Wednesday Bible Study: Abraham Plank by Plank part VII

 

The 14th chapter of Genesis is one of my favorites, and I see now it has an overarching message for my journey through the life of Abraham.  It also is very historical, which means it will be easy for me to skip the point, but I want to do this in such a way that we wring all God means for us to know out of it.

We begin with a list of kings- and at least two of their kingdoms (Shinar, which is Mesopotamia, and Elam) tell us they are not from around here.  The KJV dictionary gives us further clues:  Amraphel is Babylonian, as is Arioch; Chedarlaomer, the apparent ringleader, is Persian.  Tidal, usually translated "king of nations" is named Canaanite; possibly he is the group's rep in the area.  They had a certain sway over the area Abram lived in, after their first win over the area 13 years before.  But now the local leaders- chief among them the kings of the cities of the plain, Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, Admah, and Zoar- had rebelled, and they were working their way towards the rebels.  First, though, they had to get through the races of the giants, that we mentioned last week.  Verses 5-6 describe this, because

... the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 

Gen 14:6  And the Horites in their mount Seir....

that they smote in those verses WERE the giants.  You see, we learn in 2 Samuel 21 that the giants- specifically the brothers of Goliath- had extra fingers and toes, and thus may have been suffering some form of retardation.  Certainly every time we encounter them in the Bible, they are only good for intimidation and not for warfare.  Chedarlaomer and co.  did the Lord's work here in thinning them out into a remnant.  First lesson then, from this passage, is, sometimes your "giants" aren't as tough as you think.  I could have used that tattooed on my head this week!

After the "Big Alliance" finished off the sons of Amalek in v7, they went on to face the rebels of the "Little Alliance" in the Valley of Siddim, which would shortly be part of the Dead Sea.  The valley was full of tar pits, and the LA kings got confused; according to the book of Jubilees, the King of Gomorrah was killed, and he may have been their ringleader, because after that the Little Alliance was scattered. The BA took prisoners and booty, and headed the long journey home; part of the booty happened to be Lot.  Here's where we note a couple of things.  First, Abram was content to let the area's politics play out without him, until Lot.  Lot wasn't just someone else's business, it was the man he raised from a boy, and now it was personal.  That's our second lesson- we take politics too seriously, and let it divide families.  But Abram knew: it's not personal UNTIL it's personal.

Second, this was a time you didn't get along well unless you were in an alliance.  And Abram put together one, with kinsmen who had also come to Canaan from the Amorites- Mamre, Eschol, and Aner.  And if you want to do a little digging, you can see the difference between them and the Canaanites of the area.  The Canaanites had already become so debauched, they couldn't put up a good fight (Genesis makes a point in v9 that it was 4 kings whipping five), and thus lost to the Big Alliance.  However, look at the name meanings of Abram's allies:  Mamre is "vigorous", Eschol is "fruitful", and Aner is "youth-energy".  And thus, the more vigorous and energetic Amorite alliance of 318 men were about to chase down and whup the "Big Alliance".

Looking at last week's map, Abram and friends chased them down, caught them in Dan (north of the little blue dot that we call the Sea of Galilee) and destroyed them all the way to near Damascus at the very top of the map.  That's vigorous!  Lot was saved, all the booty was brought back- and back at home, the new ringleader, the King of Sodom, was waiting on them (having not had the vigor or courage, or both, to join them), and went up to meet them in the plain of Shaveh, near what is now Jerusalem.

But... first, Abram had an appointment with a man of legend, both here and later in the NT Book of Hebrews...

Gen 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 

Gen 14:19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 

Gen 14:20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 

Who is this Melchizedek?  God leaves it purposefully blank, if you remember our time in Hebrews, and we are left to speculate- was this a visit from the pre-incarnate Christ?  Textual evidence leans against it, but it seems in the realm of possibilities.  What we do know, is that the tithe is established there;  and of all the booty, Abram gave it back to the cowardly lion, er, king of Sodom, except what was owed the others of the Amorite alliance.  Now, we are ready for that overarching message:

Now that Abram was done doing it his way (for now) and willing to do things God's way, God was ready to USE HIM.  He used him in what was a political battle, but not until it became personal.  He made good use of people around him to get the job done.  He was willing to lay down his pride, give the glory to God, and  thus received both victory and a blessing!  And when the job was done, he didn't magnify himself by ruling the Amorite Alliance, slapping down the king of Sodom, or even keeping for himself what he won- he gave it all back.  Far from the man who reaped from the Egyptian larder without conscience, he went back to just being the man he was- God's man.

This wasn't the great victory of Abram over the Big Alliance- this was the great victory of Abram over himself.  But lest you think it's all gonna be sunshine and lollipops from here, think on a lesson I had pointed out to me this week:

Saul was king, and had the greatest prophet of his time guiding him.  And he messed up.

David was king, and he was 'the man after God's own heart'.  And he messed up.

Solomon was king, and he had greater wisdom and riches than any who lived before him.  And he messed up.

We WILL mess up.  And so will Abram.

I guess I could do some pictures...

 Considered briefly this morning something along the lines of "That is not a headline", but someone else must have agreed with me, because the FoxNews headline that inspired it has, well, disappeared.  Not that the pictures started much better...

Gray,  a bit foggy, Thursday afternoon

Darn squirrels, always leaving their silverware lying about

This lawn chair has been sitting there for 2 weeks...

At least now you can see the trail...

Misty insisted on going to the river, despite me telling her there was no free water available...

So she ate snow.

Saturday was colder, but the sun looked so good...

Friday was all day rain.  Those are the frozen tracks I made bringing groceries in...

Plenty of ice on the sidewalks with all the rain, followed by the temp drop.

A drink at the footbridge...

...which crosses the disc course...

To the stone bridge here, and another drink.

Misty meets a friend!

Yes, this dog has 3 legs- it is the one we saw a while back, whose owner had to lift it out of her car.  They played for a few minutes, while the owner- on the other side of the woods- continued up the trail oblivious.  Just when I started getting concerned, I think doggie has like an electric signal in its collar for when it gets too far, because suddenly, it turned and went straight back to its owner.

I tried to teach her to eat the ice I broke with Stick, but she much preferred the remnants of dirty snow.

That night:  My boys, my beers, my late besties.

What, this again?

 Just letting you all know that, unless my sour mood improves drastically in the morning, we'll catch up the M10 next week. Between a down mood, a week of being on my own at work, a new pharmacy site that was designed by idiots, a tablet that is just itching to be snapped in two, and a keyboard that is thinking about going the same direction... well, let's just say that anything that would be therapeutic right now might put me in jail.  So hang in there, and when my composure comes back from vacation, we'll try again later.

Wednesday Bible Study: Abraham plank by plank Part VI

 

I wanted to get you up a map of what MAY BE the Sodom-Gomorrah situation a while before we get there, so you can have a handle on the area involved- but I don't want to get there just yet.  My story of Abram has rolled into Genesis 13, but the building of Abraham has rolled to- ME.

You see, I have seen much of my life in Abram's journey.  Starting in the "Ur of the Chaldees" of not really knowing Jesus, to being called but stuck in the family/friends/circumstances of Haran; then to just enough obedience for God to show me where I SHOULD be, but moving with the worldly into Egypt.  In Egypt, I gathered great treasure (my children), but wasn't where I belonged.  Finally, my son, my ten-year-old "Pharaoh", chastised me for the way I was living, and I made it back to a still incomplete obedience in "Bethel" (So if you look at the upper left of the inset, you can find Bethel and stick a "You Are Here" there for me).  

And this is the point we find Abram.  Chapter 13 of Genesis gives us 4 important parts of the Abram story.  The first one, you may remember from last time:

Gen 13:2  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 

Gen 13:3  And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 

Gen 13:4  to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 

So you see that little dotted loop south of Bethel, and Bethel is in one corner of it and Ai was in the other.  And this was where he was AT THE BEGINNING, when God told him, "This is it."  This was, I believe, an act of repentance by Abram for Egypt, and he 'called upon the name of the Lord.'  He had had enough of listening to himself, and was ready to obey- just like me when little KC asked me basically whether I had a "church life" and a "real life".  Part of that obedience, it seems, became what to do with the rest of his "family baggage"- Lot.  They had huge herds by now- and what with competing with the "Canaanites"- descendants of Noah's son Ham through his son Canaan- and the "Perizzites", who seem to be an unrelated group, perhaps from Japheth's descendants-, it was a bit crowded.  Abram, for all intents Lot's father, could have ordered him back to Haran, back into the Negev, anywhere.  After all, God had already told Abram all the land would be his.  But Abram had learned a thing or two about humility, and putting others above himself.  And so...

Gen 13:8  Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 

Gen 13:9  Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 

Now if you look again at the map, the layout wasn't quite what it is now.  Lot looked at the well watered Jordan Valley, "In the direction of Zoar."  It looks to me that "the Jordan Valley" included much of what would soon be under the salt waters of the Dead Sea, but at this point (maybe) the Jordan still came out the other side and watered the area where the Cities of the Plain- Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah, and Zeboiim- lay.  Zoar was at the southern end of this valley, and on the far side of the Dead Sea from where Abram was.

Gen 13:12  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 

Gen 13:13  Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 

This was kind of a teaser- we would get back to this story in a while.  The important things to glean here were 1) Abram was moving in a direction that the Lord wanted- and 2) Lot, without Abram's newfound discernment, and going from the example that the "Old Abram" gave him in Egypt, had no qualms dwelling among  people less righteous than himself -as Peter tells us in his 2nd letter:

2Pe 2:7  ...and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 

2Pe 2:8  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)...

The third important happening was that, now that he and God were back on "speaking terms", God had something more to tell him:

 Gen 13:14  The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 

Gen 13:15  for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 

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

Gen 13:17  Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

Note here, that the point, "after Lot had separated from him", is stressed.  God was not going to further elucidate his plan with the "family baggage" still there.  Bethel, in the north of what would one day be called Judea, was going to be the 'center' of the land God was going to give him.  Note also, that how a man in his 80's by now, and a woman in her 70's, were going to make "Offspring as the dust of the earth" wasn't yet discussed.  As Abram's obedience increased, so too the knowledge and wisdom God would give him.  In addition to building Abraham's character, He was also building his understanding.

Which is why I say, "I am here".  But just as He is not done with me, He's not done with Abram.  And there was one more move to this section of the story...

Gen 13:18  So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. 

Hebron, about halfway between Bethel and Zoar, was a town of some note.  In Numbers, we get these tidbits about Hebron:  

Num 13:22  They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 

And this is not as meaningless as it looks.  That Zoan, built seven years afterwards, was the major provincial capital, Tanis, in Egypt some 600 years later- which attests to how ancient Hebron was.  In fact, some rabbinical tales say that Ham built this for his son Canaan, and then built Zoan in Egypt for his son Mizraim (the ancestor of Egypt).  And that Anak- he was the father of the Giants.  So while Lot dwelt in the bosom of Sodom, Abram lived in the shadow of giants...

Martin World News

 

So last night I tried to do an "Around the World", but my news plane lost power and went splat somewhere near the Bay of Bengal; tonight, I'll try the more traditional "news" post, as always looking for the best fits to my snarky sensahuma.  Let's start...

FoxNews: When is 'being cute' actually racist?

Headline: Hegseth, Britt accuse Air Force of 'malicious' pause as it reinstates training on Tuskegee Airmen

In case you don't know it, the last few years has populated the US Military with leaders more interested in being woke than being useful.  In other words, not big fans of President Trump.  So when he demanded all services to 86 DEI policies, the smarta$$ leadership group at the air force decide to be cute- removing training films on the legendary Tuskegee Airmen (a black unit during the days of segregation) and the WASPs (the Women's Air Service) because, "Well, Trump doesn't want DEI, so everything must be all white".  Thinking that they could score some cheap publicity points by doing something completely stupid and blaming it on Trump, it backfired miserably; the new SecDef reversed the decision, the leadership gave a, "sorry, we misunderstood, wink-wink", and personally, I can't wait to see which hands get slapped for this.

CNN: Kind of the point

Headline: Denmark boosts Arctic defense spending by $2 billion after Trump’s Greenland interest

Denmark fell for this one.  Who would you rather have up north guarding the north from Russians and Chinese?  Americans, whom you have to pay for, or Danes, who you don't?  There's another $2 Billion Trump has saved us already!

BBC World: It's not the belching I'm worried about

Headline: Backlash in Kenya over livestock vaccines and belching cows

In order to pass export laws, Kenya is giving out free vaccines for Foot-in-mouth disease and PPR (sheep or goat plague), hoping to get the total of livestock vaccinated up from 10% to 85% in the next three years.  A noble goal except- is that what the vaccine is REALLY for?  Many people believe that the shots are a plan- suggested on video by Bill Gates- to decrease the animals' methane emissions.  And according to government officials, some villages are willing to kill you if you try it.

Caleb Karuga, a former journalist and now an influential farmer, posted on X that he would resist the jabs, saying no-one will vaccinate his livestock just "because Bill Gates said so".

Ledama Olekina, an opposition senator and prominent Maasai pastoralist, wrote on X: "There [are] millions of cows in Europe and America and none of them are being vaccinated for farting … mine will not be vaccinated."

I don't know if Bill really is trying to make a fartless cow, but he better not come towards me with a needle... no matter WHAT Laurie says.

RT (Russia)- Even they think you Brits are sumasshedshiy

Headline:  Do not use terms like ‘black sheep’ and ‘blacklist’ – guide for UK police

Because, of course, anything with 'black' attached to it is racist in the current ultra-woke climate in the UK.  Other terms, and why they are to be avoided:

-replacing “pregnant woman” with “pregnant person” to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary individuals.

-advises against the term “faith,” which it describes as “Christian-centric...” 

- also discourages assumptions about older individuals being “grumpy” or associating menopausal symptoms with women in their 50s. The term “mature adult” is also flagged for potentially suggesting that younger people are immature.

I apologize to anyone who doesn't think this is stupid... but....

Xinhua- Participation trophy, dictator-edition

Headline: Xi congratulates Lukashenko (of Belarus) on reelection as Belarusian president

Because nothing says, "Great job!", like one guy who can't help but getting elected telling another guy who can't help but get elected, 'Wow, you got elected!' 

The Japan News- Speaks for itself

Two headlines- you be the judge...

1) Don’t Let AI ‘Rip off’ Artists, Beatles Star McCartney Warns UK Government

2) 2 Beatles Songs from ’90s to Be Remixed with AI for Clearer Vocals by John Lennon, Says George Harrison’s Son

And, finally...

DW (Germany)- the headline is the joke

This time I have to tell the story first.  The story reports the annual blooming of the Corpse Flower- a big, ugly bloom that smells like it's name.  Every year, somebody has to do a story on this ultra-aromatic event, so I understand that you really have to work on a good hook to spark interest.  And someone at DW looked up the meaning of its scientific name, and built it into their headline:

Australians flock to smelly opening of 'misshaped penis'

In the article: Its species name, Amorphophallus titanum, meanwhile, means "titanic misshaped penis" in Ancient Greek.

Somehow, I chuckle at the thought of Hercules using this to insult Ares...

...like right after that blow...

Icy pictures

 I'd love to tell you we have a wide variety of colorful pictures to share this week.  

Of course, I can't.

Thursday I was so far ahead I got off early, and as it was the first day in a while that even a "poop walk" risked frostbite, we took advantage...

As you can see, Misty was more than ready!

And it was snowing a bit...

The gravel trails through the woods were nothing but ice.  Amazingly, I only came close to falling once, and Misty is good at slowing down when necessary (if not any other time...)

The trail to the river was well-kept, but as usual the weather turned in SoCal (south of California Road)...

Even the waterfall was froze solid

Remember that fuzzy orange ball that was in someone's yard a couple of weeks ago?  It's now about 2/10ths of a mile away in the canal...

Friday was "Return to the North Pole", but Saturday was at least decent again...

That doggie was pretty

This is me having no luck catching Misty eating snow

People are just sick enough of the cold to get out with us

Even discers

River is ice

Mushroom ridge, from the Big Hill

Another slab, this one off of South Canal- WTH is going on?

Hah!  Caught you that time!

If it's so "Famosa", how come I never heard of it?

Screeching at us the whole way

And Sunday was mainly exercise, little scenic:

Afternoon take-off

Woods is still the Ice Challenge

"At least in the sun, it's warmer..."