Read Genesis 14:1-15:21.

Introduction⤒🔗

Some years ago, while he was a 3rd grader at Cleveland Elementary School in Cleveland, WI, one day young Ryan Schmitz received the following letter:

Dear Ryan,

I understand that you are a big fan of the Minnesota Vikings football team and that everyone else in your school cheers for the Packers. I know that is a tough situation. I hope that you will at least consider cheering for the Packers. I hope you will think about joining us, Ryan!

Mike Holmgren (Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers)

“No, I’m not going to join him.” Ryan said, “They’re never going to talk me into it.”

Despite the peer pressure of his fellow classmates, despite the efforts of his teachers to make him a Packer fan, despite a letter from the Packers’ head coach himself, Ryan Schmitz was determined to be loyal to his team, the Minnesota Vikings.¹

May we as Christians learn from the example of that young boy and exhibit a far greater loyalty, loyalty to the LORD our God. Because He is worthy of our loyalty, let us be loyal to the LORD our God.

Be Loyal to the LORD Your God, Even When It Means Making a Sacrifice←⤒🔗

Lot had initially chosen to settle in the Plains of the Jordan in the suburbs of Sodom, because of the economic potential he saw in the fertile fields. But before long he would come to regret his decision.

His righteous soul would become tormented by the wicked lives of the men of Sodom, as the Apostle Peter informs us,

⁷...righteous Lot was distressed by the conduct of lawless men living in licentiousness—⁸for by what he saw and heard as he lived among them day by day, that righteous man felt his righteous soul tormented by their lawless deeds. 2 Pet. 2:7-8

Furthermore, Lot not only witnessed, but even was made to experience, the beginning of the LORD’s judgment upon that society. Note: In the case of Lot, what he was experiencing was a divine chastisement for his sinful decision to forsake the Promised Land of Canaan.

Eventually, the LORD would administer His final judgment upon these cities that had given themselves over to all manner of sin, (that judgment is recorded in Genesis 19:24-25),

²⁴Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah—from the LORD out of heaven.²⁵He overthrew those cities, and the entire Plain, and all the inhabitants of those cities, and also the vegetation of the land. Gen. 19:24-25

But before that final judgment fell from heaven, the LORD administered a preliminary judgment in the form of a foreign oppressor. For twelve years, the city-states of Sodom and Gomorrah were forced to pay a hefty financial tribute to a powerful confederacy under the leadership of a warlord named Chedorlaomer. When, in the thirteenth year, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah rebelled, Chedorlaomer launched a military campaign against them. The outcome resulted in the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah being defeated, their cities being plundered (14:11), and many captives being carried away into slavery, included among them was Lot and his family (14:12).

One of the captives managed to escape and make his way back to Canaan; there he reported to Abram what had happened to his nephew, Lot (14:13). Abram immediately summoned his trained militia to prepare for battle. He and his troops overtook Chedorlaomer’s army, launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night, and redeemed the captives and recouped the losses (14:14-16).

Now, as Abram returns in victory with the spoil, he is met by two men: the grateful king of Sodom and the mysterious Melchizedek. Melchizedek, identified as “priest of God Most High,” 1) supplies bread and wine to refresh Abram, 2) blesses Abram in the name of God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, and 3) blesses God Most High for giving Abram the victory. The king of Sodom, on the other hand, requests Abram to return the citizens to his city, and offers to allow Abram to keep all the spoils of war for himself.

Consider how Abram responds to these two men, and why he responds as he does. Abram gave a tenth of the spoil to Melchizedek, as a tithe to the LORD—acknowledging that the LORD is Possessor of all and the Giver of victory over the enemies of His people. Abram returns all the rest of the spoils to the king of Sodom. Why did he do so? First, in order to honor his vow to the LORD:

²²But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand in oath to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³that I will not take so much as a thread or a thong of a sandal or anything else that belongs to you, so that you may not say, I have made Abram rich. 14:22-23

Second, in order to avoid having the king of Sodom become his benefactor and his lord to whom he would be indebted. Apparently, Abram vowed that if the LORD gave him the victory, he would give God the glory and not allow the king of Sodom to become his benefactor.

Abram did what he did, even at a personal sacrifice, in order that he might be loyal to the LORD his God, and that he might not become indebted to the pagan king of Sodom. Abram realized that the blessing and favor of the world comes with strings attached, strings that can turn into cords of bondage. Abram rightfully acknowledged that the LORD God alone is our only Lord and true Benefactor.

Let us be loyal to the LORD our God, even when it means making a sacrifice. Like Abram, may we realize that the “blessings” the world offers come with strings attached—when men bestow their blessings upon us, there is often times the expectation to receive reciprocal benefits or obligations. Like Abram, may we recognize that the LORD our God is our supreme Lord and true Benefactor,

¹¹The Lord GOD is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. ¹²O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you.Psl. 84:11-12

Be Loyal to the LORD Your God, by Trusting in His Word←⤒🔗

Genesis 15:1 informs us, “After these things, [i.e. after Abram’s refusal of the king of Sodom’s offer], the Word of the LORD came to Abram.” Once again—as occurred earlier when Lot departed, (note Genesis 13:14-15, printed below)—following a difficult, but godly choice, the LORD draws near to Abram with renewed assurance.

¹⁴After Lot had separated himself from him, the LORD said to Abram, Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are and look northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵because I will give to you and to your offspring forever all the land that you see. Gen. 13:14­-15

By means of a supernatural vision, the LORD speaks to Abram: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.” Once again, here is a word of assurance that Abram’s faith and loyalty shall be rewarded and not forgotten.

Notice how Abram responds with a reverent boldness: “O Lord GOD, what will you give me?” Abram is asking, What is the reward You are going to give me? He goes on to “inform” the LORD, “I am childless, and the one who shall inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus [Abram’s servant], to me you have given no offspring.” Abram protests, O LORD, You promise to give me a great reward, but what will become of that reward? You have not yet fulfilled Your initial promise to give me a descendant to whom I can pass on the reward You now promise to give me.

The LORD assures Abram, “this man [Eliezer] shall not be your heir, but you will have a son who shall be your heir” (15:4). Again, the LORD renews His promise to give Abram a son and descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram, in turn, demonstrates his loyalty to the LORD by believing in His Word: "he believed the LORD; and the LORD credited it to him as righteousness" (15:6). Abram put his trust and confidence in the integrity and the ability and the Word of the LORD, as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 4:18-21,

¹⁸[Despite all the obstacles standing] against hope, [Abraham] believed with hope, so that he might become a father of many nations, just as it had been spoken to him, So shall your offspring be. ¹⁹And without becoming weak in faith, he acknowledged that his own body was now as good as dead, (he being about a hundred years old), and he acknowledged the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰Nevertheless, looking to the promise of God, he did not waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, thereby giving glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that what God had promised, he was also able to fulfill.

Let us be loyal to the LORD our God, by trusting in His Word. One great expression of loyalty is accepting God’s Word with confidence and by His grace resting in it and acting upon it.

Be Loyal to the LORD Your God, Relying upon His Covenant←⤒🔗

The LORD reminds Abram of His divine identity and purpose. He declares, “I am the LORD.” He is the sovereign God and the covenant God. Note Exodus 3:14-15, where the LORD reveals Himself to Moses in the same way,

God said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM.’ ¹⁵Furthermore, God said to Moses, ‘This is what you shall say to the children of Israel: the LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’

The LORD then goes on to remind Abram, “I brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans in order to give you this land to inherit” (vs. 7b).

Abram, who had just expressed his faith in the LORD’s Word (15:6), is now emboldened to ask for a divine token or sign to bolster his faith: "he said, O Lord GOD, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (15:8) The LORD now condescends to Abram’s weakness by granting him a tremendous token of assurance: the LORD enters into a formal covenant with Abram (15:9-21).

What is described in verses 9-21 is a covenant-making ceremony typical of that day. The parties involved would bring several animals, which would be sacrificed and the carcasses would be split in half. The divided carcasses would then be arranged to form a corridor. The parties entering into covenant would then pass through the corridor of the divided carcasses, thereby pledging themselves to fulfill the covenant on penalty of death.²

There is one significant difference between this particular covenant and the typical covenants of the day, in this covenant only the LORD passed through the corridor of death: “a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces [of the divided animal carcasses]” (15:17). The “smoking fire pot and flaming torch” were representing the LORD’s own presence and are comparable to the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire described in Exodus 13:21, “By day, the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way; and by night, in a pillar of fire to give them light.” The LORD was actively taking upon Himself the obligation to fulfill the covenant, while Abram was to passively rely upon the LORD’s faithfulness.

In the making of this covenant, the LORD also explained to Abram what would happen and why. Abram’s descendants would become foreigners in a strange land, there they would be oppressed; then, after four hundred years would come their salvation. Abram’s descendants must wait until the fourth generation to inherit the land, “because the iniquity of the Amorite had not yet reached its full measure” (15:16). Abram’s descendants must endure while God’s long-suffering patience allows the sin of the world to come to full fruition.

The LORD honored Abram’s faith and condescended to his weakness by establishing with him a formal covenant. It was a covenant that provided Abram with an added measure of assurance, but one that also exposed him to the awesomeness of God. Abram was exposed to the awesome Person of God as revealed in Genesis 15:12, “when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and a horror of great darkness fell upon him.” Abram was also made acquainted with the awesome way of God as revealed in Genesis 15:13-16,

¹³And he said to Abram, Know for sure that your descendants shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they shall serve the inhabitants of that land; and that nation shall afflict your descendants for four hundred years. ¹⁴But also know that I will judge that nation whom they shall serve; and afterward shall they come out with great possessions. ¹⁵But you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶And in the fourth generation, your descendants shall come back here again; because the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.

Abram was made to realize that the LORD’s promises are fulfilled in His time, and may require much patience and the endurance of much hardship before their fulfillment is accomplished. We may note how this very truth is expressed by the hymn writer, John Newton, speaking from his own experience:

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;

Tis’ grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace shall lead me home.

Let us be loyal to the LORD our God, relying upon His covenant, the covenant the LORD established at Calvary, the covenant to which all the covenants of the Old Testament pointed, and in which they find their ultimate fulfillment, the covenant of which the Lord’s Supper is the symbol and reminder,

²⁵This cup is [i.e. represents] the new covenant by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me. ²⁶Wheneveryou eat this bread and drink from the cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death—until he comes [again]. 1 Cor. 11:25-26

Here is the covenant, which is the pledge that God will surely fulfill all His promises: “However many may be the promises of God, in Christ is themes [of their fulfillment].” (2 Cor. 1:20)

Conclusion←⤒🔗

That young boy, Ryan Schmitz, was determined to be loyal to his favorite sports team; despite the pressures he faced to betray that allegiance. May we as Christians exhibit a far greater loyalty: loyalty to the LORD our God.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Why had Lot initially chosen to leave the land of Canaan and settle near Sodom? See Gen. 12:10 and 13:10 What has his choice now brought into his life? See Gen. 14:11-12; note, also, 2 Pet. 2:7­ 8 Has there ever been a time in your life when, like Lot, you have experienced adverse consequences resulting from spiritually bad decisions? As a Christian, have you learned from such experiences, as did the Psalmist (Psl. 119:67, 71, 75)?

¹⁰Now there was a famine in the land, so Abram went down into Egypt to stay there for a while, because the famine was severe in the land. Gen. 12:10

¹⁰Lot looked up and observed that all the Plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere, it was like the garden of the LORD, or like the land of Egypt as you go towards Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Gen. 13:10

¹¹Chedorlaomer and his allies took all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as all their food, then they went their way. ¹²They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who had settled in Sodom, and his possessions, and they departed. Gen. 14:11-12

⁷...righteous Lot was distressed by the conduct of lawless men living in licentiousness—⁸for by what he saw and heard as he lived among them day by day, that righteous man felt his righteous soul tormented by their lawless deeds.2 Pet. 2:7-8

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word...⁷¹[It is] good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes...⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that your judgments [are] right, and [that] in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Psl. 119:67, 71, 75

2. Upon his return from rescuing Lot, Abram is greeted by Melchizedek. How is this mysterious figure described? What does he tell Abram? What does Abram do in response, and why? See Gen. 14:18-20 Do you acknowledge the LORD to be the One who bestows His blessings upon you, or do you need to be reminded of this? Note Deut. 8:17-18.

¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine; now he was priest of God Most High. ¹⁹And Melchizedek blessed him saying, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; ²⁰and blessed be God Most High, the One who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And Abram gave him a tenth of all the spoils.Gen. 14:18-20

¹¹Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God...¹⁷then you say in your heart: My power and the might of my hand have gained for me this wealth. ¹⁸...you shall remember the LORD your God, for [it is] he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant that he swore to your fathers... Deut. 8:11, 17-18

3. Who else does Abram encounter? Describe the interaction that takes place between them. See Gen. 14:17, 21-24 Do you keep your commitment to the LORD, even when confronted with a tempting offer that would cause you to violate that commitment? What spiritually dangerous consequences may result if a Christian allows ungodly men to become his benefactors?

¹⁷The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram at the valley of Shaveh, (which is the King’s Valley), after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him...²¹And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the people, but keep the spoils for yourself. ²²But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand in oath to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³that I will not take so much as a thread or a thong of a sandal or anything else that belongs to you, so that you may not say, I have made Abram rich. ²⁴The one exception being that which the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their share. Gen. 14:17, 21-24

4. What is significance about the words with which Genesis 15 begins? Cp. Gen. 15:1 with Gen. 13:14-15 What pattern do you find occurring here? What does the LORD promise Abram, and how does Abram react? See Gen. 15:1-3; see, also 15:7-8 What does this tell us about the way we as Christians may interact with God? But what must we always bear in mind? See Gen. 18:27.

¹After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, and your reward shall be exceedingly great. Gen. 15:1

¹⁴After Lot had separated himself from him, the LORD said to Abram, Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are and look northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵because I will give to you and to your offspring forever all the land that you see. (Gen. 13:14­-15)

¹After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, and your reward shall be exceedingly great. ²And Abram said, O LORD GOD, what will you give me, seeing that I am childless, and the one who shall inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? ³And Abram said, To me you have given no offspring; so a servant born in my household is my heir...⁷And he said to him, I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, in order to give you this land to inherit. ⁸And he said, O LORD GOD, how shall I know that I shall inherit it? Gen. 15:1-3, 7-8

²⁷Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who [am but] dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the LORD...Gen. 18:27

5. The LORD has given Abram His word; but, as a means of giving Abram greater assurance, what does the LORD now do? See Gen. 15:18 How does this covenant-making ceremony compare with the typical covenant-making ceremony of the day? How does it differ? What is significant about this difference? What does this teach us about our salvation and the living of the Christian life? See Eph. 2:8-10.

¹⁸On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the Euphrates... Gen. 15:18

⁸It is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹it is not of works, therefore, no one can boast. ¹⁰We are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance in order for us to walk in them. Eph. 2:8-10