Daily Genesis

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:4a . . Abram went forth as the Lord had commanded him,

Although Abram didn't "went forth" exactly when God told him to; he finally did; and that's what counts. Jonah didn't "went forth" when he was told to go either, but God prepared a large fish to persuade him to stop fooling around and get a move on; and he finally complied.

Repentance is essential to genuine piety. Lots of Bible heroes vacillated at first when asked to follow God, but later changed their minds and got with the program. But please don't ever make a pretense at following God while down in your heart you really don't. That is not a good thing. It's better to be above board than to be wishy-washy.

†. Mtt 21:28-32 . .What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said: Son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not; he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered: I will, sir; but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?

The unreliable son led his father to believe he was willing to help out in the fields; but in reality, his heart just wasn't in it.

†. Gen 12:4b . . and Lot went with him.

That was an err on Abram's part. He was told to leave his native land and to leave his father's house. He wasn't supposed to take any relatives along with him.

†. Gen 12:4c . . Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

That hardly seems like a sensible age to begin a new life; but Abram was relatively young yet in his own day, and still had 100 years of life left to go. To give a perspective on just how long 100 years is: from today in 2009, the Titanic wasn't yet built, America wasn't yet in World War I; Geronimo died in February, and Annie Oakley and Wyatt Earp were still living.

I was born in 1944. The average life expectancy of a man born that year is roughly 62. Abram lived to the ripe old age of 175 (Gen 25:7-8). So, at the time of his migration to Canaan, Abram was about the equivalent of me at 27.

Abram's wife Sarai was even perkier. She was nine years younger than Abram (cf. Gen 17:1 and Gen 17:17). But Sarai only lived to 127; forty-eight years less than her husband (Gen 23:1). The average life expectancy of a woman born in 1944 is about 67 years. So Sarai would have been the equivalent of 25 had she survived to her husband's ripe old age of 175. Precisely why Sarai's life was cut short is unknown.

†. Gen 12:5 . . Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan; and they arrived there.

From Haran (Haraan Turkey) it's well over 400 miles south to the West Bank in Palestine. You can imagine the difficulty of making such a trip what with no automobiles, no trains, no buses, no taxi cabs, no airplanes, no paved-surface highways, and no graded roads. It was all trails and dirt paths; and all on foot, or on the back of an animal, or in a cart pulled by an animal.

People traveled like that for millennia before powered conveyances were invented and became widespread. Practically all modern means of travel were invented in the 20th century AD. In only just the last 120 years or so of Man's existence has there been airplanes and horseless carriages. Man went from horse and buggy to the moon in just 80 years. The previous thousands of years before Karl Benz's production of gasoline-powered vehicles; people were very slow moving, and travel was arduous, inconvenient, and totally earth-bound.

It's significant that Abram wasn't required to dispose of his worldly goods in order to follow God. Abram later became an exceedingly rich man and God never once asked him to give it all away. Riches are bad only if they have such a hold upon a person that they must compromise their integrity to hang on to it. For that person, it's better to be poor. But it would be wrong to impose poverty upon everyone because not everyone is consumed with avarice and greed.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:6 . . Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

The Canaanites were descendants of Ham's son Canaan, the cursed grandson of Noah.

The Canaanites probably didn't have complete control of the land at this time, merely a presence, same as Abram. But they were definitely in progress of getting control. By the time Joshua invaded, roughly four hundred years later, Canaan's clan was pretty well rooted in Palestine.

Abram's welfare wasn't improved by coming out west to Canaan. His home town Ur was a modern city with accommodations. But out here on the frontier, it was rugged. Palestine in that day was no Utopia. It was more like the conditions which faced our own early day American pioneers and settlers. There were communities scattered here and there, but for the most part, it was wild and wooly.

Abram, now paying attention to God, is going where he's told and moving in all the right directions. The next two moves are preceded by altars; upon which, we can safely assume, were offered the traditional Noahic burnt offering; and were sites for making contact with God; sort of like the Temple became in later years.

†. Gen 12:7a . .The Lord appeared to Abram

Exactly how or in what form God appeared to Abram isn't specified. God's appearances aren't always visual. Sometimes an appearance is merely an audible voice; or a dream, an angel, a breeze, or even an eerie glow.

†. Gen 12:7b . . and said: I will assign this land to your heirs.

This is the very first instance of a Divine promise made to Abram regarding ownership of Palestine; and it probably bounced right off his skull like a sonar ping. But later on, God will repeat that promise again and again until it finally sinks in. Repetition is, after all, a proven aid to learning and memorization.

†. Gen 12:7c-8 . . And he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by name.

Eusebius Onomasticon, placed Bethel twelve Roman miles north from Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. The site today is represented by the modern town of Beitin, a village which stands on a knoll east of the road to Nablus; roughly 2½ miles northeast of Ramallah El-Bira.

Ai hasn't really been pinpointed yet but is identified either with the modern Haiyan, just south of the village Deir Dibwan or with a mound, El-Tell, to the north.

This is only the second time in Scripture where it's said human beings called upon God by a name. The first was Gen 4:26. What name might Abram have used to invoke God? The name Yhvh was well known by this time, and Abram addressed God by it on numerous occasions (e.g. Gen 13:4, 14:22, 15:8, 21:33, and 24:3).

God's demeanor towards Abram was sometimes that of an officer in wartime who doesn't tell his troops in advance the location of their next bivouac. Instead he orders them to march in a certain direction, only later telling them when to stop and set up camp. So Abram went where he was commanded to go; not really knowing where he was going nor why. For the time being, Abram didn't need to know the why— he only needed to know the where.

Altars were an important place to meet with God in the early days. Abel met with God that way, and so did Noah. And it was during Enosh's days that people began the practice of calling upon The Lord by name. Exactly what name, if any, men used prior to that isn't stated.

Free now from the harmful influence of his own dad's pagan ways, Abram revived the religion of his sacred ancestors and began calling upon God the same way they did; and he got his travel orders that way too. Each time he worshipped at the altars, God told him what to do, where to go next; and sometimes even shared some personal data along with His big plans for Abram's future. Abram was doing pretty much what Adam did in the garden; meeting with God in the cool of the day; so to speak. Only Abram did it differently because he was a sinful being, whereas, in the beginning, Adam wasn't; so he didn't need an altar in the garden.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:9 . .Then Abram journeyed by stages toward the Negev.

Negev is from negeb (neh'-gheb) and means: to be parched; the south (from its drought); specifically, the Negev or southern district of Judah; occasionally Egypt (as south to Palestine). The Negev is generally considered as beginning south of Dhahiriya; which is right in between Hevron and Be'ér Sheva; and as stretching south in a series of rolling hills until the actual wilderness begins, a distance of perhaps 70 miles.

To the east, the Negev is bounded by the Dead Sea and the Arabah, and to the west there is no defined boundary before the Mediterranean. It's a land of scanty springs and sparse rainfall. The character of its soil is a transition from the fertility of Canaan to the wilderness of the desert— essentially a pastoral land, where grazing is plentiful in the early months and where camels and goats can survive, even through the long summer drought.

Today, as through most periods of history, the Negev is a land for the nomad rather than the settled inhabitant, although abundant ruins in many spots testify to better physical conditions at some periods. The east and west directions of the valleys, the general dryness, and the character of the inhabitants, have always made it a more or less isolated region without thoroughfare. The great routes pass along the coast to the west or up the Arabah to the east. Against all who would lead an army up from the south, this southern frontier of Judah presented a tough obstacle in the old days. The Negev is slated for a make-over when the Jews return to their homeland.

†. Isa 35:1-2 . .The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of The Lord, the excellency of our God.

Lebanon's glory of old was timber; especially cedars (1Kng 4:33). Sharon was known for its flowers (Song 2:1) and Carmel for its orchards (Isa 33:9). How God will get timber, flowers, and orchards to flourish in the Negev should be interesting.

†. Gen 12:10 . .There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Abram fully intended to return to Canaan just as soon as the famine ended. The move to Egypt was a temporary expedient, rather than the result of irrational panic. Famine might seem to some as an excuse for Abram to return to Haran. But Abram wasn't retreating. His destiny did not lie in Haran. It lay in Palestine— period! —no going back.

I've heard more than one commentator say that Abram was out of God's will when he left Canaan and moved to Egypt. It is really impossible to know that for sure; but I'm inclined to give Abram the benefit of the doubt. Back at Shechem, Abram began the practice of erecting altars and calling on grandpa Noah's god. Each time he moved, he built a new altar. And each time he did that, God gave him new travel orders. Since the text doesn't suggest otherwise; it should be okay to assume Abram went down to Egypt under the very same divine guidance as the other places he moved to.

Later on, Jacob and his whole entourage will be forced to move down into Egypt because of famine; and they will do it under the auspices of Divine providence rather than under the impulse of human anxiety (Gen 46:2-6).

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:11 . . As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: I know what a beautiful woman you are.

Abram was about nine years older than Sarai; so she was over 66 years-old when this event occurred because according to Gen 12:4, Abram was seventy-five when they left Haran. Sarai was amazing. Even at 66+ years she drew admiring glances.

Abram's acknowledgement of Sarai's beauty appears to have been somewhat out of the ordinary. After a number of years of marriage, it isn't uncommon for men to take their wives for granted; and to stop taking notice of them after a while. Maybe Abram should have told her more often what he thought about her looks.

†. Gen 12:12 . . If the Egyptians see you, and think "She is his wife" they will kill me and let you live.

Abram is only assuming that of course. And what a great reputation the Egyptians had in Canaan! They murdered men for their wives!?! No wonder we tend to think early man was a knuckle dragger. Egypt had an active presence up in and around Canaan prior to Abram's day and perhaps the conduct of their frontier consulates was somewhat less than honorable at times. So of course the people of Canaan would quite naturally assume all Egyptians were animals just like many people today assume that all Muslims are animals because of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster.

During the US military's campaign to liberate the Pacific islands during world war two, many of the Japanese soldiers, and their dependants, chose suicide over surrender because their commanders had persuaded them to believe that the Americans would not only torture them if captured, but also dine upon their dead bodies like steak and eggs.

The suicides were not pretty. Some parents slit their own children's throats and then held grenades to their chests and blew themselves apart like shattered dolls. Many chose to leap to their deaths from steep cliffs. Others waded out into the surf and drowned themselves; and their children too. The Americans used interpreters and loud speakers in a mostly futile effort to encourage the people to come out of hiding and get some much needed food, water, and medical treatment but precious few responded. Such is the power of propaganda. One of Hitler's top aides once said that if you repeat a lie often enough, anon people will believe it's true. He was so right.

†. Gen 12:13 . . I *beseech you; say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.

Thanks to you?! Oh brother. (groan) Hel-loh-ohhh! Earth to Abram! Are you becoming senile or something? What was the very first promise that God made to you when you arrived in Shechem? There's an old saying that goes like this: Dead men tell no tales. Well, I propose a new one: Dead men engender no heirs.

There is just no way Abram is going to die at this time. He's bullet proof! Abram has to be kept alive to engender heirs so God can make good on His promise to give them the land of Canaan. No one can kill Abram at this point; not even a Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Not even The Almighty God Himself can kill Abram right now because it is too late for that. God passed His word back at Shechem that he would make of Abram a great nation and He can't go back on it without seriously compromising His own integrity. Some people might be inclined to call that a character weakness; but to those of us relying upon God to make good on His word, His integrity is the very basis of our confidence.

†. Heb 6:16-20 . . Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the manner of Melchizedek's arrangement.

So then, God's promises are God-proof.

†. 2Tim 2:13 . . If we are unfaithful, He will remain faithful, for He cannot repudiate himself.

* NOTE: Abram didn't have to beseech Sarai to tell a half-truth for him. In that culture, he was her lord and master (cf. Gen 18:12, 1Pet 3:6). This really speaks well of the old boy and reveals what a true gentleman he really was. We'll see more of that as we progress through Genesis.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:14 . .When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw how very beautiful the woman was.

How did the Egyptians see she was a looker? Well, the dress code for women in Sarai's day was nothing like the totally unflattering burqas that the Taliban imposed upon women of Afghanistan.

Depicted in a wall painting in the tomb of an Egyptian nobleman named Khnum-hotpe, at Beni-Hasen on the Nile river, dating from about 1900 BC, is a Semitic troupe passing customs to enter Egypt. The women are wearing form-fitting, highly colored, sleeveless wrap-around dresses whose hems stop at mid calf. Neck lines swoop from the left shoulder to just under the opposite armpit, leaving that side's shoulder completely bare. Their hair, fastened by a thin white ribbon around the forehead, falls loosely over breast and shoulders, and there's stylish little curls just in front of the ears. Upon their feet are dark brown, half length boots. In attire like that, a woman with any physical assets at all would be very easy to notice.

†. Gen 12:15a . . Pharaoh’s courtiers saw her and praised her to Pharaoh,

Webster's has a couple of definitions for courtiers. They are people in attendance at a royal court; and they are also people who practice flattery. Apparently Pharaoh's toadies kept their eyes peeled for luscious women to add to his harem; and thus gain for themselves his favor and approval; ergo: they got to keep their jobs.

Their sighting of Sarai wasn't just happenstance. Entry into Egypt in those days was tightly controlled and the only way in was past specified check points. At one time in Egypt's past, there existed a long chain of forts, watchtowers, and strong points designed to watch over immigration and possible invasions by the Sand People from the east. The "wall" stretched north and south across the desert approximately along the same path as today's Suez Canal. Each check point was manned by armed soldiers accompanied by officials of the Egyptian government; sort of like the customs agents in the modern world today.

†. Gen 12:15b . . and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s palace.

Not good. A woman in the harems of that day would never have a home of her own nor freedom to travel. Never would she be allowed to pursue romance nor to associate with her friends and peers ever again.

†. Gen 12:16 . . And because of her, it went well with Abram; he acquired sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses, and camels.

Life is much better when you're connected. Because of Sarai, Abram was treated well. I think ol' Mordecai had that very thing in mind for himself when he entered Esther into the beauty contest in Shushan.

So Abram is getting rich. After all, his sister is in the White House. You think anyone is going to cheat him or make him pay full price for goods and services? No way. If anything, people were more than willing to give him lots of expensive gifts and deep discounts, hoping to remain in Pharaoh's good graces by doing so.

But what's going on in Pharaoh's boudoir at night? There is just no way Abram could block that out of his mind. If only he had believed God's promise, Sarai's honor wouldn't be in such immediate danger of compromise. Abram could have swaggered into Egypt totally fearless of Pharaoh and his country; and kept his wife within her own camp, safe and snug among her own people.

Sarai's beauty is handy for discussing the value of good looks. There is really nothing intrinsically wrong with enhancing a woman's appearance with a trendy hair-do, hosiery, IPEX bra, make-up, and flattering neckline; unless of course it bothers their conscience. But the important thing is that Christian women not put too high a value on sex appeal while overlooking their personalities because it's really a person's spirit that God looks upon to determine their true worth as a person rather than the shape of their legs or the texture of their skin.

†. 1Tim 2:8-10 . . It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds.

Modesty is really a matter of culture. By 21st century American standards, Semitic women in Sarai's day were quite modest, exposing only their arms and shoulders and maybe a little of their calf. But here in America, it isn't uncommon for women to appear on national television wearing little more than heels and fancy underwear. Each woman is going to have to decide for herself what is appropriate according to the dictates of her own particular culture, and of her own personal conscience.

The important point is: the New Testament doesn't actually forbid women to fix themselves up and look pretty. If they want to pierce their belly buttons, wear hip hugging capri pants and a clingy tank top, it's really no big deal. 1Tim 2:8-10 shouldn't be taken as some sort of ascetic law, but be taken as a contrast between the relative values of the outward self and the inward self. I mean, if the only apparel women were supposed to wear in public are "good deeds" then there's a real risk of them being arrested for indecent exposure.

According to 1Pet 3:1-6, Christian women should put a very high priority on their personalities— most especially upon their relationship with their husband —rather than banking everything upon their appearance. A woman's appearance still counts for something, as did Sarai's, and I think we should all try to look the best we can with what we have to work with; but certainly not at the expense of who we are.

†. Pro 11:22 . . As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

I'm sure you can see right off how wasteful it would be to glam a pig. It would still be a pig and it would still act like pigs act. Same with gorgeous women who have rotten personalities. Good looks are wasted on them because inwardly they are she-devils who make their husbands miserable all the time with bickering, and stubbornness, and carping, and scorn, and ridicule, and chafing. Although we sure wouldn't recommend that Christian women in America copy Sarai's culture and begin calling their husbands lord; we would certainly urge them to follow her example and treat the poor guys with a little courtesy and respect and allow them a measure of dignity once in a while.

Some women are of the opinion that because men are men, they should be able to take abuse without complaining and whining about it. But that is a heartless, insensitive attitude. Men are human beings. They may be physically tougher than most women, but they can still get their feelings hurt by neglect, thoughtless remarks, ugly suggestions, demeaning comments, and relentless ridicule.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 12:17 . . But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues on account of Sarai, the wife of Abram.

I, for one, don't blame Pharaoh for any of that. It was totally Abram's fault. Pharaoh and his courtiers were duped into thinking Sarai was available. How could they have known she was a married woman? However, even though Eve was duped in chapter 3; she was still culpable just the same. So, in the Bible, sins of ignorance are still sins and God retains the right to come after Man for them. In point of fact, Lev 4:27-35, and Num 15:27-29, mandate an atonement for the ignorant sinner when once he discovers he's done a wrong.

Yhvh had plans for Sarai— plans that did not center upon Pharaoh; but centered on Abram. Our hero didn't tell the Egyptians about his adventures with The Lord. All he could think about was how to survive and stay alive. ¡Error! If he had instead been a faithful witness for God, rather than looking out for his own skin, I think things would have gone much better for Abram and Sarai down there in Egypt.

But now they will be forcibly deported; in shame and disgrace. So, instead of being a positive influence for their god, they became a very bad one. God's people are supposed to believe in their god, and reflect that confidence to others. And God's people should never be reluctant to tell others about their religion even if those others appear to be pagan heathens.

†. Gen 12:18-20 . . Pharaoh sent for Abram and said: What is this you have done to me! Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say: "She is my sister" so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and begone! And Pharaoh put men in charge of him, and they sent him off with his wife and all that he possessed.

Just exactly how Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram's wife is not said. Probably the very same way King Abimelech discovered the truth about her in a later incident. Here's how that will go when we get there later on.

†. Gen 20:1-7 . .While he was sojourning in Gerar, Abraham said of Sarah his wife: She is my sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him: You are to die because of the woman that you have taken, for she is a married woman. Now Abimelech had not approached her. He said: O Lord, will you slay people even though innocent? He himself said to me: "She is my sister" And she also said: "He is my brother.? When I did this, my heart was blameless and my hands were clean.

. . And God said to him in the dream: I knew that you did this with a blameless heart, and so I kept you from sinning against me. That was why I did not let you touch her. Therefore, restore the man’s wife— since he is a prophet, he will intercede for you —to save your life. If you fail to restore her, know that you shall die, you and all that are yours.

Not only was Abimelech in danger of imminent death, but he and his household were already inflicted with a malady that prevented them from having children even before God said anything about it. From our point of view, it would appear that God is terribly unfair. I mean, after all, Pharaoh and Abimelech couldn't possibly have known that Sarah was married, especially when both she and her husband were telling people otherwise. But these incidents are valuable to reveal that sin is just a wee bit more complicated than Man's inadequate little sense of right and wrong is able to fully comprehend.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:1-2 . . From Egypt, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed, together with Lot. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.

The word for rich is from kabad (kaw-bad') which means: to be heavy, i.e. in either a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable); causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses)

So the rich are not only wealthy, but weighted down too. Wealth can be both a blessing and a curse. It all depends. But it would be a mistake to assume that wealth and prosperity are evidence of Divine acceptance and blessing. Not so. Many among the rich are evil; and God accepts the poor just as readily as the rich.

†. Ps 69:33-34 . .The lowly will see and rejoice; you who are mindful of God, take heart! For the Lord listens to the needy, and does not spurn His captives.

†. Ps 9:18-19 . . Let the wicked be in Sheol, all the nations who ignore God! Not always shall the needy be ignored, nor the hope of the afflicted forever lost.

†. Prv 28:6 . . Better is a poor man who lives blamelessly than a rich man whose ways are crooked.

†. Ps 140:12-13 . . Let slanderers have no place in the land; let the evil of the lawless man drive him into corrals. I know that the Lord will champion the cause of the poor, the right of the needy. Righteous men shall surely praise Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence.

It is one thing to be blessed with riches as was Abram. But it is quite another to set your jaw to become rich. Selfish ambition and avarice are typically impious, covetous, ruthless and cruel. It sets aside duty to God and Man, and walks over people to get its heart's desire: money and independence. People like that will have a lot to answer for.

†. Mtt 6:24 . . No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

†. Mtt 13:22 . .The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

†. Mtt 19:23-24 . .Then Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

†. 1Tim 6:9-10 . . People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and impaled themselves with much dejection.

†. Rev 3:17-19 . .You say: "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

You know something interesting? No longer can The Church say: "Silver and gold have I none." But then again, no longer can it say: "Rise and walk." (Acts 3:6)

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:3-7a . . And he proceeded by stages from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bethel and Ai, the site of the altar that he had built there at first; and there Abram invoked the Lord by name. Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support them staying together; for their possessions were so great that they could not remain together. And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and those of Lot’s cattle.

There is a well known ratio of cattle per acre of grazing land and what with Abram's and Lot's huge herds, they just couldn't be neighbors anymore. And especially since the land was just recently recovering from a famine. Lot's drovers were squabbling with Abram's over available grass; and probably the available water too. If those men had barbed wire in that day, I'm sure they would have strung it. Then the shootin' would have really started up!

†. Gen 13:7b . .The Canaanites and Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.

How do you suppose Abram's and Lot's squabbling looked to the pagans? When God's people can't get along, the God-less become disgusted with them and they sure won't be influenced for God in a good way when Yhvh's people are fighting amongst themselves like that.

†. Acts 15:36-40 . . Some time later Paul said to Barnabas: Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

Even the holiest of men sometimes have falling outs.

†. Gen 13:8-9a . . Abram said to Lot: Let there be no strife between you and me, between my herdsmen and yours, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you?

Palestine was still pretty much a wild frontier in those days. Actually very little of it was private property. And what with no Bureau of Land Management, the land out west from Ur was pretty much up for grabs to anyone who had the moxie to take it. Abram and Lot remind me very much of early day American pioneers and cattle barons.

†. Gen 13:9b . . Let us separate.

Abram was a sensitive man. It wasn't an easy thing for him to be firm with his kin, and it was a weakness in his spiritual life from day one. He and Sarai were supposed to leave their kin and come to Canaan alone. He wasn't supposed to take along a nephew. But Abram just couldn't leave Lot behind. So now he and Lot are separating with bad blood between them. And Lot's future is very uncertain down in that God-less country away from his uncle Abram.

†. Gen 13:9c . . if you go north, I will go south; and if you go south, I will go north.

Even though there was some bad blood now between Abram and Lot, the old boy remained a gracious man. Being the senior of the two, Abram could have claimed first dibs on the land. But he waived the privileges of rank, and gave his nephew the choice. But, in point of fact, Abram made Lot a promise that he could in no way guarantee to honor; because it was God who ultimately dictated where Abram was to dwell in the land.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:10 . . Lot looked about him and saw how well watered was the whole plain of the Jordan, all of it— this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah —all the way to Zoar, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.

Bethel is regarded as modern day Beitin. The geographic location is just east of Ramallan El-Bira, and roughly 14 miles west of Jericho; as the crow flies. There's high points in that area somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 feet above sea level. I've never actually seen that area for myself, but I don't think it would be too difficult to find a view of the Jordan Valley around there somewhere.

Zoar's ancient location hasn't been precisely identified yet by modern explorers. All anybody really knows about it is from Gen 19:19-30 which merely infers it was situated in a plain.

The Jordan Valley slopes downward like a ramp from an altitude of roughly 690 feet below sea level at the Sea of Galilee to a depth 1,350 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. Water is what Abraham's and Lot's strife had been all about. Well, down there in the valley was lots of water in those days. An abundance of wadis and streams still drain into the Jordan Valley from the highlands of Israel and Jordan.

In Abram's day, the Jordan Valley in the region between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee was well watered, fertile, and very appealing to a cattle baron like Lot. It had some pretty good jungles too: home to lots of fierce lions at one time.

†. Gen 13:11a . . So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward.

Today a descent down to Jericho from Beitin would be close to a 4,000 foot drop in elevation. Whooee! That'll sure make your ears pop!

†. Gen 13:11b . .Thus they parted from each other;

That must have been a weird feeling for both men. They had been together since Ur.

I think Lot actually possessed more mettle than uncle Abram: mostly because he had the moxie to go off on his own into a totally strange region with absolutely no assurance that God would travel with him. People like Columbus and Magellan had that kind of nerve: they're strong and confident. But I don't think Abram ever was like that. I seriously doubt he would have left Haran at all had not God called him to it. I believe it was only the assurance of a Divine companion that gave Abram the courage to travel far from home in that day.

†. Gen 13:12a . . Abram remained in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain,

Cities in that day didn't in any way resemble the huge sprawling metropolises of the present. We would no doubt regard them as little more than fortified hamlets. The "plain" of course being the Jordan Valley; and some of the cities in particular were Sodom, Admah, Zeboiim, Gomorrah, and Bela; which is Zoar. Jericho was in existence then too and no doubt a major population center in that region.

†. Gen 13:12b . . pitching his tents near Sodom.

Actually that was a pretty sensible arrangement. By living amongst those cities, Lot had a ready market for his livestock; and a source of goods and services he could use out on the ranch. There was something special about Sodom that magnetized him though because he eventually moved his family into town. I think Mrs. Lot may have had a little something to do with that. Not too many women enjoy rough-country living out in the middle of nowhere. Most prefer being near the conveniences of neighbors, shopping, and services.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:13 . . Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked sinners against the Lord.

The precise location of ancient Sodom is uncertain. Some feel it was sited at the south end of the Dead Sea; but it's really hard to know for sure.

The author's choice of words is curious. The people of Sodom weren't just sinners; they were "very wicked" sinners; and not just very wicked sinners, but very wicked sinners "against" the Lord. Doesn't that smack of Babel? They knew full well that they were not supposed to remain in one place, rather, they were to spread out and colonize the entire planet; but under Nimrod's control, everybody deliberately and willfully disobeyed God and stayed all together. On top of that, they built a tower with the express purpose of using it as a stairway to heaven; thus probably intending to invade heaven itself and depose God.

I'm sure the people of Sodom knew all about the Babel debacle, but like rebels without a cause, and defiant adolescents, they insolently persisted in flaunting the very same resistance to God's sovereign authority as the people of Babel did. Big mistake. God is very lenient with ignorance and foolishness; but even His patience has limits.

†. Rom 2:4-11 . . Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

. . But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

Sinning against the Lord is a personal affront, and a very serious matter. People who demean the Bible, and scorn the Bible's God, have a very bleak future awaiting them down the road.

†. Heb 10:26-31 . . If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

†. Gen 13:15 . . And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him: Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever.

Oh the irony of it! If Lot went off only to the Jordan Valley to stake a claim for his own posterity, then he didn't go far enough away because from Abram's vantage he could see eastward clear across the Jordan valley and over into Moab (the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan) and far past the five cities of the Plain. So Abram, and his posterity, were promised eternal ownership of not only the highlands of Canaan, but in addition, also the whole Jordan Valley where Lot moved— and beyond.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:16 . . I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted.

I just hope Abram remembers what God said the next time he feels inclined to fib in order to save his skin. Will he ever catch on that he cannot die until God makes good on the promises regarding his posterity?

Abram's genetic progeny descend not only from Isaac, but also from Ishmael and the other boys he had too. But his posterity shouldn't be construed to be exactly equal to the number of bits of dust that make up the earth's soil. The expression is a common Old Testament colloquialism for very large quantities (e.g. Gen 41:49, Josh 11:4, Judg 7:12, 1Sam 13:5, 2Sam 17:11, 1Kings 4:29, Job 29:18, Ps 78:27; et al). The meaning is that they would simply become too numerous to count. Later God will liken the number of Abram's offspring to the sand at the beach. Same thing there too— not the precise number of grains, but a number so great that any attempt to count them would be impractical.

Abram lived somewhere in the neighborhood of the 20th century BC; roughly five hundred years after completion of the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza. So Abram lived about 4000 years ago. Millions and millions of Abrahamic people have lived and died since then. And it's not over yet, not by a long sea mile.

In Messiah's future millennial kingdom, Jews will multiply exceedingly because they will all enjoy very long life spans and engender large families. The Bible says that a man of 100 years age in Israel will be regarded as a mere child in that era.

†. Isa 65:20 . . No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one-hundred! Only sinners will die that young!

Abram's offspring truly cannot be tallied; not now or ever. Only The Almighty could ever get the number right because all the souls belonging to Abram, among both the dead and the living, have become so numerous.

†. Gen 13:17 . . Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you.

It's notable that God said: "I give it to you." The land was Abram's possession right then and there and no one can ever take it away from him. Not even Almighty God can take it away from Abram now because once The Lord gives His word, He is bound to it like a ball and chain (Rom 11:28-29). That should be a comfort to God's people, throughout all the ages, that once God gives His word on something, He has to make good on it.

†. Ps 119:41-42 . . May your steadfast love reach me, O Lord, your deliverance, as you have promised. I shall have an answer for those who taunt me, for I have put my trust in your word.

Although Abram lacked sovereign control over his real estate at the time, it was his possession none the less in the manner of an inheritance. The same can be said for the eternal life that Jesus gives to those who believe what he says. Eternal life is even right now their present possession and they can never lose it.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

†. John 10:27-29 . . My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

†. John 6:47 . . I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 13:18a . . And Abram moved his tent, and came to dwell at the terebinths of Mamre, which are in Hebron;

The word for terebinths is 'elown (ay-lone') which means: an oak, or other strong tree. As we saw earlier, the oaks, especially the very old large ones, were important meeting places.

Mamre, an Amorite named up ahead in Gen 14:24, was one of Abram's allies. The oaks of Mamre were apparently named after him; who some believe was a local sheik or a chieftain. Hebron (Hevron) itself is today a city of over 70,000 people located about 20 miles south of Jerusalem at an elevation of 3,050 feet above sea level. Hebron is sacred in Jewish history; but a very dangerous place to live today what with all the Palestinian troubles going on in Israel.

†. Gen 13:18b . . and he built an altar there to the Lord.

Abram's altars were so cool. They very likely were looked upon as testimonials to his religion. Whenever wandering Bedouins came across one, the youngsters in the group would ask: "Hey, what's this pile of rocks doing here. Did some Boy Scouts mark a trail or something?" And the old timers would say: "Why, that's one of Sheik Abram's altars. He used those in his worship of the god whom he says caused that world-wide flood a while back"

And then they would sit around campfires and retell the stories and legends about Abram and how his wife had a baby after she was ninety years old; and how although the man was very rich, yet it didn't go to his head and make him pretentious. And then, in hushed tones, they would whisper: "And Sheik Abram said that the god of the Flood deeded him this very land where we're camped tonight— so don't nobody do nothin' stupid now while we be passin' through it."

Modern Judaism typically despises proselytizing in spite of the fact that ancient Jews once believed Abram and Sarai were both active evangelists not only in Haran, but also in the land of Canaan.

T. Gen 12:5 . . And Abram took Sara his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the substance which they had acquired, and the souls whom they had proselyted in Haran, and went forth to go to the land of Kenaan. (Targum Jonathan)

Scholars feel pretty sure that Abram's residency in Canaan occurred right around the 19th or 20th century BC. By that time, many years had gone by since the Flood and Egypt was already a very well organized nation that built some notable structures; most particularly the Pyramids.

It was in the interests of trade that Egypt, in 3000 BC, was the first great power to stretch out its tentacles towards Canaan. A hard diorite tablet, listing the details of a ship's cargo of timber for Pharaoh Snefru, is stored in the museum at Palermo. Its date is 2700 BC. Dense timber forests covered the slopes of Lebanon then. The excellent wood from its cedars and meru (a kind of conifer) were just what the Pharaohs needed for their elaborate building schemes and their navies and merchant marine vessels.

Five hundred years prior to Abram's day, there was already a flourishing import and export trade on the Canaanite coast. Egypt exchanged gold and spices from Nubia, copper and turquoise from the mines at Sinai, and linen and ivory for silver from Taurus, leather goods from Byblos, and painted vases from Crete. In the great Phoenician dye works, well to do Egyptians had their robes dyed purple. For their society women, they bought lapis-lazuli blue— eyelids dyed blue were all the rage —and stibium, a cosmetic which was highly prized by the ladies for touching up their eyelashes.

The coastal communities of Canaan presented a picture of cosmopolitan life which was busy, prosperous, and even luxurious; but just a few miles inland lay a world of glaring contrast. Bedouin attacks, insurrections, and feuds between towns were common.

About 1900 BC, Canaan was thinly populated. It was in fact a land of no law and no order. The inhabitants lived in a state of constant readiness. The widely scattered townships were veritable islands in the middle of nowhere; and vulnerable to daring attacks by the desert nomads. Suddenly, and when least expected, these predatory nomads sprang upon unwary people with indiscriminate butchery, carrying off cattle and crops. There was endless war between the plundering, tent dwelling hordes, and the settled farmers and cattle barons. Into this restless country came the most holy caravan on earth with Abram, Lot, and Sarai, and their servants and their animals and their flocks.

Canaan itself had no countrywide common law. Each clan, or community, was dominated by a sheik; a socially dominant alpha male who pretty much laid down his own rules for his own people, but felt no particular obligation to respect the laws of the other communities except at his own discretion. Private property was just about non-existent so if you wanted to live in a certain area that was already occupied by someone else, you just took it away from him; that is if your clan had the wherewithal to do it. If not, then you could try to form an alliance with some of the other clans. All of you together could put up a much better fight, and a much better defense, than going it alone. It was probably for that very reason that Abram was allied with Mamre.

A much more profitable enterprise than destroying the villages in malicious and barbaric fashion, was to hold them hostage; kind of like the plight of the villagers in the movie: The Magnificent Seven. To avoid being murdered and ravaged, the villagers gave the lion's share of their Gross National Product to the bullies. It was just that sort of scenario that led up to the capture of the cities of the Plain while Lot was living down there among them.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:1 . . Now, when King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of nations.

Shinar was the whole of Babylonia; Ellasar was the leading tribe in its southern part; and Elam was the original kingdom of Persia.

The Hebrew word for nations is gowy (go'-ee) a word wielded by some Jews as a racial epithet to indicate non-Jewish peoples. But gowy isn't really all that specific. The people of Israel are called gowy at Gen 18:18, and Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, is called a gowy at Gen 25:23. Gowy really just simply indicates a massing; as a herd of animals and/or a horde of locusts.

Mr. Tidal was probably the chief of a large confederacy consisting of mongrel, multi racial people; possibly a tribal area in northeastern Babylonia. America is a perfect example of Tidal's confederacy because it's a melting pot of intermarriages, and diverse races, cultures, and nationalities.

At one time, Amraphel was thought to be Hammurabi; the great king of Babylon. But it's now widely agreed that Hammurabi didn't arrive on the scene until many years later. The other kings remain a mystery too, having not yet been archaeologically identified.

†. Gen 14:2 . . made war on King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar,

None of these men were "kings" in the fashion that we today think of monarchs. They were more like sheiks, or chieftains. And they didn't actually have extensive realms; nor very much jurisdiction beyond the very community each one dominated.

Canaanite cities weren't really serious municipalities; but rather more like fortified hamlets— much like the strategic villages in Viet Nam; except that just about all Canaanite towns were enclosed within stone walls made of rough boulders about six feet in diameter. Archaeologists call this type of wall a Cyclops wall. The boulder walls were usually combined with an escarpment and reinforced with earthen revetments.

Canaanite towns doubled as forts; places of refuge in time of danger, whether from sudden attack by nomadic bands or from civil wars among the Canaanites themselves. Towering perimeter walls invariably enclosed small areas, not much bigger than Ste. Peter's Square in Rome. Each of these town-forts had a water supply, but weren't really suitable for housing large populations in permanent homes.

Inside the walls lived only the chieftain, the aristocracy, wealthy merchants, and even sometimes Egyptian representatives. The rest of the inhabitants of the township— the ranchers and farmers, the vassals and the servants and the serfs— lived outside the walls; often in tents or simple mud hogans or wattle huts. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived in tents.

In Tell el-Hesi, probably Eglon, the town proper was just over an acre. In Tell es-Safi, formerly Gath, it was twelve acres. In Tell el-Zakariyah, formerly Megiddo, the same amount. Gezer, on the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa, occupied just over twenty acres. Even in the more built up area of Jericho, the inner fortified wall, the Acropolis proper, enclosed a space of little more than five acres; yet Jericho was an important city and one of the strongest fortresses in the country.

So the five cities of the Plain were nothing to brag about— well, maybe in their day they might have been notable enough amongst their peers.

†. Gen 14:3 . . all the latter joined forces at the Valley of Siddim, now the Dead Sea.

The level of the Dead Sea fluctuates. In Abraham's day, the Valley of Siddim was above the water's level. But when Genesis was written, maybe four hundred years later, the same area was apparently inundated.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:4a . .Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer,

Apparently El Ched was the instigator behind the extortion scheme holding Sodom and its neighbors economically hostage. The other kings who came along with him to Canaan were just reinforcements to back his play. You have to wonder how The Ched ever found the Valley of Siddim in the first place and what in the world motivated him to travel so far from home.

Mr. Ched's home turf, Elam, is a well-known tract, partly mountainous, whose western boundary, starting on the northeast side of the Persian Gulf, practically followed the course of the lower Tigris. It was bounded on the north by Media, on the east by Persia and on the west by Babylonia. The Assyro-Babylonians called the tract Elamtu, expressed ideographically by the Sumerian characters for Nimma or Numma, which seems to have been its name in that language. As Numma, or Elam, apparently means "height," or the like, these names were probably applied to it on account of its mountainous nature.

Another name by which it was known in early times was Ashshan, for Anshan, or Anzan, (Anzhan), one of its ancient cities. The great capital of the tract, however, was Susa (Shushan), whence its Greek name of Susiana, interchanging with Elymais, from the semitic Elam. Shushan is famous for its stories of Esther and Nehemiah.

The modern-day city of Ahvaz Iran is a pretty good locator for the region of Elam. If you have a map handy you can readily see just how far The Ched traveled to reach the Jordan Valley. Even if he came straight over by helicopter, it's at least 775 miles. But I seriously doubt his men traveled across the awful desert regions of Syria and Arabia. People in that day needed sources of water and pasture— both very practical considerations in that day, when animals were Man's primary conveyance.

†. Gen 14:4b . . and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

El Ched wouldn't get wind of that right away of course. There was no email, no radios, nor telephones, nor television, nor telegraph nor twitter in that day so it would take some time for a caravan to return and tell him how the federation of five towns in the Valley refused to cough up their payments. Meanwhile the local sheiks had some time to prepare themselves for attack while The Ched organized an expeditionary force.

†. Gen 14:5-7 . . In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. On their way back they came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and subdued all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

Ched took no chances that any nearby clans would come to the aid of the Valley people. So before launching his attack against the Federation, he first subdued everyone in the region roundabout who might be sympathetic to their cause. The Ched was a very shrewd commander.

Dr.Nelson Glueck, a leading Palestine archaeologist, has this to say about El Ched's conquest.

—Quote

A punitive expedition developed into an orgy of annihilation. I found that every village in their path had been plundered and left in ruins, and the countryside laid waste. The population had been wiped out or led away into captivity. For hundreds of years thereafter, the entire area was like an abandoned cemetery, hideously unkempt, with all its monuments shattered and strewn in pieces on the ground.

—End Quote

The invasion first crushed all the sheiks north, east, and then west of the Dead Sea before it reached the communities of Siddim, against whom the invasion had been mounted in the first place. The purpose was no doubt to eliminate the possibility of an attack from the rear while Ched was occupied fighting the Federation.

Dr.Glueck identifies Ashtaroth Karnaim, where The Ched encountered the Rephaim, as two adjacent cities in southern Syria, Tell Ashtarah and Sheikh Sa'ad, which was called Carnaim in New Testament times. The name Ashtarah comes from the name of the Greek moon goddess Astarte , equivalent to the Babylonian god Ishtar and the Canaanite goddess of sensual love Ashtaroth, whose worship was one of the sources of gross immorality among the Canaanites.

After defeating the Rephaim, Ched smashed the Horites in Mount Seir— a mountainous region somewhat to the southeast of the Dead Sea —Esau's future turf. Then he went to El-Paran, in the southern wilderness, and then returned to Kadesh, on the western side of the Dead Sea where he crushed the people in a region that would later belong to the Amelekites. He also defeated a contingent of the Amorites, who were very probably the dominant tribe in Canaan at that time.

Some identify Hazazon-tamar as En-Gedi. If this identification is correct, then Hazazon may be Wady Husasah, northwest of `Ain Jidy.

Another suggestion, which certainly seems very likely true, is that Hazazon-tamar is the Thamara of Eusebius, Onomasticon (85:3; 210:86), the Thamaro, of Ptol. xvi. 3. The ruin Kurnub, 20 miles west-southwest of the south end of the Dead Sea— on the road from Hebron to Elath— is supposed to mark this site. My maps aren't too detailed in that area but Karnub seems to be in a region triangulated by Dimona, Arad, and Be'er Sheva.

Anyway, after thus neutralizing all who might stand in his way, Ched's confederated army then turned its full attention to the five communities in the Plain. And woe and behold, Abram's nephew Lot was right smack in the middle of it all.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:8-9 . .Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went forth and engaged them in battle in the Valley of Siddim: King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar— four kings against those five.

That was probably a wise move. If each town had remained behind its own walls, defending against El Ched individually on its own, he could have conquered them very easily one at a time. By combining their forces, and meeting him in the open, they stood a much better chance. But valley dwellers are no match for a seasoned expeditionary force. The men from Babylonia were battle-honed veterans.

†. Gen 14:10 . .The Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen wells. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell into them while the rest fled to a mountain.

oopsie. Watch your step there boys! (chuckle)

Its just amazing how people go blind when they become very frightened. My dad kept rabbits in his back yard, on the ground and free to roam. Oftentimes they would congregate around the back door so that if it was opened too suddenly, and without warning, they would thunder off pell-mell in such a blind panic that they bonked their skulls head-on against a wooden structure about twenty feet from the door. People are little better. Those poor valley men just freaked and fell right into sticky pits which I'm sure they knew were there all along and could have avoided if only they kept a cool head.

†. Gen 14:11-12 . . The invaders seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and his possessions, and departed; for he had settled in Sodom.

Talk about riches to rags! Lot went from a prosperous cattle baron to a slave in sixty minutes (so to speak). The word for provisions is 'okel (o'-kel) which means: food. Victuals were an important spoil of war in those days when supply lines were totally nonexistent. There were no heavy-drops from C-130 aircraft, nor helicopters to ferry in food, medicine, FNG's, ammo, potable water, and things of that nature. When El Ched's army needed re-supply, they had to take it from their vanquished— ergo: they were highly motivated; because if they wanted to eat, then they had to fight; and they had to win.

†. Gen 14:13a . . A fugitive brought the news to Abram

It was a long trip from Sodom to Abram's camp. He was clear up in Mamre; and a goodly portion of it uphill— very uphill. At any rate, news of Sodom's overthrow meant that Lot was captured; or maybe even dead. One way or the other, Abram had to find out if his nephew was still alive— kind of like John Wayne looking for his two nieces in The Searchers.

†. Gen 14:13b . . the Hebrew,

Voilé . . The very first appearance of the word Hebrew, which is `Ibriy (ib-ree') and means: an Eberite; viz: a descendant of Eber. It can also mean "the other side"; which implies that Abram may have been known as one who came from the other side of the Euphrates river— sort of like Mexican immigrants who cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. But more likely he was called Eberite because of his family's lineage. Eber was first mentioned back in Gen 10:21.

One important thing to remember, is that Hebrews weren't Jews in Abraham's day. It was his posterity who became Jews— specifically people genetically related to Judah: Jacob's fourth son, and patriarch of the Messianic tribe. The word for Jew is Yehuwdiy (yeh-hoo-dee') which means Judah-ite; and doesn't appear in the Bible until 2Kings 16:6; many, many years after the exodus from Egypt.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:13c . . who was dwelling at the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, kinsman of Eshkol and Aner, these being Abram’s allies.

Abram had become a shrewd sheik. The best way to survive on the frontier is to team up— especially with someone that all the others know and fear. That way most everyone will leave you alone because they don't want to deal with your friends. The terebinths (oaks) belonged to Mamre, a well known Amorite in that region. His kin, Eshkol and Aner, were Abram's friends too.

†. Gen 14:14a . .When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he mustered his retainers, born into his household, numbering three hundred and eighteen,

The word for retainers is chaniyk (kaw-neek') which means: initiated; i.e. practiced. This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where chaniyk is located so it's difficult to know precisely what Genesis means by it. Some feel that the retainers were men solidly catechized in Abram's religion so that spiritually, they were men after Abram's own heart in regards to his relationship with Yhvh in that the creator was their god too.

Chaniyk could also mean these men had completed basic combat training and were ready to go off to real war, and a large portion of them were probably veterans who had seen combat at least once before.

These men were loyal and trustworthy, and weren't purchased as slaves nor traded for goods. They were born in Abram's camp. He was their sheik by birth, not by conscription. So these particular men weren't mercenaries; but rather more like his very own sons. They were men of deep gratitude for their master's providence; and every one of them, to a man, were more than willing to die for him.

Though Abram was by nature a man of peace, he was prepared to fight in the event it became necessary. In the wild untamed land of Palestine 4,000 years ago, men without mettle didn't survive very long. And even today, it's still true that a strong man armed, keeps his goods. (Luke 11:21)

They numbered 318. If we assume that each one was married, then the number of persons doubles to 736. If each man had at least one child, then the number triples to 954. A plausible scenario is that Sheik Abram's camp was a community of at least 1,000 people— a fair sized town. When this man broke camp, it was a serious caravan.

†. Gen 14:14b . . and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

At this early date, there was neither a region, nor a town, in Canaan colonized and named after Jacob's son Dan. There wasn't even one in Moses' day. It wasn't until Joshua 19:40-48 that Dan's tribe received their portion of Canaan. So Dan's name could very well be a later editorial insertion.

It's unthinkable that Abram would leave his camp and his wife, and all the women and children unprotected while he and his warriors traveled miles from home. So it's reasonable to expect that some of his Amorite allies remained behind to reinforce Abram's camp while he was out of town.

†. Gen 14:15a . . At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated them;

Not too shabby for a former city slicker. Abram, no doubt coached by Mamre, employed excellent Bedouin guerrilla tactics against a well armed, seasoned foe of superior numbers. After his scouts located The Ched's caravan, Abram dogged him, waiting for an opportunity to attack in circumstances to his advantage. When the time came, he did it under cover of darkness, rather than in daylight; and came at them from more than one direction, which would help to create confusion and panic amidst Ched's army.

El Ched's men were probably laid back, stuffed full of stolen food and sleepy with booze; and proud of themselves for their victories; totally unsuspecting anyone remaining in Canaan would have the moxie to take them on. Having no flares, nor Claymores, nor barbed wire, mines, nor flashlights, night vision capability, nor motion detectors, or early warning systems of any kind; Ched's forces were easily surprised and routed.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:15b . . and he pursued them as far as Hobah,

Unfortunately this is the only place in the entire Old Testament where Hobah is mentioned; and archaeologists have had no luck so far in discovering its exact location.

†. Gen 14:15c . .which is north of Damascus.

Many, many years later, in 1918, the Hejaz Arab Army led by T.E Laurence (Laurence of Arabia) would fight the Turks in this very region and drive them out of Damascus.

Ol' Abram sure didn't want those guys to forget Canaan none too soon. It wasn't enough to beat them at Dan; no, he ran them all the way out of the country. The survivors of the invading army no doubt straggled back to their homelands as best they could, amazed at this sudden, unexpected humiliating end to what had been up till then a mighty wave of victory and conquest. No mention of this battle has ever yet been found on any of the Babylonian or Elamite inscriptions— which is understandable. Ancient kings were accustomed to brag only about their victories since defeat usually left them dead or in slavery.

†. Gen 14:16 . . He brought back all the possessions; he also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, and the women and the rest of the people.

If Abram had left the Federation's people in enemy hands and rescued only his nephew, no one would have faulted him for it. They were, after all, total strangers and had nothing in common with either Abram or Abram's religion; being "very wicked sinners against the Lord." But that would have been a terribly ignoble show of charity. Suppose Mr. Bush had pursued Osama bin Laden, the al Qaida, and Sadaam Hussein while totally ignoring Iraqi and Afghan poverty, and the desperate plight of their women and children? No. That option is unacceptable. America has got to help get the Iraqi and Afghan people back on their feet.

†. Pro 24:10-12 . . If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who stands watch over your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

I'm sure you can well imagine the tremendous amount of respect this campaign won for Abram in the eyes of all the Canaanites. He was a great sheik in that land, no doubt about it now. Abram beat a Babylonian army. That was an impressive accomplishment; and a testimony to his cunning, and to his courage under fire. Everyone in Canaan knew now that Abram wasn't a man to be trifled with. He's a perfect example of the old proverb: Walk softly, and carry a big stick. Abram was no bully, yet didn't allow others to bully him. Now if only he would quit lying to people about his relationship to Sarai.

†. Gen 14:17 . .When he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King.

The location of the Shaveh Valley is a total mystery; this being the only place in the entire Old Testament where it's mentioned. Shaveh is a transliteration of Shaveh (shaw-vay') which means plain or level or equal.

Some feel that the Shaveh Valley was some sort of neutral zone, like a Geneva Switzerland; where rival sheiks could meet and talk turkey without fear of reprisal or assassination. The Valley of the King is thought to be a special location where kingships were publicly bestowed upon individuals— which, if true, would imply that Abram may have been offered an opportunity to rule a portion of Canaan. It's not unusual for victorious military commanders to be politically popular. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the USA's 34th president, was one of those.

America's first-ever Mulatto Commander In Chief is a man who's never served in the military: not even in so much as a support capacity let alone at mortal risk of his own life and limb in the line of fire; nor has he been forced to view and to smell, up close and personal, the nasty effects of munitions upon the bodies, the skin, the faces, and the bones and skulls and innards of soldiers at the front— both his comrades in arms and the enemy that opposes him —along with the women, children, and senior citizens who perish in flame and explosions as a result of collateral damage and stray bullets.

He's never seen fear gripping the faces of his comrades, nor felt it enough himself to pee his pants; nor had to watch helpless from the deck of a ship as young US Marines obeying his orders are chopped to pieces by a wall of high velocity metal as they try to wade 700 yards to shore in water too shallow for Higgins boats. Journalist Robert Sherrod, while embedded with US Marines assaulting Tarawa Atoll in the Pacific, reported: "Bullets fly six inches to my right and six inches to my left. I swear I could put out my hand and touch a hundred of them." Ashore, casualties mount so fast on exposed beaches that there's nowhere to put them.

(Pacific Commanders employed a very simply battle plan. They would isolate a Japanese-held island with naval and air blockades so defenders could be neither reinforced nor resupplied, and then pour in Marines faster than the Japs could kill them. But while this "brilliant" plan assured eventual victory, it also produced heaps upon heaps of dead American boys.)

No, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama is a charismatic pretty boy featured in magazines like GQ and Men's Health. I'm not so sure it's wise to permit a lamb to lead lions in a time of war and world-wide Islamic terrorism.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:18a . . And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine;

Melchizedek's name is Malkiy-Tsedeq (mal-kee-tseh'-dek) which means King Of Right. So his name implies that he was either a righteous man, or was the man in that region who defined right and wrong; in contrast to the wickedness which was the stock in trade of Bera, king of Sodom. Mel was double a king. He held the office of a king, and his name was king. Salem is from Shalem (shaw-lame') which means: peaceful— an early name of Jerusalem.

Some make a big deal out of the bread and wine; relating it to the elements of the Eucharist. However, the word for bread is lechem (lekh'-em) which isn't strictly limited to bakery products. It just means food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it).

There is really no good reason to assume that Mel brought only enough food and drink for Abram. His entire detachment certainly deserved to be feted for their efforts, not just the old boy himself. Mel's feast was a celebration; no doubt instigated by Mel, but participated in by the whole region as a gesture of deep gratitude to Abram and his men for ridding Canaan of that awful Ched person.

The wine that Mel brought to this event was capable of making everybody quite drunk if they imbibed an amount beyond their tolerance. The word is yayin (yah'-yin) which means: to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication. It's the very same word used of the beverage that got Noah hammered back in chapter 9.

Mel was not only a political figure in that region; but a religious figure as well.

†. Gen 14:18b . . he was a priest of God Most High.

Most High is a brand new superlative for God at this point in Genesis. It's 'elyown (el-yone') which means: an elevation, i.e. lofty. As a title it means: the Supreme, or the Very Highest. 'Elyown is located in only four places in the entire book of Genesis and all four are right here in chapter 14.

We might have thought that Abram's camp comprised the only God-fearing people in all of Canaan. But surprise of surprises. There was another man in the land who was a good God-fearing sheik just like Abram. But Mel went one better. This man was not just a sheik, but also a priest of the Supreme God; and he holds the honor of being the very first priest of God in the entire Bible; many years before Aaron. Abram was a great sheik, and a great man of God; and although he did the part of a priest for his family— as did Job, Noah, and others— he was never really an official priest nor was he ever really a true king. So Mel actually outranked Abram.

Since Mel was a priest of the Supreme God, he had a legitimate right to some compensation for the performance of his duties because the Bible's God believes in wages. So? Well, if Abram recognized Mel's god, which of course he did, then Abram had a sacred obligation to contribute towards Mel's support just as the people of Israel have a duty to support Aaron's family.

True priests are mediators between God and Man; and in that capacity, have the authority and the wherewithal to effect a reconciliation between the two whenever there's a breakdown in communications. Priests also have a knowledge of God; which they have a sacred duty to dispense to their constituents.

†. Mal 2:7 . . For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the angel of The Lord of hosts.

The Hebrew word translated angel just simply means messenger; or ambassador. Not only Aaronic priests; but Christian church leaders are regarded as angels too. (e.g. Rev 1:19-3:19)

Mediating and teaching are very valuable services, and certainly deserve some compensation for the men who devote their entire lives to them.

The Bible is completely silent about Mel's origin. It doesn't list his genealogy; no, not even so much as his mother and father; which is very unusual because the Aaronic priests have to prove their lineage before being permitted to officiate. So that, in reality, a priest like Mel doesn't have to be related to Aaron, nor does he even have to be Jewish; nor any other specific ethnic for that matter. Mel was definitely a Gentile because Abram (himself also a Gentile, from the region of Iraq) had yet to engender Isaac; the father of Jacob, who was to become the progenitor of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel; viz: the Jews.

Melchizedek's priesthood is a non-commandments priesthood; which means a Melchizedekian priest's constituents are immune to prosecution for breaking the commandments. The reason for that is because Moses' covenanted law doesn't have ex post facto jurisdiction (Gal 3:17). So then, any of the commandments broken prior to Moses, are transgressions that fall outside the law's jurisdiction and the alleged offender cannot be prosecuted.

†. Rom 4:15 . .where no commandments exist; there is no transgression.

†. Rom 5:13 . . For until the commandments, sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Why is this principle important? Because the Bible's Christ is a Melchizedekian priest.

†. Heb 5:4-6 . . So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to him: Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee; and also: Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

So then, while Christ is somebody's priest, they're in no danger of the reservoir of liquefied flame depicted at Rev 19:20, 20:10-15, and 21:8 for breaking the commandments.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:19-20a . . He blessed him, saying: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.

A perfect mediation. First, blessing from God to Man, then, in reciprocation, blessing from Man to God. At this point in time, Abram's relationship with God was very satisfactory. 'Elyown had nothing critical for Mel to say of Abram; and Mel verified that God was the reason behind Abram's success in battle.

There are Christians who, allegedly for conscience sake, are totally against all war and violence. They fail to appreciate that peace and prosperity are preserved in an evil world only by force of arms. Conscientious objectors— while refusing to take a turn standing guard over their family and their country, and to lend a hand in keeping the world a relatively safe, stable place to live, sacrificing their own lives and futures if need be —don't seem to mind taking advantage of the abundance of freedoms and benefits purchased by the blood of others whom they despise as aggressors and war mongers.

†. Gen 14:20b . . And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything.

According to the New Testament, this particular tenth regarded only the recent spoils of war; not of all Abram's possessions in their entirety.

†. Heb 7:1-4 . .This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

Abram obviously owed God something for giving him the victory. God's providence deserves reciprocation. In gratitude for God donating His only son to secure Man's rescue from the wrath of God, the Christian's reciprocation is best paid out in voluntary compliance with his savior's teachings.

†. Rom 12:1-2 . .Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.

†. Eph 4:1 . . As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the invitation to which you were summoned.

On the pages of the Old Testament, Melchizedek is practically one of a kind; an oddity. He is both a priest and a king. That is a highly unusual combination. Aaron's family became the official priesthood in Israel under Moses' leadership. But Aaron was never a king. His jurisdiction was strictly limited to Israel's religious life. The only other man that comes to mind who's status bore a resemblance to Melchizedek's was David.

Although David's main function in Israel was political leadership, in 1Chron 21 he not only was permitted, but was given direct orders to make sacrifices. However, offering sacrifices in the Tabernacle or the Temple themselves is strictly taboo for even a great man of God like David. Only Aaron and his sons may officiate those precincts. That law is chipped in the stone of Moses' covenant. In 2Chron 26, King Uzziah intruded into the priests' domain and was stricken with leprosy and they booted him out.

There was neither a Tabernacle nor a Temple in Mel's day, and wouldn't be for a good many years to come. So a priesthood that functions like Melchizedek's doesn't conflict with one like Aaron's so long as Melchizedekian priests stay out of the Temple, and in point of fact, a priesthood like Mel's is the only viable alternative when no Temple is standing. The man selected for Melchizedekian priest doesn't even have to be one of Aaron's male descendants because Melchizedek's priesthood was not under the jurisdiction of Moses' Law. The priest can be from any tribe of Israel— he can even be a Gentile for that matter because Mel was a Gentile. (Biblically, women are excluded from the clergy. It's strictly a male sphere.).

So, in the Old Testament, there are two main kinds of official priesthoods. A hereditary one like Aaron's and a non-hereditary one like Melchizedek's. Aaron's is regulated by rules and stipulations in Moses' covenant; while Melchizedek's is under no law at all.

A comprehensive study of the Melchizekian order is pretty much limited to advanced Christians.

†. Heb 5:10-14. . He was designated by God to be a high priest in the manner of Melchizedek. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

 

[Webers_Home]

.
†. Gen 14:21 . .Then the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.

Sheik Bera was very grateful to Abram, and asked only for the return of his fellow citizens; but not for the return of their stolen goods. Abram was more than welcome to keep it all as his reward for rescuing the people of the Plain. Although Bera and his citizens were very wicked, this is one time I have to give him some credit for showing excellent propriety.

But Abram refused. There was just no way he was going to get rich by plundering his own neighbors and taking advantage of their misfortunes. Although he had a perfect right, within the customs of that day, to all the spoils of war, (a tenth of which he already gave to Melchizedek) he waived it in favor of looking out for Sheik Bera's best interests. I tell you, this man Abram was incredibly gracious; and his manner of life, as a rule, made his religion, and his god, look pretty good.

†. Gen 14:22-23 . .But Abram said to the king of Sodom: I swear to the Lord God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth; I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say: "It is I who made Abram rich"

A person's reputation is all that really matters in life when you get down to it; because it is really the only thing we take with us when we pass on. Abram didn't want to be known as someone who got rich through the misfortunes of others. And that is exactly what would have happened had he agreed to Bera's suggestion. You can imagine what that would have done to his influence for God in that region; and how it would have ruined Abram's own self respect. It would be awful indeed if people round about gossiped that Abram's only motive for rescuing his nephew was for profit.

Abram didn't need Bera's stuff anyway. What the heck; he had plenty back home already. Why be greedy? I mean; how much does it really take to satisfy? Does a man really have to own every sky-scraper, every square foot of real estate, every software program, every car dealership, and every hotel and apartment building before he feels he has enough?

The Supreme Almighty God, who had so blessed Abram thus far, would surely continue to do so. Abram had far more personal honor and self respect than the looters who took advantage of hurricane Katrina's damage in New Orleans.

†. Gen 14:24 . . For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; as for the share of the men who went with me— Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre —let them take their share.

Abram's only request was replacement of his own provisions that his troops consumed during the mission. He didn't permit them to take a share of the spoils. Since they were his slaves; they had no say in it. But his Amorite allies spoke for themselves. If they wanted anything, it was their own decisions about it and Abram wouldn't interfere.

C.L.I.F.F.
/