Genesis 14: 13 Then one who had escaped came and told
Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by [c]the
terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of
Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when
Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred
and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own
house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He
divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked
them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of
Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods,
and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and
the people.
17 And
the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s
Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the
kings who were with him.
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Weeks after Lot’s
capture, someone who had escaped, made it back to Abram. He told Abram everything
that happened. Abram gathered a tiny army of three hundred eighteen trained
servants, born in his house. Abram may have trained them himself, because he
learned the ways of the Chaldeans and picked up ways of the Amorites, where he
lived.
Abram’s tiny army
would probably blend in during the day and sneak into camp at night, killing
off the defense, little by little. Soon the rebellious king Chedorlaomer’s army
was defeated.
My Observations:
- Abram’s army was tiny in comparison to the thousands they face from other armies.
- This encounter is the first of many battles between humans that showed a clear separation between those who followed GOD and those who did not.
- The king of Sodom, still remaining cowardly, met Abram in a valley where Abram’s forces could be seen on all aides.
When GOD wiped out
humans with the flood because their thoughts were violent and evil, HE saved
only a handful of people to propagate the earth. BUT HE knew evil was still
among the handful. This evil was from Satan himself. The attitude of developing
a replica of the Garden of Eden, showed that humans did not need GOD.
Cities, towers and
currency ruled instead of bowing down to GOD. Abram and his tiny army may have
bowed to GOD and also understood that there were no negotiations with those who
would kill first and steal others. GOD allowed humans to take justice into
their own hands. Abram retrieved Lot, Sodom’s stuff, the women and the people.
He set everyone free from captivity.
Challenge
- Why do you think Abram’s tiny army was successful in freeing those who were taken into captivity?
- Have you ever felt small, but were faced with something big?
- Can you have faith that GOD can use your small numbers to show HIS greatness?
