The Righteous Are Able: Genesis 14:13-16
God is willing to teach us lessons when we stray; it is up to us to learn and apply them. None of us are perfect. My life is rife with mistakes I’ve made. Obviously, the goal is to minimize the frequency of mistakes. When mistakes do happen, the goal is learning from the mistakes and not repeating them.
Abram hears of Lot’s capture and decides to do something about the waring kings. This is more important than it initially appears. Yes, it makes sense for Abram to go after his kin. There is a much farther reaching truth, though. If Abram hadn’t gone, this story would not be in the Bible. Generations of students of Genesis would not have the opportunity to learn the lesson. God’s purpose in working through Abram reaches far across time, not just in that moment.
When Abram rescues Lot, God is trying to get Lot’s attention. Both Abram and Lot went down to Egypt, but only the one who fully returned to the Lord is in a position to rescue. Abram returned to his altar to God when coming back to Canaan. He didn’t get mixed up in the ways of the world. Certainly, he talked with the world and did business with them. This passage tells us Abram even had allies among them. Abram did not ignore the world, but neither did Abram continue to get caught up in the ways of the world. This separation allowed him to be free to act as God desired of him.
Abram does what five kings were unable to do. Granted, the armies of the four kings were tired from battle, tired from looting the spoils, and tired from having to drag their spoils back home. They were, however, riding the emotional high of having been victorious alongside the sense of invincibility that comes with it. Abram carries the day because he walks with God. God desires to use this moment to teach a lesson; God empowers Abram to win. Abram uses sound tactics, he picks an appropriate time to attack, and God gives the victory into his hands.
Not only does Abram defeat the enemy, he pursues them. He chases them from the battlefield. He scatters the enemy to make it harder for them to regroup and return in a quick manner. In short, Abram does to the invaders exactly what the invaders did to the original five kings. This enables Abram to return peacefully with Lot and his possessions.
In the end, Lot survives the lesson relatively unscathed. He’ll never forget the experience, but he didn’t lose anything except a little pride. God uses the situation to show him the difference between Abram’s return to Canaan and Lot’s return to the Jordan Valley. All Lot needs to do is learn the lesson. God is willing to teach us lessons when we stray; it is up to us to learn and apply them.
