Genesis 13 – Lot & Abram Separate
Vs. 1-13 Abram and Lot Separate
Now out of Egypt, Abram and his clan make their way back to the area of Bethel, where he had previously pitched his tent and prepared an altar to the Lord. We continue to see the clear language, even if not detailed, of how Abram is acknowledging Yahweh.
It is here we are told that Abram has come to be quite wealthy (v. 2). Some of that wealth was gained during his adventure in Egypt; much of it he probably had already gained both in Ur and in Haran. Lot, also, was doing well for himself (v. 5). Between the two of them, things got crowded in regard to pasture land for their livestock, and tensions begin to rise between the servants of each man. On top of this we are told (v. 7) of the presence of Canaanites and Perrizites. If nothing else, this reminds us that the land was not otherwise unpopulated. Rather, Abram and Lot were competing for grazing space with people already living there. This reality may add another factor that made separation a prudent choice for Abram and Lot.
Abram shows himself to be a peacemaker. He specifically sites (v. 8) the benefit of good relationship maintenance between family members. He even goes further and makes an offer that would not have been expected of him, given his higher position in the family order. Abram offers Lot the choice of which land to pursue. In general, Lot had the option of choosing the hill country or the river valley. Verse 10 tell us that he “lifted up his eyes.” This language usually appears in scripture when the thing to be beheld is good. Lot saw the well-watered valley of the Jordan, so lush it was like “the garden of the Lord.” The choice seemed obvious; Lot chose the valley and journeyed eastward from the hill country. For reasons we are not told, Lot does not stay along the river in areas near Jericho or further north, but instead eventually makes it south all the way to Sodom. If he had known what the Genesis writer tells us in verse 13, perhaps he would have avoided the area.
Vs. 14-18 A Promise Reiterated
Now standing in the midst of a land where his descendants would dwell, God tells Abram to “lift up your eyes and look.” In every direction Abram could see land that God was promising to him. This affirmation comes at an interesting point, as Abram and Lot have just parted ways. It feels like God was saying, “Even the land where your nephew is going to occupy will be yours.” As if encouraging Abram to get a full view, God tells him to walk through the length and breadth of the land. As a first step of obedience, Abram packs up his tent and came (again) to the “oaks of Mamre” near Hebron. There, as he did at Bethel, Abram built an altar to the Lord.
Genesis 14 – Wars Between Kings, Blessing of Melchizedek
Vs. 1-12 Lot’s Capture and Rescue
The beginning of chapter 14 lists a number of kings and locations, most of which are new to the narrative and difficult to identify through archaeology and historical documents. It gives us a view to the tribal nature of the residents of the region and the relationships between those people groups. Among the list of kings is one named Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. It would appear that Chedorlaomer held significant power, as some of the other tribes mentioned were in subjugation to him for a period of twelve years.
The tribes mentioned are thought to represent two general regions. The first group, mentioned in verse 1, are sometimes described as the “kings of the east.” Shinar has previously been mentioned in Genesis, located in Babylon. The second group, identified in verse 2, are of cities or areas thought to be around the Dead Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah, as with Admah and Zeboiim, are not located with certainty today.
Verse 5 begins a section describing a military campaign of the eastern kings. The locations mentioned may not be readily familiar, but the text basically shows a progression from the northern region near the Sea of Galilee down to the southern end of the Negev, near the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. They then “turned back” (v. 7) and came to Kadesh, which is an oasis in the northeastern region of the Sinai peninsula. Tracing the general route, we see that they are headed again toward the area around the Dead Sea, bringing them into a confrontation with the kings of that region. In the end, the “home team” flees and is defeated. Most critically to our narrative is the fact that Lot and his possessions (and family) are taken as spoils of war.
Though they had parted ways, Abram maintained a sense of commitment to his family. He received word about Lot’s capture and prepared a band of fighters who would accompany him in a rescue. We are told that Abram’s group pursued the foreign kings as far as Dan (v. 14). This likely was the city called Laish in northern Israel, which was later conquered by the tribe of Dan. The location would correspond with what we are told in verse 15, as Abram’s crew pursued the kings from there to a location north of Damascus. From his starting point in the hill country near Hebron, Abram had now pursued Lot’s captors half way back to Haran. Ultimately Lot, his people and his possessions are saved and returned home.
Vs. 17-24 A Priestly Offering
There are two interactions in this passage that need comment. First, we see that Abram upon his return is greeted by the king of Sodom. The text suggests that Abram, in his conquest of the foreign kings, has done what would be normal and expected by taking spoils of battle. The king of Sodom invites Abram to keep those spoils for himself, only returning the people who were taken. Abram declines to do so, only advocating for the men whose people fought alongside Abram to have their share.
Abram is also met on his return by a character named Melchizedek. The name means “king of righteousness,” and he is said to be the king of Salem, from the Hebrew meaning “peace.” Salem as a location is usually connected with Jerusalem (ref. Psalm 76:2). Melchizedek does what God said He would do (Genesis 12:2) by blessing Abram. In return, Abram makes an offering to God of a tenth of what he had gained.
Melchizedek can rightly receive this offering, as he is described as a “priest of God Most High” (v. 18). This priesthood will have an impact on our New Testament reading, as Melchizedek will serve as a type of Christ who would come as a royal and eternal priest. Psalm 110 connects Melchizedek with the eternal priesthood God would establish. The writer of Hebrews also (chapters 5-7) declares Christ as the fulfillment of what Melchizedek foreshadowed.
Genesis 15 – Cutting a Covenant with Abram
Vs. 1-6 An Heir of Seed
Chapter 15 contains one of the verses that is central to the Christian faith as taught in the New Testament. It is an attribution to Abram (Abraham), who before the giving of the Mosaic Law becomes the example of how righteousness is attained. It is set in a passage that begins by saying “the word of the Lord came to Abram” (v. 1). This phrase is mostly used in connection with the prophets, which lends a very distinct quality to what Abram is experiencing.
God speaks to Abram saying, “I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.” The language is familiar to what Abram has just endured in the previous chapter, engaging in warfare and having access to the spoils of victory. God assures Abram of both divine protection and great gain. In response, Abram puts God to the question: what good will my reward be if I don’t have an heir of my seed to inherit it? God responds by assuring Abram (v. 4) that his heir really will be of his own seed. God goes even further, telling Abram that his descendants will be far too numerous to count. That seems like an extraordinary promise to a man who is growing old and yet remained childless—which makes it all the more powerful that “Abram believed in the Lord” (v. 6). Because Abram trusted that the Lord would do what the Lord promised, God makes a declaration that Abram is righteous.
Vs. 7-21 Cutting the Covenant
Immediately following is God’s assurance of land possession, a promise for which Abram would like evidence. The quick shift from faith to apparent doubt catches our attention, but we should remember that faith and doubt in scripture are not mutually exclusive. As a way of confirming the promise, God uses an ancient cultural rite that was obviously familiar to Abram. God’s instruction to Abram were to bring five specific animals; no other directions were given. We are told (v. 10) that Abram not only brought the animals, but killed them and prepared them in a ritualistic fashion. Abram knew exactly what to do with them. Unlike the modern reader, Abram knew exactly what God was preparing.
As evening time arrives, a deep and terrific darkness comes upon Abram. The language indicates to us that God is going to appear. Before the theophany, God gives Abram a vision of what the immediate generations of his sons will hold. It would include bondage and oppression in “a land that is not theirs,” followed by a deliverance to freedom. The delay in all this had a divine purpose, expressed in the phrase “the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete” (v. 16). As we already know, the land in which Abram’s descendants would dwell was already occupied by other people groups. God would purge the land of those people, not indiscriminately, but as judgment on their sin. Leviticus 18 gives an illustrative list of practices that would bring God’s judgment upon these people. In the divine plan, God’s deliverance of one people will coincide with the just punishment of another people.
When the sun had set Abram sees, passing between the pieces of the cut animals, a manifestation of smoke and fire. In these forms (as in the pillar of cloud and fire in Exodus 13:21-22) God “walks” through the blood, staking God’s own life on the fulfillment of the promise to Abram.
The Winding Path 