GENESIS 14: Lot Leaves the Land

In chapter 13 we saw how Lot had left the Promised Land to go to the Jordan Valley in search of fortune.

(Genesis 13:11-13)  So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.  (12)  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.  (13)  Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

What Lot did not suspect when he was on his way to Sodom was that he would find himself in the heart of a regional war.

(Genesis 14:1-3)   In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,  (2)  these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).  (3)  And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

Chedorlaomer was the king of Elam. He had managed to subdue all the kings of the region, and they all owed him tribute. He kept absolute control of the region for 12 years. However, on the thirteenth year many kings decided to break free from that yoke.

(Genesis 14:4)   Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

However, the king of Elam was not going to let this happen. He went to war against the rebels to put them under submission again.

(Genesis 14:5-7) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,  (6)  and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.  (7)  Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.

In the 14th year, Chedorlaomer and the Kings who were still faithful to him, defeated many of the rebels: the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites. Furthermore, they even conquered some extra land, taking the country of the Amalekites. However, there were still five more rebel kings that needed to surrender…

(Genesis 14:8-9)  Then 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 they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim  (9)  with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.

4 KINGS AGAINST 5 KINGS

At this historical moment in the Middle East Lot decides to move to Sodom. He was calmly walking through the Jordan Valley, having left the Promised Land, when he suddenly found himself in the middle of this war between the 4 Kings and the 5 kings:

	Defending the Status Quo		Rebel Kings
Chedorlaomer	King of Elam	Bera	King of Sodom
Amraphel	King of Shinar	Birsha	King of Gomorrah
Arioch	King of Ellasar	Shinab	King of Admah
Tidal	King of Goiim	Shemeber	King of Zeboiim
		Zoar?	King of Bela

The rebel kings were fighting in their own territory, in the Valley of Siddim, by the Salt Sea (which today is the Dead Sea). Even though they were on a familiar territory, the land became the cause of their defeat.

(Genesis 14:10)  Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.

When they began to fight the rebels were loosing territory and decided to run for their lives. However, in the midst of their fear, they forgot that on these lands underground caves develop because of the limestone soil in the area and they fell into these pits or caves. Only a few managed to get away… but they lost the battle.

Sinkhole by the Dead Sea

VULNERABLE POSITION

Lot was moving towards Sodom with his whole family and possessions, crossing the Jordan Valley.

During those times it was dangerous to travel or to live alone, since this made them vulnerable to attacks. When he left Abram behind, Lot was left only with his immediate family: his wife and two daughters. This placed him in a vulnerable position. Lot was a wealthy man, and his many belongings were a temptation for any thief along the way. However, it turned out to be also a temptation for the kings who were then at war on the Jordan Valley. When they saw him without protection they kidnapped Lot and his family and took all of their possessions.

(Genesis 14:11-12)  So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.  (12)  They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

As it usually happened, the destiny of any person who was kidnapped was slavery and that was going to be Lot’s destiny. He did not only loose his belongings, he lost his freedom.

ABRAM IS MADE AWARE

After these events took place, someone managed to escape to Hebron and told Abram what had happened to his nephew Lot.

(Genesis 14:13)  Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.

If Abram would have been upset with Lot, he could have said that he deserved this for getting separated from him. Yet Abram did not respond this way, he decided to go out and rescue his nephew.

(Gen 14:14-16)  When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.  (15)  And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.  (16)  Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Abram, together with a small army of his servants went out in search of Lot. What he did doesn’t seem logical. What could Abram do to confront a king that had just defeated and restrained all the kings of the region?

However, God was on Abram’s side and He helped him prevail. He caught up with the kidnappers up north, in the land where Syria is located today. There, against all odds, he defeated them. He managed to rescue not only Lot and his belongings, but the rest of the people who were also kidnapped. Abram was able to do what five kings and their armies could not.

KING OF SODOM

On his way back, already in the land of Canaan, an important person comes to meet Abram.

(Genesis 14:17)  After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

What did the king of Sodom want from Abram?

(Genesis 14:21)  And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself."

This seemed to be a logical proposal, in human terms. The king wanted to get his people back, but he also recognized that the victor deserved to keep the loot. In the old times people would go to war and conquer other peoples with the purpose of obtaining the spoils. This was not Abram’s intention. All he wanted to do was to rescue Lot.

Abram saw beyond the king of Sodom’s offer, and he gave a very wise response:

(Genesis 14:22-24)  But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,  (23)  that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'  (24)  I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share."

Abram had learned his lesson in Egypt. He was not going to accept any more wealth from the ungodly, lest they said that they made him rich. Unlike Lot, who was sought the wealth of Sodom, Abram did not want to have anything to do with them.

One may suppose that Lot must have learned his lesson after being kidnapped… but we will later see that he did not learn anything, since he and his family went back to Sodom.

MELCHIZEDEK

At this point a very intriguing individual appears in the narrative of the story: Melchizedek.

The text does not reveal much about him, except that he was the king of Salem and a priest of YHVH.

(Genesis 14:18-20)  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)  (19)  And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;  (20)  and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

It is believed that Salem was Jerusalem’s former name.

David wrote a prophetic psalm about the Messiah, and he mentions that he is a priest of the God Most High after the order of Melchizedek.

(Psalms 110:1-4)  A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."  (2)  The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!  (3)  Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.  (4)  The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

In the letter to the Hebrews we find the following explanation about this mysterious personality:

(Hebrews 7:1-4)  For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,  (2)  and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.  (3)  He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.  (4)  See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!

This verses point out that the king of Salem and priest of the God Most High was a figure of Jesus Christ. As a descendant of King David, Jesus has the right to the throne of Israel; but according to the established order, he could not be a priest, since this is a position that only the descendants of Aaron may attain. However, Jesus is a priest “after the order of Melchizedek”, who precedes the appointment of the Levites.