Genesis 14:1–16)
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Life of Abraham – Bellevue Church of Christ Lesson IV – Soldiership of Abraham* Auditorium Class – Winter / Spring 2013-2014 (Genesis 14:1–16) A. Raiding of Sodom 1In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch The Raiders (1-12) king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, Shinar -The First War Between -Babylonia or Southern Nations Recorded in the Chedor = Kudur in Elamite meaning “a servant” Mesopotamia Bible. -Extending almost to -Sometimes referred to as the Persian Gulf 2these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, the “Dead Sea War.” -Location of the Tower Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, of Babel (Gen 11:1–6) Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela 1. The Cause of the Ellasar Raid (v.4) (that is, Zoar). -Reference / location -“They Rebelled” Bera & Birsha could be a play on the Hebrew words “evil” is uncertain 2. The Coalition (ra'ah) & “wicked” (rasha') -May be the Hebrew of the Raiders equivalent of Akkadian (vv. 1,5,9) 3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim al ashshur, which -Shinar (that is, the Salt Sea). indicates “city of -Ellasar Assur” (Assyria) -Elam Elam -Goiim -Assyrian word meaning 4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in “high” or “highland” the thirteenth year they rebelled. -Son of Shem (Gen 10:22) -Name of the country inhabited by his 3. The Cleverness of the descendants Raid (vv. 5-7) 5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings (Isa 11:11; 21:2) -Today = SW Iran Instead of directly who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim attacking the 5 cities -East of Babylon of the Jordan Valley, in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim they cut “a wide sweep in Shaveh-kiriathaim, Goiim to the east and south -Generic Hebrew word for [Seir] and then around Possibly clans of “giants” like the Anakim, “nations” to the southwest descendants of the Nephilim -Appears to refer to [Kadesh]; then (Gen 6:4; Num 13:33; Deu 2:10–11; 3:11–13) specific region, but northeast to the location is uncertain western side of the 6and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as Dead Sea [Hazazon- -Possibly the country tamar / Engedi], and El-paran on the border of the wilderness. called Gutium, east of then lastly the troops Tigris and north of Elam swarm down upon their final objective” Amalekites (H. C. Leupold) 7 -Nomadic tribe tied to Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat the Edomites (36:12), (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the descendants of Esau & Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were enemies of Israel (Exo dwelling in Hazazon-tamar. 17:14–16; Deu 25:17–19) -Amalek was Esau’s See v. 13 grandson (36:11) -Amalekites would not 8 have been present during Admah & Zeboiim Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the the time of Abram -Possibly in a location king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of -The name may have been now submerged under the Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle inserted by the author Dead Sea (Salt Sea). for present-day context in the Valley of Siddim or by a later-day writer as an editorial comment. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version *Outline for Life of Abraham: Butler, John G – Abraham: The Father of the Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers Jews (Bible Biography Series, Number Nine), L B C Publications, 1998 Used by permission. All rights reserved. This handout can be downloaded in PDF format from: (www.teamagee.com/class) Life of Abraham – Bellevue Church of Christ Lesson IV – Soldiership of Abraham* Auditorium Class – Winter / Spring 2013-2014 (Genesis 14:1–16) 9 4. The Conquering by the with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Raiders(vv. 10-12) Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king -Sodom and her allies of Ellasar, four kings against five. outnumbered Chedorlaomer’s army five kings to four. Bitumen Pits - Why did Sodom and 10 her allies fall so Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, -(KJV) slimepits quickly? and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, -Better translation would be “Tar Pits” -Possibly their some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill wicked manner of life -Bitumen = A natural rendered them weak country. derivative of crude for battle petroleum *Gen 13:13 -Occurs naturally in the *Eze 16:49 area of the Dead Sea 11So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, B. Rescuing of Sodom who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, (13-16) and went their way. 1. The Soliciting for the Mamre - His people (Amorites) had Abram the Hebrew been attacked in this war (v.7) Rescue -“Hebrew” can be traced -The people of Sodom 13Then one who had escaped came and told Abram to Abram’s ancestor Eber knew about Abram, but from the line of Shem didn’t call until they the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre (Gen 10:21–31; 11:10–26) were in dire straits. the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These -The word for “Hebrew” -You do not have to be were allies of Abram. could also come from the popular with the world preposition 'eber, to be of help to them. meaning “beyond,” Literally, “those bound by treaty” 2. The Selflessness in resulting in the the Rescue 14 translation “Abram, the When Abram heard that his kinsman had been one from beyond (the -Display of Grace taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in river Euphrates).” -Disinterest of Gain (14:17-24) his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as 3. The Soldiers for the Dan. <- N border of Palestine, known as Rescue Leshem at this time (Jos 19:47)...at the -Unlike Sodom, Abram foot of Mt. Hermon by the source of the was prepared (“trained River Jordan. 140-miles from Hebron. men”) 15And he divided his forces against them by night, he -Eph 6:10-20 and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them 4. The Sagacity (Wisdom) of the Rescue to Hobah, north of Damascus. <- 100-miles N of Dan. -Compare to Gideon (Judges 7) 5. The Success of the 16 Rescue Then he brought back all the possessions, and also -It was Miraculous brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, -It was Complete and the women and the people. Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version *Outline for Life of Abraham: Butler, John G – Abraham: The Father of the Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers Jews (Bible Biography Series, Number Nine), L B C Publications, 1998 Used by permission. All rights reserved. This handout can be downloaded in PDF format from: (www.teamagee.com/class) Life of Abraham – Bellevue Church of Christ Lesson IV – Soldiership of Abraham* Auditorium Class – Winter / Spring 2013-2014 (Genesis 14:1–16) Amraphel king of Shinar Genesis 11:1–9 (ESV) 1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face 5 of the whole earth.” And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children 6 of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so 8 that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. SHINAR. The land in which were situated the great cities of Babylon, Erech and Akkad (Gn. 10:10). It lay in a plain to which early migrants came to found the city and tower of Babel (Gn. 11:2) and was a place of exile for the Jews (Is. 11:11; Dn. 1:2). The lxx interprets it as ‘Babylonia’ (Is. 11:11) or the ‘land of Babylon’ (Zc. 5:11), and this accords with the location implied in Gn. 10:10. (*Accad or Agade, which gave its name to N Babylonia.) Heb. šin‘ār represents šanhar of cuneiform texts from the Hittite and Syrian scribal schools of the 2nd millennium bc, and was certainly a name for Babylonia, perhaps a Hurrian form of Sumer. This equation is proved by several texts (see H. G. Güterbock, JCS 18, 1964, p. 3), ruling out older ideas.1 Shinar, The Land of—LXX.