Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise

An Unexpected Warrior

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2013-07-22

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines Genesis 14:1-16, highlighting Abraham's unexpected role as a warrior who rescues his nephew Lot. Weaver contrasts Abraham's faith-driven action with Lot's worldly choices, emphasizing that Abraham's military success came from God's blessing, not his own strength. The message underscores the importance of being prepared to fight for righteousness, trusting God for victory, and learning from Lot's compromise.

[John Weaver] Alright, well let's open our Bible today to the book of Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14. We're going to read the first 16 verses. Genesis chapter 14. And the title of the message is An Unexpected Warrior. And I think you will understand as we begin to read. Genesis chapter 14, beginning with verse 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Elassar, Kedro-Leomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Bersha, king of Gomorrah, and Shinnab, king of Adma, and Shemember, king of Zeboam, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

[John Weaver] All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddam, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Kedro-Leomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Kedro-Leomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephams in Ashtoreth, Carnam, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emans in Sheva, Kiriathem, and the Horites in Mount Seir, and Elporan, which is by the wilderness. And they returned and came to Emishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country, the Malachites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazontamar.

[John Weaver] There went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admon, the king of Zeboam, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar. And they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddam, with Kedro-Leomer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Ariok, king of Elessar, four kings with five. And the Vale of Siddam was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to Sodom, or fled to the mountains. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the vittles, and they went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner. These were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan.

[John Weaver] And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people." Abraham is well known for being the friend of God. He is also well known for his faith, obedience, and righteousness. He is not very well known for his tactical, military, and warrior skills. In Genesis chapter 14, you have the only military action we ever read about that Abraham was engaged in. And I might point out that Abraham was engaged in this military action, not because he was prompted by avarice or ambition, but purely on a principle of mercy and charity. He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot. Never was any military expedition undertaken, prosecuted and finished more honorably than this military action taken by Abraham.

[John Weaver] Now let me begin by showing you Genesis chapter 13 and let's begin the reading there with verse 1 and read the first 11 verses because I kind of want to set the background for you. Genesis chapter 13 beginning there were the verse 1 and Abram went up out of Egypt he and his wife and all that he had and lot with him into the south and Abram was very rich in cattle in silver and in gold and he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel even to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.

[John Weaver] And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdman of Abram's cattle and the herdman of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. It's not the whole land before thee. Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me, and if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, and it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves

[John Weaver] one from another. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Now I want you to note to begin with, here is a division between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's herdsmen. It was not necessarily a division between Abram and Lot themselves. I am sure that they were affected by this division as well. Moreover, we could also say that this division between Abram and Lot was simply because of their wealth. They were exceedingly rich and the Bible says that Abram was rich in cattle and silver and in gold and of course Lot now, the Bible says he has cattle and he has tents, he has all of these things. So, there develops in a division, there develops a fighting between the herdmen of Lot and the herdmen of Abram. And undoubtedly, they're probably fighting over the best grazing lands as well as the best water holes as well. And it's interesting to see why Abram suggested they separate themselves.

[John Weaver] If you look in verse 7, we read this. And there was strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled in the land. So notice if you would, it's because of a testimony before the wicked. The wicked were surrounding them. And notice if you would, he said in verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 8. And Abram said it a lot. Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen. For we be brethren.

[John Weaver] In other words, we ought not to be fighting. And we certainly ought not to be fighting before the wicked. Then he says in verse 9, it's not the whole land before thee. Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right. If thou depart to the right, then I will go to the left.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note how gracious Abram was. Because he says, I'm not going to be the one that makes the choice. You make the choice. If you go to the right hand, I'll go to the left. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. I'm not going to fight over this. And the Bible tells us that Lot deliberately, premeditatedly chose the plain of Jordan because of its lushness, its fruitfulness, even though it was on the way to Sodom.

[John Weaver] So look if you would back at verse 11 in Genesis 13. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves one from the other, And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom."

[John Weaver] Now, an interesting thing is this. Lot evidently had to have known of the wickedness and the depravity of Sodom. Because if you look at verse 13, the Bible says, but the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." So obviously Lot would have known that. And yet the Bible still tells us that he pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now I want you to note, if you would, when we read Genesis chapter 13, we read about the altars that Abram had built, where God had revealed himself to Abram and even to Lot. And the interesting thing is, that Lot did not choose the place where God's altar was. He did not choose the place where God had revealed himself. No. He chose the plain of Jordan which was on the way to Sodom. Obviously he made a bad choice. He chose money, he chose prosperity, he chose luxury, and he chose friendship with the world over the worship and the honor of God.

[John Weaver] Now let me just point out the fact that many people do exactly the same thing today. How many people have you ever heard of that moved into a city or moved into a town because of the excellent preaching and teaching of the Word of God that was in that town? How many people have you ever heard move to a certain place because the Spirit of God was moving and people were being convicted of their sins and converted and standing for truth and righteousness. How many of you have ever heard of anyone doing that at all? Now, the truth of the matter is this. When most people move, they move because they want a better job, they want more money, they want greater benefits, They want a better security package. Sometimes people move because of family or they move because of friends. But very few ever seldom move because they're hearing the truth of God and the Word of God has priority in their lives.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, look in Genesis chapter 13 and verse 12. This is interesting. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. And Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, watch this phrase, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. He just simply pitched his tent in the direction of Sodom. Now, when you look in Genesis 14 verse 12, which we read earlier, here are these kings and they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. So, in one chapter, you read about Lot pitching his tent towards Sodom, and in the very next chapter, you read about Lot being in Sodom. So, the Bible is telling us it's just a small step between going towards Sodom and joining in and living in Sodom. In other words, once you begin on the road away from God and God's people, it's but a small step to join hands with the wicked. Once you leave the fellowship of God and His people, here's my question. Where else can you go but to the wicked? If you leave the fellowship of God and His people, you have no other place to go.

[John Weaver] So Lot then already pitched his tent towards Sodom. He finally ended up dwelling in Sodom as well.

[John Weaver] Now, when Abraham got the news, that Lot, his nephew, had been captured. All of his goods had been taken. Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admon, and Zoboam, and all these other cities of the plain had been sacked. I could imagine that Abram could have rationalized his way out this military action. He must have understood that Lot knew of the dangers. And Lot knew of the wickedness of the people of Sodom. He could have taken this attitude. When he heard that Lot had been captured, he could have said this.

[John Weaver] Well, he made his bed, let him lie in it. Well, that's certainly an attitude that I've heard expressed. And in some instances, it is indeed a biblical attitude. He could have also rationalized and said, well, maybe this will teach him a lesson. Maybe he will learn the hard way. He could have also had other rationalizations. He could have asked himself this question. Why should I jeopardize my family, my friends, my servants, and my own life to try to save a people who are not even concerned enough to get out of dodge, to get out of the way of danger? Why should I jeopardize everything I have for someone who was so stupid as to move right in the middle of danger and wickedness. That's a good rationalization. I want you to understand, he could have rationalized, well, I'll leave him alone, and I'll just see if he learns from his mistakes. But do you realize when Abram heard that Lot, his nephew, had been captured, None of those rationalizations probably entered his mind. At least they certainly are not recorded in Scripture.

[John Weaver] The Bible says that immediately when he heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his own trained servants. Now, why was Abram so quick to go after Lot and rescue him? And the answer is because of obedience to the sixth commandment. You remember I've pointed this out innumerable times. The sixth commandment is thou shalt not kill. The positive is thou shalt preserve life. So Lot's life was in danger. His children's lives were in danger. His wife's life was in danger. Other people were in danger. And so Abram then was willing very quickly to go to the rescue not only of Lot but of the other people as well.

[John Weaver] I must point this out. Even though Abram and Lot may have had a light falling out between themselves, and I don't know that they did, but I'm sure that the strife between their herdsmen affected them. In fact, it did so much that Abram suggested that they separate themselves because of their great wealth and because of the strife that was going on. But I must point this out. Grace does not cease to exist in a believer Even though he has been wronged by the individual to whom he is about to be gracious. So Abram could have also rationalized, well he did me wrong, let him suffer.

[John Weaver] But he didn't do that. Now, I just have three things I want you to consider with me this morning. First of all, I want you to consider the circumstances. I read the circumstances to you. in Genesis chapter 14 verses 1 through 12. A war has broken out between kings, and you've got five kings fighting against four kings. Now, I want to give you just one quote from Albert Barnes in his commentary, and I want you to think as I read this.

[John Weaver] Listen to what he said. The dominant confederacy consists of four kings. Many generations back, the first world power consisting of four cities was established by Nibrod in the land of Shinar, Genesis 10 verses 8 through 10. This is now given way to a world confederacy consisting of four kings. From the vicinity of the places in which they reigned, it is evident that they were petty princes of domains varying from a town and its suburbs to a comparatively extensive territory." So he is saying these four principal cities have now given rise to four principal kings and they now have a world confederacy. So there were five kings that rebelled against Kedro-Lammer after serving him for 12 years. Kedro-Lammer then joined affinity with three other kings in order that he might reconquer the territories that were rebelling against him. But I don't know if you paid attention to when I read Genesis 14 or not, but if you look especially at verses 5, 6, and 7, as well as 8, they are not just interested in reconquering Sodom and Gomorrah, Zoboam and Admon, these cities of the plain, they go and conquer other territories

[John Weaver] as well. So, their design is not just to reconquer the people that are rebelling, but to add new conquered territory to their domain. So involved in this expedition of these four kings was pride, and greed, and avarice, and self-glory. In other words, they wanted not only those rebelling territories back, they wanted additional territories as well. So these kings were infatuated with themselves, with their power, with their ability. Someone has aptly stated, those whom God intends to destroy, he delivers up to infatuation and certainly they were infatuated with themselves.

[John Weaver] Now the Bible tells us that this battle took place in the slime pits or in the deep holes around the Vale of Siddam where the Dead Sea is located. It was there that the five kings with Sodom and Gomorrah all these towns were defeated. The Sodom along with the other cities were sacked. The citizens were captured The goods were confiscated. But I want you to look at verse 12 again. Genesis 14 verse 12. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. Wow. God says specifically they took Lot and everything he had. Yeah, they got a lot of others. But they got a lot and they got everything.

[John Weaver] I'm going to point something out in just a moment. I want to give you a quote by John Calvin on this passage. And I'm going to disagree with his first point and I will tell you why. I want you to listen to what he said. His other two points are excellent. His first point I have trouble with. He says the history related in this chapter is chiefly worthy of remembrance for three reasons. First, because Lot, with a gentle reproof, exhorted the men of Sodom to repentance.

[John Weaver] They had, however, become altogether unteachable and desperately perverse in their wickedness. But Lot was beaten with these scourges because they had been allured and deceived by the richness of the soil he had mixed himself with unholy and wicked men.

[John Weaver] Secondly, because God, out of his compassion to him, raised up Abram as his avenger and liberator to rescue him when a captive from the hand of the enemy in which in which act the incredible goodness and benevolence of God towards his own people is rendered conspicuous since for the sake of one man he preserves for a time many who are utterly unworthy. And then thirdly because Abram was divinely honored with a signal victory and was blessed by the mouth of Melchizedek and whose person as appears from other passages of scripture the kingdom and priesthood of Christ was shouted forth as it respects the sum of the history it is a horrible picture both of the avarice and pride of man.

[John Weaver] So he says there's three reasons we ought to remember Genesis chapter 14. First he says because Lot gently reproved the men of Sodom. Secondly because God out of His compassion raised up Abram to rescue Lot. And thirdly, because Melchizedek here foreshadowed Christ. But overall, he says, when you read Genesis chapter 14, you have to come away with an understanding of the avarice and the corruption of man. Now, I told you I disagreed with this first point. I cannot find anywhere in Genesis 14 15, 16, 17, or 18, were Lot reproved the men of Sodom? He may have.

[John Weaver] I have no earthly idea. But the Bible does not record him doing that. The only time he gives any reproof at all is found in Genesis 19. I want you to turn there. If you look in Genesis 19, You're going to find that God is already determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham has already interceded with the Lord. And the Lord said, if he finds ten righteous people, he will spare it. And so he sends these two angels to Sodom. And I want you to note, in Genesis chapter 19, the Bible says, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, And there came two angels to Sodom and Eve, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. You remember the gate speaks of authority. So evidently he was a man of authority in this wicked town.

[John Weaver] And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servants' house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

[John Weaver] And before they lay down the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men which came into thee this night? Bring them out to us, that we may know them. And Lot went out the door unto them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

[John Weaver] Behold, now I have two daughters, which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do you to them as is good in your eyes. Only these men do nothing. For therefore came they under the shadow of my roof, and they said, Stand back! And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he needs to be adjudged.

[John Weaver] Now we will deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men, the angels, put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door. And of course they smoked the men with blindness. Now, let me tell you the problems that I have with Lot's rebuke in Genesis 19.

[John Weaver] First of all, he called them brethren. He was identifying himself as one of them. Now he was not. but he called them brethren.

[John Weaver] Secondly, he only mildly pointing out that they were wicked. He said, I pray thee, my brethren, do not so wickedly.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, he offered unto them his virgin daughters, which I do not understand. Fourthly, he stated that these men, these angels, had come unto him for protection, and he was obligated to protect them.

[John Weaver] Now let me just point this out, and it's very true, it's very clear. We don't understand the mentality of that time and of that part of the country. Because if I, even today, go to even a Bedouin's tent, and he invites me in, and I stay the night, he is duty-bound, he is honor-bound to protect my life because I am his guest. He is responsible for me. And He maintains that honor. And He will defend my life.

[John Weaver] He may not agree with you religiously. He may not agree with you culturally. But if He invites you into His house, He will fight for you. He will die for you.

[John Weaver] Now, I understand when Lot said, I'm going to protect these men. They came into my house and they're under my protection. But here's my question. Was he not also obligated to protect his daughters? They were not only in his house, they were his children and therefore under fatherly protection as well. The point I'm trying to make is this. It seems, according to scripture, that the men of Sodom affected Lot far more than he affected them.

[John Weaver] One never elevates the wicked by condoning their wickedness or acting and doing as they do. Mild rebukes will never deter the wicked. Conformity and acquiescence to their lifestyles will never ever change the wicked. It only encourages them. And when you compromise, The only individual who is affected by compromise is the individual who compromises. It never affects anyone else.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you. I want you to hold Genesis chapter 14, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 2. 2 Peter chapter 2, and I want you to hear what God says concerning Lot while he was in Sodom. Notice 2 Peter chapter 2, beginning there with verse 7. 2nd Peter chapter 2 and verse 7. In fact, let's read verse 6 showing how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 2nd Peter chapter 2 verse 6, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that afterwards should live ungodly. Now watch, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds."

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. How many men of Sodom did the Lord influence? None. He even lost the influence over his own family. Because when he sent to his sons-in-laws that had married some of his daughters and said, up, get you out, because the Lord is going to destroy this city, the Bible says they laughed at him and seemed as if he mocked.

[John Weaver] They didn't pay any attention to him. And the Bible tells us that Lot vexed with the filthy conversation, the conduct of the wicked, for that righteous man, And I'm going to tell you, if God had not specifically told me that Lot was a righteous man, I would have really doubted his righteousness. Anybody who could volunteer his four daughters to such wicked, reprobate men. And the Bible says, that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

[John Weaver] He had to put up with that trash. And it affected him. We need to learn a very valuable and important lesson. Here it is. Listen carefully. If you sin with the wicked, do not be surprised if you suffer with the wicked. If you choose the wicked, do not be surprised when you're judged with the wicked. was not a citizen of Sodom by birth, but by choice. He chose him, all that plain. He pitched his tent towards Sodom and then he went in Sodom.

[John Weaver] If you have lost your common sense and your biblical principles, do not think it strange if you lose your family and your possessions. I think that is why, if you'll go back to Genesis 14 and look at verse 12, we read this specifically. And they took what? Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. What? What? If you lose your biblical principles, if you lose your common sense, you should not be surprised when you lose your family and your goods. I want you to stop and think about this. The Bible says in verse 12, and they took Lot and his goods and departed. Wow!

[John Weaver] These four kings, who had defeated five kings, had sacked all of these cities, had sacked undoubtedly many homes. And yet we are specifically told they took a lot and his goods. Are you listening? It was his goods that caused him to separate from Abraham. It was for the benefit of his goods that he chose the plain of Jordan. It was for the benefit of his goods that he pitched his tent towards Sodom. It was for his goods that he ended up in Sodom, and now he has lost all of his goods to these four marauding kings. When we think that we can protect ourselves and our goods by forsaking God and His principles and His truth, we're deceiving ourselves, folks.

[John Weaver] We will discover that whatever we place ahead of God, we will ultimately lose. For God will broke no rivals. He said, I am the Lord and my glory will I not share with another nor give my praise to graven images. And God is not going to let us hold on to those idols that we place above him. It is absolute justice with God to deprive us of those enjoyments by which we have suffered ourselves be deprived of our enjoyment of him. He put his goods ahead of everything and he lost his goods. Thankfully, God was still merciful to Lot and allowed the news of his capture to reach Abram. One escaped to inform Abram of Lot's capture. Abram was dwelling by the Oaks of Mamre, the Bible says, that is near Hebron.

[John Weaver] Therefore, he was really not far from the scene of war. He was also in league with Mamre and his two brothers, Aner and Eshgal. And the league evidently was for mutual defense. So these three brothers, Mamre, Eshgal, and Aner, were probably chieftains as well, head over a clan much like Abram was. And so, here are these three men that joined with Abram. So, I want you to secondly, not only consider the circumstances, but consider the conflict. Look in verse 14. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. Now, there was a great deal of bravery in the enterprise itself, considering the disadvantages Abram lay under.

[John Weaver] What in the world could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against five kings or four kings? They defeated the five. What could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against four kings that are now flush with victory, that have just had the thrill of victory, that have shed much blood, taken a great deal of victory, and they now consider themselves a victorious army They've got all the loot. They've got everything. They're the winners. And here Abram, with his 318 men, and Mamre, and Aner, and Eshcol, and their few men, they're going to attack these four kings. Now, Abram and his three friends are now to engage the four kings who have been victorious over five kings. evidently these four kings had a rather large army. It was not only large enough to defeat the five kings, it was only large enough to reconquer the territories that were rebelling, it was also large enough to conquer additional territories, and large enough then to control all the booty, all the spoil, and all the prisoners that they had taken.

[John Weaver] That's a pretty good size army. So Abram then arms his 318 trained servants which were born in his house.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to stop for a moment and just consider how great Abram was. Now we were told that he was rich in cattle and gold and in silver. If Abram had 318 trained fighting men They would have to be mature men. Which meant probably they had families themselves. They were his servants. Moreover, if he took 318 men, you think of all the other men that he has to leave behind, not only to protect the families, but to take care of all the animals that he has and protect his silver and his gold. I would say that Abram probably had a household of well over a thousand individuals. That's a pretty good household. And when you consider Mamre and Eshgal and Aner being chieftains as well, let me ask you a question. If I've got a thousand fighting men and Henry has five fighting men, Why would I enter into a league with Henry? What's five men? Five men can help me. But now if I have a thousand fighting men and Henry has eight or nine hundred or twelve hundred or a thousand fighting men, we can see there's mutual benefit there.

[John Weaver] So let's just say if Abram had 318 trained servants, let's say the other three men had an equal number. So, or almost an equal number. So now you're going to find that the fighting men that would be with Abram would be say 1,000 to 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, something like that. But so you've got around 1,200 men then that are fighting four kings.

[John Weaver] Now, there are several things that we must consider when we consider the conflict. First of all, Abram had 318 trained fighting men in his household. Obviously, first and foremost, obviously he had a store of arms. And probably they were the best available at that time. You must remember that Abram was an extremely wealthy man. I cannot envision Abram supplying his men with cheap or defective weaponry. His swords were probably the best swords. The bows and arrows were probably the best available. So were the spears.

[John Weaver] So were the shields and the habergons. Let me tell you something. When your life depends upon a weapon, you don't go cheap. You don't. You say, well, I can buy one of these Saturday night specials over here for 89 bucks. Go ahead. But I can buy a Glock for 600 bucks. Well, I'd rather spend 600 bucks and have something I can depend upon than 89 and have something tear up when my life depended upon it or something not work correctly.

[John Weaver] Abram obviously had a store of weapons. He had to supply these trained men with weaponry. Secondly, I want you to note, these men were trained. He prepared them. He taught them. They were ready for action. Do you realize it's too late to train when the conflict is upon you? It's too late to train tonight if you've got to fight in the morning. Are you listening? Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. The time to train is when you can train. These men were disciplined. They were trained. They were ready. I want you to understand that training requires time as well as motivation. And it's impossible to be trained overnight.

[John Weaver] Let me point something else out. when the scripture says that he brought out his trained servants. You could also interpret that word, his catechized servants. They were not only catechized in the art of war, but they were also catechized in biblical principles in truth and in righteousness. If you will look in Genesis 18, And verse 19, at what God said concerning Abram. Genesis 18 verse 19. In fact, let's read verse 17.

[John Weaver] And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, this is what God said, for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. So Abraham had catechized, he had trained his servants, not only in the art of war, but also in principles of truth and righteousness.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, when the Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 14 and verse 14 that he brought out his 318 trained men, the cause for fighting at that time was just and righteous. Therefore, there was no hesitation on the part of Abram. Let me put this very plainly. When truth and righteousness and biblical principle and lives are at stake, you do not hesitate. Or as we say, it is not time to dilly-dally around. Abram knew if he dilly-dallied around, The kings who had Lot and all the other people will get farther and farther and farther away from him. No.

[John Weaver] If it's right, we fight. If it's an emergency, we fight. In other words, Abram could not afford to wait while the wicked escape. No. What Abram did when he got the news, he acted and he acted instantly. Likewise, you and I must understand that we must be prepared to instantly act upon that which is holy and right and godly and biblical. There cannot and there can never be a delay in our lives when truth and righteousness are at stake.

[John Weaver] I want you to thirdly consider with me the combat. Look in verses 15 and 16. And he divided himself against them. He said, and he and his servants by night and smoked them and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. Genesis 14, now verse 16. And he brought back all the goods and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people. Now note verse 15, and he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night and he smoked them and pursued them on Jehovah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

[John Weaver] Abram understood the art of war. He also understood the use of stratagems. And he made use of strategy in attacking his enemies. He not only attacked them at night when they were most vulnerable, he also divided his army. Remember, he had Mamre, Ashkel and Aner. Remember there were four kings, so four kings had four different armies. So probably, I don't know for sure, but probably Abram took one army, Mamre took another, Ashkel and Aner took the other two. And probably what they did is they attacked simultaneously. Attacking simultaneously on every hand would indicate to those who are being attacked that your force is much greater than it would appear.

[John Weaver] Moreover, I want you to note this. In all probability, a lot of these enemy soldiers would be asleep. Many would be drunk. because they would be celebrating their victory and all the spoil that they had gotten.

[John Weaver] Now I can assure you it would certainly be disconcerting to say the least to wake up from a deep sleep or to wake up from being drunk and find out that you are fighting for your life, and you're being attacked on every hand, and you don't know where the enemy is coming from, you don't know how many they are, you don't even know whether to fight or to flee, and if you want to flee, where would you flee to? You don't know where they are. So Abram certainly knew what he was doing.

[John Weaver] He realized these kings would be caught in a very slothful state, they would be rejoicing in their victories, they'd be celebrating all the booty that they had gotten, They would not be expecting pursuit because they had conquered all their enemies. And they certainly would not be expecting an attack at night. But I want you to know that Abram was totally and completely successful. The Bible says in verse 16, he brought back all the goods and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods. and the women also and the people.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make a statement. While it is absolutely undeniable that Abram and his men fought and fought well, it is also equally undeniable that they used strategy. But it is also equally undeniable that they're fighting And their strategy was blessed by the sovereign God of heaven and earth. And it was God who gave them the victory. If you would look in verse 20, it calls for Melchizedek.

[John Weaver] In fact, let's read verses 18 through 20. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abram, gave him tithes of all." So it was God who gave Abram the victory. So Abram had to fight. Abram had to use strategy. Abram had to plan. But it was God who gave the victory.

[John Weaver] Let me spell this out for you. If you expect victory without fighting, And without planning, and without using the means that God has ordained, you're deceiving yourself. No. Abram had to fight. Abram had to plan and use strategy. But it was his faith in, and obedience, and worship to the one true and living God, in whom he trusted, And that God gave him the victory.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to tie this together and make some applications. The first one should be absolutely astoundingly obvious. Here it is. One does not need to be a military genius or military leader to be used of God in battle. Do you realize one of the greatest warriors in the war of normal aggression never went to a military school in his entire life? Knew nothing of military tactics. General Nathan Bedford Forrest. And yet he was one of the greatest military geniuses and one of the greatest warriors of that era. In fact, did you know that Rommel, the desert fox, took a lot of his tactics from Forrest. He studied Forrest. In fact, there have been a lot of military men that would study the tactics of Forrest. The point I'm trying to make is this. In order to be used of God, we just must be willing and to present our bodies a living sacrifice. The battle is not to the brave. The battle is not to the trained. The battle is not to the one who has the most weapons or the greatest army.

[John Weaver] The battle belongs to the Lord. You remember when little David went out to meet Goliath? Goliath had the sword and the spear and he had the shield and he had on all these greaves of brass and everything to protect him. And David had a sling. And David said this in 1 Samuel 17 and verse 47. He said, And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saith not with sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into my hands. What did he say? For the battle is the Lord's. The battle is not to the strong. The battle belongs to the Lord.

[John Weaver] So the very first application, you don't have to be a military genius to be used of God. Abraham was a shepherd and a herdman. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Secondly, biblical truth and the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. Please think about that. Biblical truth, the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. The Bible says in Proverbs 28 in verse 1, the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. The wicked flee when no one pursueth. I know. I see Henry smiling.

[John Weaver] I've been asked that question before. What's the meanest insect in the Bible? The flea, the wicked flea. The wicked flee when no man pursues. But notice what he says. The righteous is as bold as a lion. It is the grace and mercy and truth of God that places a desire to fight within our breast. The true Christian is the true hero. Let me give you a quote. Hedley Vickers.

[John Weaver] You will have to study who he was. He was a Christian warrior. Here's what he said. I have often heard it said, the worse the man, the better the soldier. Facts contradict this untruth. Were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope, that means one that is absolutely hopeless and helpless. He said, were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope allowed to select my men, it would most certainly be from among the soldiers of Christ For who should fight so fearlessly and bravely as those to whom death presents no after terrors? And that's a fact. That's a fact.

[John Weaver] And do you realize all down through history, not only Bible history, but what you and I would just call world history, Christians have always made the best warriors and the best fighting men. The third application is this. It is true that those that venture in a good cause with a good heart and with a right motive are under the special protection of God and have reason to hope in a good issue.

[John Weaver] Abram knew that when he went after Lot to rescue him, he was not going to make himself rich. He was not going for self-glory. He was going out of a generous, gracious heart, not only for his nephew, and his family and his goods, but for the others as well. When God is in the fight, numbers do not matter. You remember it was Jonathan who said to his armor bearer in first Samuel 14 in verse six, and Jonathan said to his armor bearer, come and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.

[John Weaver] It may be that the Lord will work for us for there is no restraint to the Lord to say by many or by few. And Jonathan and his armor-bearer took on the Philistine garrison and defeated them. He said, God can save by many or by few, it doesn't matter. Do you realize, listen carefully, no armaments or no amount of weaponry will make up for a lack of willingness to fight. was willing to fight. And he said, I'll just trust the Lord and we'll whip these Philistines and get them out of the way.

[John Weaver] And that's exactly what happened. The fourth application is this. The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ. and his crown rites. Just like Abram was an unexpected warrior. One of these days, God through His Spirit will awaken His men, will awaken His people, and they will once again stand and fight for truth and righteousness and godliness. Abram, in this battle, foreshadowed Christian victory over the world. What did Abram do?

[John Weaver] He defeated these four kings that had defeated five kings. They were the world power at that time. And Abram with just a few men overcame them, overpowered them, and destroyed them. You know what the Bible says in 1 John 5 and verse 4? And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And just like, just like Abram overcame those four mighty kings, so we as God's people will overcome our enemies, will overcome the world, will overcome the flesh and overcome the devil, for we're more than victorious in Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, Paul said it like this, we are more than conquerors in Christ. God has already given us the victory in Christ.

[John Weaver] What He needs and what He wants are men and women who will stand for truth and righteousness and holiness. And we will turn out to be unexpected warriors. For the world would never believe that we can fight in faith for truth and righteousness. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank You for the truth, Lord, that You've given us in Abram. And help us to see, Lord, that You are more than able to use any of us for Your honor and Your glory. Make us willing, Lord, to be willing to stand for Thee. and for thy word and thy truth. We ask, Father, that you would help these on the prayer list. We pray especially for each one again and ask that you would undertake, Father.

[John Weaver] Give us grace that we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen.

An Unexpected Warrior

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	wL4NBd_GflI
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-07-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the message 'An Unexpected Warrior' and reads Genesis 14:1-16, which describes the war of the kings and Abraham's rescue of Lot.

Alright, well let's open our Bible today to the book of Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14. We're going to read the first 16 verses. Genesis chapter 14. And the title of the message is An Unexpected Warrior. And I think you will understand as we begin to read. Genesis chapter 14, beginning with verse 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, and Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in Mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. And they returned and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.

There went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar. And they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings with five. And the Vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner. These were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-16

And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people."

Abraham is well known for being the friend of God. He is also well known for his faith, obedience, and righteousness. He is not very well known for his tactical, military, and warrior skills. In Genesis chapter 14, you have the only military action we ever read about that Abraham was engaged in. And I might point out that Abraham was engaged in this military action, not because he was prompted by avarice or ambition, but purely on a principle of mercy and charity. He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot. Never was any military expedition undertaken, prosecuted and finished more honorably than this military action taken by Abraham.

Background: The Separation of Abram and Lot

Weaver reviews Genesis 13:1-11, explaining that strife between herdsmen led Abram to graciously allow Lot to choose the land, and Lot chose the plain of Jordan toward Sodom.

Now let me begin by showing you Genesis chapter 13 and let's begin the reading there with verse 1 and read the first 11 verses because I kind of want to set the background for you. Genesis chapter 13 beginning there with verse 1: And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, even to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.

And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves

one from another. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Now I want you to note to begin with, here is a division between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's herdsmen. It was not necessarily a division between Abram and Lot themselves. I am sure that they were affected by this division as well. Moreover, we could also say that this division between Abram and Lot was simply because of their wealth. They were exceedingly rich and the Bible says that Abram was rich in cattle and silver and in gold and of course Lot now, the Bible says he has cattle and he has tents, he has all of these things. So, there develops a division, there develops a fighting between the herdmen of Lot and the herdmen of Abram. And undoubtedly, they're probably fighting over the best grazing lands as well as the best water holes as well. And it's interesting to see why Abram suggested they separate themselves.

If you look in verse 7, we read this: And there was strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled in the land. So notice if you would, it's because of a testimony before the wicked. The wicked were surrounding them. And notice if you would, he said in verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. In other words, we ought not to be fighting. And we certainly ought not to be fighting before the wicked. Then he says in verse 9, Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; if thou depart to the right, then I will go to the left.

Now I want you to note how gracious Abram was. Because he says, I'm not going to be the one that makes the choice. You make the choice. If you go to the right hand, I'll go to the left. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. I'm not going to fight over this. And the Bible tells us that Lot deliberately, premeditatedly chose the plain of Jordan because of its lushness, its fruitfulness, even though it was on the way to Sodom.

So look if you would back at verse 11 in Genesis 13:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 13:1-11

Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves

one from the other. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom."

Lot's Downward Spiral

Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and eventually dwelt there, illustrating how a small step away from God leads to joining the wicked.

Now, an interesting thing is this. Lot evidently had to have known of the wickedness and the depravity of Sodom. Because if you look at verse 13, the Bible says, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." So obviously Lot would have known that. And yet the Bible still tells us that he pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now I want you to note, if you would, when we read Genesis chapter 13, we read about the altars that Abram had built, where God had revealed himself to Abram and even to Lot. And the interesting thing is, that Lot did not choose the place where God's altar was. He did not choose the place where God had revealed himself. No. He chose the plain of Jordan which was on the way to Sodom. Obviously he made a bad choice. He chose money, he chose prosperity, he chose luxury, and he chose friendship with the world over the worship and the honor of God.

Now let me just point out the fact that many people do exactly the same thing today. How many people have you ever heard of that moved into a city or moved into a town because of the excellent preaching and teaching of the Word of God that was in that town? How many people have you ever heard move to a certain place because the Spirit of God was moving and people were being convicted of their sins and converted and standing for truth and righteousness. How many of you have ever heard of anyone doing that at all? Now, the truth of the matter is this. When most people move, they move because they want a better job, they want more money, they want greater benefits, they want a better security package. Sometimes people move because of family or they move because of friends. But very few ever seldom move because they're hearing the truth of God and the Word of God has priority in their lives.

The Bible says, look in Genesis chapter 13 and verse 12. This is interesting. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. And Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, watch this phrase, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. He just simply pitched his tent in the direction of Sodom. Now, when you look in Genesis 14 verse 12, which we read earlier, here are these kings and they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. So, in one chapter, you read about Lot pitching his tent towards Sodom, and in the very next chapter, you read about Lot being in Sodom. So, the Bible is telling us it's just a small step between going towards Sodom and joining in and living in Sodom. In other words, once you begin on the road away from God and God's people, it's but a small step to join hands with the wicked. Once you leave the fellowship of God and His people, here's my question. Where else can you go but to the wicked? If you leave the fellowship of God and His people, you have no other place to go.

So Lot then already pitched his tent towards Sodom. He finally ended up dwelling in Sodom as well.

Abram's Response to Lot's Capture

When Abram heard Lot was captured, he did not rationalize but immediately armed his trained servants, motivated by the sixth commandment to preserve life.

Now, when Abraham got the news, that Lot, his nephew, had been captured. All of his goods had been taken. Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboiim, and all these other cities of the plain had been sacked. I could imagine that Abram could have rationalized his way out of this military action. He must have understood that Lot knew of the dangers. And Lot knew of the wickedness of the people of Sodom. He could have taken this attitude. When he heard that Lot had been captured, he could have said this.

Well, he made his bed, let him lie in it. Well, that's certainly an attitude that I've heard expressed. And in some instances, it is indeed a biblical attitude. He could have also rationalized and said, well, maybe this will teach him a lesson. Maybe he will learn the hard way. He could have also had other rationalizations. He could have asked himself this question. Why should I jeopardize my family, my friends, my servants, and my own life to try to save a people who are not even concerned enough to get out of dodge, to get out of the way of danger? Why should I jeopardize everything I have for someone who was so stupid as to move right in the middle of danger and wickedness. That's a good rationalization. I want you to understand, he could have rationalized, well, I'll leave him alone, and I'll just see if he learns from his mistakes. But do you realize when Abram heard that Lot, his nephew, had been captured, none of those rationalizations probably entered his mind. At least they certainly are not recorded in Scripture.

The Bible says that immediately when he heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his own trained servants. Now, why was Abram so quick to go after Lot and rescue him? And the answer is because of obedience to the sixth commandment. You remember I've pointed this out innumerable times. The sixth commandment is thou shalt not kill. The positive is thou shalt preserve life. So Lot's life was in danger. His children's lives were in danger. His wife's life was in danger. Other people were in danger. And so Abram then was willing very quickly to go to the rescue not only of Lot but of the other people as well.

I must point this out. Even though Abram and Lot may have had a light falling out between themselves, and I don't know that they did, but I'm sure that the strife between their herdsmen affected them. In fact, it did so much that Abram suggested that they separate themselves because of their great wealth and because of the strife that was going on. But I must point this out. Grace does not cease to exist in a believer even though he has been wronged by the individual to whom he is about to be gracious. So Abram could have also rationalized, well he did me wrong, let him suffer.

But he didn't do that. Now, I just have three things I want you to consider with me this morning. First of all, I want you to consider the circumstances. I read the circumstances to you in Genesis chapter 14 verses 1 through 12. A war has broken out between kings, and you've got five kings fighting against four kings. Now, I want to give you just one quote from Albert Barnes in his commentary, and I want you to think as I read this. Listen to what he said. "The dominant confederacy consists of four kings. Many generations back, the first world power consisting of four cities was established by Nimrod in the land of Shinar, Genesis 10 verses 8 through 10. This is now given way to a world confederacy consisting of four kings. From the vicinity of the places in which they reigned, it is evident that they were petty princes of domains varying from a town and its suburbs to a comparatively extensive territory." So he is saying these four principal cities have now given rise to four principal kings and they now have a world confederacy. So there were five kings that rebelled against Chedorlaomer after serving him for 12 years. Chedorlaomer then joined affinity with three other kings in order that he might reconquer the territories that were rebelling against him. But I don't know if you paid attention to when I read Genesis 14 or not, but if you look especially at verses 5, 6, and 7, as well as 8, they are not just interested in reconquering Sodom and Gomorrah, Zeboiim and Admah, these cities of the plain, they go and conquer other territories

The Circumstances of the War

Weaver details the conflict between the four kings and the five kings, noting their greed and pride, and emphasizes that Lot was specifically taken captive.

as well. So, their design is not just to reconquer the people that are rebelling, but to add new conquered territory to their domain. So involved in this expedition of these four kings was pride, and greed, and avarice, and self-glory. In other words, they wanted not only those rebelling territories back, they wanted additional territories as well. So these kings were infatuated with themselves, with their power, with their ability. Someone has aptly stated, those whom God intends to destroy, he delivers up to infatuation and certainly they were infatuated with themselves.

Now the Bible tells us that this battle took place in the slime pits or in the deep holes around the Vale of Siddim where the Dead Sea is located. It was there that the five kings with Sodom and Gomorrah all these towns were defeated. The Sodom along with the other cities were sacked. The citizens were captured. The goods were confiscated. But I want you to look at verse 12 again. Genesis 14 verse 12: And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. Wow. God says specifically they took Lot and everything he had. Yeah, they got a lot of others. But they got Lot and they got everything.

I'm going to point something out in just a moment. I want to give you a quote by John Calvin on this passage. And I'm going to disagree with his first point and I will tell you why. I want you to listen to what he said. His other two points are excellent. His first point I have trouble with. He says the history related in this chapter is chiefly worthy of remembrance for three reasons. First, because Lot, with a gentle reproof, exhorted the men of Sodom to repentance.

Lot's Ineffective Witness in Sodom

Weaver critiques Lot's mild rebuke in Genesis 19 and notes from 2 Peter 2:7-8 that Lot was a righteous man vexed by the wickedness, but he influenced no one.

They had, however, become altogether unteachable and desperately perverse in their wickedness. But Lot was beaten with these scourges because they had been allured and deceived by the richness of the soil he had mixed himself with unholy and wicked men. Secondly, because God, out of his compassion to him, raised up Abram as his avenger and liberator to rescue him when a captive from the hand of the enemy, in which act the incredible goodness and benevolence of God towards his own people is rendered conspicuous since for the sake of one man he preserves for a time many who are utterly unworthy. And then thirdly because Abram was divinely honored with a signal victory and was blessed by the mouth of Melchizedek, in whose person, as appears from other passages of scripture, the kingdom and priesthood of Christ was shadowed forth. As it respects the sum of the history, it is a horrible picture both of the avarice and pride of man.

So he says there's three reasons we ought to remember Genesis chapter 14. First he says because Lot gently reproved the men of Sodom. Secondly because God out of His compassion raised up Abram to rescue Lot. And thirdly, because Melchizedek here foreshadowed Christ. But overall, he says, when you read Genesis chapter 14, you have to come away with an understanding of the avarice and the corruption of man. Now, I told you I disagreed with this first point. I cannot find anywhere in Genesis 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18, where Lot reproved the men of Sodom. He may have.

I have no earthly idea. But the Bible does not record him doing that. The only time he gives any reproof at all is found in Genesis 19. I want you to turn there. If you look in Genesis 19, you're going to find that God is already determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham has already interceded with the Lord. And the Lord said, if he finds ten righteous people, he will spare it. And so he sends these two angels to Sodom. And I want you to note, in Genesis chapter 19, the Bible says, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, And there came two angels to Sodom at even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. You remember the gate speaks of authority. So evidently he was a man of authority in this wicked town.

And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. And before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out the door unto them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold, now I have two daughters, which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing. For therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back! And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he needs to be a judge.

Now we will deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men, the angels, put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door. And of course they smote the men with blindness. Now, let me tell you the problems that I have with Lot's rebuke in Genesis 19. First of all, he called them brethren. He was identifying himself as one of them. Now he was not, but he called them brethren.

Secondly, he only mildly pointed out that they were wicked. He said, I pray thee, my brethren, do not so wickedly. Thirdly, he offered unto them his virgin daughters, which I do not understand. Fourthly, he stated that these men, these angels, had come unto him for protection, and he was obligated to protect them.

Now let me just point this out, and it's very true, it's very clear. We don't understand the mentality of that time and of that part of the country. Because if I, even today, go to even a Bedouin's tent, and he invites me in, and I stay the night, he is duty-bound, he is honor-bound to protect my life because I am his guest. He is responsible for me. And he maintains that honor. And he will defend my life. He may not agree with you religiously. He may not agree with you culturally. But if he invites you into his house, he will fight for you. He will die for you.

Now, I understand when Lot said, I'm going to protect these men. They came into my house and they're under my protection. But here's my question. Was he not also obligated to protect his daughters? They were not only in his house, they were his children and therefore under fatherly protection as well. The point I'm trying to make is this. It seems, according to scripture, that the men of Sodom affected Lot far more than he affected them.

One never elevates the wicked by condoning their wickedness or acting and doing as they do. Mild rebukes will never deter the wicked. Conformity and acquiescence to their lifestyles will never ever change the wicked. It only encourages them. And when you compromise, the only individual who is affected by compromise is the individual who compromises. It never affects anyone else.

Now let me show you. I want you to hold Genesis chapter 14, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 2. 2 Peter chapter 2, and I want you to hear what God says concerning Lot while he was in Sodom. Notice 2 Peter chapter 2, beginning there with verse 7. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 7. In fact, let's read verse 6 showing how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 6,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:6-8

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly. Now watch, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds

)."

Now let me ask you a question. How many men of Sodom did Lot influence? None. He even lost the influence over his own family. Because when he went out and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. They didn't pay any attention to him. And the Bible tells us that Lot vexed with the filthy conversation, the conduct of the wicked, for that righteous man, And I'm going to tell you, if God had not specifically told me that Lot was a righteous man, I would have really doubted his righteousness. Anybody who could volunteer his four daughters to such wicked, reprobate men. And the Bible says, that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

The Consequences of Lot's Choices

Lot lost his goods because he prioritized them over God, demonstrating that whatever we place ahead of God we will ultimately lose.

He had to put up with that trash. And it affected him. We need to learn a very valuable and important lesson. Here it is. Listen carefully. If you sin with the wicked, do not be surprised if you suffer with the wicked. If you choose the wicked, do not be surprised when you're judged with the wicked. Lot was not a citizen of Sodom by birth, but by choice. He chose him all that plain. He pitched his tent towards Sodom and then he went in Sodom.

If you have lost your common sense and your biblical principles, do not think it strange if you lose your family and your possessions. I think that is why, if you'll go back to Genesis 14 and look at verse 12, we read this specifically. And they took what? Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. What? What? If you lose your biblical principles, if you lose your common sense, you should not be surprised when you lose your family and your goods. I want you to stop and think about this. The Bible says in verse 12, and they took Lot and his goods and departed. Wow!

These four kings, who had defeated five kings, had sacked all of these cities, had sacked undoubtedly many homes. And yet we are specifically told they took Lot and his goods. Are you listening? It was his goods that caused him to separate from Abraham. It was for the benefit of his goods that he chose the plain of Jordan. It was for the benefit of his goods that he pitched his tent towards Sodom. It was for his goods that he ended up in Sodom, and now he has lost all of his goods to these four marauding kings. When we think that we can protect ourselves and our goods by forsaking God and His principles and His truth, we're deceiving ourselves, folks.

We will discover that whatever we place ahead of God, we will ultimately lose. For God will brook no rivals. He said, I am the Lord and my glory will I not share with another nor give my praise to graven images. And God is not going to let us hold on to those idols that we place above him. It is absolute justice with God to deprive us of those enjoyments by which we have suffered ourselves be deprived of our enjoyment of him. He put his goods ahead of everything and he lost his goods. Thankfully, God was still merciful to Lot and allowed the news of his capture to reach Abram. One escaped to inform Abram of Lot's capture. Abram was dwelling by the Oaks of Mamre, the Bible says, that is near Hebron.

The Conflict: Abram's Military Action

Abram armed 318 trained servants and pursued the kings, showing bravery despite being outnumbered. His men were trained in both warfare and biblical principles.

Therefore, he was really not far from the scene of war. He was also in league with Mamre and his two brothers, Aner and Eshcol. And the league evidently was for mutual defense. So these three brothers, Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, were probably chieftains as well, head over a clan much like Abram was. And so, here are these three men that joined with Abram. So, I want you to secondly, not only consider the circumstances, but consider the conflict. Look in verse 14. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. Now, there was a great deal of bravery in the enterprise itself, considering the disadvantages Abram lay under.

What in the world could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against five kings or four kings? They defeated the five. What could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against four kings that are now flush with victory, that have just had the thrill of victory, that have shed much blood, taken a great deal of victory, and they now consider themselves a victorious army. They've got all the loot. They've got everything. They're the winners. And here Abram, with his 318 men, and Mamre, and Aner, and Eshcol, and their few men, they're going to attack these four kings. Now, Abram and his three friends are now to engage the four kings who have been victorious over five kings. Evidently these four kings had a rather large army. It was not only large enough to defeat the five kings, it was not only large enough to reconquer the territories that were rebelling, it was also large enough to conquer additional territories, and large enough then to control all the booty, all the spoil, and all the prisoners that they had taken.

That's a pretty good size army. So Abram then arms his 318 trained servants which were born in his house. Now I want you to stop for a moment and just consider how great Abram was. Now we were told that he was rich in cattle and gold and in silver. If Abram had 318 trained fighting men, they would have to be mature men. Which meant probably they had families themselves. They were his servants. Moreover, if he took 318 men, you think of all the other men that he has to leave behind, not only to protect the families, but to take care of all the animals that he has and protect his silver and his gold. I would say that Abram probably had a household of well over a thousand individuals. That's a pretty good household. And when you consider Mamre and Eshcol and Aner being chieftains as well, let me ask you a question. If I've got a thousand fighting men and Henry has five fighting men, why would I enter into a league with Henry? What's five men? Five men can help me. But now if I have a thousand fighting men and Henry has eight or nine hundred or twelve hundred or a thousand fighting men, we can see there's mutual benefit there.

So let's just say if Abram had 318 trained servants, let's say the other three men had an equal number. So, or almost an equal number. So now you're going to find that the fighting men that would be with Abram would be say 1,000 to 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, something like that. But so you've got around 1,200 men then that are fighting four kings.

Now, there are several things that we must consider when we consider the conflict. First of all, Abram had 318 trained fighting men in his household. Obviously, first and foremost, obviously he had a store of arms. And probably they were the best available at that time. You must remember that Abram was an extremely wealthy man. I cannot envision Abram supplying his men with cheap or defective weaponry. His swords were probably the best swords. The bows and arrows were probably the best available. So were the spears.

So were the shields and the habergeons. Let me tell you something. When your life depends upon a weapon, you don't go cheap. You don't. You say, well, I can buy one of these Saturday night specials over here for 89 bucks. Go ahead. But I can buy a Glock for 600 bucks. Well, I'd rather spend 600 bucks and have something I can depend upon than 89 and have something tear up when my life depended upon it or something not work correctly.

Abram obviously had a store of weapons. He had to supply these trained men with weaponry. Secondly, I want you to note, these men were trained. He prepared them. He taught them. They were ready for action. Do you realize it's too late to train when the conflict is upon you? It's too late to train tonight if you've got to fight in the morning. Are you listening? Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. The time to train is when you can train. These men were disciplined. They were trained. They were ready. I want you to understand that training requires time as well as motivation. And it's impossible to be trained overnight.

Let me point something else out. When the scripture says that he brought out his trained servants, you could also interpret that word, his catechized servants. They were not only catechized in the art of war, but they were also catechized in biblical principles in truth and in righteousness. If you will look in Genesis 18, and verse 19, at what God said concerning Abram. Genesis 18 verse 19. In fact, let's read verse 17. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, this is what God said, for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. So Abraham had catechized, he had trained his servants, not only in the art of war, but also in principles of truth and righteousness.

Thirdly, when the Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 14 and verse 14 that he brought out his 318 trained men, the cause for fighting at that time was just and righteous. Therefore, there was no hesitation on the part of Abram. Let me put this very plainly. When truth and righteousness and biblical principle and lives are at stake, you do not hesitate. Or as we say, it is not time to dilly-dally around. Abram knew if he dilly-dallied around, the kings who had Lot and all the other people will get farther and farther and farther away from him. No.

The Combat: Strategy and Victory

Abram divided his forces and attacked at night, using strategy. The victory was attributed to God, as Melchizedek blessed Abram and praised God for delivering his enemies.

If it's right, we fight. If it's an emergency, we fight. In other words, Abram could not afford to wait while the wicked escape. No. What Abram did when he got the news, he acted and he acted instantly. Likewise, you and I must understand that we must be prepared to instantly act upon that which is holy and right and godly and biblical. There cannot and there can never be a delay in our lives when truth and righteousness are at stake.

I want you to thirdly consider with me the combat. Look in verses 15 and 16. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. Genesis 14, now verse 16. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people. Now note verse 15, and he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and he smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. Abram understood the art of war. He also understood the use of stratagems. And he made use of strategy in attacking his enemies. He not only attacked them at night when they were most vulnerable, he also divided his army. Remember, he had Mamre, Eshcol and Aner. Remember there were four kings, so four kings had four different armies. So probably, I don't know for sure, but probably Abram took one army, Mamre took another, Eshcol and Aner took the other two. And probably what they did is they attacked simultaneously. Attacking simultaneously on every hand would indicate to those who are being attacked that your force is much greater than it would appear.

Moreover, I want you to note this. In all probability, a lot of these enemy soldiers would be asleep. Many would be drunk, because they would be celebrating their victory and all the spoil that they had gotten. Now I can assure you it would certainly be disconcerting to say the least to wake up from a deep sleep or to wake up from being drunk and find out that you are fighting for your life, and you're being attacked on every hand, and you don't know where the enemy is coming from, you don't know how many they are, you don't even know whether to fight or to flee, and if you want to flee, where would you flee to? You don't know where they are. So Abram certainly knew what he was doing.

He realized these kings would be caught in a very slothful state, they would be rejoicing in their victories, they'd be celebrating all the booty that they had gotten. They would not be expecting pursuit because they had conquered all their enemies. And they certainly would not be expecting an attack at night. But I want you to know that Abram was totally and completely successful. The Bible says in verse 16, he brought back all the goods and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also and the people.

Now, let me make a statement. While it is absolutely undeniable that Abram and his men fought and fought well, it is also equally undeniable that they used strategy. But it is also equally undeniable that their fighting and their strategy was blessed by the sovereign God of heaven and earth. And it was God who gave them the victory. If you would look in verse 20, it calls for Melchizedek. In fact, let's read verses 18 through 20. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abram, gave him tithes of all." So it was God who gave Abram the victory. So Abram had to fight. Abram had to use strategy. Abram had to plan. But it was God who gave the victory.

Applications for Believers

Weaver draws four applications: God can use anyone in battle; Christianity makes men courageous; those in a good cause have God's protection; and believers will be unexpected warriors overcoming the world through faith.

Let me spell this out for you. If you expect victory without fighting, and without planning, and without using the means that God has ordained, you're deceiving yourself. No. Abram had to fight. Abram had to plan and use strategy. But it was his faith in, and obedience, and worship to the one true and living God, in whom he trusted, and that God gave him the victory.

Now, let me try to tie this together and make some applications. The first one should be absolutely astoundingly obvious. Here it is. One does not need to be a military genius or military leader to be used of God in battle. Do you realize one of the greatest warriors in the War of Northern Aggression never went to a military school in his entire life? Knew nothing of military tactics. General Nathan Bedford Forrest. And yet he was one of the greatest military geniuses and one of the greatest warriors of that era. In fact, did you know that Rommel, the desert fox, took a lot of his tactics from Forrest. He studied Forrest. In fact, there have been a lot of military men that would study the tactics of Forrest. The point I'm trying to make is this. In order to be used of God, we just must be willing and to present our bodies a living sacrifice. The battle is not to the brave. The battle is not to the trained. The battle is not to the one who has the most weapons or the greatest army.

The battle belongs to the Lord. You remember when little David went out to meet Goliath? Goliath had the sword and the spear and he had the shield and he had on all these greaves of brass and everything to protect him. And David had a sling. And David said this in 1 Samuel 17 and verse 47. He said, And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into my hands. What did he say? For the battle is the Lord's. The battle is not to the strong. The battle belongs to the Lord.

So the very first application, you don't have to be a military genius to be used of God. Abraham was a shepherd and a herdman. It's just that simple. Secondly, biblical truth and the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. Please think about that. Biblical truth, the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. The Bible says in Proverbs 28 in verse 1, the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. The wicked flee when no one pursueth. I know. I see Henry smiling.

I've been asked that question before. What's the meanest insect in the Bible? The flea, the wicked flea. The wicked flee when no man pursueth. But notice what he says. The righteous is as bold as a lion. It is the grace and mercy and truth of God that places a desire to fight within our breast. The true Christian is the true hero. Let me give you a quote. Hedley Vicars.

You will have to study who he was. He was a Christian warrior. Here's what he said. I have often heard it said, the worse the man, the better the soldier. Facts contradict this untruth. Were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope, that means one that is absolutely hopeless and helpless. He said, were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope allowed to select my men, it would most certainly be from among the soldiers of Christ. For who should fight so fearlessly and bravely as those to whom death presents no after terrors? And that's a fact. That's a fact.

And do you realize all down through history, not only Bible history, but what you and I would just call world history, Christians have always made the best warriors and the best fighting men. The third application is this. It is true that those that venture in a good cause with a good heart and with a right motive are under the special protection of God and have reason to hope in a good issue. Abram knew that when he went after Lot to rescue him, he was not going to make himself rich. He was not going for self-glory. He was going out of a generous, gracious heart, not only for his nephew, and his family and his goods, but for the others as well. When God is in the fight, numbers do not matter. You remember it was Jonathan who said to his armourbearer in 1 Samuel 14 in verse 6, and Jonathan said to his armourbearer, Come and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.

It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. And Jonathan and his armourbearer took on the Philistine garrison and defeated them. He said, God can save by many or by few, it doesn't matter. Do you realize, listen carefully, no armaments or no amount of weaponry will make up for a lack of willingness to fight. Jonathan was willing to fight. And he said, I'll just trust the Lord and we'll whip these Philistines and get them out of the way. And that's exactly what happened. The fourth application is this. The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ and his crown rights. Just like Abram was an unexpected warrior. One of these days, God through His Spirit will awaken His men, will awaken His people, and they will once again stand and fight for truth and righteousness and godliness. Abram, in this battle, foreshadowed Christian victory over the world. What did Abram do?

He defeated these four kings that had defeated five kings. They were the world power at that time. And Abram with just a few men overcame them, overpowered them, and destroyed them. You know what the Bible says in 1 John 5 and verse 4? And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And just like, just like Abram overcame those four mighty kings, so we as God's people will overcome our enemies, will overcome the world, will overcome the flesh and overcome the devil, for we're more than victorious in Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, Paul said it like this, we are more than conquerors in Christ. God has already given us the victory in Christ.

What He needs and what He wants are men and women who will stand for truth and righteousness and holiness. And we will turn out to be unexpected warriors. For the world would never believe that we can fight in faith for truth and righteousness. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank You for the truth, Lord, that You've given us in Abram. And help us to see, Lord, that You are more than able to use any of us for Your honor and Your glory. Make us willing, Lord, to be willing to stand for Thee, and for Thy word and Thy truth. We ask, Father, that You would help these on the prayer list. We pray especially for each one again and ask that You would undertake, Father.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Worldly Compromise

Summary: Lot's gradual move toward Sodom illustrates how small compromises lead to spiritual decline and loss.

Evidence: Weaver traces Lot from pitching his tent toward Sodom (Gen 13:12) to dwelling in Sodom (Gen 14:12), warning that leaving God's fellowship leaves only the wicked.

God's Sovereignty in Victory

Summary: Although Abram used strategy and fought bravely, the victory was ultimately given by God.

Evidence: Weaver cites Melchizedek's blessing in Genesis 14:20: 'Blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand.'

The Call to Courageous Faith

Summary: Believers are called to be bold as lions, trusting God in battle regardless of numbers.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Proverbs 28:1 and the example of Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:6, emphasizing that the battle belongs to the Lord.

The Consequences of Idolatry

Summary: Lot's loss of his goods demonstrates that whatever we prioritize above God will be taken away.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'It was his goods that caused him to separate from Abraham... and now he has lost all of his goods.'

Preparedness for Spiritual Warfare

Summary: Abram trained his servants in times of peace, modeling the need for spiritual readiness.

Evidence: Weaver notes that Abram's men were 'trained' and 'catechized' in both war and biblical principles, citing Genesis 18:19.

Key Arguments

Abram acted out of mercy, not self-interest

Summary: Abram's military expedition was motivated purely by a desire to rescue Lot, not by greed or ambition.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot.'

Lot's choices led to his capture

Summary: Lot's decision to move toward Sodom resulted in his being taken captive and losing his goods.

Evidence: Weaver points out that Genesis 14:12 specifically notes they took Lot and his goods, linking it to his earlier choices.

Abram's servants were trained in righteousness

Summary: The 318 men were not only skilled in war but also catechized in God's ways, as seen in Genesis 18:19.

Evidence: Weaver interprets 'trained' as 'catechized' and cites God's commendation of Abraham for commanding his household.

Strategy and faith work together

Summary: Abram used military strategy (night attack, divided forces) but relied on God for the victory.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Abram had to fight. Abram had to use strategy. Abram had to plan. But it was God who gave the victory.'

Christians are called to be unexpected warriors

Summary: Just as Abram was an unlikely warrior, believers will one day rise up to fight for Christ's crown rights.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ.'

Scripture References

Genesis 14:1-16

Context: The main passage read at the beginning, describing the war of the kings and Abram's rescue of Lot.

Genesis 13:1-11

Context: Background on the separation of Abram and Lot due to strife and wealth.

Genesis 13:12

Context: Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, showing his gradual move toward wickedness.

Genesis 14:12

Context: Specifically notes that Lot and his goods were taken, emphasizing the consequence of his choices.

Genesis 19:1-11

Context: Lot's ineffective rebuke of the men of Sodom, showing his compromised witness.

2 Peter 2:6-8

Context: Describes Lot as a righteous man vexed by the wickedness of Sodom, yet he influenced no one.

Genesis 18:19

Context: God's testimony that Abraham would command his household to keep the way of the Lord, showing his training in righteousness.

Genesis 14:18-20

Context: Melchizedek blesses Abram and attributes the victory to God.

1 Samuel 17:47

Context: David's declaration that the battle is the Lord's, used to illustrate that God gives victory.

Proverbs 28:1

Context: The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

1 Samuel 14:6

Context: Jonathan's statement that God can save by many or by few, showing faith in God's power.

1 John 5:4

Context: The victory that overcomes the world is our faith, applied to Abram's victory.

Historical References

Albert Barnes' commentary on Genesis 14

Context: Weaver quotes Barnes describing the four kings as a world confederacy of petty princes.

John Calvin's commentary on Genesis 14

Context: Weaver quotes Calvin's three reasons for the chapter's importance but disagrees with the first point about Lot reproving Sodom.

General Nathan Bedford Forrest

Context: Mentioned as an example of a great warrior without formal military training, studied by Rommel.

Hedley Vicars

Context: A Christian warrior quoted as saying he would choose soldiers of Christ for a forlorn hope because they fear no after terrors.

Important Quotes

He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot.

Significance: Highlights Abram's pure motive of mercy, contrasting with the greed of the kings.

If you sin with the wicked, do not be surprised if you suffer with the wicked.

Significance: Summarizes the consequence of Lot's compromise, a key warning in the sermon.

Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war.

Significance: Emphasizes the need for spiritual preparedness before conflict arises.

The battle is not to the strong. The battle belongs to the Lord.

Significance: Central application that victory comes from God, not human strength.

The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ and his crown rights.

Significance: Encourages believers that God will raise up unlikely champions for His truth.

Discussion Questions

How does Lot's gradual move toward Sodom serve as a warning for believers today?

Context: Weaver traces Lot from pitching his tent toward Sodom to living there, showing the danger of small compromises.

In what ways can we prepare ourselves spiritually during times of peace for future battles?

Context: Abram trained his servants in both warfare and biblical principles before the conflict arose.

What does Abram's immediate response to Lot's capture teach us about acting on biblical principles without hesitation?

Context: Abram did not rationalize or delay but armed his servants and pursued the enemy.

How can we balance using practical strategy with trusting God for victory in our spiritual battles?

Context: Abram used a night attack and divided forces, yet the victory was attributed to God.

Why is it significant that Lot is called 'righteous' in 2 Peter despite his failures, and what does this mean for our view of struggling believers?

Context: Weaver notes that God called Lot righteous even though he was vexed and compromised.

Applications

Be willing to be used by God regardless of your background

Summary: God can use anyone in His battles; you don't need to be a military genius, just willing and surrendered.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'One does not need to be a military genius or military leader to be used of God in battle.'

Cultivate courage through biblical truth

Summary: Christianity tends to make men courageous and bold; the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Proverbs 28:1 and says, 'The true Christian is the true hero.'

Trust God's protection when fighting for a righteous cause

Summary: Those who venture in a good cause with a right motive are under God's special protection.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When God is in the fight, numbers do not matter,' citing Jonathan's example.

Prepare for spiritual warfare in times of peace

Summary: Just as Abram trained his servants beforehand, believers must be disciplined and ready before conflict comes.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes, 'It's too late to train when the conflict is upon you.'

Avoid the idolatry of possessions

Summary: Whatever we place ahead of God we will ultimately lose, as Lot lost his goods.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'We will discover that whatever we place ahead of God, we will ultimately lose.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:59:04Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:13:26Z

Clean Transcript

An Unexpected Warrior

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, well let's open our Bible today to the book of Genesis chapter 14. Genesis chapter 14. We're going to read the first 16 verses. Genesis chapter 14. And the title of the message is An Unexpected Warrior. And I think you will understand as we begin to read. Genesis chapter 14, beginning with verse 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of nations, that these made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, and Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
#1 | 0:14 to 1:01 | cleaned
All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in Mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. And they returned and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.
#2 | 1:02 to 1:36 | cleaned
There went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, the same as Zoar. And they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and with Tidal, king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king of Ellasar, four kings with five. And the Vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner. These were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan.
#3 | 1:37 to 2:41 | cleaned
And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people." Abraham is well known for being the friend of God. He is also well known for his faith, obedience, and righteousness. He is not very well known for his tactical, military, and warrior skills. In Genesis chapter 14, you have the only military action we ever read about that Abraham was engaged in. And I might point out that Abraham was engaged in this military action, not because he was prompted by avarice or ambition, but purely on a principle of mercy and charity. He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot. Never was any military expedition undertaken, prosecuted and finished more honorably than this military action taken by Abraham.
#4 | 2:42 to 3:56 | cleaned
Now let me begin by showing you Genesis chapter 13 and let's begin the reading there with verse 1 and read the first 11 verses because I kind of want to set the background for you. Genesis chapter 13 beginning there with verse 1: And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, even to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, unto the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
#5 | 3:57 to 4:44 | cleaned
And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves
#6 | 4:45 to 5:43 | cleaned
one from another. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Now I want you to note to begin with, here is a division between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's herdsmen. It was not necessarily a division between Abram and Lot themselves. I am sure that they were affected by this division as well. Moreover, we could also say that this division between Abram and Lot was simply because of their wealth. They were exceedingly rich and the Bible says that Abram was rich in cattle and silver and in gold and of course Lot now, the Bible says he has cattle and he has tents, he has all of these things. So, there develops a division, there develops a fighting between the herdmen of Lot and the herdmen of Abram. And undoubtedly, they're probably fighting over the best grazing lands as well as the best water holes as well. And it's interesting to see why Abram suggested they separate themselves.
#7 | 5:43 to 6:51 | cleaned
If you look in verse 7, we read this: And there was strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled in the land. So notice if you would, it's because of a testimony before the wicked. The wicked were surrounding them. And notice if you would, he said in verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren.
#8 | 6:51 to 7:28 | cleaned
In other words, we ought not to be fighting. And we certainly ought not to be fighting before the wicked. Then he says in verse 9, Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; if thou depart to the right, then I will go to the left.
#9 | 7:28 to 7:43 | cleaned
Now I want you to note how gracious Abram was. Because he says, I'm not going to be the one that makes the choice. You make the choice. If you go to the right hand, I'll go to the left. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. I'm not going to fight over this. And the Bible tells us that Lot deliberately, premeditatedly chose the plain of Jordan because of its lushness, its fruitfulness, even though it was on the way to Sodom.
#10 | 7:44 to 8:14 | cleaned
So look if you would back at verse 11 in Genesis 13: Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves one from the other. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom."
#11 | 8:15 to 8:35 | cleaned
Now, an interesting thing is this. Lot evidently had to have known of the wickedness and the depravity of Sodom. Because if you look at verse 13, the Bible says, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." So obviously Lot would have known that. And yet the Bible still tells us that he pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now I want you to note, if you would, when we read Genesis chapter 13, we read about the altars that Abram had built, where God had revealed himself to Abram and even to Lot. And the interesting thing is, that Lot did not choose the place where God's altar was. He did not choose the place where God had revealed himself. No. He chose the plain of Jordan which was on the way to Sodom. Obviously he made a bad choice. He chose money, he chose prosperity, he chose luxury, and he chose friendship with the world over the worship and the honor of God.
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Now let me just point out the fact that many people do exactly the same thing today. How many people have you ever heard of that moved into a city or moved into a town because of the excellent preaching and teaching of the Word of God that was in that town? How many people have you ever heard move to a certain place because the Spirit of God was moving and people were being convicted of their sins and converted and standing for truth and righteousness. How many of you have ever heard of anyone doing that at all? Now, the truth of the matter is this. When most people move, they move because they want a better job, they want more money, they want greater benefits, they want a better security package. Sometimes people move because of family or they move because of friends. But very few ever seldom move because they're hearing the truth of God and the Word of God has priority in their lives.
#13 | 9:52 to 11:06 | cleaned
The Bible says, look in Genesis chapter 13 and verse 12. This is interesting. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. And Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, watch this phrase, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. He just simply pitched his tent in the direction of Sodom. Now, when you look in Genesis 14 verse 12, which we read earlier, here are these kings and they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. So, in one chapter, you read about Lot pitching his tent towards Sodom, and in the very next chapter, you read about Lot being in Sodom. So, the Bible is telling us it's just a small step between going towards Sodom and joining in and living in Sodom. In other words, once you begin on the road away from God and God's people, it's but a small step to join hands with the wicked. Once you leave the fellowship of God and His people, here's my question. Where else can you go but to the wicked? If you leave the fellowship of God and His people, you have no other place to go.
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So Lot then already pitched his tent towards Sodom. He finally ended up dwelling in Sodom as well.
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Now, when Abraham got the news, that Lot, his nephew, had been captured. All of his goods had been taken. Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboiim, and all these other cities of the plain had been sacked. I could imagine that Abram could have rationalized his way out of this military action. He must have understood that Lot knew of the dangers. And Lot knew of the wickedness of the people of Sodom. He could have taken this attitude. When he heard that Lot had been captured, he could have said this.
#16 | 12:37 to 13:19 | cleaned
Well, he made his bed, let him lie in it. Well, that's certainly an attitude that I've heard expressed. And in some instances, it is indeed a biblical attitude. He could have also rationalized and said, well, maybe this will teach him a lesson. Maybe he will learn the hard way. He could have also had other rationalizations. He could have asked himself this question. Why should I jeopardize my family, my friends, my servants, and my own life to try to save a people who are not even concerned enough to get out of dodge, to get out of the way of danger? Why should I jeopardize everything I have for someone who was so stupid as to move right in the middle of danger and wickedness. That's a good rationalization. I want you to understand, he could have rationalized, well, I'll leave him alone, and I'll just see if he learns from his mistakes. But do you realize when Abram heard that Lot, his nephew, had been captured, none of those rationalizations probably entered his mind. At least they certainly are not recorded in Scripture.
#17 | 13:19 to 14:45 | cleaned
The Bible says that immediately when he heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his own trained servants. Now, why was Abram so quick to go after Lot and rescue him? And the answer is because of obedience to the sixth commandment. You remember I've pointed this out innumerable times. The sixth commandment is thou shalt not kill. The positive is thou shalt preserve life. So Lot's life was in danger. His children's lives were in danger. His wife's life was in danger. Other people were in danger. And so Abram then was willing very quickly to go to the rescue not only of Lot but of the other people as well.
#18 | 14:46 to 15:30 | cleaned
I must point this out. Even though Abram and Lot may have had a light falling out between themselves, and I don't know that they did, but I'm sure that the strife between their herdsmen affected them. In fact, it did so much that Abram suggested that they separate themselves because of their great wealth and because of the strife that was going on. But I must point this out. Grace does not cease to exist in a believer even though he has been wronged by the individual to whom he is about to be gracious. So Abram could have also rationalized, well he did me wrong, let him suffer.
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But he didn't do that. Now, I just have three things I want you to consider with me this morning. First of all, I want you to consider the circumstances. I read the circumstances to you in Genesis chapter 14 verses 1 through 12. A war has broken out between kings, and you've got five kings fighting against four kings. Now, I want to give you just one quote from Albert Barnes in his commentary, and I want you to think as I read this.
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Listen to what he said. "The dominant confederacy consists of four kings. Many generations back, the first world power consisting of four cities was established by Nimrod in the land of Shinar, Genesis 10 verses 8 through 10. This is now given way to a world confederacy consisting of four kings. From the vicinity of the places in which they reigned, it is evident that they were petty princes of domains varying from a town and its suburbs to a comparatively extensive territory." So he is saying these four principal cities have now given rise to four principal kings and they now have a world confederacy. So there were five kings that rebelled against Chedorlaomer after serving him for 12 years. Chedorlaomer then joined affinity with three other kings in order that he might reconquer the territories that were rebelling against him. But I don't know if you paid attention to when I read Genesis 14 or not, but if you look especially at verses 5, 6, and 7, as well as 8, they are not just interested in reconquering Sodom and Gomorrah, Zeboiim and Admah, these cities of the plain, they go and conquer other territories
#21 | 16:48 to 18:19 | cleaned
as well. So, their design is not just to reconquer the people that are rebelling, but to add new conquered territory to their domain. So involved in this expedition of these four kings was pride, and greed, and avarice, and self-glory. In other words, they wanted not only those rebelling territories back, they wanted additional territories as well. So these kings were infatuated with themselves, with their power, with their ability. Someone has aptly stated, those whom God intends to destroy, he delivers up to infatuation and certainly they were infatuated with themselves.
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Now the Bible tells us that this battle took place in the slime pits or in the deep holes around the Vale of Siddim where the Dead Sea is located. It was there that the five kings with Sodom and Gomorrah all these towns were defeated. The Sodom along with the other cities were sacked. The citizens were captured. The goods were confiscated. But I want you to look at verse 12 again. Genesis 14 verse 12: And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. Wow. God says specifically they took Lot and everything he had. Yeah, they got a lot of others. But they got Lot and they got everything.
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I'm going to point something out in just a moment. I want to give you a quote by John Calvin on this passage. And I'm going to disagree with his first point and I will tell you why. I want you to listen to what he said. His other two points are excellent. His first point I have trouble with. He says the history related in this chapter is chiefly worthy of remembrance for three reasons. First, because Lot, with a gentle reproof, exhorted the men of Sodom to repentance.
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They had, however, become altogether unteachable and desperately perverse in their wickedness. But Lot was beaten with these scourges because they had been allured and deceived by the richness of the soil he had mixed himself with unholy and wicked men.
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Secondly, because God, out of his compassion to him, raised up Abram as his avenger and liberator to rescue him when a captive from the hand of the enemy, in which act the incredible goodness and benevolence of God towards his own people is rendered conspicuous since for the sake of one man he preserves for a time many who are utterly unworthy. And then thirdly because Abram was divinely honored with a signal victory and was blessed by the mouth of Melchizedek, in whose person, as appears from other passages of scripture, the kingdom and priesthood of Christ was shadowed forth. As it respects the sum of the history, it is a horrible picture both of the avarice and pride of man.
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So he says there's three reasons we ought to remember Genesis chapter 14. First he says because Lot gently reproved the men of Sodom. Secondly because God out of His compassion raised up Abram to rescue Lot. And thirdly, because Melchizedek here foreshadowed Christ. But overall, he says, when you read Genesis chapter 14, you have to come away with an understanding of the avarice and the corruption of man. Now, I told you I disagreed with this first point. I cannot find anywhere in Genesis 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18, where Lot reproved the men of Sodom. He may have.
#27 | 21:35 to 22:30 | cleaned
I have no earthly idea. But the Bible does not record him doing that. The only time he gives any reproof at all is found in Genesis 19. I want you to turn there. If you look in Genesis 19, you're going to find that God is already determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham has already interceded with the Lord. And the Lord said, if he finds ten righteous people, he will spare it. And so he sends these two angels to Sodom. And I want you to note, in Genesis chapter 19, the Bible says, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, And there came two angels to Sodom at even, and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. You remember the gate speaks of authority. So evidently he was a man of authority in this wicked town.
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And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
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And before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out the door unto them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
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Behold, now I have two daughters, which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing. For therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back! And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he needs to be a judge.
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Now we will deal worse with thee than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men, the angels, put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door. And of course they smote the men with blindness. Now, let me tell you the problems that I have with Lot's rebuke in Genesis 19.
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First of all, he called them brethren. He was identifying himself as one of them. Now he was not, but he called them brethren.
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Secondly, he only mildly pointed out that they were wicked. He said, I pray thee, my brethren, do not so wickedly.
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Thirdly, he offered unto them his virgin daughters, which I do not understand. Fourthly, he stated that these men, these angels, had come unto him for protection, and he was obligated to protect them.
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Now let me just point this out, and it's very true, it's very clear. We don't understand the mentality of that time and of that part of the country. Because if I, even today, go to even a Bedouin's tent, and he invites me in, and I stay the night, he is duty-bound, he is honor-bound to protect my life because I am his guest. He is responsible for me. And he maintains that honor. And he will defend my life.
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He may not agree with you religiously. He may not agree with you culturally. But if he invites you into his house, he will fight for you. He will die for you.
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Now, I understand when Lot said, I'm going to protect these men. They came into my house and they're under my protection. But here's my question. Was he not also obligated to protect his daughters? They were not only in his house, they were his children and therefore under fatherly protection as well. The point I'm trying to make is this. It seems, according to scripture, that the men of Sodom affected Lot far more than he affected them.
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One never elevates the wicked by condoning their wickedness or acting and doing as they do. Mild rebukes will never deter the wicked. Conformity and acquiescence to their lifestyles will never ever change the wicked. It only encourages them. And when you compromise, the only individual who is affected by compromise is the individual who compromises. It never affects anyone else.
#39 | 27:06 to 27:41 | cleaned
Now let me show you. I want you to hold Genesis chapter 14, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 2. 2 Peter chapter 2, and I want you to hear what God says concerning Lot while he was in Sodom. Notice 2 Peter chapter 2, beginning there with verse 7. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 7. In fact, let's read verse 6 showing how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 6, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly. Now watch, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)."
#40 | 27:41 to 28:39 | cleaned
Now let me ask you a question. How many men of Sodom did Lot influence? None. He even lost the influence over his own family. Because when he went out and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
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They didn't pay any attention to him. And the Bible tells us that Lot vexed with the filthy conversation, the conduct of the wicked, for that righteous man, And I'm going to tell you, if God had not specifically told me that Lot was a righteous man, I would have really doubted his righteousness. Anybody who could volunteer his four daughters to such wicked, reprobate men. And the Bible says, that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.
#42 | 29:16 to 29:52 | cleaned
He had to put up with that trash. And it affected him. We need to learn a very valuable and important lesson. Here it is. Listen carefully. If you sin with the wicked, do not be surprised if you suffer with the wicked. If you choose the wicked, do not be surprised when you're judged with the wicked. Lot was not a citizen of Sodom by birth, but by choice. He chose him all that plain. He pitched his tent towards Sodom and then he went in Sodom.
#43 | 29:52 to 30:47 | cleaned
If you have lost your common sense and your biblical principles, do not think it strange if you lose your family and your possessions. I think that is why, if you'll go back to Genesis 14 and look at verse 12, we read this specifically. And they took what? Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. What? What? If you lose your biblical principles, if you lose your common sense, you should not be surprised when you lose your family and your goods. I want you to stop and think about this. The Bible says in verse 12, and they took Lot and his goods and departed. Wow!
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These four kings, who had defeated five kings, had sacked all of these cities, had sacked undoubtedly many homes. And yet we are specifically told they took Lot and his goods. Are you listening? It was his goods that caused him to separate from Abraham. It was for the benefit of his goods that he chose the plain of Jordan. It was for the benefit of his goods that he pitched his tent towards Sodom. It was for his goods that he ended up in Sodom, and now he has lost all of his goods to these four marauding kings. When we think that we can protect ourselves and our goods by forsaking God and His principles and His truth, we're deceiving ourselves, folks.
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We will discover that whatever we place ahead of God, we will ultimately lose. For God will brook no rivals. He said, I am the Lord and my glory will I not share with another nor give my praise to graven images. And God is not going to let us hold on to those idols that we place above him. It is absolute justice with God to deprive us of those enjoyments by which we have suffered ourselves be deprived of our enjoyment of him. He put his goods ahead of everything and he lost his goods. Thankfully, God was still merciful to Lot and allowed the news of his capture to reach Abram. One escaped to inform Abram of Lot's capture. Abram was dwelling by the Oaks of Mamre, the Bible says, that is near Hebron.
#46 | 32:59 to 34:01 | cleaned
Therefore, he was really not far from the scene of war. He was also in league with Mamre and his two brothers, Aner and Eshcol. And the league evidently was for mutual defense. So these three brothers, Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, were probably chieftains as well, head over a clan much like Abram was. And so, here are these three men that joined with Abram. So, I want you to secondly, not only consider the circumstances, but consider the conflict. Look in verse 14. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. Now, there was a great deal of bravery in the enterprise itself, considering the disadvantages Abram lay under.
#47 | 34:01 to 34:57 | cleaned
What in the world could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against five kings or four kings? They defeated the five. What could a bunch of herdsmen and shepherds do against four kings that are now flush with victory, that have just had the thrill of victory, that have shed much blood, taken a great deal of victory, and they now consider themselves a victorious army. They've got all the loot. They've got everything. They're the winners. And here Abram, with his 318 men, and Mamre, and Aner, and Eshcol, and their few men, they're going to attack these four kings. Now, Abram and his three friends are now to engage the four kings who have been victorious over five kings. Evidently these four kings had a rather large army. It was not only large enough to defeat the five kings, it was not only large enough to reconquer the territories that were rebelling, it was also large enough to conquer additional territories, and large enough then to control all the booty, all the spoil, and all the prisoners that they had taken.
#48 | 34:58 to 36:27 | cleaned
That's a pretty good size army. So Abram then arms his 318 trained servants which were born in his house.
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Now I want you to stop for a moment and just consider how great Abram was. Now we were told that he was rich in cattle and gold and in silver. If Abram had 318 trained fighting men, they would have to be mature men. Which meant probably they had families themselves. They were his servants. Moreover, if he took 318 men, you think of all the other men that he has to leave behind, not only to protect the families, but to take care of all the animals that he has and protect his silver and his gold. I would say that Abram probably had a household of well over a thousand individuals. That's a pretty good household. And when you consider Mamre and Eshcol and Aner being chieftains as well, let me ask you a question. If I've got a thousand fighting men and Henry has five fighting men, why would I enter into a league with Henry? What's five men? Five men can help me. But now if I have a thousand fighting men and Henry has eight or nine hundred or twelve hundred or a thousand fighting men, we can see there's mutual benefit there.
#50 | 36:39 to 38:17 | cleaned
So let's just say if Abram had 318 trained servants, let's say the other three men had an equal number. So, or almost an equal number. So now you're going to find that the fighting men that would be with Abram would be say 1,000 to 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, something like that. But so you've got around 1,200 men then that are fighting four kings.
#51 | 38:17 to 38:45 | cleaned
Now, there are several things that we must consider when we consider the conflict. First of all, Abram had 318 trained fighting men in his household. Obviously, first and foremost, obviously he had a store of arms. And probably they were the best available at that time. You must remember that Abram was an extremely wealthy man. I cannot envision Abram supplying his men with cheap or defective weaponry. His swords were probably the best swords. The bows and arrows were probably the best available. So were the spears.
#52 | 38:46 to 39:36 | cleaned
So were the shields and the habergeons. Let me tell you something. When your life depends upon a weapon, you don't go cheap. You don't. You say, well, I can buy one of these Saturday night specials over here for 89 bucks. Go ahead. But I can buy a Glock for 600 bucks. Well, I'd rather spend 600 bucks and have something I can depend upon than 89 and have something tear up when my life depended upon it or something not work correctly.
#53 | 39:37 to 40:13 | cleaned
Abram obviously had a store of weapons. He had to supply these trained men with weaponry. Secondly, I want you to note, these men were trained. He prepared them. He taught them. They were ready for action. Do you realize it's too late to train when the conflict is upon you? It's too late to train tonight if you've got to fight in the morning. Are you listening? Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war. The time to train is when you can train. These men were disciplined. They were trained. They were ready. I want you to understand that training requires time as well as motivation. And it's impossible to be trained overnight.
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Let me point something else out. When the scripture says that he brought out his trained servants, you could also interpret that word, his catechized servants. They were not only catechized in the art of war, but they were also catechized in biblical principles in truth and in righteousness. If you will look in Genesis 18, and verse 19, at what God said concerning Abram. Genesis 18 verse 19. In fact, let's read verse 17.
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And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, this is what God said, for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him. So Abraham had catechized, he had trained his servants, not only in the art of war, but also in principles of truth and righteousness.
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Thirdly, when the Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 14 and verse 14 that he brought out his 318 trained men, the cause for fighting at that time was just and righteous. Therefore, there was no hesitation on the part of Abram. Let me put this very plainly. When truth and righteousness and biblical principle and lives are at stake, you do not hesitate. Or as we say, it is not time to dilly-dally around. Abram knew if he dilly-dallied around, the kings who had Lot and all the other people will get farther and farther and farther away from him. No.
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If it's right, we fight. If it's an emergency, we fight. In other words, Abram could not afford to wait while the wicked escape. No. What Abram did when he got the news, he acted and he acted instantly. Likewise, you and I must understand that we must be prepared to instantly act upon that which is holy and right and godly and biblical. There cannot and there can never be a delay in our lives when truth and righteousness are at stake.
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I want you to thirdly consider with me the combat. Look in verses 15 and 16. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. Genesis 14, now verse 16. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people. Now note verse 15, and he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and he smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
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Abram understood the art of war. He also understood the use of stratagems. And he made use of strategy in attacking his enemies. He not only attacked them at night when they were most vulnerable, he also divided his army. Remember, he had Mamre, Eshcol and Aner. Remember there were four kings, so four kings had four different armies. So probably, I don't know for sure, but probably Abram took one army, Mamre took another, Eshcol and Aner took the other two. And probably what they did is they attacked simultaneously. Attacking simultaneously on every hand would indicate to those who are being attacked that your force is much greater than it would appear.
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Moreover, I want you to note this. In all probability, a lot of these enemy soldiers would be asleep. Many would be drunk, because they would be celebrating their victory and all the spoil that they had gotten.
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Now I can assure you it would certainly be disconcerting to say the least to wake up from a deep sleep or to wake up from being drunk and find out that you are fighting for your life, and you're being attacked on every hand, and you don't know where the enemy is coming from, you don't know how many they are, you don't even know whether to fight or to flee, and if you want to flee, where would you flee to? You don't know where they are. So Abram certainly knew what he was doing.
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He realized these kings would be caught in a very slothful state, they would be rejoicing in their victories, they'd be celebrating all the booty that they had gotten. They would not be expecting pursuit because they had conquered all their enemies. And they certainly would not be expecting an attack at night. But I want you to know that Abram was totally and completely successful. The Bible says in verse 16, he brought back all the goods and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also and the people.
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Now, let me make a statement. While it is absolutely undeniable that Abram and his men fought and fought well, it is also equally undeniable that they used strategy. But it is also equally undeniable that their fighting and their strategy was blessed by the sovereign God of heaven and earth. And it was God who gave them the victory. If you would look in verse 20, it calls for Melchizedek.
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In fact, let's read verses 18 through 20. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abram, gave him tithes of all." So it was God who gave Abram the victory. So Abram had to fight. Abram had to use strategy. Abram had to plan. But it was God who gave the victory.
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Let me spell this out for you. If you expect victory without fighting, and without planning, and without using the means that God has ordained, you're deceiving yourself. No. Abram had to fight. Abram had to plan and use strategy. But it was his faith in, and obedience, and worship to the one true and living God, in whom he trusted, and that God gave him the victory.
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Now, let me try to tie this together and make some applications. The first one should be absolutely astoundingly obvious. Here it is. One does not need to be a military genius or military leader to be used of God in battle. Do you realize one of the greatest warriors in the War of Northern Aggression never went to a military school in his entire life? Knew nothing of military tactics. General Nathan Bedford Forrest. And yet he was one of the greatest military geniuses and one of the greatest warriors of that era. In fact, did you know that Rommel, the desert fox, took a lot of his tactics from Forrest. He studied Forrest. In fact, there have been a lot of military men that would study the tactics of Forrest. The point I'm trying to make is this. In order to be used of God, we just must be willing and to present our bodies a living sacrifice. The battle is not to the brave. The battle is not to the trained. The battle is not to the one who has the most weapons or the greatest army.
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The battle belongs to the Lord. You remember when little David went out to meet Goliath? Goliath had the sword and the spear and he had the shield and he had on all these greaves of brass and everything to protect him. And David had a sling. And David said this in 1 Samuel 17 and verse 47. He said, And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into my hands. What did he say? For the battle is the Lord's. The battle is not to the strong. The battle belongs to the Lord.
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So the very first application, you don't have to be a military genius to be used of God. Abraham was a shepherd and a herdman. It's just that simple.
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Secondly, biblical truth and the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. Please think about that. Biblical truth, the truth of Christianity tends to make men courageous, valiant and strong. The Bible says in Proverbs 28 in verse 1, the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. The wicked flee when no one pursueth. I know. I see Henry smiling.
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I've been asked that question before. What's the meanest insect in the Bible? The flea, the wicked flea. The wicked flee when no man pursueth. But notice what he says. The righteous is as bold as a lion. It is the grace and mercy and truth of God that places a desire to fight within our breast. The true Christian is the true hero. Let me give you a quote. Hedley Vicars.
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You will have to study who he was. He was a Christian warrior. Here's what he said. I have often heard it said, the worse the man, the better the soldier. Facts contradict this untruth. Were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope, that means one that is absolutely hopeless and helpless. He said, were I ever as a leader of a forlorn hope allowed to select my men, it would most certainly be from among the soldiers of Christ. For who should fight so fearlessly and bravely as those to whom death presents no after terrors? And that's a fact. That's a fact.
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And do you realize all down through history, not only Bible history, but what you and I would just call world history, Christians have always made the best warriors and the best fighting men. The third application is this. It is true that those that venture in a good cause with a good heart and with a right motive are under the special protection of God and have reason to hope in a good issue.
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Abram knew that when he went after Lot to rescue him, he was not going to make himself rich. He was not going for self-glory. He was going out of a generous, gracious heart, not only for his nephew, and his family and his goods, but for the others as well. When God is in the fight, numbers do not matter. You remember it was Jonathan who said to his armourbearer in 1 Samuel 14 in verse 6, and Jonathan said to his armourbearer, Come and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.
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It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. And Jonathan and his armourbearer took on the Philistine garrison and defeated them. He said, God can save by many or by few, it doesn't matter. Do you realize, listen carefully, no armaments or no amount of weaponry will make up for a lack of willingness to fight. Jonathan was willing to fight. And he said, I'll just trust the Lord and we'll whip these Philistines and get them out of the way.
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And that's exactly what happened. The fourth application is this. The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ and his crown rights. Just like Abram was an unexpected warrior. One of these days, God through His Spirit will awaken His men, will awaken His people, and they will once again stand and fight for truth and righteousness and godliness. Abram, in this battle, foreshadowed Christian victory over the world. What did Abram do?
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He defeated these four kings that had defeated five kings. They were the world power at that time. And Abram with just a few men overcame them, overpowered them, and destroyed them. You know what the Bible says in 1 John 5 and verse 4? And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. And just like, just like Abram overcame those four mighty kings, so we as God's people will overcome our enemies, will overcome the world, will overcome the flesh and overcome the devil, for we're more than victorious in Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, Paul said it like this, we are more than conquerors in Christ. God has already given us the victory in Christ.
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What He needs and what He wants are men and women who will stand for truth and righteousness and holiness. And we will turn out to be unexpected warriors. For the world would never believe that we can fight in faith for truth and righteousness. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank You for the truth, Lord, that You've given us in Abram. And help us to see, Lord, that You are more than able to use any of us for Your honor and Your glory. Make us willing, Lord, to be willing to stand for Thee, and for Thy word and Thy truth. We ask, Father, that You would help these on the prayer list. We pray especially for each one again and ask that You would undertake, Father.
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Give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:59:04Z

An Unexpected Warrior

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver examines Genesis 14:1-16, highlighting Abraham's unexpected role as a warrior who rescues his nephew Lot. Weaver contrasts Abraham's faith-driven action with Lot's worldly choices, emphasizing that Abraham's military success came from God's blessing, not his own strength. The message underscores the importance of being prepared to fight for righteousness, trusting God for victory, and learning from Lot's compromise.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the message 'An Unexpected Warrior' and reads Genesis 14:1-16, which describes the war of the kings and Abraham's rescue of Lot.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:1-16

And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left side of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people."

Background: The Separation of Abram and Lot

Weaver reviews Genesis 13:1-11, explaining that strife between herdsmen led Abram to graciously allow Lot to choose the land, and Lot chose the plain of Jordan toward Sodom.

So look if you would back at verse 11 in Genesis 13:

Scripture Reading — Genesis 13:1-11

Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves

one from the other. And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom."

Lot's Downward Spiral

Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and eventually dwelt there, illustrating how a small step away from God leads to joining the wicked.

So Lot then already pitched his tent towards Sodom. He finally ended up dwelling in Sodom as well.

Abram's Response to Lot's Capture

When Abram heard Lot was captured, he did not rationalize but immediately armed his trained servants, motivated by the sixth commandment to preserve life.

The Circumstances of the War

Weaver details the conflict between the four kings and the five kings, noting their greed and pride, and emphasizes that Lot was specifically taken captive.

Lot's Ineffective Witness in Sodom

Weaver critiques Lot's mild rebuke in Genesis 19 and notes from 2 Peter 2:7-8 that Lot was a righteous man vexed by the wickedness, but he influenced no one.

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:6-8

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly. Now watch, And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds

)."

The Consequences of Lot's Choices

Lot lost his goods because he prioritized them over God, demonstrating that whatever we place ahead of God we will ultimately lose.

The Conflict: Abram's Military Action

Abram armed 318 trained servants and pursued the kings, showing bravery despite being outnumbered. His men were trained in both warfare and biblical principles.

The Combat: Strategy and Victory

Abram divided his forces and attacked at night, using strategy. The victory was attributed to God, as Melchizedek blessed Abram and praised God for delivering his enemies.

Applications for Believers

An Unexpected Warrior

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	wL4NBd_GflI
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Abraham, Covenant, and Promise
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-07-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Weaver introduces the message 'An Unexpected Warrior' and reads Genesis 14:1-16, which describes the war of the kings and Abraham's rescue of Lot.
Background: The Separation of Abram and Lot: Weaver reviews Genesis 13:1-11, explaining that strife between herdsmen led Abram to graciously allow Lot to choose the land, and Lot chose the plain of Jordan toward Sodom.
Lot's Downward Spiral: Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom and eventually dwelt there, illustrating how a small step away from God leads to joining the wicked.
Abram's Response to Lot's Capture: When Abram heard Lot was captured, he did not rationalize but immediately armed his trained servants, motivated by the sixth commandment to preserve life.
The Circumstances of the War: Weaver details the conflict between the four kings and the five kings, noting their greed and pride, and emphasizes that Lot was specifically taken captive.
Lot's Ineffective Witness in Sodom: Weaver critiques Lot's mild rebuke in Genesis 19 and notes from 2 Peter 2:7-8 that Lot was a righteous man vexed by the wickedness, but he influenced no one.
The Consequences of Lot's Choices: Lot lost his goods because he prioritized them over God, demonstrating that whatever we place ahead of God we will ultimately lose.
The Conflict: Abram's Military Action: Abram armed 318 trained servants and pursued the kings, showing bravery despite being outnumbered. His men were trained in both warfare and biblical principles.
The Combat: Strategy and Victory: Abram divided his forces and attacked at night, using strategy. The victory was attributed to God, as Melchizedek blessed Abram and praised God for delivering his enemies.
Applications for Believers: Weaver draws four applications: God can use anyone in battle; Christianity makes men courageous; those in a good cause have God's protection; and believers will be unexpected warriors overcoming the world through faith.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Abram acted out of mercy, not self-interest

Abram's military expedition was motivated purely by a desire to rescue Lot, not by greed or ambition.

Weaver states, 'He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot.'

Lot's choices led to his capture

Lot's decision to move toward Sodom resulted in his being taken captive and losing his goods.

Weaver points out that Genesis 14:12 specifically notes they took Lot and his goods, linking it to his earlier choices.

Abram's servants were trained in righteousness

The 318 men were not only skilled in war but also catechized in God's ways, as seen in Genesis 18:19.

Weaver interprets 'trained' as 'catechized' and cites God's commendation of Abraham for commanding his household.

Strategy and faith work together

Abram used military strategy (night attack, divided forces) but relied on God for the victory.

Weaver says, 'Abram had to fight. Abram had to use strategy. Abram had to plan. But it was God who gave the victory.'

Christians are called to be unexpected warriors

Just as Abram was an unlikely warrior, believers will one day rise up to fight for Christ's crown rights.

Weaver states, 'The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ.'

Scripture References

Genesis 14:1-16: The main passage read at the beginning, describing the war of the kings and Abram's rescue of Lot.
Genesis 13:1-11: Background on the separation of Abram and Lot due to strife and wealth.
Genesis 13:12: Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, showing his gradual move toward wickedness.
Genesis 14:12: Specifically notes that Lot and his goods were taken, emphasizing the consequence of his choices.
Genesis 19:1-11: Lot's ineffective rebuke of the men of Sodom, showing his compromised witness.
2 Peter 2:6-8: Describes Lot as a righteous man vexed by the wickedness of Sodom, yet he influenced no one.
Genesis 18:19: God's testimony that Abraham would command his household to keep the way of the Lord, showing his training in righteousness.
Genesis 14:18-20: Melchizedek blesses Abram and attributes the victory to God.
1 Samuel 17:47: David's declaration that the battle is the Lord's, used to illustrate that God gives victory.
Proverbs 28:1: The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
1 Samuel 14:6: Jonathan's statement that God can save by many or by few, showing faith in God's power.
1 John 5:4: The victory that overcomes the world is our faith, applied to Abram's victory.

Historical References

Albert Barnes' commentary on Genesis 14: Weaver quotes Barnes describing the four kings as a world confederacy of petty princes.
John Calvin's commentary on Genesis 14: Weaver quotes Calvin's three reasons for the chapter's importance but disagrees with the first point about Lot reproving Sodom.
General Nathan Bedford Forrest: Mentioned as an example of a great warrior without formal military training, studied by Rommel.
Hedley Vicars: A Christian warrior quoted as saying he would choose soldiers of Christ for a forlorn hope because they fear no after terrors.

Important Quotes

He did not engage in military tactics to enrich himself but only to rescue his nephew Lot.

Highlights Abram's pure motive of mercy, contrasting with the greed of the kings.

If you sin with the wicked, do not be surprised if you suffer with the wicked.

Summarizes the consequence of Lot's compromise, a key warning in the sermon.

Abram prepared his men in a time of peace for a time of war.

Emphasizes the need for spiritual preparedness before conflict arises.

The battle is not to the strong. The battle belongs to the Lord.

Central application that victory comes from God, not human strength.

The world will one day see many unexpected and unexplained warriors that will fight wonderfully for Christ and his crown rights.

Encourages believers that God will raise up unlikely champions for His truth.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Lot's gradual move toward Sodom serve as a warning for believers today?

[Context]

Weaver traces Lot from pitching his tent toward Sodom to living there, showing the danger of small compromises.

[Question]

In what ways can we prepare ourselves spiritually during times of peace for future battles?

[Context]

Abram trained his servants in both warfare and biblical principles before the conflict arose.

[Question]

What does Abram's immediate response to Lot's capture teach us about acting on biblical principles without hesitation?

[Context]

Abram did not rationalize or delay but armed his servants and pursued the enemy.

[Question]

How can we balance using practical strategy with trusting God for victory in our spiritual battles?

[Context]

Abram used a night attack and divided forces, yet the victory was attributed to God.

[Question]

Why is it significant that Lot is called 'righteous' in 2 Peter despite his failures, and what does this mean for our view of struggling believers?

[Context]

Weaver notes that God called Lot righteous even though he was vexed and compromised.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:13:26Z