God probed Abram.

God set out a plan to fully grasp what was in this human being’s heart. He had gigantic purpose for Abram. God needed to know the measure of the man. Though God’s efforts were difficult and challenging for Abram, his response to God’s actions was never negative. Abram moved forward loyally with hope-filled trust.

The Bible reveals the wonderful fruits of God’s handiwork in Abram’s life. Our people—the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh—still enjoy those fruits physically. We, the members of God’s Church, are enjoying his spiritual fruits. We own awesome spiritual treasure through Jesus Christ—the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). Yet, we must produce even more fruit. How?

What we know of Abram’s walk with God gives us the pattern to follow. When God looks deeply into our lives—turns the spotlight on to our problems—it is all for our good. God’s probing into our hearts will bring incredible blessings to us now and will be a blessing to all the people living in the World Tomorrow. When God searches into our hearts—He always provides the help for the cleanup. We must remain upbeat and wait patiently for the unquestionably positive results of God working in our lives.

Abram the Giver

The Bible shows us what God learned about Abram. The man possessed a giving spirit. Abram’s treatment of Lot brings this fact into living color. Abram and Lot returned from Egypt loaded with wealth. During the stay in Egypt, both had gained flocks, herds and servants (Genesis 12:16; 13:5). The traveling uncle-and-nephew duo had grown into two small villages. Out of necessity, they had to separate. Their growing individual physical wealth was the source of their problems. Their combined holdings of sheep and cattle outstripped the land’s ability to provide provender. There were way too many animals for the grazing territory. Competition for the best grass arose between the two men’s herdsmen (Genesis 13:7). The peace among the families was evaporating in the emotional heat. The problem was also becoming evident to the neighboring peoples. Moses tells us: “… and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land” (verse 7). The tension within God’s little group was about to go public. God’s good name was in danger of being tarnished.

Not wanting to have any bad light cast on God’s revealed way of life, Abram came forward to solve the problem. With quality character evident, and in true meekness, Abram suggested that the two separate geographically. Surrendering his obvious right to command the situation, Abram gave Lot the first choice of territory (verse 9). With this act, Abram preserved the peace. He made sure that there were no hard feelings to further split the relationship. With the land opened up freely to him, Lot chose to move his flocks and herds to the green, grassy plains close to the Jordan River. It was the best land for feeding animals. Abram remained behind in Canaan.

In time, Lot’s decision would prove to be the worst one—spiritually. Why? He moved too close to Sodom and Gomorrah. He actually set up his tent facing Sodom. Moses alerts us to Lot’s future crisis by drawing attention to the fact that God knew that the men of Sodom were wicked and exceedingly evil (verses 10-13). Lot’s decision was fateful and would cause him intense suffering. Yet Abram’s willingness to give the best to Lot brought him even more blessings from God.

Just after Lot branched out from Abram’s presence, God expanded the promises made to the aging man. God said: “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (verses 14-17). Abram gave to Lot; God gave more to Abram. Get the vision God offered Abram. What man is able to count the dust of the Earth? Not one. Abram was promised that no one could count his family as it grew into the future. What a heart-stopping promise. God told him his children would not only possess Canaan, they would cover the Earth (compare this scripture with Genesis 15:5-8; 28:14).

Lot settled into a specific location that would become the homeland of his descendents. Yet God commanded Abram to continue walking the length and breadth of the land. God did not permit Abram to settle down. The man willingly moved on, stopping for a while in the plain of Mamre. To express his deep gratitude to God, he built a new altar near Hebron to worship God (Genesis 13:18). Things were going very well for the old traveler. While Lot’s life was heading for danger—Abram’s was not. His future was bright. So was his family’s that would come after him. The descendents of Abram were destined to spread out and possess the best lands on Earth. The spiritual children of Abram—the Church of God—will inherit the entire Earth.

Chedorlaomer: Fact or Fiction?

Abram’s benevolence toward Lot went far beyond giving him a choice of land. Abram was willing to give up his own life to save Lot. This man was deeply loyal to those close to him. Genesis 14 gives us the details on this aspect of Abram’s character. Even more, this chapter is a key that unlocks the knowledge about how God used this man to influence the world geopolitically.

This chapter is the true account of critical history that contributes greatly to our understanding of current world events. Bible intellectuals and scholars do not grasp the significance of the slaughter of the Assyrian kings. In fact, they reject the truth revealed here. Most have put this chapter into the category of Hebrew fiction. The Apostle Paul confirmed the account as history in Hebrews 7:1. We must learn that what scholars attack is often worthy of more personal attention from us.

The controversy surrounding this piece of Bible history focuses on the name Chedorlaomer. Since several known extra-biblical accounts had not used the name, intellectuals construed Chedorlaomer to be a myth. However, in time, archaeology unearthed native Elamite and Babylonian documents that fully supported the use of the name. In fact, every name listed in Genesis 14:1 is a perfect cultural match to the geographic area each king ruled (see On the Reliability of the Old Testament, by K.A. Kitchen, page 320). Yet, most scholars still cast an evil eye toward the ancient chronicle.

In a similar vein, this scene from Abram’s life baffles even these scholars who accept the saga. Many have a hard time reconciling that the deeply Spirit-minded Abram maintained a small army and was experienced in fighting. It is clear from the Scriptures that Abram was on a spiritual journey. Yet here is vital teaching about what a spiritual journey involves. The truly spiritual person must fight and win many battles.

In addition, we must not forget that God commissioned Abram to lay the foundation for the establishment of the physical nation of Israel. Abram conquered these Gentile kings—militarily. Why? Yes, this act did save Lot from certain slavery. More than that, however, it paved the way for the master plan of God to continue on schedule. Let’s be sure to get the meaning of this chapter.

Assyrian Kings Rising

We can gain a better sense of the importance of Genesis 14 if we compare it with Genesis 12:10-20. Notice in these verses that Moses does not mention the length of time Abram and Sarai were in Egypt. He does not discuss the political status of Egypt. He only focuses on the event surrounding Sarai and the fact that Pharaoh richly gifted Abram.

To obtain a clear understanding here we must look at whatis not said. It should be obvious to us when studying Genesis 12 that Abram and Sarai were accepted into the upper layer of society—that of Pharaoh and the Egyptian leadership. The accumulation of wealth described in Genesis 13:2 appears to be much more than what Pharaoh gave him and most likely means they spent a considerable length of time in the land of Mizraim.

From what little Moses tells us, we can presume that Abram’s bright intellect, talents and education had a positive influence in Egypt. There was good reason for this. Abram’s offspring would spend much time in Egypt. Moses would be trained as a prince of Egypt—a necessary event for welding the tribes of Israel into a nation. It is safe to assume that Abram likely established a large portion of the education Moses later received.

In Genesis 14, Moses opens by discussing the growing political and economic dominance of the Assyrian kings. Read through to verse 12, and you will agree there is a lot more detail here. Using brute force, the Assyrians were gobbling up the lands moving west from Shinar (verses 1-7). The violent bullies took control of the land from Babylon to Petra. They were cruelly enslaving the people of the various lands. Here is the dangerous point. They were sweeping through Canaan and moving toward Egypt.

We must not do just a quick read and pass over these verses. Truly, the names of the Assyrians are not as important to understand as is the situation.

Warrior Chief

The Assyrians’ actions posed a threat to what God planned to do with Israel and Egypt. It was not time for Assyria to ascend to power. That would come to pass centuries later, at the time of the Kingdom of Israel. God used Abram to stop the Assyrians at that time, just as He used the descendants of Abraham to stop them in World Wars i and ii. You may request gratis copies of The United States and Britain in Prophecy and Germany and the Holy Roman Empire for more details on this subject. This literature will open up to you fantastic understanding about the coming world dominance of the modern descendants of ancient Assyria.

Moses shows that the peoples remained subservient to these kings for a period of 12 years. Led by the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, the people rebelled (verse 4). On a bloody rampage, Chedorlaomer and his allies set out to crush the rebellion (verses 5-11). Murder, rape, pillage and captivity spread the message: Don’t rebel! The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies challenged Chedorlaomer in the vale of Siddim, near the Dead Sea (verse 8). Yet, being brave and bold helped them little. They were no match for the war-minded Assyrians. The battle was quickly lost.

Fearing death or slavery, the losing kings and their armies fled from the scene and fell into bitumen pits that covered the area. Abandoned and left helpless, an Assyrian trap slammed shut on the local people. Lot and his family became captives (verse 12).

An escapee informed Abram that the brutal, blood-thirsty Assyrians were transporting Lot, his family and all his goods to their homeland. Abram did not delay to take the necessary action. He set out to rescue Lot. This is proof that Abram harbored no ill feelings over the land problems with his nephew.

Take notice here. Moses gives us an amazing picture of Abram the warrior. In fact, Abram is the warrior chief. This view of Abram should greatly encourage all who are soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). Well-armed for a fight, he chased after Lot with 318 of his own trained men and three confederate tribal leaders (Genesis 14:13-14). This means that Abram was no stranger to a righteous fight. He educated the men born in his own household to win. The tiny band of brothers caught up with Chedorlaomer and his army in what would later become northern Israel, the lands of Dan. It was nightfall. Abram waited patiently. In the Gentile camp, the kings and soldiers were wildly celebrating their victory. When they had put themselves into a drunken stupor, Abram made his move. Combining the power of God with military savvy and strategy into an element of surprise, Abram was able to create considerable confusion in the pitch-black night. We could speculate that God caused the army to turn on themselves. This is a battle tactic God employed many times to help Israel (e.g., 1 Samuel 14:20).

Meeting With Melchizedek

Abram snuffed out the lives of Chedorlaomer, his kingly allies and a large part of the army in the dark of night. He dealt Assyria a defeat that would take it centuries to overcome. Some of the badly beaten terrorists fled, still gripping Lot and his family in their clutches. Not dismayed, Abram tracked them down near Damascus (Genesis 14:15). He rescued Lot, and his family and wealth. Remarkably, he also brought back all the people and goods of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram proved to be an incredible blessing for Lot. More importantly, his future fledgling family nation would not suffer the dominance of Assyria until much later in its history.

The ending of this chapter holds great significance. Abram was welcomed home with great public ceremony. The king of Sodom came out to meet him in the king’s dale (compare Genesis 14:17 with 2 Samuel 18:18). More importantly, Melchizedek—the preincarnate Jesus Christ, Priest of the Most High God (Hebrews 7:3)—also met him (read Mystery of the Ages for more). God was very pleased with the outcome of Abram’s efforts. This King of Salem blessed him as “Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18-19). Abram is portrayed here as someone in a unified relationship with the most significant Being in the universe. What a compliment!

Notice also that Melchizedek blessed God who gave Abram the victory over the enemy (verse 20). Abram responded in kind. As the possessor of all the spoils of the conflict, he paid tithes on all the goods to God. In so doing, he recognized his source of protection and expressed his deep gratitude for the victory. He also demonstrated his constant obedience to his God. The tithing laws (e.g., Proverbs 3:9) were definitely in force in Abram’s time.

Study the end of this exciting chapter. The king of Sodom offered Abram all the wealth recovered in his victory (Genesis 14:21), but Abram refused to accept anything from this wretched king who allowed so much evil in his land. Speaking for himself alone, Abram upbraided this king, saying, “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” (verses 22-23). Abram made it clear to the people that his life was different from all of theirs. He served a mighty God who not only ruled the Earth and universe, but who protected and provided for all those who served Him. This is the same message going out from God’s Church to the world of today.

Isaac Promised

As Abram grew in wealth, he was plagued with the reality that he and Sarai were growing much older. God promised to make him a great nation. The Most High promised him innumerable descendants, yet he had no son—no heir to give his worldly goods to. He wondered how it would all work out.

God appeared to him in a night vision sometime after the slaughter of the Assyrian rulers. God said: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15:1). God reaffirmed that He would always be a shield for Abram. He would be Abram’s exceeding great reward. Abram opened up and told God all that was on his mind. He leveled with God. He reminded God that he still did not have a son. In fact, he was preparing to make Eliezer of Damascus his heir.

God comforted His Abram: “This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir” (verse 4). God took Abram outside of his tent and had him look at the stars. God wanted him to count the stars. Of course, he could not. God illustrated for him His incredible promise. What He promised to Abram was going to come to pass. The glory of the night sky was proof.

How did Abram respond? He believed God. What was God’s reaction? Moses wrote, “[H]e counted it to him for righteousness” (verse 6). This is the pivotal verse in the whole history of Abram. In fact, it encapsulates the central theme of Christ’s gospel. Christian salvation comes by faith in God’s promises—His Word. True righteousness comes by faith. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned.

Recognizing Abram’s faith, God then recounted His promise to Abram to give him the land of Canaan (verse 7). Abram asked, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (verse 8). This was an honest, heartfelt question. Knowing this, God answered it in a spectacular manner. He made His promise sure to Abram through an incredible vision. He ratified His promise with a miraculous covenant. Notice the details in verses 9 through 11. God directed Abram to kill and divide in half a heifer, a she goat and a ram goat, all 3 years old. In addition, Abram had to kill a turtle dove and a pigeon but not divide them. He protected the slain animals from scavengers all that day.

At dusk, Abram fell into a deep sleep. In a vision, God showed him over four centuries of history related to his future family. Obviously God gave this vision to make the promise of offspring more real than observing the glory of the stars (verses 13-16). Then, to prove that Abram could fully rely on His word, God bound Himself to His promise by a covenant. What a covenant!

Study these verses. Abram provided the animals, but God provided spiritual fire to consume the sacrifices. The relationship between God and Abram was sealed by fire. God vowed before this pious man, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (verses 18-21). God loved this man so much, He left no doubt that what He promised would take place. He proved to Abram by a vision and an extraordinary sacrifice that Isaac would be born and grow into great nations.

Abram to Abraham

While Abram believed God, Sarai struggled with her faith. She knew about the promise of a male child. Yet there was no child. She recognized that her childbearing years were in the distant past. Realize she was about 10 years younger than Abram—she was approaching her late 70s at the time of Abram’s vision (compare Genesis 17:1 and 17). Still, she desperately wanted a child. She manipulated control of the situation by offering her handmaid Hagar to Abram as a means to have a child. According to the prevailing laws at that time, the child would be hers since Hagar was considered her property. Abram weakly submitted to the plan and the fruits of their actions caused incredible affliction in their marriage and family. The bad fruits are still evident in the conflict between the Arabs and Jews today. This history would fill an article by itself. You should study the history of Hagar and Ishmael on your own.

Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:16). Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram. He was 99. With a tone of correction, God said, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly” (Genesis 17:1-2). Abram fell on his face before this great God. Here is why. Study the word perfect. The Hebrew word here is tamiym and means to be entire in integrity or truth. The word can also mean wholehearted. God wanted Abram to give Him his whole heart—to trust Him completely—which he did not do in the matter of Sarai and Hagar. God reminded Abram of His covenant and promise to multiply him—if he would walk with God.

God further cemented the truth of His promise by changing Abram’s name to Abraham. The name Abram in the Hebrew means high father. However, Abraham in the Hebrew means father of multitudes, or nations (verses 5-6). God left no doubt. The matter was done. God would bring it all about. In full control of all the human events, He would make Abram the father of nations. God would do it His way—through Sarai. To prove it, God changed her name to Sarah, meaning the mother of nations (verses 15-16).

Falling on his face again, Abraham laughed.

(to be continued next Friday)