Bible Basics: Genesis 14
Genesis 14
The Devastation of War
Verses 1–4: These first few verses of Genesis 14 summarize a war described in greater detail in the verses that follow. Lot has moved his household to the fertile Jordan plain, away from Abram. Five kings in this region (including the king of Sodom, where Lot lives) have been subject to Kedorlaomar, king of Elam, for twelve years. By year thirteen, they've had enough. They rebel presumably by refusing to continue paying tribute to Kedorlaomar.
5–7: In year fourteen, Kedorlaomar and three allies (other kings from the Mesopotamian region — modern-day Middle East) combine forces to put an end to this rebellion. En route to the Jordan plain, they ravage all peoples in their path: the Rephaites, Zuzites, Emites, Horites, Amalekites, and Amorites.
8–12: The five kings stand ready to battle Kedorlaomar and company in the Valley of Siddim (likely on the southern end of the Salt Sea). Despite a brave front, they fall in defeat—some literally into tar pits, while others flee to the hills. The armies with Kedorlaomar ransack the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, plundering all their possessions and food. They also take Lot (with all his possessions), the women of the cities, and many others prisoner.
Abram's Righteousness in God
13–16: Someone manages to escape, and lets Abram know the dire situation. Without hesitation, Abram rallies his own household army of 318 men, as well as his neighboring allies Aner, Eschol, and Mamre with their fighting forces. He divides his men and surprises the enemy with a nighttime attack, rescuing Lot, the other prisoners, and all the stolen possessions.
The Blessing of Walking with God
17–20: Returning from Victory, Abram meets with the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, king of Salem. Melchizedek’s specific identity is unclear, but he serves Abram as a priest of God. He blesses Abram, acknowledging that blessing, deliverance, and victory in life ultimately come from God, who reigns over everything.
Melchizedek also provides a meal for Abram. The bread and wine hint at the coming covenant God will make with Abram in chapter fifteen, as a meal accompanying a covenant was common practice in the Middle East at the time. They also foreshadow the coming of Christ. Jesus offers the same meal to his closest followers the night before his crucifixion, encouraging them to remember his broken body and shed blood once he returns to heaven (Luke 22:14–20). His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection would be God's way of bringing salvation to them and the entire world—a rescue from spiritual death and the granting of eternal life by way of a reconciled relationship with God. Just as God provided for Abram, he’ll provide for us today if we receive his salvation and walk in a relationship of love, trust, and obedience with him.
Abram honors both God and Melchizedek by offering a tenth of all the spoils. This establishes the principle of prioritizing God first in our lives, giving him the first and best of all that we have and all that we are.
21–24: The king of Sodom asks that Abram return only the people, allowing him to keep all the goods he recovered. Abram refuses, accepting only the food his men ate on the return trip and payment of a portion of the goods to his allies for their help. In wisdom, he relies on God to bring him security, provision, and fullness in life, and keeps himself free from indebtedness to another. This type of lifestyle frees us to live in full devotion to God, and receive the abundance in life he desires for us all.