Tag: Genesis 14

318

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But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Genesis 15:2 (NKJV)

In Genesis 15, we meet Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר).

Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Genesis 14:14 (NKJV)

In Genesis 14, Abram went with 318 men to rescue Lot.

I’m not into numerology too much, but do you want to see something weird?

א = 1;
ל = 30;
י = 10;
ע = 70;
ז = 7;
ר = 200

The name Eliezer happens to add up to… 318.

Perhaps all of our victories in God are through Eliezer (“God is my help”).

It wasn’t Canaanite Land

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Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were in the land at that time.
Genesis 12:6 (NASB)

The rabbis note that this mention of the Canaanites in Genesis 12 is meant to tell you about their incursion into the land, not their habitation of it.

How do we know this?

Because in two chapters, we’ll meet the King of Salem, or Jerusalem, priest of God Most High. This land is his.

And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
Genesis 14:18 (NASB)

If the Canaanites are now in the land that belongs to Melchizedek, we are being told that they are the invaders.

But this isn’t just a story about land. It’s our hearts. This describes the human condition.

Shinar is Mordor

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Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country.
Genesis 14:10 (NASB)

The writers of Genesis 11 seem to have intended for us to view the land of Shinar like Mordor.

The Tower of Babel was built with kiln-fired bricks and mortared with bitumen, which bubbled up from the ground like tar.

The scene is of soot, tar, and flames.

Shinar

Posted on by jovial_cynic
Genesis 11 mentions Shinar, and it’s the second time we see it in the Scriptures. The first was in the previous chapter. Nimrod built great empires in the land of Shinar.

The writers want you to see something that isn’t plainly obvious in this story. It’s subtle.

As people moved eastward, they found a plain in [a] Shinar and settled there.
Genesis 11:2 (NIV)

The [a] footnote tells us that this is Babylonia.

Babylonia is Nimrod’s Empire:

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar.

Babylonia is the region that housed the great city of Babylon. This isn’t obvious in the text yet, but the translators want to preserve this understanding for you later. This would be the place that the Jews lived during the Babylonian exile.

Babylon is linked to wickedness, captivity, and darkness. It’s the place where Israel was held captive for about 70 years, and it was perhaps during this time that the Jewish sages began refining/organizing their scriptures.

One thing that stands out is how much anti-Babylonian messaging show up in the newly articulated scriptures, starting with “Shinar.”

The meaning of “Shinar” is unclear. It might mean “two Rivers,” or “the land between two rivers,” perhaps referring to the Tigris and Euphrates.

However, the root of Shinar is שער (s’r), which is associated with violence in various forms:

Noun שער (sa’r), means horror.
Verb שער (sa’ar) means to sweep or whirl away, like a storm.
Verb שער (sha’ar) means to break
Adjective שער (sho’ar) means horrid or disgusting

The sages of the Midrash include even more thoughts on this, saying that “Shinar” sounds like “she’ein ne’or,” which means “no one is awake” at night because they have no candles (Midrash HaMevo’ar)

It is a place of darkness.

At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim…
Genesis 14:1 (NIV)

Later, when Shinar is introduced to us again in Genesis 14, we’ll meet Amraphel, the King of Shinar.

Amraphel means “Speaker of Darkness.”

Shinar is the bad place.

The Name

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And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
Genesis 14:18 (NIV)

The rabbis suggest that Melchizedek may be Shem, the son of Noah. Or at least, the text is linking the concepts of the two men.

“מלך שלם” (“King of Salem”) The initial letters of these words spell the name Shem. This teaches that Malchizedek was Shem, the son of Noah.
Kitzur Ba’al HaTurim on Genesis 14:18:1

Consider that “Shem” means “name,” and the God is often referred to as “haShem,” or “the Name.”

Brought Low

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And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Genesis 14:17 (NKJV)

It’s not obvious in English, but in all the places in scripture that mention the proud being brought low, it might be referring to this passage in Genesis 14.

The writer(s) want be you to see it, so they included this parenthetical, effectively saying it twice. The “Valley of Shaveh” is the low place. It’s level, and plain, and the clarification that it is the “King’s valley” (singular) may tell us that this is the place where all lesser kings are brought low before the King of Salem.

For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
Isaiah 2:12 (NKJV)

The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
Isaiah 2:17 (NKJV)

Lesser kings are the proud places in your heart. It is the haughtiness of your soul that will be brought low before the King of righteousness, the King of Peace.

Kings of Righteousness and Peace

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After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High.
Genesis 14:17-18 (NIV)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110:2-4 (NIV)

The mysterious Melchizedek is mentioned twice in the Jewish scriptures – once here in Genesis 14, and once in Psalm 110, and it’s clear that David, the Psalmist sees a future messiah in this character.

The text says that Melchizedek is the “king of Salem,” which the rabbis say refers to Jerusalem. He is a king in the Promised Land, before the incursion of the Canaanites.

But there’s more to his name that describes this once and future king:

First, Salem means peace. So he is “malek shalem” or king of peace. But also, Melchizedek is a compound word, coming from “malek” and “tsedeq,” which means “king of righteousness.” And he’s also called a “priest” of God-most-high.

He’s obviously divine in some way. But… he doesn’t seem to do anything in the story, except BLESS Abram.

Who goes to war, bringing a band of young men, against the empires to rescue his people? It’s Abram. So who is the Psalmist talking about?

The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
Psalm 110:5-6 (NIV)

On one level, the Psalmist is talking about Abram, because he is recounting Genesis 14. But he also sees a future person who does the same thing, attributing success to “the Lord.” But notice… this isn’t the ALL-CAPS Lord. This isn’t The Name of God here.

So while this can point to a future messiah, David also likely believed this psalm was about himself. As king over God’s people, he bore responsibility to protect. And in Genesis, he sees the presence of a greater king of righteousness and peace who will bless him.

If God’s promises are eternal, and prophecy is perpetual, this is perhaps true of all of God’s faithful people: we will all be victorious over the lesser kings in our lives, and the Great King will bless us in our triumph.

Because God is near us.

The Price of Souls

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Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the [a]people to me and take the possessions for yourself.”
Genesis 14:21 (NASB)

[a] Lit soul

The Hebrew language is a little on the nose . Earlier, the king of Sodom’s name is given: Bera, which means “Evil.”

Here, the Evil one makes an offer to Abram, who is the rescuer of the people: “if you give me the souls, I’ll let you keep the stuff.”

Abe declines the offer. He doesn’t want the stuff. And God will rescue the souls anyway.

Kings of Wickedness

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These kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Genesis14:2 (NIV)

Genesis 14 gives us a picture of war, and the rabbis tell us that the first 4 kings represent Empires, and the five kings represent wickedness.

ברע BERA —Evil (רע) towards God and evil towards mankind (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 8).

ברשע BIRSHA — Because he rose by means of wickedness (רָשַׁע) (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 8)).

שנאב SHINAB — He hated (שנא) his Father (אב) in heaven (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 8)).

שמאבר SHEMEBER — He set his wings (שם אבר) to fly, flapping them to rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 8)).
Rashi on Genesis 14:2

Later we are told that God raises up Empires to punish wickedness, and that’s how this story plays out.

There is wisdom hidden here.

War of Kings

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And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they lined up for battle against them in the Valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
Genesis 14:8-9 (NASB)

Genesis 14 describes a battle between two federations of kings, and it appears to teach us about how God deals with two kinds of evils.

Here is the set up: there are five kings that represent wickedness and rebellion, and there are 4 kings that represent Empires of man.

The rabbis say that the text is pretty plain on this: the names of the five evil kings all have names that mean wickedness and rebellion. The four empire kings can be seen as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

What is happening in this story?

For starters, it helps to know that the wicked kings occupy the Promised Land. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar are all in Canaan, whereas the Empire kings are other nations. Notice who wins the battle.

This is extremely important, because it sets up the lesson.

Israel ends up in the Promised Land, but they fail to drive out all the inhabitants. They begin to worship the idols of the people, and as a consequence, they grow wicked. God raises up Babylon to punish them. Several prophets mention this, but I like Habakkuk:

“Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
I am raising up the Babylonians,
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
to seize dwellings not their own.
Habakuk 1:5-6

“Be amazed!”

It feels like God’s intent is to pour wrath on His people: the text goes on to address their explicit sins, and even the prophets wonder if God will go back on his promise to protect them. “How long, oh Lord?” they cry out as Babylon sieges them.

But it’s clear: God raised up Babylon to address the sin in the people. In the land. In our very hearts. This process is painful.

In Genesis 14, Abram’s nephew Lot is caught up in the war, captured by the Empire kings, and it seems dire.

And yet, by way of miracle, Abram and a band of 318 men pursue the Empire kings, and not only rescue Lot, but manage to reclaim all that was captured, and we see a message: God does preserve his people. Though he raised up Babylon, he does not intend to let his people die.

The Promised Land represents many things; one of them is our hearts. We recognize that our heart is our territory, and that it harbors wickedness at times. When evil grows too great, God uses external forces to teach us lessons. It hurts, but we grow.

But it’s also actual Empires and systems, and the story teaches how to view them correctly.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Romans 13:1 (NIV)

And this makes what Paul says in Romans much clearer. Paul is coming to the same conclusion: Empire is raised up by God.

It’s raised up specifically to address the kings of wickedness in the land, and in our hearts.

For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
Romans 13:4 (NKJV)

This doesn’t mean “government is good.” God has much to say against Babylon.

But we know that God rescues his people from Empire, and God will rescue you.