Abram Chooses Grace (Genesis 14:1-24)
Abram Chooses Grace
Genesis 14:1-24
March 16, 2014
As you know we are working through what we have called
“The Gospel According to Moses”.
It is a study of the book of Genesis.
Far from a history book, Genesis is
Moses’ gospel message to the children of Israel.
By highlighting God’s work in the lives of certain individuals,
We have been able to see the God chooses to work with humanity.
In Adam – the tragic reality of sin
In Noah – the terrible reality of judgment
In Abram – the terrific reality of salvation
And again, just to remind you, Abram teaches us far more than faith.
Abram’s life is not just about faith, but is about salvation.
Salvation is not just about faith.
Faith is the requirement of the sinner who comes to God.
But that is only half of the equation.
Long before faith ever enters the scene,
We first must recognize God’s part, which is grace.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”
And this reality is certainly true in the life of Abram.
Abram has such a sparkling reputation for his walk of faith, that many times People forget what type of person Abram was when God chose him.
• Abram was a pagan idol worshiper
• Abram had a barren wife
• Abram loved the world
All of that has been seen repeatedly in our study of Genesis.
And as we saw all that, it became exceedingly clear that Abram
• Was not a righteous man
• Was not a capable man
• Was not an interested man (not seeking God)
If it were not for the grace of God toward Abram,
You would never know about the tremendous faith
We so often see displayed in the New Testament.
Abram was saved “by grace…through faith”
And thus far we have yet to get to the faith part of Abram’s life.
That will primarily come next week in chapter 15.
Now we have seen tidbits of faith from Abram.
• He did leave Ur of the Chaldeans
• He did trust God with his inheritance, letting Lot choose first
Abram’s faith is present, and it is growing.
And in chapter 15 Abram’s faith will become saving faith.
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
Right now Abram is TASTING God.
In chapter 15, he will begin to start fully TRUSTING God.
And this too is an act of grace toward him.
God has granted Abram his faith, and God is growing and shaping that faith, until it is saving faith.
This is a gracious work God does in the lives of all His children.
Which is why we say that even our faith is a gift to us from God.
It is “not of yourselves”
But we have yet to embark on a study of Abram’s faith.
Right now we are still in the “grace” part of the equation.
And to try and really simplify what we have seen.
We saw God’s grace to Abram:
THROUGH GOD’S PROMISE
• God spoke to Abram and promised to give him an inheritance and descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth.
• Abram didn’t deserve it, Abram couldn’t have achieved it, but God was promising it.
THROUGH GOD’S PROTECTION
• You will remember that Abram immediately jumped at the promise of God, but when a few dark clouds appeared on the horizon, Abram threw the promise behind his back and headed for Egypt where he traded off his wife for momentary prosperity.
• However, God would not let Sarai be corrupted, or Abram forsake his inheritance.
• God intervened, sent a plague on Egypt and sent Abram back to Canaan.
• God was graciously protecting the promise.
THROUGH GOD’S PRUNING
• God had made a massive promise to Abram, and yet Abram was content to settle for less than what God had promised.
• God promised a son, descendants, and a mighty nation.
• Abram was content with a nephew named Lot.
• In fact, despite God’s requirement that Abram leave his relatives and his father’s house, Abram had still hung on to Lot.
• Without a doubt Abram expected Lot to be his heir.
• But God had bigger plans, and so God had to prune Lot from his life.
• The nephew had to be removed to make way for the son.
It was pruning, it was painful, but it most certainly was only done
For the purpose of increasing Abram’s fruit.
Jesus said:
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
And that is what God was doing to Abram.
God was graciously pruning him, that he might be even more fruitful.
Well this morning we are still looking at GRACE,
And to a degree we are still looking at PRUNING.
However there is a difference.
When God pruned Lot, God really did it without any help of Abram at all.
God just orchestrated the events and took care of it.
But here, Abram will have to make the choice of
Whether or not he will let go of the weeds that will get in his way.
Sometimes pruning consists of God removing things (like Lot),
Sometimes pruning is when God asks us to remove things (here).
First, TURN TO: LUKE 8:11-15
You are most likely familiar with this wonderful parable given to us by the Lord.
I would like to jump to the end of this (and the next parable)
To make sure you understand the point.
Luke 8:18 “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
The point of the parable of the sower is in fact listening.
How do you listen to God?
Now some, as you see, don’t listen at all.
(12) “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”
They are the hard soil, and when the word comes, it just rolls right off their back.
Obviously they produce no fruit, they never even took the seed.
Some, do listen, but they don’t listen well.
(13) “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
They hear all that is said about the blessing,
But fail to hear anything about the requirement or the hardship.
So when a little hardship hits, they bale and also produce no fruit.
Then we have some who listen well, and understand what is required, they just don’t believe what they hear, in the sense that they don’t think the blessing is as good as God says it is, and they trade that blessing for earthly treasure.
(14) “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
And then of course we get the good listener, who listens carefully, believes what he heard and thus produces fruit.
(15) “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”
And I bring that illustration up to you because this morning
Abram is going to have to choose what to do with the weeds in his heart.
Jesus identified those weeds as
“the worries and riches and pleasures of this life”.
And according to Jesus those weeds will
Choke out the word and cause a person to be unfruitful.
And we know these are weeds that have been thriving in Abram’s life.
A little reminder?
When Abram and his dad left Ur of the Chaldeans…
Genesis 11:31 “Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.”
We asked what did they do there?
Genesis 12:5 “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.”
They got rich, they bought slaves, they accumulated the world.
James 4:13-17 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
That was Abram.
And even after God called Abram to this new land of promise,
We still see these weeds growing in his life.
What was it that caused Abram to leave the land of Canaan? Famine.
I think that would classify as “the worries” that Jesus was talking about.
When Abram came out of Egypt, we read about him:
Genesis 13:2 “Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.”
The point being that Abram has been a man who loves the world,
Who loves the “riches and pleasures of this life”
And who “worries” about them.
But as Jesus taught us, this is a weed that must be dealt with
Or Abram will never produce the fruit that God intends.
Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
That is a familiar passage from the Lord.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth”
In other words, quit planting weeds in your garden.
Why? Because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Your heart follows your treasure.
And then the great reality.
“No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and wealth”
NOTHING HINDERS THE FRUITFUL LIFE
LIKE A LITTLE LOVE OF THE WORLD.
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
• And the reality is, if you desire to be fruitful…
• If you desire to fulfill all that God has in store for you…
A little pruning will have to occur.
And this is certainly going to have to happen in Abram’s life.
God isn’t going to make Abram poor,
But he is going to MAKE ABRAM CHOOSE which he wants.
This choice occurs here in chapter 14.
Now if you have read through Genesis (and most of you have),
This is another of those stories that can cause you to scratch your head.
It sort of stands out from the norm, kind of like the story of
The tower of Babel or of Noah getting drunk.
It just seems strange.
That is why you must keep it in context of the flow
Of what Moses is teaching us.
Moses is reminding us of how God called a sinner like Abram
Then pruned and shaped on him until he was the father of faith.
This event was a monumental day in the life of Abram
As to the type of man he would become.
For today, Abram would have to choose the benefits of the world,
Or the blessing of God.
We will find that Abram chooses grace.
Incidentally, that is a choice that you have to make as well.
• You must choose the benefit of the world or the blessing of God.
• You must choose the weeds or the fruit.
• You must choose this life or God’s life.
In short you must choose if you are going to live in the flesh,
Or if you are going to live in grace.
Three things here.
#1 A MAJOR DELIMMA
Genesis 14:1-12
Now I really hoped to take turns with us all reading these names out loud.
(No one ever said Bible reading wasn’t an adventure)
But because of the difficulty of names, and the way they are recorded, the whole story can be a little confusing to understand, so let me see if I can make it clear to you.
In verses 1-3 Moses is reminding the children of Israel of a war that occurred in the days of Abram.
(1-3) “And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).”
Now, to move further, verses 4-9 explain the reason for that war.
(4) “Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.”
Here is what happened.
There were 5 kings who served Chedorlaomer,
And they served him for 12 years.
That meant they had to pay some sort of tax or duty to him and were in his subjects.
But after serving him for 12 years,
In the 13th year they had enough and the rebelled.
These 5 kings were:
• The King of Sodom
• The King of Gomorrah
• The King of Admah
• The King of Zeboiim
• The King of Zoar
So these five had enough and the all banded together
To form a sort of coalition to resist Chedorlaomer.
Now when they revolted Chedorlaomer took counter measures.
He then took three more kings and formed a coalition of his own.
• The King of Shinar (Babylon)
• The King of Ellasar
• The King of Goiim
And he with these other 3 kings went on the war path,
Seeking to pillage, plunder, and wipe out any rebellion.
And verses 5-7 give a brief description of Chedorlaomer and his three friends on the war path.
(READ 5-7)
And really you just need to see that these men were lethal,
And no one seemed to be able to stand against them.
And that brings about the battle previously mentioned in verses 1-3.
(READ 8-9)
So we have Chedorlaomer and his 3 friends,
Squaring off in battle against the 5 kings that revolted against him.
As Moses says, “four kings against five”
So there is the war, and there is the reason for the war.
Verses 10-12 show us the result of the war.
(10-12) “Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.”
To make a long story short, the four kings defeated the five.
And when the Chedorlaomer was looting the towns,
He kidnapped Lot and all the possessions of the city and departed.
So there is the real point of the story.
Moses told you all that, to tell you this – Lot was kidnapped.
That is the MAJOR DELIMMA
#2 A MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE
Genesis 14:13-16
So now the story continues with word of this defeat
Reaching the ears of Abram.
(13) “Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.”
Incidentally, this is the first time we see the word “Hebrew” used.
It literally means “one who crosses over” (as in the river)
The people of the land recognized Abram as a stranger in a foreign land.
Hebrews 11:9 “By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;”
And now this outsider has lost a nephew
And one who escaped the battle has come and told Abram.
And this is where the story gets interesting.
Might I remind you who has taken Lot?
The King of Elam named Chedorlaomer.
• The same Chedorlaomer that held 5 other kingdoms in subjection for 12 years.
• The same Chedorlaomer that squashed down the rebellion of all 5 kings combined.
• The same Chedorlaomer that also squashed the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites.
• The same Chedorlaomer who also conquered all the lands of the Amorites and the Amalekites.
My point?
This is no pushover who has taken Lot.
Thus far no king or no coalition has been able to stand against him.
That is what makes Abram’s response seem a little hasty.
(This is a David and Goliath type battle)
(14) “When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”
Now we don’t know the size of the armies of Chedorlaomer and his 3 friends, but I think it is safe to say that it was bigger than 318.
The obvious observation is that Abram is way overmatched.
But Abram goes to war.
And then, the unthinkable happens!
(15-16) “He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.”
Now if you don’t see the miracle here,
Then you are not looking hard enough.
Melchizedek will certainly see it here in a minute
As he recognizes that God must certainly be with Abram.
But the point is that Abram just defeated someone
He never should have been able to defeat.
Abram just dispossessed a king he never should have been able to dispossess.
The Major Dilemma, The Miraculous Deliverance
#3 A MONUMENTAL DECISION
Genesis 14:17-24
Now I don’t have to tell you that the first 16 verses
Were really just for the point of getting to this situation.
(All that to tell you this)
First you must notice that Abram is instantly confronted by two kings.
(17-18) “Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.”
So Abram is confronted by two kings.
1) The King of Salem
2) The King of Sodom
LET’S SEE THE CHARACTER OF THESE TWO KINGS.
We know about Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:1-3 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.”
Melchizedek was a righteous man,
Who was actually a foreshadow of Christ.
Just as Melchizedek was both king and priest without being of the tribe of Levi,
So also Christ was both king and priest without being of the tribe of Levi.
So we know about Melchizedek.
We also know about the King of Sodom.
(We don’t know him specifically, but we know about his city)
Under his leadership this city
Would become the poster child for immorality.
• It would become a city so depraved that angels could not safely stay at the square.
• It would become a city so depraved that God would not even be able to find 10 righteous among them.
• It would become a city so depraved that God would make an example out of them for the ages.
So I think it is safe to say that we are dealing with two kings
Who are opposites in every possible way.
One would foreshadow Christ’s kingdom.
One would foreshadow Satan’s kingdom.
THE SECOND THING WE RECOGNIZE ABOUT THESE TWO MEN IS THAT THEY EACH BROUGHT SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO ABRAM.
The King of Salem brought a blessing.
(18-20) “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Melchizedek recognized the favor of God on Abram.
Melchizedek understood that the only reason Abram was victorious
Was because “God Most High” was with him.
The important reality here is that grace was now visible on Abram’s life.
It was apparent even to those around him
That God was in fact blessing this man.
And Melchizedek recognizes this blessing and repeats it.
He brought a blessing.
The King of Sodom however brought a bribe.
(21) “The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.”
Now it may just seem like a nice gesture on this king’s part,
But Abram knew exactly what was going on here.
He understood that if he took anything from the king of Sodom,
Then he would look on that as a favor.
(Many of you have seen The Godfather)
Abram would be indebted to him.
This man was a manipulator.
He offered the world, but there were always strings attached.
And so you see that these men are in fact different,
Offering different things.
One is offering the blessing of God.
One is offering the benefits of the world.
And Abram will have to choose which he wants.
Abram will either choose to pursue the grace of God, or his own flesh.
And I remind you again that Abram had a history here.
The Abram back in Ur or Haran would have taken the money without thought.
After all, Abram raised Lot, and that is what Lot did.
He learned it somewhere.
But God is pruning Abram, and it is time
For Abram to choose who he is going to serve.
Abram will either have to recognize the value of grace and follow God
Or embrace the value of gold and become like all the rest.
Well, the blessing is that you and I know what Abram chose.
ABRAM CHOSE GRACE!
To Melchizedek
(20b) “He gave him a tenth of all.”
Abram tithed before titheing was commanded.
This wasn’t a required ordinance, this was a gift from the heart.
Abram willingly parted with his possessions as a way
To say thank you to the God who had been so gracious to him.
Abram loved God and chose to place his future in God’s hands.
(Abram will give a sacrifice along this same line later, with his son)
To the King of Sodom
(22-24) “Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ “I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”
Abram was letting the king of Sodom know that
He would not be indebted to him.
Abram was making a declaration:
• I know where my blessing comes from, and I will stick with Him.
• I know who secures my future, and I will trust Him.
Abram forsook the wealth of the world
That he might obtain the grace of God.
This was a monumental moment in Abram’s life.
• Abram decided to pull the weeds from his heart, and let God have it all.
• Abram decided that he was going to be a follower of God Most High.
He wanted grace.
And friend that is a decision that each of us must make in our own lives.
The reality is that you cannot love God and wealth.
You cannot take this world and the next.
Now that old devil, like the king of Sodom,
Will come offering you all sorts of worldly attractions,
But there are always strings attached.
Someone once said, “Give the devil an inch, and he’ll want to be your ruler”
You must be willing to part ways with him.
On the other hand there is God, who offers you grace.
But get this – He also demands to be your ruler.
The difference is that the grace He offers
Far outweighs the momentary pleasure the devil offers.
For God loves you and the devil does not.
Abram saw that.
Abram knew where he was in life.
• He had a God who had chosen him
• He had a God who had protected him
• He had a God who was looking out for his best interest
And Abram is now deciding to put it all in His hands.
He rejected the wealth of the world that he might pay a tithe to God.
Which do you choose?
The goods of the world or the grace of God?
Abram chose grace, I recommend you do the same.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
