Five on Four: Genesis 14:1-12
As our heart draws closer to the world, we suffer consequences alongside the world. We all know how the world works. The world isn’t fair. We don’t always get what we want. In fact, we don’t even always get what we work for. God is righteous and just, the world often isn’t.
The story now turns to a series of kings who band together and invade the territory of another group of kings. In the modern world, this wouldn’t be much more than a war band going out to take on some other war band. In those days, however, this was a significant uprising among different communities. Weapons of war were far fewer, the process of smelting metals was considerably more difficult, and communities were smaller in general. Armies composed of several hundred men were significantly more impressive than they would be thought of today.
Four kings make war against five kings. Considering the five kings were on their home turf, they should have had a numerical advantage as well as an advantage given their knowledge of the battlefield terrain. However, the invaders carry the day. The four kings defeat the five. It could be the invading kings were more prepared – or more likely the defending kings didn’t take the threat seriously and were less prepared. It could also be that God had a greater plan in action and to make that plan work the invaders needed to carry the day. Whatever the reason, the invading kings win. In fact, the invaders win so soundly that the defending soldiers get trapped in the very geographic formations that should have given them the advantage!
We should take nothing for granted. It is easy to feel like we have homefield advantage and not prepare. Yet, if we want to be able to resist the world when it comes for us, we need to do our part and prepare ourselves for the challenge.
As the war ends, the victorious kings come and take prisoners. They take valuable items. They take the men and women to become slaves. They do what the world does when it is victorious. To the victors go the spoils. Wealth often brings a different set of problems.
Lot gets caught up in the spoils. In fact, this story is only in the Bible because Lot gets caught up into its midst. Lot chose to go into the Jordan Valley because it reminded him of Egypt. Lot drew closer to Sodom because he wanted the trappings of civilization, which he learned to love in Egypt. Now Lot has his precious wealth stripped from him as he gets caught up in the very world his eyes found attractive.
Lot loses everything because he wanted to be like the world. Lot is taken away as a spoil of war because his eyes and his heart strayed from God’s ways. As our heart draws closer to the world, we suffer consequences alongside the world.
