Bible Soap

Scripture:

 Genesis 14:13-16

          “One who had escaped came and reported [Lot’s kidnapping] to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”

 Observation:

 It is rare that one thinks of Abram (or Abraham, for that matter) as a great military leader or strategist, but here that is exactly what he is. Having parted ways with his nephew Lot, he hears that Lot and his family have been taken captive by certain warring kings, and decides to take matters into his own hands. His family was vitally important to him, causing him to go so far as to organise a minor military campaign against these kings. This surprised me (I am glad to still be surprised by reading the Bible after nearly 25 years of being a Christian!), and made me think about what God put into the father of Israel in terms of characteristics. His descendants, of course, would show a lot of this military capacity later in history.

 Application:

 Sometimes you don’t really discover what God has put into you until it just comes out, until you absolutely have to do something about a situation, and you discover what’s most important to you. Abraham was totally willing to leave all his wealth for the sake of another family member, and saved him in this way. This reminds me of Jesus’ promise about leaving mothers and brothers and whatever you value for his sake (Matt 19:29) – there is a reward for doing this, and Jesus says that it is eternal life. Way better than any money or possessions I might accrue here on earth, which frankly only brings more stress.

 Prayer:

 God, teach me more and more the value of following you, and enable me to put unimportant things aside for your sake.