Fri.’s Devo - The Battle of the Kings

Read: Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:17-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33 Lot and Abram were traveling together but their flocks had become so numerous that their shepherds were quarreling over land. Abram told Lot it was time to go their separate ways so he gave Lot his choice of where he wanted to go. Lot chose the land that already had cities established so he would have a place of civilization to live. When Lot had gone, God told Abram to look in all directions because he was giving the land as far as he could see to his descendants as a permanent possession. Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove of Mamre. He built another altar to the Lord there. War broke out in the region with the kings of Babylonia, Ellasar, Elam, and Goiim against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela. The five kings against the four. Kedorlaomer, a king of the five had ruled over the four and made them pay him tribute for twelve year. It was the thirteenth year and they were rebelling. The nine armies met in the valley of the Dead Sea and fought. The valley was filled with tar pits and many fell into the tar pits. Sodom and Gomorrah were captured and all their people were taken as captives including Lot and his family. When Abram found out what had happened he gathered relatives from Eshcol and Aber along with the 318 trained men from his family and went to fight Kedorlaomer and his army. They caught up with them at Dan and chased them to Hobah. Abram recovered everything they had stolen as well as the people. He met the king of Sodon on his way home. He also met Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of God Most High. Melchizedek brought him bread and wine and blessed Abram. Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. The king of Sodom only wanted the people that Abram had recovered. He told Abram he could keep all the plunder from his city. Abram refused to keep any of it. He only asked that his relatives from Echol and Aner and Mamre be paid. Later, God appeared to Abram and told him not to be afraid and that his reward would be great. Abram complained that blessing did him no good if he had no son to pass it down to and to carry on his legacy. God promised he would have a son. He told him he would be given descendants like the stars in the sky - uncountable. Abram believed the Lord and his faith pleased God. God also promised him the land for his possession. Abram asked for assurance. God told him to bring a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. The animals all had to be three years old. He cut each animal down the middle and splayed them. He didn’t cut the birds in half. Abram worked to keep the vultures away. The sun went down and Abram was put to sleep. God told Abram that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years, then their enemies that enslaved them would be punished. They would leave with great wealth. After four generations his descendants would return to this land and the Amorites would be destroyed. Abram saw a smoking repot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. The land that God was giving Abram was now occupied by 10 different nations of “ites”. In Matthew, Jesus used the law to teach them spiritual concepts of his kingdom. It was not just the letter of the law they were to keep, but the spirit. Their heart was what would be judged more than their actions. The new law of the kingdom was love. Everything was to be done with the motive of love - even for their enemies. They were to go the extra mile. Jesus never said they couldn’t do it, but that they could. They could love their enemies and they could walk in righteousness. So can we. Lord help us to see that living a righteous life is our mandate and with the Spirit of God it is possible. Help us to seek the kingdom first and all these things will follow.