essentially used as slaves and for sex by the soldiers.  Unfortunately that still continues to this day in one form or the other.

Gen. 14:17  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 dale.

This verse seems to say that Abraham and his little army had been able to kill all the Babylonian kings, and that  would include Amraphel who may have been better known by the name Hammurabi.  And, look at the king of Sodom.  He stayed close to home while Abraham went after his nephew Lot and the others.  He fled in battle and later sat at home while an outsider salvaged his people and goods.

Now we come to something truly remarkable, and possibly suspect.

Melchizedek 

Gen. 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

This verse and the two following it are some of the most interesting and perplexing words in the entire Bible.  Why are they here?  It is an enigma, three verses inserted here in the narrative of Abraham returning after the fight with the Babylonian kings concerning someone whom nobody can truly explain satisfactorily.

These verses were definitely a later insertion in the text here to show, or create, a relationship between Abraham and a very mysterious priest-king.  Who is this Melchizedek?  He is identified as the king of Salem wherever that was.  Many scholars think Salem was Jerusalem but to me that is suspect because in those days it was known as Jebus.  And, he is called the priest of the Most High God.  Interesting!  And, he brought out bread and wine.  What for?  Abraham didn't necessarily need food, he had plenty of that with him.  So many unanswered questions in this verse and next two following.


There is some disagreement about the name Melchizedek.  Some say it means "my king is Sedek".  Others say it means "king of the zedek" or"king of the righteous", or "king of the just".  Still others say it means "Sedeq is [my] king".  The author of Hebrews called him the "king of righteousness" in Heb. 7:2.

He was thought to be Shem by some Jewish scholars, and Jesus Christ by some Christian scholars.  And there are other opinions as to who he was, but to me, none are conclusive.  I even read somewhere that he was Noah's brother who was supernaturally born and had a very distinctive appearance. Whaaaat???

I typed Melchizedek in the search window of my browser and the first item that came up said:  Looking for Melchizedek, find it at eBay.  Another said that I could buy him at Amazon.com.  Hmmm?    

Gen. 14:19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

This so-called priest-king is shown as having the power and authority to bless Abraham, and did.

Gen. 14:20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Again, there are so many questions within these three verses.  Why were the Babylonian kings said to be the enemy of Abraham specifically?  Since when?  And the last sentence of this verse.  Who gave what to whom here?  It is generally agreed that Abraham gave this king of Salem a tenth of all, and not vice versa.  Presumably that means a tenth of the goods that he had recovered in his battle with the Babylonian kings.  That is another mystery when you understand how and why God set up the tithing system for the Levites and the Aaronic priesthood about 400 years hence.  It was for their support and it was needful in their case.  But, why would this Melchizedek need to receive tithing support from anyone?  Or, if it was the other way around, why would Abraham need to receive tithing support from this Melchizedek?

I have searched, as have others throughout time since these verses were written, for a satisfactory explanation of who this Melchizedek, king of Salem, and priest of the Most High God was here in Genesis.  Out of all of the treatises that I have read, none are conclusive are therefore not satisfactory.  Like I said, so many questions!

There is all sorts of commentary by scholars and others concerning these three verses, and some say that they were a later addition to the original text.  I think that is probably the case, with confidence.  It is pretty obvious that they interrupt the story of Abraham returning from the battle with the kings of Babylonia while returning Lot to his home in Sodom.  Like I said before, this Melchisedek is a real enigma.  Work with it and email me if you can shed some light on him.  But, for now, I consider these verses to be highly questionable and a great mystery.

Now, let's continue with the story of Abraham returning Lot to Sodom.

Gen. 14:21  And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

Gen. 14:22  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

Gen. 14:23  That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

Gen. 14:24  Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Abraham obviously wanted nothing to do with this king of Sodom.  He evidently had a very low opinion of him.  His purpose in pursuing the Babylonians kings was not so much for the sake of the king of Sodom and the other kings and people associated with him, but to rescue his nephew Lot, and those that were his.

There is more to Lot and this Sodom thing which we will get to in the coming chapters.  It is all very interesting.


God bless with understanding of His word.
 


Home  /  General Bible Studies  / Revelation Bible Studies  / Genesis Bible Studies

email:  ourfathersword@yahoo.com

www.ourfathersword.org

Copyright © 2006 by Jim Lisenby.  All Rights Reserved