David Bahn – Reflections

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

² But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.³ You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. -Genesis 15:1-6

I had a friend who was once described to me as one who never lands. He couldn’t seem to come to a straight-forward conclusion about anything. He wasn’t able to express himself without a bunch of qualifications. He was a highly conflicted individual. And it was difficult to have a conversation with him that felt truly resolved. I was never quite sure where I stood. 

Maybe you know someone who is always backfilling. He will make a claim only to offer various qualifications and disclaimers. It’s a sign of insecurity. And sometimes a clue to things less than true. When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise (Proverbs 10:19). Jesus says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). 

What does it take to land? Is it possible to express yourself in such a manner that your true feelings will be known, yet you don’t overwhelm others? Or is it possible to express your thoughts and feelings without shame or any need to justify? 

Abram does this here. And the end result of his encounter with God is remarkable. He expresses his concerns. God reiterates his promises. Abram believes the Lord. And God justifies him. There is no back-filling here. He needs no extra words of explanation. He simply expresses his heart to God and believes what God says.

There are those who say that the idea of justification is meaningless to modern man. That God would declare someone righteous by his grace because of one’s faith is not on many people’s radar. But as far as I’m able to tell, the world is filled with people who are trying to justify themselves. They offer convoluted explanations and excuses. They look for ways to make others look worse than themselves. They ridicule those who don’t agree with them. 

A heart settled on God’s goodness, trusting in his promises, and desiring his blessing will find rest and a landing place. We all struggle at one time or another with whether God’s ways are truly good. We sometimes doubt that we can be satisfied with God’s promises. We too often look for ways to fill our hearts with the peace that only God gives. But God calls us back to himself again and again. He offers us a place to land and to be by his grace. We arrive there through faith. 

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post.

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

² But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”m³ Abram also said, “Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir.” ⁴ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Ready for a challenge? I hope these observations will be a blessed challenge to your Christian walk. 

What does faith do? 

James says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

Paul says, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28).

Jesus commends the woman who comes to him and is willing to “receive the scraps that fall from the master’s table.” He commends her great faith (cf. Matthew 15:28). 

Abram believes the Lord, and it is counted to him as righteousness. 

As I consider this portion of the Abram narrative, I see not only the most important thing that faith does. I see also some other things it does. 

Faith justifies. This is surely most important. We need not justify ourselves. To anyone. About anything. God is judge. And those who put their faith in him are counted righteous. Period.

That’s a beautiful thing. But wait! There’s more! 

Faith also confronts God with his promises and requires an answer. This is not telling God what to do. But it is telling God that we are relying on his promises when we bring these to God’s attention. We can say, “God, you promised to hear and answer my prayers. I don’t see it.” 

Then faith waits for the answer. It doesn’t demand as though we can call God to account. But it does ask. And it waits for God’s answer. We don’t know what Abram would have done had God not answered him here. But God did answer. And he gave more assurance to his promises.

Faith begets more clarification, and sometimes further promises from God. I’ve prayed, and received not only answers to my prayers, but also further promises of God’s continued favor and blessing. 

Faith sees, relies on, and lives into the goodness and faithfulness of God. It will therefore move us to obey God more fully. It will inspire sacrifice and bolster our resistance to temptation. It will keep us humble. It will put us on the path of God’s blessing – not only our own blessings, but the blessings of others. 

Faith does all this because of its object. Faith doesn’t believe in itself. It is not self-conscious. Faith believes in God. Faith is conscious of God’s word, promises, faithfulness, goodness, love, righteousness, justice, grace, and truth. 

That’s a lot. And it’s all God’s gift, given by the Holy Spirit. Inspired by God’s revelation of himself in Jesus, and on bold display here in these few verses. And there’s more to come. 

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post. 

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-6

“You cannot lead someone whom you resent.” I wish I had known that years ago. In my earlier years of ministry, I carried way too much resentment toward certain people – even within the church I served! Sadly, the feeling was sometimes mutual. Some of those people resented me. Maybe even first. It was not a good situation either way. Resentment erodes trust. Trust makes true leadership possible. Add an attitude of mutual respect and humility, and you’ve got a powerful combination. The stuff that moves mountains.

We’ve shared this important principle with church leaders through our teaching in PLI. I’m not the only one who needed to learn that lesson. It seems a bit more prevalent among younger church leaders (my experience is mostly with pastors). Perhaps it’s a matter of insecurity. Maybe it’s the dangerous belief that one has all the answers that comes from an intensive study of Scripture and the church’s teachings. Whatever the cause, resentment, and it’s twin brother hubris get in the way of all too many leadership opportunities.

Abram may have been beset with this malady as a young man. We don’t know one way or the other. But he doesn’t display resentment here. His questions of God are sincere and straight forward. He asks God how it will be that he will become the father of many. He put it to God simply and directly: I’ve got no heir. How will I gain this reward that you’ve promised?

God answers him with a repeat of this promise that he would be the father of a great number of descendants. God calls him to look to the heavens and imagine that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the heavens.

Abram’s response was to believe God’s promise.

God’s response to Abram’s faith was to reckon him as righteous.

Here we have in the very first book of the Bible the idea of justification by faith. Long before Moses was given the 10 Commandments. Long before the ceremonial laws and requirements were set. Long before the Jewish teachers added their 613 rules that were to assure the 10 were not violated. Longer still before St. Paul would write: “By grace you have been saved, through faith…” (Ephesians 2:8).

James warns that one may believe that God is one and yet not have faith (James 2:19). Faith is far more than having a correct understanding of the nature of God. Don’t get me wrong: we need to embrace what God has revealed of himself in Scripture. But it is vital, too, to remember that we know precious little about God. But the remainder of that statement is vitally important as well: The little we know is precious.

Abram knows that God has made a promise. He realizes that God is serious about that promise. He also hears the promise again. And he believes the promise. Abram considers God worthy of his faith. He imputes goodness and faithfulness to God’s character. God imputes righteousness to Abram.

This is another thing I believe better than I can explain: Faith is all about God, and our assessment of his nature and being. If we’re wrong about that, we are in grave danger. Thankfully we’ve been shown the nature of God in Jesus of Nazareth. We see grace and truth perfectly married in his life and being. And we have the promise that if we believe in Jesus, we too will be counted righteous. That’s not something we gin up within ourselves. It’s something that God inspires by the revelation of his grace and truth, goodness, and righteousness.

Abram was shown the stars of heaven and he believed. We’ve seen the One who made the stars, nailed to a cross for us. Raised from the dead. Promising that he will return in glory. I believe in him. How about you?

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After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. – Genesis 15:1-6

We’re enjoying a wonderful time with family in northern Wisconsin. Two of our grandchildren are here, together with their parents, as well as a cousin of theirs and his parents. It’s been a wonderful 4th of July, replete with hikes to a beautiful waterfall, a wade in Lake Superior, and floating in the lake at Cat’s parents’ home.

I’m struck by the innocent unpretentious nature of our grandchildren. They ask straight forward questions: “Granddad, why do you …” Or, “Gram, can you help me…” They simply rely on our goodness and grace. They presume we’ll be truthful and gracious. We try.

Abram offers the same unpretentious and innocent question of God. “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

There is no easy out for God. Abram doesn’t crouch his words or wishes. He simply offers God this direct and challenging query. I’m supposed to be the father of many nations, and I don’t yet have a child of my own. How’s that going to work?

Seems to me that we Jesus-Followers don’t want to take God at his word. It’s like we want to believe God will answer our prayers, but we’re not really ready to go out on a limb to ask.

We want healing, and we ask for patience and health. We don’t ask, “God heal me, please.”

We want a better job and we ask God for an opportunity to make a better living.

We want to have things better with our children, and we ask for peace in our households.

None of these are wrong in and of themselves. But I wonder whether we ever believe we can let God know the true desires of our hearts.

Once Jesus asked a blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” The answer was as simple as the question, “Lord, that I may see.”

If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? Can you be honest with God? Can you let him know your heart’s desires? Can you lay it out there in a way that makes you and God vulnerable? You might be disappointed. He may not meet your request.

Abram gets real with God, and the Lord provides a real and specific promise. We’ll learn more about how this goes as this narrative unfolds. In the meantime, let’s use Abram as an example of true faith, and bring to God that which is on our hearts, confident of God’s goodness, and his promises to hear those who call on him in faith.

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For your personal meditation and edification this Lord’s Day

Psalm 4:1
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

Psalm 34:1-3
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

Psalm 64:1-4
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

Psalm 94:12-15
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Psalm 124
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim ² fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar).

³ This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea). ⁴ For twelve years they had been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.

⁵ One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Rephaites at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.

⁸ Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea. ⁹ They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. ¹¹ The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. ¹² They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.

¹³ But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.¹⁵ There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.¹⁶ Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. – Genesis 14:1-16

Suellen has a bigger heart than I do. She would always take the phone calls. And no matter what the situation, the need, the person, she would listen. And she would take their needs to heart. I must admit, I was more often skeptical. If ever she expressed reservations, I would know…it is a scam. 

Thank God there are Suellens in the world. Otherwise we would all be poorer for it. Too often we want to dismiss the needy. We too easily look the other way when we stop by the homeless person at the intersection. It’s much easier to ignore the needy, dismiss the panhandler, forget the captive. Easier, but such an approach is not the way of the reign and rule of God. 

When Abram hears of Lot’s misfortune he sets out to rescue him. True, Lot is a relative. True they had been through some challenging times, and have a shared story together. But Abram had given Lot the choice of which land he would occupy. Lot had chosen that place near Sodom and Gomorrah. It could well be a case of you’ve made your bed, now lay in it. Abram, however, doesn’t go down that path. Instead he chooses to muster his resources and rescue his nephew. 

What do you do when you see someone in need? The choices are several…

• Ignore them. Don’t let their pain get to you.
• Blame them. It’s their own fault. They’ve made their bed…
• Pile on. Make it worse for them since they’ve obviously done something wrong.
• Come to their rescue. This is the kingdom choice. This is how God works.

God is a God of redemption, and whenever we move toward someone in need, and bring them to safety, we are reflecting his character. We are joining him on his mission. For God is the original rescuer. 

This is one way to consider Jesus’ death. He took it all in: all our sins, all our sorrows, all our rebellion, all our pain, all our self-destructive decisions, all our waywardness. He took all these into his heart. He didn’t turn away. He embraced all of our pain, and it killed him. He did that because he loves us. He did that to redeem and rescue us from sin, death, and the devil’s destructive powers. 

Abram is reflecting God’s character when he comes to Lot’s aid. He is not only, therefore, the father of faith, but a foreshadowing of The Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post. 

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When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he armed his 318 trained men, born in his own household, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan. ¹⁵ He split up his men to attack them at night. He defeated them, pursuing them all the way to Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ He brought back everything they had, including women and soldiers. He also brought back his relative Lot and his possessions. – Genesis 14:14-16

My dad built a somewhat unusual looking swing set for us. It was two long pipes, cemented into the ground, sticking straight up into the air. Across the top was a heavy beam – smaller than a rail road tie. And from that beam were hung two chains. The seat for the swing was at the bottom. I don’t remember using it much as a swing. But I do remember playing Rescue-8 with my next door neighbor, rescuing my sister who was able to shiny up the pole to the top of the swing set!

Rescue-8 was a TV program about a group of firemen who had the assignment to rescue people from perilous situations. An elderly clock maker was trapped in the chime tower of a church and in danger of getting caught in the mechanism he was trying to repair. A girl was trapped in the sewer of a city. A woman and boy were trapped atop a Ferris wheel. All these people needed rescuing. And the Rescue-8 team was there to save the day.

Lot and his family needed rescuing. They had been taken captive by warring kings in the area. We’re not told any more than that. But we are told that Abram and his 318 trained men managed to rescue them and return them to their home – along with their possessions and those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Rescue-318!

I had never given it much thought, but now I wonder about life after rescue. Is it like the lottery winners who are flat broke within years of winning the lottery? Or is it more like the newly-discovered AGT winner who goes on to major recording contracts and a life of fame and fortune? 

In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the sad answer will be revealed as the coming events unfold. They will be destroyed. For, as was already pointed out, “the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord” (Genesis 13:13). Lot, on the other hand is a mixed bag. Abram will manage to save him from the fiery destruction of Sodom, but Lot’s wife will meet a dramatic end. 

In some cases, the rescue of sinners from the deceitful and destructive devices of the devil is equally dramatic. I’m thinking of the stories of drug addicts, prostitutes, and gang members whose lives and souls have been saved through the ministry of Jim Cymbala at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.

I recall the man who was living in his truck, estranged from his wife, and so strung out on drugs one Sunday that he didn’t know what to do with the host during the Lord’s Supper. He was rescued by the grace of God and even served as an elder for the church I served at the time. There are countless others, many of whom go on to live to the glory of God and as powerful testimony of the far-reaching grace of God. Sadly, however, some crash and burn. Their character proves not strong enough to handle the success and influence they are given. 

But what about those of us whose rescue was not nearly as dramatic? What of the life-long Christians, the faithful followers who have no dramatic conversion experience? They, too, have been rescued. Many of those who read this blog are likely of that kind. What will be your legacy? Will you stay on the path of god’s grace or make shipwreck of your faith (cf. 1 Timothy 1:19). 

So, I join St. Paul in praying…

…that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:9-14

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post. 

But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.¹⁵ There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.¹⁶ Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. – Genesis 14:13-16

I’m much more of a fisherman than a catcher-man. My sons took me on a fishing charter for my 60th birthday. I was the only one who caught a fish, but it was an ugly fish. I think that was actually its name! It was ugly. Recent forays into the fishing world have seen me casting, reeling, and coming up empty. Our neighbors have more luck. We have a pond in our neighborhood with fish, and my down-the-street neighbor caught two nice largemouth bass just the other night. I can’t even brag about the one that got away. 

In the events surrounding Lot’s captivity and rescue, the one that got away is key. Although the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were taken captive, and some of their kings apparently fell into tar pits in the nearby area, one got away. And he came and told Abram about the routing, and Lot’s calamity. He was key to the turn of events in this episode. Without his escape the story would not unfold as it did. 

The one who got away may be the one worker in the office who survived the pink slip deluge, and was able to warn others that it was coming. She may be the one who managed to alert her friends to a proposed change in the school’s policies so that they could offer their input. He may be the police informant who manages to infiltrate the drug cartel and gets out at the last moment before the big arrest is made. The one who got away may play a larger part of redemption than we would first imagine. 

I’m thinking of the persecuted church in China, Iran, India, or North Korea. How many have been the one who got away from the arrests and managed to keep the faith alive because they were not taken? How many lives were saved because a plot was revealed. How many were rescued because one girl got away from her Boko Haram captors and alerted others to their peril?

The Bible warns us of the devil’s schemes “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). It’s interesting to me that this particular quote centers on the necessity of forgiveness between brother and sister in Christ. For the greatest damage and gravest danger satan poses relates to our wholeness in our relationships with God and others. If there is a lack of forgiveness, the whole message of Jesus Christ, and the fullness of Jesus’ reign is thwarted. His scheme is to destroy relationships, undermine the grace of God, and rob us of the forgiveness of sins.

It is vital that followers of Jesus would be like Abram and his fighting men. When there is a rift in the Body of Christ, we who hear of it – from the one who has managed to escape the maelstrom of the devil’s schemes – must bring our resources to bear. That will mean freeing those who are being held captive from forgiveness with the message of Jesus’ mercy and grace. That will means doing what we can to restore the erring brother or sister gently. That will mean using others in the battle against Satan and his ways – never the brother or sister who is caught in Satan’s grip. It means reminding people that God forgives the repentant sinner. It means rejoicing when one sinner repents. It means recognizing false piety for what it is: a ruse and smokescreen for one’s own sin and shortcomings.

Maybe you’ve gotten away from some scheme of Satan. Perhaps you’ve recognized his ultimate play to steel, kill, and destroy. You’ve determined that the path you were following was leading nowhere good. If that’s the case, watch for others who might be heading down that pathway. For the one who gets away from Satan’s wiles is of vital importance to the reign and rule of Jesus. 

Jesus is the One, ultimately, who got away from the devil’s schemes. Of him is said, “For we must never forget that he rescued us from the power of darkness, and re- established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light” (Colossians 1:13). 

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post. 

Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.¹¹ So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.¹² They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. – Genesis 14:8-12

I came home from my college class one day back in the early 1970’s to a horrific discovery. I opened the door to our basement to discover that my 8 year old sister had died. A tragic accident. A devastating event for our family. A traumatic experience for me. A sad end to sweet Kathy’s life. 

You likely remember where you were on September 11, 2001. The sight of the twin towers crumbling to the ground and people fleeing the cloud of dust and debris is easily recalled.

A good friend – just a year older than me – caught the covid virus and died after several weeks in the hospital. He left a wife, three grown children and several grand children. All of us were rocked at his death: our loss. 

A 59 inch rainfall upstream from the church I served at the time, brought flood waters into three of the six buildings on our church campus. This “Tax Day Flood” (April 16, 2016) put us out of those buildings for more than 2 years – because that flood was followed by another, brought about 18 months later because of a Hurricane Harvey. 

More recently people in Miami were rudely awakened during the night as the building they called home suffered a third-world-like calamity when a portion collapsed. Ten people have died and more than 151 people remain missing as I write this. 

Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah experienced this first hand. They and their possessions were taken by warring kings. Some even died when they fell into the tar pits nearby. It was a bad day. A day much worse, even than Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! (Cute book, by the way!)

Bad things happen. We live in a fallen world. Family, friends, churches, and total strangers suffer hardships. We have no exemption from calamity by fire, flood, or famine. Why would we think otherwise? 

We think otherwise because we are at heart little demigods. We think we should be able to chart our course with little difficulty or trouble. We imagine we can avoid the bad neighborhoods, risky situations, troublesome activities, and dangerous places, and live a life of ease. 

There is a twin danger in such thinking. First of all, we are not even little demigods. We have less power over our situations, neighbors, and even our loved-ones than we imagine. Second, a life of ease and with no troubles all too easily lulls us into a false sense of wellbeing and a false notion of control. Jesus warns against this in his parable of the rich fool (cf. Luke 12:13-21). God’s stunning confrontation, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ is a warning for those who always have life well in hand.

I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer (or should I say, David Downer?!). But our modern notion that life should be good all the time, and that we should never have to face trouble does not serve us well. No one likes to be warned – unless we are immediately aware of the danger before us, and agree that it’s actually dangerous. But this can serve as a reminder that sometimes bad things happen. 

God, however, is never far from us. He is an ever present help in times of trouble. Bad things do happen. But they can serve as a reminder of our fallen world and a call to lean into God’s goodness…all the time. That’s good to remember today or any day that trouble might come to us. 

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Happy Birthday Diane!

In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,² these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).⁴ Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.⁵ In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,⁶ and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.

⁸ Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim ⁹ with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.¹¹ So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.¹² They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

¹³ Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. ¹⁴ When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. ¹⁶ Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. – Genesis 14:1-16

Maybe you remember the movie Ransom. Mel Gibson plays Multi-millionaire Tom Mullen, whose son is kidnapped. After initially agreeing to pay the ransom Mullen decides to use the ransom money as a bounty. It’s powerful and gripping (at least it was to me when I was a 40-something year old male with growing boys, not yet out of high school). It is a gritty and intense movie, with many plot twists and turns. 

I was reminded of it when I read this account of Lot’s rescue by Abram. Only this time, Abram does not put a bounty on the heads of those who abducted Lot, but uses his resources to rescue his nephew. By the way, here we see three of the five capitals at play. The relational capital is immediately obvious: Abram cares for his nephew. Their relationship makes the rescue mission urgently important. Abram has allies. 

But that’s not all. Most obvious is the financial capital. The possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of Lot, and the provisions of Sodom and Gomorrah are in play. And these enemies seek to enrich themselves with ill-gotten wealth.

The enemy will always point to financial capital as most important. The devil seeks to seduce us to trust in our riches rather than in God. For most Christians money is the chief rival god. Jesus says that you cannot serve God and mammon. Paul tells us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. In fact, he says, “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” – 1 Timothy 6:10 It is gravely difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:25).

Money can do much good. It can support missionaries around the world. It can fund the church in our neighborhood. It can purchase housing, food, and clothing. It can allow us to travel to far-away places and experience exciting encounters as we travel. Money is not evil…except when we make it our god.

But Abram – though very wealthy – seems to handle his wealth quite well. And he uses his financial capital to rescue Lot and his family. He pays no ransom, but leverages his resources to do battle and save his nephew.

All this makes me want to reexamine the way I use my money. Diane and I are committed tithers. We have set a habit from our earliest years of marriage of giving the first 10% of our income to the local church. These days, that is a bit nuanced for us. We give to the church of which we are officially still members. But we’re on a one-year absence from that church. This will allow the transition to new leadership there to take hold. So we seek to follow the instructions given in Galatians 6:6: “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” So wherever we visit on a given Sunday we give an offering. We also support local, national, and international mission efforts. 

Money can certainly be a rival god, and we need to be on guard constantly against that. For we want to serve God, not money. But money can be a tool for good. We want to use our financial resources as God’s gift for good. How about you?

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