In chapter 14 of Genesis, war breaks out. Now I’m about to drop a lot of names and places on you so try to pay close attention here:

 

Team 1 (The Attackers):

King Kedorlaomer of Elam

King Amraphel of Shinar

King Arioch of Ellasar

King Tidal of Goiim

 

Team 2 (The Attacked):

King Bera of Sodom

King Birsha of Gomorrah

King Shinab of Admah

King Shemeber of Zeboiim

King Bela of Zoar

 

So team 1 goes to war against team 2 and team 2 comes together at the Valley of Siddim, also known as the Salt Sea. King Kedorlaomer has had team 2 under his thumb for 12 years, but now it was time for team 2 to rebel. And once year 13 rolled around, they did so.

 

In the 14th year, Kedorlaomer and the rest of team 1 dominated quite a few groups of people as well as the cities they lived in. Here’s a list:

 

The Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim

The Zuzim in Ham

The Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim

The Horites who lived in the hill country of Seir all the way to El Paran which was on the far edge of the desert.

Oh yeah, and just incase that wasn’t enough, on their way back home, they figured they would take out the Amalekites in En Mishpat (which was later called Kadesh) and the Amorites in Hazazon Tamar.

 

Even if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can at least realize that that is a lot of people to destroy.

 

The five kingdoms that made up team 2 had had just about enough of their four kingdom rivals and so they went to war against them. 

 

 

Unfortunately for team 2, having more kingdoms on your side doesn’t necessarily guarantee one’s victory… especially in this case. 

 

 

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled from the war they created and many of them fell into tar pits in the Valley of Siddim. However, some of them made it into the mountains where they hid until the coast was clear. Team 1 invaded the land of Sodom and Gomorrah and took all the possessions there—the food, the equipment and everything else—and were on their way. They also captured Abram’s nephew, Lot, who was living in Sodom. Also remember that Lot was very rich and now all of his stuff has been taken as well.

 

This news reached Abram by way of a fugitive and Abram got all 318 of his servants ready to chase down the kidnappers. And chase they did. They left their home at the great trees of Mamre (Marme was an ally of Abram’s and also an Amorite) and raced after Lot’s captors, finding them in a place called Dan.

 

Now Abram must find the guts to attack team 1 with the 318 servants he has…

 

Well that must be a tad bit intimidating when you know that team 1 has dominated so many peoples and places. Five Kingdoms teamed up against team 1 and lost, and now a few 318 people are supposed to defeat them?

 

But somehow Abram finds the courage to attack and separates his men into small groups. When night came they attacked and chased the kidnappers as far as a place called Hobah. Abram and his servants took back everything team 1 had taken from Sodom and Gomorrah—all the treasure, Lot and his possessions, and all the women and other people. 

 

Now that is faith in God and God in action.

 

When Abram got back, the King of Sodom met with him in the King’s Valley, the Valley of Shaveh. Melchizedek, the King of Salem, was also there and he was a priest of the Most High God. He brought with him bread and wine and blessed Abram saying:

 

“Blessed be Abram by the High God,

Creator of Heaven and Earth.

And blessed be the High God,

who handed your enemies over to you.”

 

Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all of the treasure he had recovered, much like an offering or a tithe that we give in churches today. The King of Sodom told Abram to keep all the treasure for himself, but asked that Abram return his people. However, Abram wasn’t really up for this idea. He made a promise to God right then and there.

 

“I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

Just so you know, Aner, Eshcol and Marme were allies of Abram’s. Remember how Abram was living in the great trees of Marme? Well that is Marme’s land as you might have guessed and Aner and Eshcol are his brothers. Abram didn’t want to keep anything for himself, but he wanted to make sure that these guys got their cut before the treasure was returned back to Sodom. Abram was already loaded anyways and more treasure wasn’t going to do him any good. But it seems that one thing he wanted to make sure of was that no one else was given the glory for making him rich. 

His finances were all from God.