Podcasts about Chedorlaomer

It's a big deal because Jesus rescues us from sin, fear, and death. 3:1-2  Its a big deal because Jesus was sent by God. - Apostle and High Priest - 4:14-16It's a big deal because Jesus gives us mercy and grace in time of need. - 5:1-10v. 1-4 Old Testament High Priests descended through Aaron are appointed to serve but they are imperfect men.v. 5-6 Its a big deal because Jesus was appointed by God.Psalm 2:7–8 “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Psalm 110:4 “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”v. 7-8 It's a big deal because Jesus, the Son of God, obeyed the Father perfectly and suffered willingly. This qualifies Jesus as High Priest and demonstrates his humanity.v. 9-10 It's a big deal because Jesus is perfect and therefore, the source of our salvation.It's a big deal because he is not from Aaron, but from Melchizedek. Genesis 14:17-206:19-20It's a big deal because Jesus is the anchor of our souls.It's a big deal because Jesus entered the Holy of Holies.It's a big deal because Jesus is eternal. - 7:1-22Now, let's try to understand Melchizedek - Genesis 14:17–20 “After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was a priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” •      A mysterious but important individual.•      King of Salem - would become Jerusalem.•      A King and Priest, but not from Abraham or Aaron.•      No genealogy and no birth/death recorded. •      He blessed Abraham and Abraham gives an offering.v. 11-14 It's a big deal because Jesus isn't from the line of Aaron (Levitical) but from the eternal line of Melchizedek.v. 15-19 It's a big deal because Jesus is a better hope so we can draw near to God.v. 20-22 It's a big deal because Jesus guarantees a new and better covenant! HE IS THE FINAL PERFECTION, THE EFFECTIVE SACRIFICE.

David Keddie kicked off our spring semester Friday Night teaching series entitled, The LORD is There: Key Moments in the Old Testament. David's message focused on Melchizedek, first mentioned in Genesis:"After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,'Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!'And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." (Genesis 14:17-20)

You may recall that the Hebrews were said to be building the storage cities of Pithom and Rameses.  You can read this in … Exo 1:11  So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. Problem.  We have studied that the Hebrews left Egypt in 1446 B.C. and Rameses the Great (a.k.a. as Rameses II), the supposed pharaoh of the Exodus as per the late date (the wrong date) did not come to power until 1279 B.C. reigned until 1213 B.C.  So there are no cities named Rameses in the Nile Delta in 1446 B.C.  The city, later called Rameses, is called Avaris in the 15th century B.C., the time of the Exodus.  You can visit this site today.  It is called Tel el-daba.  So, what's going on?  Also, in this lesson, we deal with the city of Dan in the days of Abraham.  The events in chapter 15 are close to 2091 B.C. when Abraham and Sarah entered Canaan.  The city of Dan was named by the tribe of Dan – Dan is the son of Jacob the grandson of Abraham – when they moved north and captured the city of Laish (pronounced Lay Esh).  This is clear when we read … Jdg 18:29  They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish. So, Abraham comes to a city called Dan, as we read in the Bible, and the city of Dan is not even there yet!  This is nuts!  What is going on?  Is the Bible wrong? Was it written later in 3rd or 2nd century B.C.?  We need to find out and again show the truthfulness of the Bible.  In lesson 30 in Genesis 15 we then come across this verse … Gen 14:17  Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.   Who is this guy?  There are some who say it's Jesus!  That's crazy.  Some rabbis say it is Shem or the son of Shem the son of Noah.  Consider a few references from ancient Jewish (non-biblical) literature … Melchizedek was Shem the son of Noah, a priest most high." (Pirke De Rabbi Eliezari) "And Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah." (Rashi, Commentaries, Genesis 14:18) "And Melchizedek is Shem, the son of Noah." (Talmud, Tr. Nedarim32) That Melchizedek is Shem or his son is a major error since Melchizedek is the king of Salem.  Salem is probably Jerusalem.  At this time when Abraham and Melchizedek meet, Salem is a Jebusite city.  The Jebusites are a clan of the pagan Canaanites.  The rabbis show they dismiss real history and make up their own opinions which are in total conflict with historical truth. So, who is this guy?  Not Jesus.  Not Shem.  Not the son of Shem.  How do we understand this enigmatic Bible character?  Come and join us in lesson 30.  Come and do what your Lord commanded you to do if you are a TRUE Christian, a real disciple of Rabbi Yeshua. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0  

Passage: 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” (Genesis 14:17-24 ESV) Song: High Priest (https://open.spotify.com/track/5f36B77R5uSj8A3aTxqQJC?si=26cd661283a24d49) by Jonathan Ogden Lyrics: Oh the humility Of a King inside a manger Our shepherd and our saviour on the cross You gave Your life for me Now how can I repay You? All the riches I could gain are not enough You are the Prince of Peace You're our Great High Priest You have made a way for me You have set me free You got thirsty You got tired You were tempted You were tried And You can fully sympathise Cause You know just what it's like to live this life Fully God and fully man Who can fully comprehend the mystery? You are the Prince of Peace You're our Great High Priest You have made a way for me You have set me free I've found freedom in You Jesus There is nothing in between us You turn mourning into dancing And sorrow into joy oh Lord Prayer: This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen. -The Book of Common Prayer

Today's Passage: Genesis 14:17-22 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,     Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High,     who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth…Today's Prayer: El Elyon, God Most High, we praise You today because you are over everything in our lives – friendships, family, homes, work, brokenness, victory, and joy - all of it. We declare that there is nobody like You and we take comfort in knowing that you have positioned Yourself far above all that surrounds us in this world. Father, we recognize that “Faith doesn't deny reality, it leaves room for You to grant a new reality” and so as your children, we're asking You to do that very thing. Thank you for Your goodness over us and Your presence with us. Amen.  For more information about this Advent season, visit our Christmas at Fellowship page. There you can find more resources, as well as information about pursuing Christ and celebrating him this season with our church. 

Outline:IntroductionChrist as the Smoking Oven and Burning TorchSarah and Hagar as Christians and JewsChrist in the Sign of the CovenantThe Coming of the LordAbraham and SodomAbraham and AbimelechIshmael as the Jews, Abimelech as the GentilesChrist in the AkedahRebekah as the New Covenant ChurchJacob as ChristIsaac and AbimelechChrist in Jacob's DeceptionSaint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerVideo Version

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, We are looking at this introductory phrase regarding Melchizedek. I pronounce his name that way because it is a compound word. Melchi means king, and zedek means righteousness. The author had been encouraging his readers that God swore that Jesus is an appointed high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek's priesthood was a type of Jesus' priesthood. In chapter 7, he decided to unpack the significance of this appointment. The story of Melchizedek is found in Gen. 14:17-20. "Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all." I want to encourage us today with the fact that Christ, like Melchizedek, was sent to bless those who are to inherit God's promises. God had sworn he would bless Abraham, and Melchizedek is a fulfillment of God's promise. Jesus Christ came to give a greater blessing than Melchizedek gave. Consider how God has blessed us because we are in Christ, who is God's promised blessing to Abraham. On a daily basis, we are blessed in Christ. We have been rooted and grounded in Jesus for a purpose. The apostle Paul explained that blessing in a prayer he prayed for the Ephesians. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. We have been blessed to be filled up with all the fullness of God. Out of that fullness, we love both God and man. Living to love with Jesus is possible because we are rooted and grounded in Him so we can, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, experience His love as we share it with one another. So remember, you have been blessed by God's high priest, Jesus Christ, as you journey through this world. Walk in the blessing of life in Christ, overflowing with gratitude.

In Genesis 14:1-16 Abram is able to take down the giant slayers Chedorlaomer and his allied kings. Abram conquers where the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and three others fail. Why? Because God fights for him. As Psalm 33 says, the king is not saved by the strength of his army, but the Lord's eyes are on those who fear him.

Remember the Goal - Obedience over SacrificeWebsite: http://www.battle4freedom.comNetwork: https://www.mojo50.comStreaming: https://www.rumble.com/Battle4Freedom1 Samuel 15:22"Does Adonai delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Adonai Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay heed than the fat of rams."https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Sam.15.22&version=TLVhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt5066818/Remember the Goal movie.https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2014&version=TLVGenesis 14Tree of Life Version14 Now it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (this is Zoar). 3 All of these kings joined forces in the Valley of the Siddim (this is the Salt Sea). 4 For 12 years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came with the kings who were with him, and they defeated the Rephaim in Ashterot-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiryataim, 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir as far as El-Paran, which is beside the wilderness. 7 Then they came again to En-mishpat (this is Kadesh), and they subdued all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who live 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 (this is Zoar) went out and lined themselves up for battle with them in the Valley of the Siddim, 9 against 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 the Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, and those who remained fled to the hills. 11 So they took all of Sodom and Gomorrah's possessions and their food and left. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions, and they left (as he was living in Sodom).13 Then a survivor came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was dwelling by the large trees belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eschol and the brother of Aner—they were Abram's allies. 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he rallied his trained men, those born in his household, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 Then he divided his servants against them at night, and he defeated them and pursued them as far as Hovah, which is north of Damascus. 16 He brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the other people.17 Now after he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (this is the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine—he was a priest of El Elyon. 19 He blessed him and said,"Blessed be Abram by El Elyon,Creator of heaven and earth,20 and blessed be El Elyon,Who gave over your enemies into your hand."Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people—the possessions take for yourself."22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand in oath to Adonai, El Elyon, Creator of heaven and earth. 23 Not a thread or even a sandal strap of all that is yours will I take, so you will not say, 'I've made Abram rich!' 24 I claim nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eschol, and Mamre—let them take their share."

Listen along as Mike Gaston continues our series through the book of Hebrews. Notes//Quotes: Slides Hebrews 7:1-10   Slide 1   “The author of Hebrews was trying to convince people that a religious system of sacrifices, rituals and rules that had been in place for over 1400 years had now been replaced by a better way. He focusses on the supremacy of Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all that had been written by the Jewish prophets. He introduces a theme that is only treated in the book of Hebrews, that Jesus is our High Priest.” Steven Cole     Slide 2 (Big Idea and outline on the same slide)   Big Idea   God's plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.   Outline The Mysterious Person of Melchizedek (7:1-3) The Superior Priesthood of Melchizedek (7:4-10)     Slide 3 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,     Possessor of heaven and earth;  and blessed be God Most High,     who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”   And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.    Genesis 14:17-20     Slide 4 (Please divide up the verses on the screen)   1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,    2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.   3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.   Hebrews 7:1-3     Slide 5 (the attribution of this quote is purposefully left out)   “Abram shows due respect to Melchizedek, but there is no sense of awe or wonder at his appearance on the part of either Abram or the King of Sodom. They merely go about their business, giving no indication that Melchizedek was at all mysterious to them. It is a mistake to attempt to place this mystery back into the context on the basis of one questionable passage. Again, an ironclad case would be needed to support this, and that case does not exist.   Interestingly enough, this author came into the research open-minded, but leaning toward Melchizedek being a preincarnate (appearance of) Christ due to past teaching. While he still sees this as a viable option, research has swayed him. The view that Melchizedek was a man, King of Jerusalem, and priest of Yahweh, appears to be the scripturally correct identification.”     Slide 6   “What is typology? In essence, it is the way that God used history to bring His promises to life. God's plan of redemption, brought to its fullness in the work of Christ, was not carried through history by the words of prophecy alone. Rather, it touched down in the experience of God's people as particular individuals and events illustrated the promises of God…. More specifically, the person and work of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the history that led to His incarnation. People and events in Israel's history offered prophetic glimpses of the coming Savior and His work, reassuring them of the promise of His coming.” C. J. Williams     Slide 7   “Melchizedek appears in history with no record of a genealogy or ancestral line, no record of his birth, and no record of his death. The point is, Melchizedek appears to transcend earthly existence; this makes him a type of Christ, who truly does transcend earthly existence as the eternal King-Priest who has no predecessor and no successor in His high office.”   S. Michael Houdmann     Slide 8   Abraham > Levi and the Levitical Priesthood Melchizedek > Abraham  Melchizedek > Levi and the Levitical priesthood   Slide 9 “But the patriarch gave up a tenth of the spoils, thus implicitly acknowledging the superior place of Melchizedek. And Melchizedek proceeded to bless Abraham, accepting the implied superiority. The situation is clear to all parties. There is no need to spell it out. And the author is simply drawing attention to what the narrative clearly implies when he brings out the superior status of Melchizedek. Even when Abraham is seen as the one “who had the promises,” Melchizedek is superior.” Leon Morris   Slide 10   Big Idea   God's plan is incredibly detailed, and it all leads to King Jesus, our great High Priest.  

Sixth in my series looking at Little Known Bible Characters. This one's from the Old Testament, King Chedorlaomer. Previous entries have been: Little Known Bible Characters #5: Harbonah the EunuchLittle Known Bible Characters #4: EutychusLittle Known Bible Characters #3: TrophimusLittle Known Bible Characters #2: ‘The List of Offenders'Little Known Bible Characters #1: Iddo Music attribution Track New York Music by ⁠https://www.fiftysounds.com⁠ Track London Music by ⁠https://www.fiftysounds.com

église AB Lausanne ; KJV Genesis 14 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, 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 their 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. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is 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 slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. ...

Genesis 14:8-24 ESV 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 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 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. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. 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. 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. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Genesis 14:17-2417 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Scopri la Bibbia un versetto per volta con semplici commenti dell'insegnante Egidio Annunziata.LETTURA DELLA SACRA BIBBIAGenesi 14 - https://www.bible.com/it/bible...1 Avvenne al tempo di Amrafel re di Scinear, di Arioc re di Ellasar, di Chedorlaomer re di Elam e di Tideal re dei Goim,2 che essi mossero guerra a Bera re di Sodoma, a Birsa re di Gomorra, a Sineab re di Adma, a Semeber re di Seboim e al re di Bela, cioè Soar.3 Tutti questi ultimi si radunarono nella valle di Siddim, che è il mar Salato.4 Per dodici anni erano stati soggetti a Chedorlaomer, e al tredicesimo anno si erano ribellati.5 Nell'anno quattordicesimo, Chedorlaomer e i re che erano con lui vennero e sconfissero i Refaim ad Asterot-Carnaim, gli Zuzei ad Am, gli Emei nella pianura di Chiriataim,6 e i Corei nella loro montagna di Seir fino a El-Paran, che è presso il deserto.7 Poi tornarono indietro e vennero a En-Mispat, cioè Cades, e sconfissero gli Amalechiti su tutto il loro territorio, e così pure gli Amorei che abitavano ad Asason-Tamar.8 Allora il re di Sodoma, il re di Gomorra, il re di Adma, il re di Seboim e il re di Bela, cioè Soar, uscirono e si schierarono in battaglia contro quelli, nella valle di Siddim:9 contro Chedorlaomer re di Elam, Tideal re dei Goim, Amrafel re di Scinear e Arioc re di Ellasar: quattro re contro cinque.10 La valle di Siddim era piena di pozzi di bitume; i re di Sodoma e di Gomorra si diedero alla fuga e vi caddero dentro; quelli che scamparono fuggirono al monte.11 I vincitori presero tutte le ricchezze di Sodoma e di Gomorra, tutti i loro viveri e se ne andarono.12 Andandosene presero anche Lot, figlio del fratello di Abramo, con i suoi beni: Lot abitava infatti a Sodoma.13 Ma uno degli scampati venne a informare Abramo, l'Ebreo, che abitava alle querce di Mamre, l'Amoreo, fratello di Escol e fratello di Aner, i quali avevano fatto alleanza con Abramo.14 Abramo, come ebbe udito che suo fratello era stato fatto prigioniero, armò 318 dei suoi più fidati servi, nati in casa sua, e inseguì i re fino a Dan.15 Divisa la sua schiera per assalirli di notte, egli, con i suoi servi, li sconfisse e li inseguì fino a Coba, che è a sinistra di Damasco.16 Recuperò così tutti i beni e ricondusse pure Lot suo fratello, con i suoi beni, e anche le donne e il popolo.17 Com'egli se ne tornava, dopo aver sconfitto Chedorlaomer e i re che erano con lui, il re di Sodoma gli andò incontro nella valle di Sciavè, cioè la valle del re.18 Melchisedec, re di Salem, fece portare del pane e del vino. Egli era sacerdote del Dio altissimo.19 Egli benedisse Abramo, dicendo: «Benedetto sia Abramo dal Dio altissimo, padrone dei cieli e della terra!20 Benedetto sia il Dio altissimo, che ti ha dato in mano i tuoi nemici!» E Abramo gli diede la decima di ogni cosa.21 Il re di Sodoma disse ad Abramo: «Dammi le persone; i beni prendili per te».22 Ma Abramo rispose al re di Sodoma: «Ho alzato la mia mano al Signore, il Dio altissimo, padrone dei cieli e della terra,Efesini 4 - https://www.bible.com/it/bible...Episodio: Genesi 14Conduttore: Egidio AnnunziataLuogo: Nocera Inferiore, Salerno - ItalyEvento: Incontro domenicale della comunità Essere Un CristianoData: 26/03/2023Lingua: ItalianaProduzione: © Essere Un Cristiano 2023

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, […]

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, 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.

Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 […]

Precept upon precept, line by line reading. Week 3 Torah Portion - Lech Lecha (Go Out) Genesis 12:1-17:27. Translation: את CepherYahuah speaks to Abram, commanding him, “Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you.” There, יהוה says, he will be made into a great nation. יהוה shows his great love and devotion to his bride Israel still in Abram's loins saying, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”Abram and his wife, Sarai, accompanied by his nephew Lot, journey to the land of Canaan, where Abram builds an altar and continues to spread the message of a one יהוה.A famine forces the first Hebrew to depart for Egypt, where beautiful Sarai is taken to Pharaoh's palace; Abram escapes death because they present themselves as brother and sister. A plague prevents the Egyptian king from touching her, and convinces him to return her to Abram and to compensate the brother-revealed-as-husband with gold, silver and cattle.Back in the land of Canaan, Lot separates from Abram and settles in the evil city of Sodom, where he falls captive when the mighty armies of Chedorlaomer (pronounced Kedar-laomer) and his three allies conquer the five cities of the Sodom Valley. Abram sets out with a small band to rescue his nephew, defeats the four kings, and is blessed by Malki-Zedek (Shem) the king of Salem (Jerusalem).Yahuah seals the Covenant Between the Parts with Abram, in which the exile and persecution (galut) of the people of Israel is foretold, and the Holy Land is bequeathed to them as their eternal heritage.Still childless ten years after their arrival in the Land, Sarai tells Abram to marry her maidservant Hagar. Hagar conceives, becomes insolent toward her mistress, and then flees when Sarai treats her harshly; an angel convinces her to return, and tells her that her son will father a populous nation. Ishmael is born in Abram's eighty-sixth year.Thirteen years later, יהוה changes Abram's name to Abraham (“father of multitudes”), and Sarai's to Sarah (“princess”), and promises that a son will be born to them; from this child, whom they should call Isaac (“will laugh”), will stem the great nation with which יהוה will establish His special bond. Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself and his descendants as a “sign of the covenant between Me and you.” Abraham immediately complies, circumcising himself and all the males of his household.

This podcast explores the story in Genesis 13-14 of Abram's rescue of Lot from the forces of Chedorlaomer, et al, and the appearance of the mysterious Melchizedek. 

Subconscious Realms Episode 219 - War Of Giant's / War Of 9 King's / Battle Of Siddim - Sir Gary Wayne. Ladies & Gentlemen, on this Episode of Subconscious Realms we welcome back Sir Gary Wayne for an update on his new book - Genesis 6 Conspiracy PT2... And Gary's Phenomenal Perspective on the - War Of Giant's / War Of Nine King's / Battle Of Siddim / The Slaughter Of Chedorlaomer.. You already know Gary comes in Heavy dropping Mind-Blowing

Big Idea: Abraham was a commando! Genesis 14:1-16 1. There's a war raging around you. Genesis 14: 1-7 And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these kings came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). For twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites on their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. 2. Don't move next door to the enemy. Genesis 14: 8-12 And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they lined up for battle against them in the Valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom. 3. Faith always changes the fight.  Genesis 14: 13-16 Then a survivor came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was residing by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and they were allies with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, numbering 318, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Then he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the other people. Next Steps: I will fight the good fight of faith this week. I surrender to King Jesus today. Discussion Questions: Has someone close to you caused you to struggle spiritually lately? Describe spiritual warfare in your own words. What was the last spirit battle you were in?  Be specific.  Do you tend to engage or withdraw from spiritual conflict? Do you believe there's any connection between spiritual and physical conflict?  Explain your answer.  What weapons can be used to fight spiritual battles? Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you push back darkness this week.

Genesis 14:17-24After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Study Passage: Genesis 14:1-241In 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.  17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;  20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”  And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” 

Genesis 14In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 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). And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 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, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. 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.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 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 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. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.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. 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. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 14:17-20 - 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. PSALM 110:4 - The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”  HEBREWS 7:25 - Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost  those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. MENTIONED ON TODAY'S EPISODE: Become a Morning Mindset Media partner: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/partner  ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 14:17-20 - 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE: Submit a prayer request or praise: https://MorningMindestMedia.com/prayer  ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:    GENESIS 14:1-12 - 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. MENTIONED ON TODAY'S EPISODE: Listen or subscribe to the parenting podcast, "God Fearing Kids and the Parents Who Raise Them" : http://GodFearingKids.com  ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Who was Chedorlaomer / Kedorlaomer? Is Chedorlaomer mentioned outside of the Bible? What is the importance of the conflict in Genesis chapter 14?

     The word tithe means “to give a tenth.” Prior to the giving of the Mosaic Law (ca. 1445 B.C.), we see an example of Abraham giving Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils of war which he had accumulated after he had defeated Chedorlaomer at the Valley of Shaveh (Gen 14:17-20). Later, Jacob made a vow to give God a tenth of his possessions if God would be faithful to protect him on a journey (Gen 28:20-22). In the accounts of Abraham and Jacob, there was no mandate from heaven for them to give a tenth, and when they did give a tenth, it appears to be a one-time act, never repeated as far as Scripture is concerned. It was not until several centuries later that tithing became mandatory for the nation of Israel when they entered into the Mosaic Covenant and came under the Mosaic Law. Click here for full article: https://thinkingonscripture.com/2020/06/27/giving-or-tithing/

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 13 Psalm 13 (Listen) How Long, O Lord? To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 13   How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?    How long will you hide your face from me?2   How long must I take counsel in my soul    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?  How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3   Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,4   lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5   But I have trusted in your steadfast love;    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.6   I will sing to the LORD,    because he has dealt bountifully with me. (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Genesis 14 Genesis 14 (Listen) Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks1 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor2 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand3 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” Footnotes [1] 14:13 Or terebinths [2] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [3] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: 1 Chronicles 14 1 Chronicles 14 (Listen) David's Wives and Children 14 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him. 2 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. 3 And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. 4 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet. Philistines Defeated 8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went out against them. 9 Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. 10 And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.” 11 And he went up to Baal-perazim, and David struck them down there. And David said, “God has broken through1 my enemies by my hand, like a bursting flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. 12 And they left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned. 13 And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. 14 And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 15 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 16 And David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. 17 And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations. Footnotes [1] 14:11 Baal-perazim means Lord of breaking through (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 8:22–56 Luke 8:22–56 (Listen) Jesus Calms a Storm 22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon 26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,1 which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus2 had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed3 man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter 40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians,4 she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter5 said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” 49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. Footnotes [1] 8:26 Some manuscripts Gadarenes; others Gergesenes; also verse 37 [2] 8:27 Greek he; also verses 38, 42 [3] 8:36 Greek daimonizomai (demonized); elsewhere rendered oppressed by demons [4] 8:43 Some manuscripts omit and though she had spent all her living on physicians [5] 8:45 Some manuscripts add and those who were with him (ESV)

With family: Genesis 14; Matthew 13 Genesis 14 (Listen) Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks1 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor2 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand3 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” Footnotes [1] 14:13 Or terebinths [2] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [3] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath (ESV) Matthew 13 (Listen) The Parable of the Sower 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears,1 let him hear.” The Purpose of the Parables 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:   “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”15   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed,  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. The Parable of the Sower Explained 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.2 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” The Parable of the Weeds 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds3 among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants4 of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”'” The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Prophecy and Parables 34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:5   “I will open my mouth in parables;    I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” The Parable of the Weeds Explained 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. The Parable of the Net 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. New and Old Treasures 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Footnotes [1] 13:9 Some manuscripts add here and in verse 43 to hear [2] 13:21 Or stumbles [3] 13:25 Probably darnel, a wheat-like weed [4] 13:27 Or bondservants; also verse 28 [5] 13:35 Some manuscripts Isaiah the prophet (ESV) In private: Nehemiah 3; Acts 13 Nehemiah 3 (Listen) Rebuilding the Wall 3 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them1 Zaccur the son of Imri built. 3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.2 6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah.3 They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of4 Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters. 13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits5 of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate. 14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king's garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress.6 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired7 another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. 28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,8 and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired. Footnotes [1] 3:2 Hebrew him [2] 3:5 Or lords [3] 3:6 Or of the old city [4] 3:9 Or foreman of half the portion assigned to; also verses 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 [5] 3:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [6] 3:19 Or corner; also verses 20, 24, 25 [7] 3:20 Some manuscripts vigorously repaired [8] 3:31 Or Hammiphkad Gate (ESV) Acts 13 (Listen) Barnabas and Saul Sent Off 13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,1 Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia 13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with2 them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,   “‘You are my Son,    today I have begotten you.' 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,   “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,   “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed3 from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41   “‘Look, you scoffers,    be astounded and perish;  for I am doing a work in your days,    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews4 saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

Old Testament: Genesis 13–15 Genesis 13–15 (Listen) Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.1 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.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks2 of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks3 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor4 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand5 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” God's Covenant with Abram 15 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.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue6 childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son7 shall be your heir.” 5 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.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give8 this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Footnotes [1] 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers [2] 13:18 Or terebinths [3] 14:13 Or terebinths [4] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [5] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath [6] 15:2 Or I shall die [7] 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins [8] 15:18 Or have given (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 7 Psalm 7 (Listen) In You Do I Take Refuge A Shiggaion1 of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. 7   O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,2   lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3   O LORD my God, if I have done this,    if there is wrong in my hands,4   if I have repaid my friend2 with evil    or plundered my enemy without cause,5   let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,    and let him trample my life to the ground    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6   Arise, O LORD, in your anger;    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;    awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.7   Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;    over it return on high. 8   The LORD judges the peoples;    judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness    and according to the integrity that is in me.9   Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,    and may you establish the righteous—  you who test the minds and hearts,3    O righteous God!10   My shield is with God,    who saves the upright in heart.11   God is a righteous judge,    and a God who feels indignation every day. 12   If a man4 does not repent, God5 will whet his sword;    he has bent and readied his bow;13   he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,    making his arrows fiery shafts.14   Behold, the wicked man conceives evil    and is pregnant with mischief    and gives birth to lies.15   He makes a pit, digging it out,    and falls into the hole that he has made.16   His mischief returns upon his own head,    and on his own skull his violence descends. 17   I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,    and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. Footnotes [1] 7:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 7:4 Hebrew the one at peace with me [3] 7:9 Hebrew the hearts and kidneys [4] 7:12 Hebrew he [5] 7:12 Hebrew he (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 9 Matthew 9 (Listen) Jesus Heals a Paralytic 9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing1 their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, ‘Rise and walk'? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. Jesus Calls Matthew 9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus2 reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” A Question About Fasting 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast,3 but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly4 the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district. Jesus Heals Two Blind Men 27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak 32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Footnotes [1] 9:4 Some manuscripts perceiving [2] 9:10 Greek he [3] 9:14 Some manuscripts add much, or often [4] 9:22 Greek from that hour (ESV)

Old Testament: Genesis 13–15 Genesis 13–15 (Listen) Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.1 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.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks2 of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks3 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor4 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand5 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” God's Covenant with Abram 15 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.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue6 childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son7 shall be your heir.” 5 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.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give8 this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Footnotes [1] 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers [2] 13:18 Or terebinths [3] 14:13 Or terebinths [4] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [5] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath [6] 15:2 Or I shall die [7] 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins [8] 15:18 Or have given (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 5:1–16 Matthew 5:1–16 (Listen) The Sermon on the Mount 5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. The Beatitudes 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons1 of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that2 they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Footnotes [1] 5:9 Greek huioi; see Preface [2] 5:16 Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 7 Psalm 7 (Listen) In You Do I Take Refuge A Shiggaion1 of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. 7   O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,2   lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3   O LORD my God, if I have done this,    if there is wrong in my hands,4   if I have repaid my friend2 with evil    or plundered my enemy without cause,5   let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,    and let him trample my life to the ground    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6   Arise, O LORD, in your anger;    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;    awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.7   Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;    over it return on high. 8   The LORD judges the peoples;    judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness    and according to the integrity that is in me.9   Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,    and may you establish the righteous—  you who test the minds and hearts,3    O righteous God!10   My shield is with God,    who saves the upright in heart.11   God is a righteous judge,    and a God who feels indignation every day. 12   If a man4 does not repent, God5 will whet his sword;    he has bent and readied his bow;13   he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,    making his arrows fiery shafts.14   Behold, the wicked man conceives evil    and is pregnant with mischief    and gives birth to lies.15   He makes a pit, digging it out,    and falls into the hole that he has made.16   His mischief returns upon his own head,    and on his own skull his violence descends. 17   I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,    and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. Footnotes [1] 7:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] 7:4 Hebrew the one at peace with me [3] 7:9 Hebrew the hearts and kidneys [4] 7:12 Hebrew he [5] 7:12 Hebrew he (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 3:5–8 Proverbs 3:5–8 (Listen) 5   Trust in the LORD with all your heart,    and do not lean on your own understanding.6   In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.7   Be not wise in your own eyes;    fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.8   It will be healing to your flesh1    and refreshment2 to your bones. Footnotes [1] 3:8 Hebrew navel [2] 3:8 Or medicine (ESV)

No, it isn't a line from a movie, but a quote that might have been said by one of the men from the armies of Sodom and Gomorrah. The King James Bible translation of Genesis 14:10 is, "And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there;". Other translations use "asphalt" or "tar pits" for the translation of the Hebrew word חֵמָר (hemar). Dr. Collins and Dr. Byers discuss the proper translation of this word, and how it relates to the true topography of the Dead Sea Valley and to the story of Chedorlaomer's attack on the cities of the Valley of Siddim. Support our Dig by becoming an Inner Circle Partner Support TSU and TeHEP by shopping through Amazon Smile Follow Tall-el Hammam and TSU on Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram

Morning: Genesis 12–14 Genesis 12–14 (Listen) The Call of Abram 12 Now the LORD said1 to Abram, “Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”3 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak4 of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Abram and Sarai in Egypt 10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.5 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.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks6 of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks7 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor8 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand9 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or had said [2] 12:1 Or land [3] 12:3 Or by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves [4] 12:6 Or terebinth [5] 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers [6] 13:18 Or terebinths [7] 14:13 Or terebinths [8] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [9] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath (ESV) Evening: Matthew 5:1–26 Matthew 5:1–26 (Listen) The Sermon on the Mount 5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. The Beatitudes 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons1 of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that2 they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Christ Came to Fulfill the Law 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Anger 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother3 will be liable to judgment; whoever insults4 his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!' will be liable to the hell5 of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.6 Footnotes [1] 5:9 Greek huioi; see Preface [2] 5:16 Or house. 16Let your light so shine before others that [3] 5:22 Some manuscripts insert without cause [4] 5:22 Greek says Raca to (a term of abuse) [5] 5:22 Greek Gehenna; also verses 29, 30 [6] 5:26 Greek kodrantes, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer) (ESV)

Genesis 12–15 Genesis 12–15 (Listen) The Call of Abram 12 Now the LORD said1 to Abram, “Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”3 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak4 of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Abram and Sarai in Egypt 10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.5 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.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks6 of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks7 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor8 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand9 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” God's Covenant with Abram 15 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.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue10 childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son11 shall be your heir.” 5 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.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give12 this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or had said [2] 12:1 Or land [3] 12:3 Or by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves [4] 12:6 Or terebinth [5] 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers [6] 13:18 Or terebinths [7] 14:13 Or terebinths [8] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [9] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath [10] 15:2 Or I shall die [11] 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins [12] 15:18 Or have given (ESV)

Genesis 12–15 Genesis 12–15 (Listen) The Call of Abram 12 Now the LORD said1 to Abram, “Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”3 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak4 of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Abram and Sarai in Egypt 10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.5 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.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks6 of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. Abram Rescues Lot 14 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 oaks7 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. Abram Blessed by Melchizedek 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,    Possessor8 of heaven and earth;20   and blessed be God Most High,    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand9 to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” God's Covenant with Abram 15 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.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue10 childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son11 shall be your heir.” 5 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.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give12 this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or had said [2] 12:1 Or land [3] 12:3 Or by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves [4] 12:6 Or terebinth [5] 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers [6] 13:18 Or terebinths [7] 14:13 Or terebinths [8] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22 [9] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath [10] 15:2 Or I shall die [11] 15:4 Hebrew what will come out of your own loins [12] 15:18 Or have given (ESV)

This video and the previous two describe the context and reason for "the blessed hope," the rapture of the Church. We have a few brief hours now before the rapture to embrace a divine mission, a “charter” of the church, if you will, that we've largely forgotten. That is the Christian's responsibility to Israel. If we've believed in Jesus Christ, 1st Peter 2:5-9 tells us that we are “a royal priesthood.” Why are we a royal priesthood? Because the high priest is a King, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also the “King of Righteousness and the “King of Peace,” and the true Melchizedek. The Church is a priesthood chosen for a specific purpose under true Melchizedek. To start, we learn in the Book of Genesis that God called a man who would be the head of two races. Abraham would be the father of many nations, but really the head of two spiritual races. Abraham would have a “seed,” of which Paul tells us in Galatians 3:16 speaks of Christ. But that seed would be “more in number than the stars of the heavens and the sand of the seashore.” A “heavenly people” anticipated the church, and an “earthly people” anticipated the nation of Israel (and those who “enter into her fold,” including Gentiles of every other nation.) The “seed” would be heavenly and earthly, and ultimately it would all be one. As Jesus said in John 10:16, “one flock, one Shepherd,” yet distinct and unique, but brought together as one. In Genesis Chapter 14, there's a story of nations hostile to Israel who come into the land. Abraham, of course, is living as a nomad. Five armies come into the land under Chedorlaomer, and they sweep through the land. And as they're snatching up captives, they take Lot and his family. Abraham hears about it. Genesis 14:13 says “One who had escaped came and told Abraham the Hebrew.” The word “Hebrew” means “the one who crosses the river.” And from Abraham comes a new Hebrew nation. He dwelt, “by the trees of Mamre,” which means “the teacher.” Abraham was staying at the trees of the teacher. Who's the teacher? Well, that is left for us to discover. Genesis 14:14-18 says, “Now when Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants, ... and he divided his forces against them by night, and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ... he brought back all the goods, and he brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the King of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is the King's Valley,) After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the Kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine ...” Isn't it interesting? 4000 years ago, a man steps on the scene to refocus Abraham, to deliver him from distraction, to deliver him from temptation. And he uses the same elements that Jesus used with the disciples in the upper room. Genesis 14:18 says Melchizedek "brought out bread and wine; He was the priest of the most high God, And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abraham of God, most high possessor of heaven on Earth, and blessed be God, most high, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.'” Melchizedek blessed Abraham. What did God say in Genesis 12:3? “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” And Melchizedek, who, I believe was Abram's mentor, the teacher who taught at the Oaks of Mamre, blessed Abraham. In Hebrews 5:1, we meet Melchizedek again: “For every high priest” not talking now about a general priesthood, but the High Priest, “is taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God.” High priests do have the role of standing between God and man, but the primary role of any priest is intercession. Genesis 5:3-6 says, “Because of this, he is required as for the people, so also for himself to offer sacrifices for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself. But he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.” Now, the crux is verse five. “So also, Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest, but it was He who said to Him, ‘You are my son today. I have begotten you.'” We know from the Psalms that this was spoken to Jesus Christ after the resurrection. “This day I have begotten you. And he also says in another place, you are a priest forever.” This is a quote from Psalm 110:4. Jesus Christ became the High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek on His resurrection to form a priesthood of a new order. This new order did not follow the Levitical priesthood. It was not of the lineage of the Levitical priesthood, and had a completely different purpose. The priesthood of the order of Melchizedek, takes its cue from that shadowy, mysterious figure, who comes on the scene in Genesis 14. At at a critical time in the beginning of the history of the Hebrew people, Melchizedek brings focus and devotion and dedication. Let's look at Hebrews Chapter seven. Hebrews 7:1 says, “This Melchizedek King of Salem, priest of the most high God who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated king of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning king of peace without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God.” This is not saying that he didn't have a mother and a father or a human earthly line. It simply means that because the Scripture shrouds him in mystery, we don't know where he came from, nor know his lineage. “He has been made like the Son of God” by virtue of how he's presented. He is not the Son of God. Hebrews 7:4-7 continues, “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed, those who are the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law that is from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham, but he whose genealogy is not derived from them, that is not of the Leviticus order, receive tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better.” What was it God, said to Abraham, again? "He who blesses you I will bless and he who curses you, I will curse." And the author of Hebrews says, "the lesser is blessed by the greater. Here mortal man receives ties, but there he receives them, of whom it is written that he lives. And even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, or he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.” Seven principles of the Melchizedek priesthood (from Hebrews Chapter 7) The priesthood is to bless the nation of Israel. You and I are not called to be their judge. We are called to be a priesthood standing in their behalf. We are to minister to them righteousness and peace. Here's our evangelistic outreach to the Jewish people. There are many ministries that are totally devoted to the evangelism of the Jewish people. All ministries should be devoted to some degree to the evangelism of the Jewish people. We are to be conformed to the character of Christ “made like the Son of God.” Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This priesthood is a royal and an eternal priesthood. In other words, it comes from the lineage of the King, but not through the lineage of Israel. And it lasts forever. That's your priesthood. “He remains a priest perpetually.” There is no end to this ministry. What are you and I going to be doing throughout the ages world without end? We're going to be functioning as a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, ministering to them and to all who have come into their full faith. Our priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, receives the spoils of victory as a tithe. There's a victory coming that is much greater than the victory Abraham had. There's a victory coming that is going to involve the entire world. It's going to be a tiny remnant of a shattered nation that is going to conquer the earth and they're going to win their victory because we'll be playing our part. The priesthood of Melchizedek is not of Jewish lineage. Notice verse six, “whose genealogy is not derived from them, received tithes from Abraham.” The priesthood after the order of Melchizedek is superior. Verse seven says, “Beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better." You have the word "better." "Better" is a key word in the Book of Hebrews, and it means that which is superior by comparison. Hebrews 11:1 starts, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for in the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:6 tells us that, “Without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” And then Hebrews begins a roster of those who, through Old Testament times and generations of Old Testament believers, sought God, beginning back before Abraham. It's a lineage of faith and interesting to ask the question, “Why did he include the people he included, and why did he leave out the people he left out?” Notice what he says, starting in Hebrews 11:33, “Who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong.” This is the key to whom the writer of Hebrews chose to list. Hebrews 11:39 says, “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise.” Do you remember 1st Peter 1:10-12, where Peter reports that the prophets were perplexed because they saw that something was coming? Both "sufferings" and “glories.” How does this fit? Old Testament believers thought, “what kind of a time can this be?" Old Testament writer could not put it all together.” 1st Peter 1:12 answers, “But it was revealed to them that what they were ministering was not to themselves, but to us.” They didn't even know who we were. “A people that are not a nation of people yet to be created," but a people who one day are going to read their story and be made strong because of it and accomplish something because of it. A people who are “grafted in” so that “the root,” Israel, doesn't die. So that the root survives. So that the Olive Tree finally blossoms again and bears fruit. Look at Hebrews 11:40. “God, having provided something better for us, better again, superior.” Why did He do that? “So that they should not be made perfect without us.” So that they would not fulfill the plan of God for them as a nation without the help of the Church. So that God's plan for them could not be fulfilled until He created a new people, a nation that could “provoke them to jealousy,” a nation that could be an example to them. A nation that they would be able to look back like you and I look back at Hebrews 11 and the roster of 2000 years. They will look back at a roster of 2000 years, and they're going to read the stories of John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, and D.L. Moody. Future Israelis are going to hear about Church Saints, great and small. They're going to be affected even by you and I. They're going to say, "how great were those people? How great was the love that they had for us?" They're going to know, once their eyes are opened at the rapture of the Church, and they see their foolish leadership sign a seven-year covenant, and those 144,000 evangelists get sealed, that the time of the tribulation period starts. And seven years later, preserved through horrible, unimaginable circumstances, they are going to meet Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. They are going to be gathered there waiting when He comes back. And guess who else going to meet them there? Us. We have a few brief hours to embrace this aspect of our mission. I think we've largely forgotten about our responsibilities to Israel and these yet-future people. Three Corrective Actions to Take Intercede on behalf of Israel. That's the greatest and the strongest thing you can do. Don't just pray for the nation now. Don't just pray that they will be delivered from their enemies. Now think ahead. Look ahead into the story and lodge prayers before the throne of God that are going to get answered. Then you pray for the 144,000. You pray that God might use you to start something, to send out a ripple that's going to have an impact on them. A book that you send a prayer that you pray. A witness that you give, you never know. Stand up for Israel. Stand up for them in the arena of world opinion. Stand up in the arena of your sphere of influence. Don't hold your tongue when people bad-mouth Israel. Shelter the Jews. The day may come that you'll have to shelter them. Anti-Semitism is sweeping the world again. Isn't it interesting hostility of a kind that we haven't seen since Nazi Germany is now in Germany, France, Britain, America? I would wrap all of this up under one phrase, “Don't let the blessed hope lose its blessing for you.” It's a blessed hope for a reason. And that is that we have fulfilled our mission and that God is now going to be able to bring the children of Israel to the knowledge of Him.

THE BEGINNING OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. Grace Bible Church & Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries Copyright © 2009 by Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin Gbible.org 02/24/08 Rom 9:1-4, “I am communicating doctrine, I am not lying, my conscience bearing joint testimony with me in the Holy Spirit, but I have a great sorrow and constant pain in my right lobe, so I could wish that I myself would be accursed, consequently, separated from Christ, but it cannot be, for the sake of, or on behalf of my brethren, the racial Jews, my fellow countrymen, national Jews according to earthly descent, who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption as sons and the glory [the Shekinah glory], and the covenants and the gift of the law, and the worship of the true God, and the promises.” We now move to the next three Greek words, Kai hai diatheekai, correctly translated and the covenants. This is referring primarily to the Abrahamic covenant, though others are included as well. The Abrahamic covenant was the beginning of the Jews, and the beginning of God's promises to Israel. The whole issue in these covenants is very simple. God is faithful, and God keeps His word; God will fulfill every obligation. The integrity of God makes it impossible for Him not to fulfill an obligation. Remember that the integrity of God is composed of His justice and His righteousness, and the only Jews to whom these promises are pertinent are the spiritual, rather than the physical, seed of Abraham. Only those Jews who receive the imputation of Divine righteousness (+R), as did Abraham, in Genesis 15, where Abraham was told that his progeny would be as the stars of the heaven, or like the sands of the sea. In that passage it also says, “Abraham had believed in the Lord [GEN 15:6], and it was credited to his account for righteousness.” The only Jews who receive the promises of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenants to Israel are those Jews who have +R. Remember that the justice of God imputes blessing to the righteousness of God only, and no Jew is a true Jew until he has the righteousness of God. Human life imputed at birth, plus Adams original sin, equals the first potential, the potential of salvation. Then the pertinent doctrine, the Gospel, equals the first hope or absolute confidence that when you believe in Christ you have eternal life. Then comes the adjustment to the justice of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no blessing from God, unless you possess God's righteousness. Through perception, metabolization, and application of doctrine, one attains maturity and develops capacity to receive Divine blessing. We have the imputation of eternal life, plus the imputation of blessing in time which equals the third potential: Pertinent doctrine plus undeserved suffering equals absolute confidence that when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ in a resurrection body, we are going to receive the imputation of Divine blessing; and this is the plan of God. So, there can be no blessing, no eternal blessing to anyone, without +R. The ditheke, the covenant, is a disposition made by God to Abraham, and in this case we're dealing with the heritage of Israel. Like all the covenants, this is a part of the Divine decrees, and Abraham is a beneficiary without merit. God promised Abraham, he would crack the maturity barrier. God promised unconditionally certain things to Abraham and his spiritual seed; not all Israel is Israel, only those who believe on Christ for +R, as Abraham did in GEN 15:6. These promises are forever so you have to have God's life, eternal life. These promises demand a point of imputation. God can only bless on the basis of His righteousness (+R), not on the basis of our righteousness; today we have people inserting their own self-righteousness, and of course that does not work. We can't reinvent the wheel; God's already done it; it's His plan, not our plan! There is no place for self-righteousness, or any action or any deed no matter how legitimate, no matter how wonderful, or no matter how legalistic; there's simply no place for any human effort to try to gain blessing from God. The justice of God is free to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant to any Jew (anyone who has the genes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) who is born again through faith in TLJC. That is absolutely necessary. So, all of these promises we simply call the Abrahamic covenant are merely a summary of everything that God promised to Abraham and to his spiritual seed. GEN 12:1-3, Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These verses emphasize the isolation and separation necessary for the development of the new race. The third dynasty of Ur is about to be destroyed, and God is separating Abraham from that famous Acadian nation. This is why verse 2 says And I will manufacture from you a great nation. This does not refer to the seed of Ishmael nor does it refer to the seed of the five sons of Keturah. Abraham had seven sons; but the great nation would come through one only, Isaac: one great nation called the Jews, the Hebrews. Now there are a lot of nations from Abraham; many of them are descendents through Ishmael, or descendents from Abraham through the five sons of Keturah. However, the great nation in GEN 12:2 is elected, but not adopted until the Second Advent, because while Israel has been great in the past, it is nothing compared to what will happen in the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel will be the source of blessing for the entire world. Israel in the Millennium is the great nation. Israel in all eternity after the Millennium is the great nation, but the only racial Jews who can be in that great nation are those who are qualified by having +R and eternal life. No-one can qualify without believing in Christ for eternal life. Now it becomes important, and that's why Paul was so burdened in Romans 9, because these Jews, many of them in arrogance, thought that they recognized their great heritage, but they misinterpreted their heritage and related it to physical birth, rather than the new birth. That's why, to one of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisee Nicodemus, Jesus said; “Ye must be born again.” Even though this man was a Pharisee and a brilliant scholar and understood his racial heritage, he was still relating the heritage of Israel to physical life rather than spiritual life. But at least he was positive, for he is one of the Pharisees who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His earthly ministry. Being born again is only possible through believing in the salvation work of our Lord. That was the challenge, not only to Nicodemus, but to all Jews: They must be born again. So, our Lord tells Nicodemus that it isn't a physical re-birth; it's a spiritual re-birth. It's a birth by means of the Spirit, from the water of the Word and from the Spirit. It isn't the physical seed of Abraham that has the great heritage of the future; it is the spiritual seed of Abraham, those who are born again. When God promised unconditionally He simply said I will. That's it. “I will manufacture from you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will cause your name to become famous, therefore become a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you.” That brings us to today. The United States of America is a client nation of God, right now. We do not have the spiritual heritage of Israel. We have a glorious heritage of freedom, but nothing compares to the spiritual heritage of Israel in the past. So here we are today, a client nation of God. With that we have the responsibility. We have, first of all, the freedom with its privacy, its property, and its umbrella of authority. We have the freedom to evangelize. From this freedom comes the ability to advance to maturity. From this freedom comes missionary activity to reach out to any nation, or any group of people wherever they may be found, who are positive toward God and God-consciousness, and they will hear the Gospel. God will provide the missionaries and the means, and they are generally sent from a client nation. One other thing that's keeping us going today, and is very important to continue and protect, is that we as a nation are not anti-Semitic. We have some anti-Semitic people in the nation, but as a nation we are not anti-Semitic. We are pro-Semitic with relationship to the Jewish people. We have offered our country, as a client nation to God, as a haven for the Jews, where they have the same opportunity and the same citizenship that we have. No distinction is made and they are protected. We are about to have a great attack of anti-Semitism in this country, which is just one of the many manifestations of Satan's action. One of the worst things that you can ever do, is to ever become involved with anyone who is anti-Semitic. We want to stay absolutely clear from that vicious, monstrous evil. Nothing is more Satanic than anti-Semitism. The greatest Satanic movement in all of history, reaching its peak in the middle of the Tribulation, is anti-Semitism. The reason for Satanic opposition to the Jews is related to the four unconditional promises (covenants) of God: The Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenant. All of these covenants guarantee the future of Israel and have not yet been fulfilled, with one exception. God will destroy any person or any nation involved in anti-Semitism. It is not God's will for you to enter into anti-Semitism. Racial prejudice is one of the greatest evils you could ever imagine. Whenever anyone feels any racial prejudice, all they have to do is remember that Christ was judged for that person on the Cross. How did all of this evil in the Middle East start? We must begin with a descendant of Shem who for 99 years was an Arab, and the Arab's claim him as one of them. However, at age 99 God claimed Abraham for Himself and started a brand new race called the Jews. Let's review the profile of Abraham so that you will know something about him as an Arab and how he became a Jew. This applies directly to America's war in the Middle East. Abraham was called Abram in the Bible before God changed his name. Abraham was a Gentile who became a Jew when God started the Jewish race through him at age 99. He was the ninth generation descended from Noah's son, Shem. He was born in the city of Ur about 2161 B.C., and the accounts about Abraham are found in GEN 11:26 - GEN 25:11, with the focus on four important aspects of his life. First, his migration: Abraham's story begins with his migration with the rest of his family from UR of the Chaldeans in ancient southern Babylonia (GEN 11:26-32). He and his family moved north along the trade routes of the ancient world and settled in the flourishing trade center of Haran, and there, at the age of 75, Abraham received a call from God to go to an unknown land that God would show him. Remember at this time in human history, there was no Bible so God spoke personally to those whom He chose. The Lord promised Abraham that He would make him and his descendants a great nation, according to GEN 12:1-3. However, like many promises from God to His people, because they are so fantastic, they seem unbelievable. The promise must have seemed unbelievable to Abraham because his wife Sarah (Sarai) was childless and he had no children. GEN 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Terah was an Acadian unbeliever and in JOS 24:2, he was an idolater. His name Terah means delayed; he's well named for he delayed Abraham from getting to the place where the Lord wanted him. God had a plan for Abraham, but as long as Abraham stayed with his father he was delayed in fulfilling the will of God. Now, the king of Ur was a very well known worshipper of the moon God called Ur and Ur was the great center of moon-god worship and other forms of idolatry. The city of Ur built the famous ziggurats, a system of terraced platforms on which temples were erected. It was a very prosperous and high class city! Now Abraham was saved in this city under most unusual conditions. Ur of the Chaldees was a great and powerful empire; however it was destroyed after Abraham left. Abraham left Ur to go north and then south down to Canaan, and on his way to Canaan Abraham passed the Amorites who were on their way to destroy his home area. Now, if Ur had a lot of believers then Ur would have been spared, but the Lord was going to have Ur destroyed; therefore He told Abraham to get out of it. There were only three believers in Ur, Abraham, Sarah, and Lot; so the Lord took the pivot out, and then He destroyed one of the great empires of the ancient world, the third dynasty of Ur. Abraham's spiritual life was very limited in Ur, and he needed to get to a place where he could learn doctrine without being distracted. You may find out that your spiritual life is limited because the place where you are or the people you're with become a stumbling block to your spiritual growth. Sometimes, geographical change is necessary for spiritual growth. Abraham stayed with his father, and that was a mistake because his father led him down the path to reversionism. His father was a priest of the moon-god Ur, as well as one of the wealthiest men in this city. So Abraham is in a place that was prosperous and secure, and no one ever dreamed that the dynasty would ever come to an end; however, it was destroyed right after Abraham left. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ controls history, and since He knew what was going to happen to Ur, He got Abraham out. This is why we should always be sensitive to the leading and guidance of the Lord, and this can only be done by learning the mind of Christ through Bible doctrine. When Abraham left Ur, it was entering into the peak of its prosperity, and he appeared to be leaving a sure thing, a good thing, but it wasn't. But he left! HEB 11:8 tells us how he left, “By means of doctrine resident in the soul, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This verse brings out the importance of resident doctrine, positive volition, and being motivated by that doctrine. The change of geographical location was the basis for separating Abraham from his family and relatives. The principle is that when family or relatives hold you back then family has to go and relatives have to go. A lot of people cannot seem to handle the family relative problem, but Abraham did. Relationship with God must have priority over relationship with people. Your number one priority demands that you have a right relationship with God. Emphasis on people over God must be set aside; this includes emphasis upon yourself. The greatest issue is always doctrine vs. the details of life. Whether its family, friends, loved ones, success, pleasure, social life, sex, status symbols, materialism, or wealth. There's a very important principle brought out by the life of Abraham. The glory road which is saving grace, living grace, super-grace, dying grace, surpassing grace, was not open to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldea. It wasn't because of Chaldea, but rather because of his family and relatives; Abraham never hit super-grace until he was totally separated from all his relatives. He had to be separated from his father and his nephew Lot! Therefore, it was necessary for Abraham to have a permanent change of residence. Abraham's spiritual growth was the most important thing! Abraham was uprooted in time, so that he will be rooted forever in the eternal state. He left social life, family life, and friends. He was leaving a place where he was well known and apparently a place where he was even appreciated, and that is always very difficult! To leave some environment where you're appreciated, or in some cases, you think that you're appreciated, but your being appreciated is also keeping you from getting Bible doctrine, is vital. Note also that Abraham had positive volition, and doctrine was available to him in Ur of the Chaldea, up to a point. When it ceased to be available, God had to uproot Abraham and get him out of there. It ceased to be available when Abraham's family and relatives and friends and social life and perhaps even his celebrityship - when these things got in the way of his advance down the glory road. Wherever there is positive volition toward doctrine, God provides the spiritual food even if it means a change of residence. The circumstances in Ur of Chaldea limited Abraham from becoming a spiritual champion, invisible hero, and finally a visible one. When Abraham obeyed he did so from the motivation of doctrine in the soul. Doctrine in the soul motivates the believer to come to doctrine class in spite of whatever distractions are a test to you. So, there must be separation from those loved ones or friends residing in the cosmic system. However, a very important principle; it does not have to be physical separation. There are two categories of separation from people: First there is mental separation. In mental separation, there is one-way antagonism from those in the cosmic system toward you. Your volition protects you from becoming antagonistic toward them by your use of impersonal unconditional love. Mental separation emphasizes the integrity, honor, and doctrinal application of the believer residing inside the PPOG. Impersonal love is not influenced by those loved ones who are residing in the cosmic system, who are apostate and/or antagonistic to doctrine. Impersonal love functions on its own integrity and perpetuates its own priorities from the metabolization of doctrine. Impersonal love emphasizes personal love for God while setting aside the functions of personal love for friends or loved ones. Impersonal love does not compromise the believer's status inside the PPOG. Secondly, there's physical separation. There are some cases where switching from personal love to impersonal love will not work. For example, getting false information in the local church. You must leave physically as well as under the principle of impersonal love. When a woman is used as a punching bag by her husband, she should leave (ROM 12:17-19). The most basic reason is to avoid the compromise of doctrine resident in the soul. Physical separation means to avoid any personal contact with a person under any circumstances. This means severance of all relation with that person of any kind. Physical separation is sometimes needed to maintain one's priorities and to use one's volition to remain inside the PPOG (PRO 13:20; 2TI 3:5-6; 2TH 3:14). Separation from unbelievers inside the cosmic system is taught in 2CO 6:14-17. Every time you hook up with something or someone in the cosmic system, you are in partnership with the cosmic system. Separation is also important in social life (JER 15:16-17; 1PE 4:3-4). The believer is to separate from a superficial social life, a fun crowd. There comes a time when the believer grows spiritually, and his first function is to separate from the crowd that will lead him in the wrong direction. Abraham, in effect, had to choose between his father whom he loved dearly and the will of God, and at the beginning he loved his father more than the will of God. We all must decide in our lives whether we love the will of God and the word of God more than anything else in life. If you do, you take one course of action. You take in doctrine every day either through face to face teaching or by tapes, or any of the many methods available today. You learn from whoever is your right Pastor-teacher. Remember, every Pastor-teacher is assigned to a certain congregation (ACT 20:28). Every believer is assigned to a certain Pastor-teacher (1PE 5:3). That particular Pastor-teacher is to equip the believer to execute the Christian way of life (EPH 4:12). So, Abraham was told to separate from his father and his relatives and to leave Ur according to GEN 12:1. Sooner or later in your spiritual advance you're going to have to face the issue of family members or friends who are not positive or are aggressively negative. The ones that are closest to you are often the ones that hinder you from taking in the Word the most, and nothing is more important than the Word. Abraham was told to get away from his father and to get away from the geographical location of Ur in order to advance in the spiritual life. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. PART 2. Learning God's will for your life. 03/02/08 In relationship to our main verse in ROM 9:4, we have begun a study on the covenants, mainly the Abrahamic Covenant. We have been noting the question of the will. First, there's the viewpoint will of God. In other words, what does God want you to think? Obviously, He wants you to think Divine viewpoint (ISA 55:7-9; PRO 23:7). There is also 2CO 10:1 “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ-I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!” Paul had heard that they were gossiping about him, saying he had been cowardly when he was with them, but harsh and demanding when he was writing letters. Remember 1TI 5:17-20, Those pastor-teachers who have ruled well with the result that they keep ruling honorably, they must be considered worthy of double honor, most of all those who work hard to the point of exhaustion in the study of the word and the teaching of doctrine. For the Scripture says [DEU 25:4], ‘You shall not muzzle the bull while he is threshing, and [DEU 24:15] The laborer is worthy of his wages.' Do not receive an accusation against a pastor-teacher except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in the sin of receiving or making accusations, reprimand in the presence of all, in order that the rest of the congregation also may have respect. So be careful what you say about God's man behind the pulpit; let the Lord deal with him. As for God's man behind the pulpit, remember such scriptures as: 2TI 4:14 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” (See also ISA 54:17; 2CO 13:8). So the Corinthians were gossiping and trying to discredit the apostle Paul. In 2CO 10:2-6 Paul is saying, please don't force me to take a hard line when I'm present with you. Don't think that I'll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I'm an unprincipled opportunist. The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair, but we don't live or fight our battles that way. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. So, first, there's the viewpoint Will of God. Secondly, there's the operational Will of God. What does God want you to do? The operational Will of God involves everything that a Christian should do to the glory of God. Thirdly, there's the geographical Will of God. Where does God want me to be? This category has to do with location. However, the geographical Will of God is never considered apart from the operational Will of God. And the third is the geographical will of God which is where God wants you to be and that's solved by resident doctrine. Now, there are also classifications of the Will of God. There's the directive Will of God which is the same as the desire of God. These are direct commands. It was the directive Will of God that called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea, and it was the directive will of God to which he responded. The permissive Will of God is permitted, but is not God's desire. For example when God permitted Abraham to lie twice about Sarah not being his wife. The overruling Will of God means Jesus Christ controls history. For example when God revealed to Pharaoh that he was touching Abraham's wife in GEN 12:17-20. The overruling Will of God also took place when God took Abraham's father from Abraham when he was in Haran. There are seven basic mechanics of the Will of God, or how you can receive Divine guidance: 1) Guidance through prayer (ACT 11:5). 2) Guidance through objective thinking of Bible doctrine (ACT 11:6). 3) Guidance through perception of doctrine (ACT 11:7-10). 4) Guidance through providential circumstances, the people we meet (ACT 11:11). 5) Guidance through fellowship and comparison of spiritual data (ACT 11:13-14). 6) Guidance through recalling of doctrine (ACT 11:16). 7) Guidance through disaster. In other words, you have to have a shock or a great disaster in order to realize what's really important. This happened with the death of Abraham's father. The principle is that Bible doctrine in the soul plus the free will in man equals Divine guidance, and the execution of the Will of God. Abraham was getting doctrine in Ur of the Chaldea, but because of his family and relatives, he never reached spiritual maturity until he was totally separated from them. This is why the Lord said to Abraham in GEN 12:1 “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, To the land which I will show you.” Abraham had to be separated from his father and his nephew Lot! Therefore, it was necessary for Abraham to have a change of residence because his spiritual growth was the most important thing. Abraham had to learn the principle of separation, but Abraham made a mistake and went to Haran which means the dried up place. As long as God's people do not separate from those weirdos who are in reversionism, they will be dried up spiritually as well. Abram's name is also interesting. The first part of his name Ab means father, and ram means high and windy places. Abram lived in a very flat place, Ur of the Chaldees was very flat and it was hard to find a place above sea level anywhere. However, Abram was called father of heights because his father, who was one of the chief priests in Ur, named his son after the only high place around. Going over 100 feet in the air was the famous temple, and the last 75 feet a famous tower, on top of the tower another famous temple: the Ziggurat of Ur, and Abram was named after this. So his name actually means father of the heights or father of the high places. Abram was obviously ear-marked for a life of religion and idolatry in Ur, but God had better things for Abram just like God has better things for you. In HEB 1:4 “We have become as much better than the angels, as we have inherited a more excellent name than they have.” (See also HEB 6:9; HEB 7:19; HEB 7:22; HEB 8:6). In our study of Abraham, there are five geographical locations that illustrate different principles concerning his life. The first is Ur which represents separation from glamour (Ur was the glamour city of Abram's time) and all the human advantages of life. 600 miles north up the Euphrates river we have Haran, the trade center between Syria and Egypt, and it represents the dried up spiritual life. It represents separation from the idolatrous place of Ur, but not enough separation. It represents going in the right direction, but making a wrong turn into the dried up spiritual life. The third area is Canaan which represents the place of blessing, the place of positive volition, and the place of spiritual advance and blessing. Then there is the Negev; Abraham will break camp and go south from Canaan into the Negev, which represents not rejection of doctrine, but neglect of doctrine. The key to the Negev is neglect. It represents neglect of doctrine, apathy, indifference, once interested, but now starting to get sloppy in the daily attendance to Bible class. Then, after he was in the Negev a while, he went on down to Egypt, and Egypt is the place of the rejection of doctrine. To neglect the Word is to reject the Word, but the neglect comes first. First comes the Negev and then comes Egypt, and both came after Canaan, the land of promise. For us it is a picture of individuals getting into doctrine, and then falling away! So don't miss the principle behind those five cities: - Ur represents separation from glamour. - Haran represents the dried spiritual life. - Canaan represents the place of blessing. - The Negev represents neglect of doctrine. - Egypt is the place of rejection of doctrine. GEN 11:28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Beginning in verse 29, we are getting ready to move out of Ur but before Abraham can be taken out of Ur, we have to have some weddings. GEN 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Please notice that the subject is the man not the woman. This of course is an old custom that goes back to the nature of the male; he is to be the aggressive one, he is to do the wooing or the charming. No male should stand around waiting to be introduced when he finally thinks that he spots someone who is his right woman or someone who is attractive; you just don't stand around and wait, you get into action as quickly as possible. By the way a woman in response can be aggressive. She doesn't have to stand around and wait for the right man to be aggressive, he doesn't have to be the aggressor on every occasion. Before we study this verse, we have 18 principles concerning the selection of a mate or really 18 reasons why relationships fail: 1) The most obvious one: bad decisions in the selection of a mate (PRO 12:4). This is why believers should never make a decision for marriage until doctrine matures them. 2) The inability to handle personal problems before, during, and even after the marriage. If you can't deal with your own problems how will you deal with the problems of your mate? (1CO 7:28). 3) Another reason relationships fail is because of failure to learn and apply the problem-solving devices. This means that if you are unstable in the intake of doctrine that you bring that instability in any of your relationships in life. 4) Relationships fail because of taking bad advice from friends, ministers, mommy, daddy, etc. People with problems will usually listen to anyone. Remember PSA 1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” In sharing your problems with others, when you tell your side of the story, the other person always looks like the rat. One of the signs of growing up is keeping your personal problems private and to yourself. 5) Relationships also fail because of disloyalty or unfaithfulness on the part of one or both mates. Faithfulness is extremely important in the selection of a mate (PRO 6:23-32). 6) Relationships fail because of no personal sense of responsibility on the part of one or both mates. Many are getting married today as children mentally. 7) Remember that relationships and marriage are not designed for perfect people, but for people with old sin natures who are far from perfect, so don't think there's a person for you who is perfect. It is true that God has designed someone who is perfect for you, but that does not mean that they will be perfect. 8) Therefore, the only thing wrong with marriage is not the Divine institution of marriage designed by God but the people involved in marriage. 9) No woman can be successful in any relationship unless she has learned to entertain herself. Ladies, if you can't stand to be alone and he has to be there, you'll never be successful in marriage. You did not marry an entertainer, but a provider. 10) No man can be a successful lover of a woman and at the same time be a lover of himself. Arrogant men do not make good lovers; this also includes the sexual realm. 11) No man can exercise his authority properly without honor, integrity, and virtue. If he has no honor, integrity or virtue, he will abuse his authority. COL 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.” 12) No woman can respond to authority without humility, integrity, and virtue. COL 3:18 “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” If she lacks these qualities she will be hypersensitive and react to authority instead of responding. 13) Beauty, health, and attractiveness are not necessarily permanent; the only permanent thing we have in this life is truth or doctrine. God is permanent, so relate your love life to God! Doctrine is permanent so relate your love life to doctrine! 14) Because the body is related to the soul only the right soul can satisfy the body of the woman or the man. The greatest sexual organ is the soul not any other part of the human anatomy. 15) Beauty is not the basis for recognition of the mate God has for you! Recognition signals are not related to the body but to the soul. 1CO 7:9 talks about the burning of the souls wanting to be with each other, not lust, when it says “But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” This is soul compatibility; it has nothing to do with libido. It refers to when two souls have climaxed because the two people are soul compatible, even though they are not yet able to make love and enter into extreme intimacy. No sex can compare with the sex between right man and right woman. Therefore, it is better to marry than to burn in personal love for right man or right woman after you have made the soul identification. 16) Recognition signals are revealed in the soul, so how are you ever going to find the right one if you're touching the body and not the soul? Many people today begin their relationship with the touching of the body and not the soul, when in reality the soul must be touched first. In other words men, she has a soul, she thinks, she has a viewpoint and opinion. In the right man right woman relationship that will turn you on as well. There's PRO 18:22; PRO 19:14; GEN 2:22; ECC 9:9; 1CO 7:17, for those of you who doubt right man, right woman. 17) Identification is made in the soul, but there is also a physical attraction to you because God has designed it. For men, your right woman may not be attractive to someone else, but she will be attractive to you, and the same is true for women. 18) The right woman is never shocked by the good or bad points of her right man and vice versa. So much then for the introduction to a wedding in Gen 11. In GEN 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; The name Sarai is very meaningful; it means contentious, a fighter, domineering. We think of men many times like this, but here is a woman who was a fighter. Ten years younger than Abraham, Sarai (Sarah) was his half sister; they had the same father but different mothers according to GEN 20:12. She was contentious at times, a fighter, and even domineering. However, she was a ravishing and stunning woman because whenever she is described it takes two and sometimes three Hebrew words to describe her beauty. She had maximum beauty, the epitome of feminine magnificence after 65. Many probably would like to know how did she stay that way, and we'll actually take that up in view of the fact that she is famous as being a nag. Abram married a nagging woman, he was carried away by her great beauty, and she was one of the most beautiful women of the ancient world. Living at home under the authority of his father Terah, Abram apparently never had the full impact of her personality until after marriage. Many men have started with a terrible handicap by marrying someone who was totally attractive to him but whose soul turned out to be totally unattractive. However, Sarai was a woman whose beauty did not fade. She was a very petty woman and quite a nag; however we are going she made God's hall of fame as time goes on. She starts very poorly and ends very well. GEN 11:29-30, “And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child.” The barrenness of Sarai is mentioned because it constitutes a test to determine if the circumstances of life are more real than the attributes of God. God has told Abram in Ur that out of him would come many great nations, and yet the first thing he finds is that Sarai is barren. So God says to Abraham in effect, What's more important to you, what I say, My word, My character; or your circumstances? That's what God is saying to you right now. One of the things that Abraham had to overcome through doctrine was that God is more real than the apparent adverse circumstances. God must become more real than adverse circumstances or you will be miserable all of your life. Always remember that the persistence in learning doctrine causes the believer to seek Him who is invisible. HEB 11:6 And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must be convinced by resident doctrine that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This is how the invisible becomes more real than the visible. If God is not more real to you than people, through perception of doctrine, you will never discover the true meaning of life. Doctrine has to be real to you; in fact, it has to be more real to you than anything else in life or as HEB 10:35 says “you will throw it away as trash.” When God becomes more real to you, and Christ becomes more real to you, and the power of the Holy Spirit becomes more real to you, all of this will be because Bible doctrine has become more real to you than anything else in life. The more doctrine we learn the more real become the unseen blessings designed for us from God the Father from eternity past. The more doctrine we learn, the more real becomes the Lord Jesus Christ...we are able to see Him Who is invisible. The more doctrine we learn, the more real becomes the plan of God and the perfect essence of God behind that plan. So in the first half of his life Abram must face a challenge. Is Bible doctrine more real to me than the circumstances of life, or are adverse circumstances more real than doctrine? It took Abraham about half of his life to work that out. Once he worked that out things worked out a lot better for his life. All of us have problems in life that take time to work out; they can't be worked out instantaneously. God is not the little fairy god-mother who touches you with the wand and tells you that everything is going to be alright. Work out your problems through the daily intake of doctrine. Don't look for solutions; look to the source of solutions, doctrine resident in your soul. The environment for all solutions to the problems of life is bound up in doctrine resident in your soul. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. PART 3. God must remove from our reach the things that hinder our spiritual growth. 03/09/08 We are now ready to study the promises made to Abraham which has to do with the Abrahamic Covenant. GEN 11:29-32, Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran. So Terah, Abraham's father is dead. This was a great adversity for Abram or Abraham, however, under the plan of grace, great adversities can become great blessings. Abraham is about to receive one the greatest blessings of his life, the Abrahamic Covenant. The death of Terah was a shock which brought about the recovery from reversionism for Abram, and removed Abram from Haran (the dried up place). The principle is that God must remove the things that hinder our spiritual growth. Often what seems to be a demotion in the eyes of the world is actually a promotion in the eyes of God. HEB 12:27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Many times the Lord will take people or things away from us so that we will learn the value of the eternal things which we possess. HEB 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; We have an unshakable kingdom! We should not only be thankful, but also overflowing with worship, and deep reverence before God, for God is not an indifferent bystander. HEB 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire. He's actively cleaning house, and He won't quit until it's all cleansed. ROM 8:29 tells us, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;” This message is designed for the soul and the human spirit to feed on Christ, not just on His teachings, He is the One to be truly worshipped. PHI 2:9 “Therefore also the God has highly exalted Him to the maximum, and bestowed on Him the name or rank which is above every name, and that every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, resulting in the glory of God the Father.” When you think in this manner, then passages like PSA 45:11 become a reality; “Then the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.” Accept your thoughts of despair and of faith, your doubts and their solutions, your moments of madness and their passing away. Become a part of the solution not the problem. Remember that the only opportunity you have to glorify Him and live His plan for your life is in time. Like Job, be determined only to cling to God, even if He slays you, even if He challenges your faith (JOB 13:15). If you lose your faith, then remain faithlessly His. Paul said in 2TI 3:1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, self-promoting, slanderers, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. The Bible says stay clear of these people. Peter said in 1PE 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;” When life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Be glad that you have the opportunity to taste a little bit of what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner (1PE 4:14-17). Remember, people are watching how you handle sacrificing your life, death or eternity. MAT 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Be generous with your lives. Open up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, the generous Father in heaven. The point is that we all need to go through situations when we are alone with God and get down into solitary confinement with Him. MAT 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” He brings gifts into our lives, things like affection for others, exuberance about life, and serenity. Life has its share of trials and adversities, but as JOH 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So, we now go back and review the Divine command given to Abram when he was in Ur of the Chaldees, and this is the Abrahamic covenant. GEN 12:1-3, Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram not only needs to be separated from certain people, but he also must be in the environment of freedom for spiritual growth to occur. That's why the doctrine of privacy is so important,, we are to let others grow at their own pace not ours. So in GEN 12:1 the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;” This is the breaking up of a family, always remember that God has the right to make up and break up families. God broke up Abram's family, but a new family will be made from which will come a great race and a great nation, the Jewish race or the nation of Israel. After salvation the believer has two obligations to God: The first of these obligations is a negative, responsibility to separate from the distractions to the intake of Bible doctrine. This is the only way you will ever remain faithful to doctrine and acquire spiritual growth. The second of these obligations is positive, the responsibility of executing God's will under the principle of Divine guidance. This always calls for maximum doctrine resident in the soul. In GEN 12:1 the term “to the land” which in the Hebrew phrase el-ha'arets means literally the land of God. There is only one land and simply leaving Ur is not getting into the land. That's the story of a lot of believers, they leavethe world and the bad habits that they have developed, but they never go forward to the promise land, the land of doctrine and glorification of God. Not only is Abraham going to see the land, but he is going to enjoy the land. So the whole verse says GEN 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will cause you to see and to enjoy;” Notice something very interesting about the Divine command. The specifics are all on the part of certain things you have to do, the negatives. For example, Get out of Ur, get away from your family, and your father. Then there are the positives, “go to the land which the Lord will show you.” While the land is specified as to direction, there is certainly no detail here that encourages obedience. Abram is not given all of the Divine promises that he will receive if he goes to the promise land, he is just giving the direction to go in, as God does to us at times. There are many commands in the Bible that we are told to obey without God telling us what type of blessings we will receive if we fulfill them. This requires faith in the character and nature of God. Therefore you have to have faith that if you do what God wants you to do, that you will get blessed. However, that is not to be your motivation, your motivation should be PHI 1:21 “For me, living is Christ, likewise dying is profit.” Or PHI 3:7-8, “But whatever quality of things were gains to me, those things[gains] I have concluded as an expert as loss for the sake of Christ. Not only this but more than this, I conclude as an expert all things [Paul's pre-salvation human achievement] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited all things, also, I keep on concluding as an expert them to be piles of dung in order that I may win for Christ.” When someone in authority over you gives you an order, you don't have to know the whys all the time, just do it. Until Abram becomes a good recruit, where he will go ahead and obey an order without questioning it, he's not any good to God. You have to learn to obey God and do it whether you feel like it or not. Once you do, you continue your spiritual growth. For Abram, not much is said about the land he is to go to, but to receive the land, Abraham will have to fulfill: HEB 11:8 By means of doctrine resident in the soul, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. This is the way in which faith is tested. What God does not make clear to us through personal revelation of His word to us, He intends for us to operate in by means of faith, trusting in the object of faith, God Almighty. So, details are not given on the land yet, that will come later. In the spiritual realm there must be a relationship between your personal motivation and your spiritual life, the Bible calls this doing it as unto the Lord (PRO 16:2). So to believe the promises of God before you see the results of those promises is the greatest demonstration of growing up spiritually. So, what is the Abrahamic Covenant? First of all, let's describe the word covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional (bilateral) covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional (unilateral) covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one party has to do something. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional or unilateral covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. GEN 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.” The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant, to understand this unilateral covenants, you need to understand the unconditional promises. GEN 15:1-7, 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.” And Abram said, “O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since Thou hast given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 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.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” Here we see three pictures, all of which serves to illustrate the point that the One who made the covenant or the promises has the ability to keep them. The first one is the stars. You see, God has solved greater problems than Abraham's. There are millions and millions of stars in space all moving at unbelievable rates of speed. They do not collide, but hold their orbit. God has established a traffic pattern in the universe, this requires knowledge, and God has omniscience. It also requires power and God has the omnipotence to accomplish it. Immutability is also required, God cannot change, if He weakens, the universe collides! COL 1:16-17, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” No matter how you look at it, if God has the power to hold the universe together, God has the power to handle any problem you or Abraham, or anyone ever had, or ever will have. So, not only has Abraham been promised an heir from his own loins but also he is told that even as the stars are innumerable, so will his seed be. Then there is the promise of salvation (verse 6). This points back to a decision that Abraham had already made, he believed in the Lord, in fact Abraham had been saved for over twenty-five years, he had salvation. God is simply saying to Abraham “you trusted Me and at the time you believed, and I credited to your account My righteousness. I provided everything. I did the most for you at the point of salvation, providing eternal life and justification. You did not earn or deserve it, just as with the stars, I do the work.” This passage also brings out faithfulness (verse 7). GEN 15:7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” In other words, “I been faithful to you in the past Abram, and I will continue to be faithful to you in the future.” Has God been faithful to you in the past? As a part of God's faithfulness, He always provides the doctrine or the opportunity to get the doctrine necessary to pass each test before it comes. Bible doctrine is your way of escape from each test, and that doctrine is provided by the faithfulness of God. God will never give you something for which you do not have the capacity, be it blessing or testing. God is faithful to the Royal Family of God, this is why HEB 10:23 says “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” You have the most fantastic escrow blessings on deposit for you protected by the faithfulness of God. The more doctrine you have in your soul, the more you see God's perfect character, and the more you advance to spiritual maturity. This results in the things around you which was formerly distracting to your spiritual growth becoming less and less important. All of these illustrations point to One Person, and that Person is not only God, but also God the Son. God the Son is the One who went to the Cross, and God the Son is the One who provides for us in time. Understand¬ing these illustrations and hearing the promises and the unconditional or unilateral covenants, there is no excuse for Abram, or any other believer, to worry about anything. Another cure for Abram's doubts and fears is the doctrine of the word of God, suggested in verses 8-11. Many believers are often filled with doubts, fears and anxieties because they are ignorant of certain parts of doctrine. Abram expresses ignorance of doctrine in verse 8, And he said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?” He entertained anxieties about the possibility of inheriting the land which God had promised him. Abram saw the land occupied by the Amorites, as well as many giants. Not only that, Chedorlaomer and his forces had been moving back and forth throughout the land, threatening to envelop it. Abram wondered how he could ever hope to inherit this land. Although it was humanly hopeless, it was not hopeless to God. Remember the words of our Lord in MAT 17:20 “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain [a huge obstacle in your life], ‘Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.” Abram will learn a little bit later, the truth behind GEN 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” Abram was simply ignorant of or had rejected certain doctrines that would have given him assurance. The Lord said in effect, the biggest problem we have to deal with is the sin of worry and fear (ROM 14:23). The first thing Abram needs to do is to get back in fellowship with God under the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore in GEN 15:9, The Lord said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” This was not new or strange to Abram, because he knew how to chart the stars. Remember that before the scriptural record there was the Stellar record, the record or the witness of the stars. Abram knew about the witness of the stars. So, the first thing Abram needed to do was to rebound and confess his fear mentioned in verse 1, he also needed to confess his doubt in verse 2, his arrogance in blaming God in verse 3, and his lack of faith in God in verse 8. Then next, the Lord said “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” The she-goat and the ram both spoke of the work of Christ in salvation. Specifically, the she-goat was the reconciliation offering, while the ram depicted propitiation. The turtle dove and the young pigeon spoke of the Person of Christ and His heavenly origin, the turtle dove portraying His deity and the pigeon His resurrected humanity. Neither bird was divided, because deity cannot be divided or killed. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ is never subject to death again, having risen, and therefore, there will be no dividing or killing of the young pigeon. Now, what was the Lord saying to Abram by bringing these doctrines of Christ before him? Through the heifer, or the rebound offering, He was saying, “Abram, you need have no worries with regard to your sins because by confessing them you are forgiven and your sins are blotted out.” The dumbest thing in the world is to try and cover our sins and conceal them. If you have an ounce of character, integrity or virtue, it bothers you. You're only lying to yourself. Therefore, there is no place for a guilt complex or for anxiety about past failures. If you are going to have any discipline in the future it will be over future sins. But be sure you offer the heifer, for it is absolutely necessary to rebound before you can get rid of your fears, worries, doubts and lack of faith in God. You see, up to now Abram was still worried. God had given him a promise and is about to give him a covenant, but he was still worried. He will keep on worrying, no matter if he has a thousand promises, because he has not used rebound. He has not confessed his sin of worry, and he is therefore out of fel¬lowship. You cannot claim the promises of God and appropriate them when you're out of fellowship. You must first confess your sin of fear, worry, doubts and lack of faith in God. Thus, Abraham offered the heifer, which is the rebound offering, because it was necessary to get back in fellowship before he could even claim the promises of God. So first of all Abraham had to confess his sins. Now, in GEN 15:10 we read, Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. Abram first divided the heifer, then the she-goat. The point is, if Jesus Christ provided reconciliation (the heifer or the rebound offering, the removal of the barrier between God and man), can He not meet our problems in time? He can, therefore, stop worrying. Then he divided the ram, the ram was the propitiation offering. The point is that if God the Son, hanging on the Cross, satisfied God the Father, and all of the Father's claims against us, can He not handle our problems in time? He can - therefore, stop worrying! The turtle dove spoke of the deity of Christ. Jesus Christ is God - deity. He is always faithful (immutable), He always keeps His Word (veracity), He keeps on loving us and He is eternal in nature. Can a Person like that solve my problems? He can, therefore, stop worrying. The young pigeon represented the resurrected humanity of Christ, which is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. If the humanity of Christ is thus engaged on our behalf, He can certainly meet our needs in time. Therefore, stop worrying. As soon as Abraham divided, or cut the heifer in half, we know he had rebounded. When he walked between the pieces of the heifer, he was saying in effect, “I have confessed my sins.” When he killed the other animals, it was analogous to being under the blood of Christ trusting in Him as his Lord and Savior. Doctrine is vitally important in our lives, as believers, and when we are worried, it is because we are not using doctrine. Grace Bible Church & Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries Copyright © 2022 by Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin Gbible.org   Lesson Resources: 2112 099 The Beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant 02 21 08 Rom 9:4; Gen 11:26 12:3; Heb 11:8 2112 100 Abraham chooses God over family and friends. 02 24 08 Rom 12:17 19; 2Th 3:6 14; 1Pe 4:3 5; Mat 7:6. 2112 101 How to know God's will for your life. 02 27 08 Isa 55:7 9; 2Co 10:1 6; Act 11:1 16. 2112 102 Abraham teaches us that in the selection of a mate, you need to understand why relationships fail. 02 28 08 Gen 11:28 29; Pro 12:4 5; 6:23 32; Eph 5:25 28; Col 3:18 19. 2112 103 There never is any divine revelation in the dried up spiritual life. 02 29 08 Gen 11:30 32: Act 7:2 4 Gen 12:1 2112 104 Your scale of values changes radically when you are up against eternity and death. 03 02 08 Gen 11:27 32; Gen 12:1; 1Co 10:19 20; Luk 16:22 29. 2112 105 God must remove from our reach the things that hinder our spiritual growth. 03 05 08 Heb 12:27 29; 1Pe 4:12 17; Gen 12:1 3. 2112 106 The Abrahamic Covenant or the Unconditional, Unilateral Covenant of God. 03 06 08 Gen 12:1 3; Mar 10:28 30; Col 3:17, 23; Gen 15:1 21 2112 107 The Abrahamic Covenant There is no place for a guilt complex or for anxiety about past failures. 03 07 08 Gen 12:2 3; Gen 15:1 10; Rom 4:16 21; Luk 12:27 32. 2112 108 The Abrahamic Covenant The ceremony in Gen 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. 03 09 08 Gen 15:1 21; Mat 13:4, 19, 32. 2112 109 The mystery and true message behind the Abrahamic Covenant. 03 12 08 Gen 15:1 21; Mat 13:4, 19, 32.

“Faith Leads to Valor” Genesis 14 June 26, 2022 Pastor Tony Felich   ----more---- Genesis 14:11 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. [17] After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). [18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) [19] And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; [20] and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [21] And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” [22] But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, [23] that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' [24] I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”        Faith in God's promises empowers courageous actions for his glory.      We live in a tumultuous world filled with peril (1-12)      We will face daunting challenges that require engagement (13-16)       Spiritual victories are from God and for His glory (17-24)

For 12 years, five kingdoms served Chedorlaomer king of Elam.  In the 13th year, Sodom and the 4 other kingdoms rebelled. In the 14th year, Chedorlaomer made war with them and took all their goods and victuals along with Lot, Abram's nephew, and all his goods. When Abram was informed of Lot's capture, Abram activated his army of 318 trained servants. Abram had trained them to fight and now he arms them for battle.

Genesis 14:1-20 New King James Version Lot's Captivity and Rescue 14 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 [1]nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king… The post Genesis 14:1-14:20 appeared first on Springs Lighthouse.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Readings for Monday, January 24, 2022 “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.” -- Psalm 57:9 Morning Psalm 57 1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. 2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness. 4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody. 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 145 1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. Midday Genesis 14:8-24 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 King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch 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 goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way; 12 they also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 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 nephew had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot with his goods, and the women and the people. 17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one tenth of everything. 21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord, God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or anything that is yours, so that you might not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.' 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their share.” Hebrews 8:1-13 8 Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent, was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one. 8 God finds fault with them when he says: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord. 10 This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 In speaking of “a new covenant,” he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear. John 4:43-54 43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet's own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. 46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. Evening Psalm 85 1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. 3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us. 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps. Psalm 47 1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. 5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. 8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted. You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma.

Our fifth of the series of episodes covers the life of Abraham. Now age 78. We continue on the TIMELINE FOR ABRAM (ABRAHAM), the man, the places he moved to and why, what happened when he got there, the people he interacted with, and the results of those interactions. Abraham is revered by many of the world's religions and is known to Christians as the "Father of Faith." Abram rescues Lot after Lot has been captured by Chedorlaomer, Amraphel (Nimrod), Arioch, and Tidal. His encounter with the king of Salem Melchizedek. The covenant with God. The promise is that his seed will go into slavery for 400 years in Egypt but will leave with great substance. What a year in this man's life.Support this podcast: https://donate.stripe.com/dR601q6346XZacw9AC Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/623b4f307483db0013d3a659. I pray that God "gives you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/623b4f307483db0013d3a659. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

The battle began! The men of Sodom had no idea that the pits where they made the mortar that held their bricks together would become their own death traps. As the invading armies chased them, the king of Sodom and many of his men fell into their own slime pits. The ones who were left fled to the mountain, trying to escape from the enemy. Chedorlaomer (ked-or-lay-oh' mer) and his armies pushed on, capturing the men of Sodom and stealing everything they owned, including their wives and their children. One soldier who fled to the mountains was able to escape and carry the bad news to Abram. Weary from the battle and out of breath from the journey, the soldier finally reached Abram's tent. Abram sat him down and gave him a cool drink of water. "I am so sorry to tell you, but the enemy has taken your nephew Lot prisoner," the soldier blurted out between breaths. "They also took his wife and his children captive and have stolen everything he owned."

A Believer's Response to Victory — Gen 14:17  And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.  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.  Gen 14:21  And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.  Gen 14:22  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,  Gen 14:23  That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:  Gen 14:24  Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. 

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston and our neighborhood churches, or donate to this ministry, please visit MosaicBoston.com.So, let me pray over the preaching of the Word, and we'll get started.Heavenly Father, we praise you for who you are in your majesty and your holiness, and your spender. We praise you that you are not a God who is far off but you are a personal God. Lord, we are weak, we are humble, we are sinful beings, yet you want to be in a relationship with us. Lord, we praise you that we are, like Abraham, we are recipients of your Word and all its power. And Lord, I pray that it would just fill our minds with wonder, with joy about who you are. And we would be inspired to trust it as we hear preach today. Lord, but we know that only you can make it alive for us in our hearts, in our minds, and we pray the Holy Spirit do that now as we dig in to your Word. I pray, feed us well today. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.While many of you, some of you who are here regularly, you might notice this is the first time I'm wearing glasses up here. So, it's my public appearance, and I'm actually wearing them. They're not just a prop for my little illustration in a second. Actually, struggle to see the text when I read up here often, and it's good to actually see some faces. I just have a slight astigmatism that makes my vision weak. So, I'm wearing these glasses today and I'm the type of person that I have good vision. I can walk around, I can function without glasses. But when I wear them, and look at things, especially like the flowers on the trees that are blooming right now, the flowers in the gardens; just... I didn't know it was blurry, all of a sudden become super clear. And I can see details that I can't see.And I'm amazed. I'm brought to awe, I'm brought to wonder. And I want to know more, and often this is part of my daily worship, just thinking, "Wow, think of the God who made that." And this Jesus and Genesis series, that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make a lot of connections. We're in the first book of the Bible, and 2000 years before Christ's life on earth. And we're taking you through Genesis and pointing out chapter after chapter, all the shadows, the types, the symbols that direct us to Jesus Christ this early in God's special revelation to us.And we don't want... Sometimes you hear Pastor Jan, Pastor Shane preach, and I'm just in awe about the connections, the faithful connections that they make. I'm just more impressed with them than I am at the Word itself. And, we don't want you to just come here and being in awe. We don't want you coming just being, saying, "Wow, that's impressive." We want you to be in awe of the verses, of their relevance, of their purity, of their truthfulness. And just look at them with a different reverence.There's a famous church document, The West Minister Larger catechism, question four. It says, "How doth it appear that the scriptures are the Word of God?" And it says, "The scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God by their majesty and purity, by the consent of all the parts, and the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation. But the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the scriptures in the heart of man is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God."So, just it's really powerful to read one piece of scripture, especially a New Testament piece of scripture to see how relevant it is to your life. But even more powerful to see how relevant all of scripture is, just points to the redemptive story that God created man in his image, to walk in perfect relationship with him as his son. And, as his sons and daughters, and man sins, and at the heart of this story, begin with Genesis 3. The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the seed of the serpent.God gives us the beginning of his rescue story. And here in the past couple weeks we started Genesis 12. The seed gets more clear. Who is God going to work through? Abram. And how does God tell Abram that he is going to work through him? He gives him his holy Word. So, we're trying to bring you to the point of wonder and awe of this holy God who has preserved this Bible, 66 books, written by 40 authors over approximately 1500 years. He's written this story for us to know a way back to him through faith in Jesus Christ. And it's when we see the unity, when we see the consent of all the parts, the majesty of it, the purity; we should we brought to wonder at the power of God to use man to write these scriptures and to preserve them more perfectly than any book in ancient history.And, we should be amazed that God is a personal and loving God. We should be brought to wonder in this series, and when you're brought to wonder you see that this, the Bible, is not just a book. It's God himself talking to us. A lot of people say, "If I were like Abram and God spoke to me audible, like he did in chapter 12 when he first told him to go. If God appeared to me like he did Abram, then I would be a Christian. Then, I would walk more faithfully."But no, we want to show you that no, the scriptures themselves, reveal themselves to be the very Word of God. We should approach them with reverence, with awe. And not fluctuate between criticism and skepticism and weighing it against the whims and thoughts of the world. And, we just want to inspire you to that, and when we talk about these things we're engaging with exactly what Abram himself had to deal with.Abram received a special word from God, and he had to decide, "Am I going to trust it?" In Genesis 12, God says to him, excuse me. Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I'll make you a great nation, and I'll bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you, I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed."God targets Abram graciously. There's nothing special in him compared to any other man. And he gives him his word, and the story that we're following today is how is God going to save humanity, bring peace between himself and humanity through this man? And there's really exciting parts, he goes right away and he goes to the Promise Land, travels hundreds of miles for Chapter 12. Next, Chapter 13, and by the end of Chapter 12 he goes down to Egypt when he first faces hardship. But last chapter we see him, he repents of going to Egypt, not trusting God to bless him.He repents of selling his wife to the Pharaoh and profiting from it. And we see him now trusting God at his Word. So today, we're talking about Abram and his peak, in a moment of peak faith. He fluctuates, and the comfort in that is that all of us do that. That points us to God's grace towards us and our sins, but Abram fluctuates. We're at a peak moment, and we look at the story today from Genesis 14, and it gives us a pattern of what does active faith look like?When we have full confidence in who God is, and the truthfulness of his Word, how should we act? So, we have Abram him, and pulling of strength. And this is good for a lot of people. I speak, I do the baptism seminars. My God's grace, we have new Christians coming to Mosaic constantly and asking, "I'm a Christian, now what? What do I do? How do I engage the world? How do I engage my non-believing friends, my believing friends, my family? How do I apply the Word of God in my life? In a meaningful way, how can I be of service?"And if a lot of you, who are seasoned believers, you're constantly wrestling with this. In this new phase of life, how do I do it? Or I feel like God called me to this, but I'm just drained. I am dying. How do I know if I'm in God's will for my life right now? Where do I invest the scripture of guidance for how Christians should spend their time when they turn their faith to action?So, I'm going to talk about Abram. We're going to learn lessons when he was at a high point in his faith. We're going to learn faith leads to action, action leads to refreshment, and refreshment leads to faith. Now, I'm going to begin faith leads to action. The first 12 verses, they set the context for Abram's actions. So, I'm just going to do my best to get through these names, and talk you through the context.So, in the days of Amraphel, this is the Word of our Lord. In the days of Amraphel, King of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). So, these are kings of city states essentially. Kings, might not be huge nations, and there's four kings aligned with Chedorlaomer. He's the big boy. He's basically the ruler of all of these kings. There's four kinds lined up against five. The five are from the area of Cannon, where Abram lives.So, when they had squabbles they'd make coalitions, they'd make alliances, and this is what's happening right now. And all these joined forces, the five kings in the Valley of Siddim (that is the Salt Sea). The five kings closest to Abram, they meet and they say, "In the 12th year, they had served Chedorlaomer. But in the 13th year they rebelled."So, they meet. They say, "We're going to band together and protest giving tribute to Chedorlaomer this year. And if he comes our way, we're going to fight together." So, this is what they planned. They're attempting Chedorlaomer to come, and he does. Verses five through seven illustrate the power of Chedorlaomer as he travels almost 1,000 miles from where Southwest Iran is today to this land, to these vassal states of his.In the 14th year Chedorlaomer, these verses reveal his power. In the 14th year, Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came at the feet of the Rephaites and Ashteroth Karnaim, Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran in the boarder of the wilderness. They turn 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 Hazezon Tamar.So, this king is sweeping west and sweeping south to the land of Khanim. And then, the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zora) went out and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim. So, the five kings near Abram go out to battle with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings against five. 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.The kings, the five kings, on their home land, they go to war against these four kings. We don't really know how even the numbers were, but they fall into these bitumen pits. Some translations say slime pits, but they're really like tar pits. It's petroleum slime that oozes up from the ground, and it's sticky and it's flammable. So, it's kind of confusing. They're on their home ground. One translation says they went down into the slime pit, so maybe they didn't fight the enemy, they just let them pass. And in verse 11 the enemy... so the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom and his possessions and went their way.So, regardless of what happens in these pits, Chedorlaomer wins. The point to note is they also took Lot. Lot, Abram's nephew, remember? Abram doesn't have a son, he has this nephew right now. He's a knuckle head, he's a thorn in his side. He's always making bad choices. Abram gave Lot the chance when their flocks got too big in their family to take them to his choice of land. Lot chooses land that looks more beautiful, more fertile, in the direction of Sodom. And Sodom, known for its sinfulness, and Lot just goes in that direction.Here we have Lot going further to Sodom. He gets caught up in this war. He gets pulled, gets captured as a prisoner of war. This is where Abram gets involved. I want to focus faith and action, what does Abram do?The one who had escaped came. Then, one who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks at Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and Aner, these were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsmen 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. And he divided his forces against them by night. He and his servants and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.Then, he brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsmen, Lot, with his possessions and the women and the people and just went reveal in Abram's face. So, in the past, he had God's Word, he faced the challenge in the famine, he went to Egypt. This time he has God's Word. What does God's Word say in Chapter 12? God's going to curse those who curse him, and he knows that. He's now in a phase where he's trusting God's Word. He trust that it'll come true in physical reality. And he takes 318 men. Apparently he himself had... There was a nomad essentially. He had a large household and 318 men of war, and immediately goes to war.God gives him an incredible victory. All the build up was to say, "Look at this opposition that is heading Abram's way. This is an insurmountable enemy, force." And Abram takes 318 men and beats him. Clearly, this is God's Word reigning true in Abraham's life, and Abram trusting him. So, he might have stumbled in Egypt but he's now taking God's Word as face value and just what faith he has. Remember, he's 75 years old. I don't know if you know any 75 year olds willing to mount a camel in the middle of the night to go and pursue of an army. But that's next level.My dad, he's mid 60s and he set up a scaffolding on top of a picnic table last week to fix his shed roof. And I thought that was hardcore. Abram's a next level man with faith. We should look at him in awe in this story. We see he has this special Word of God, and he acts, but really our situation is no different.We have seen the Old Testament prophecies pointing to Christ come true. We've seen, we have the revealed will of God in its entirety, so how should we act? And this is a big question. Where do we start? Not every Christian has to ride off and fight wars. So, where do we start? How does Abram decide to put his faith into action?Now, this is... It's when his family gets involved, verse 14. When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive, he led forth and his trained men. This kinsmen word could often translated brother. Lot's his nephew but there's this element that he calls Lot his brother a couple of time in Genesis, and he's also, scripture, the New Testament tells us, Lot is righteous. Though he's a knuckle head, by grace he seems to have been saved. Christ's righteousness was accounted to him it seems from scripture.But Abram, he sees this force gathering, the news of war was probably spreading in the land. And he's deliberate about when he gets involved, and that's Christians. How do we know in our position as God's people, how do we know how to engage with the world around us? And it's family. This text guides us to family. There's a lot of wisdom here, not getting involved in something not related to you, your family and those closest to you. And there's this element, this ambiguous element where it's spiritual family and biological with Lot.Proverbs 26:17 captures this. Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears. This is the ultimate Brookline, Massachusetts verse. Maybe the Hebrew word for dog is fur baby. Like everybody in Brookline knows you do not grab a dog passing by by its ears. You're just asking for trouble, and in Brookline that parent of that fur baby, you'll have to face their wrath.But, as Christians, do we know not to meddle in matters and affairs that do not impact us? Our family, our close loved ones. Can everyone here say they don't sprinkle on their social media posts just to stir the pot? I don't think so. A lot of Christians go looking for wars. They go looking for activity. They busy themselves with conferences, with studies on topics that are no where near close to them at the cost of addressing matters that are right next to them.So, Abram, this is a righteous cause. This is his family member. So, he's acting naturally going to save his family member. And, a lot of people, it's hard. Actually engaging family is really difficult. We'd prefer not to touch the sore spots, poke the bruises because it can open up a whole plethora of challenges. But that's the element. That's why we need to be discerning about what we involve ourselves in. Abram, he goes to rescue his kinsmen. He gets involved in a really long trek north, probably a couple hundred miles. He captures, he wins the battle. He gets the former prison, gets Lot, gets the former prisons. The booty of war, and now, he has the added responsibility of stewarding all of that well in a way that glorifies God.So, as Christians, when we just begin with family, scripture says to love God. Christ says love God, love your neighbor. There's this element where we focus on being right with God. We wake up every day and we acknowledge God, thank you for being gracious to me and my sin. And we fix that vertical relationship so that on a horizontal level we can bless, we can love, truly love the people closest to us. And there's this element that it's neighbor, it's close biologically. People close physically, relationally, and this is just counterintuitive to our society right now. There's expectation that we have to involve ourselves in issues.If something happens in the middle of Arkansas, we are expected to make a post. We're expected to give a statement. We're expected to care, show our simply, our empathy for those who face injustice. And of course, we hate injustice. God defines that for us. He gives us the absolute truth to actually provide a basis for calling something that. But we can't busy ourselves. We have to be discerning and allow margin for the way that we spend our time.This modern approach of being involved with every issue, making a statement, "here's what I have to think". It's overwhelming and we miss just the test that God places right before us, particularly with our family members. And so, who are family members? It's your church, it's your biological family, in Mosaic it's your community group. How often are you in the week spending time thinking about the great issues of society when you know a brother or sister in Christ said at prayer time that they're struggling this week. Well, just imagine a community, a church, imagine how we can truly be salt, be light, be a city on a hill, focused on the people around us.And just this kind of church, this kind of family mindset, a lot of people think in the Old Testament it was Israel. Come and see this righteous nation with God's law. And then, Jesus gives us the great commission, "Go and make disciples of all nations in the New Commandment." Yes, we want to make disciples, but they're always tethered to a local church under the care and accountability of a local church. They're not lone rangers going out evangelizing people, converting them and not making sure they're in a local church.In the New Testament church we care about our brothers and sisters. John 13 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you. You are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another."And James 5 shows us the importance of pursuing brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the hardest part about going to church. You have a brother or sister who's in sin, who is not admitting it, and they don't want your care, they don't want your love and you are called to go and pursue them. How many of us easily just pivot away from those situations?James says, "My brothers, if anyone among you wonders from the truth, then someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."So, how do you put your faith into action? Are you busying yourself with fights that are not your own? Are you engaging in fruitless dialogue on social media? Does that ever accomplish anything? Or are you spending time building up the brothers and sisters closest next to you? Are you engaging your believing and non-believing family members and neighbors that God has put you next to? You are the person, though you might feel unequipped, you know their situation best. You can relate to their situation best. God has equipped you to pursue them like Abram pursued Lot.So, we need to be faithful with the big and small tasks that God naturally, organically places in our lives. Just it honors God. It's a means to following Christ's basic commands and with my next point I want to make the claim, in turning our faith into action, stretching ourselves for his glory in these situations, we're positioning ourselves to be fed more by Christ. So, action leads to refreshment.There's some biblical, paradoxical about this. Acts 23:5 taps into it. "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord, Jesus Christ, how he himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive." We don't have a tank where we serve and our tank gets empty. There's something different in that we can serve and still have a full tank. A lot of Christians don't believe this. The message that we're hearing a lot right now is self care. Care for yourself so that you can care for others. Christ says lose yourself for my sake, and that's the means to find yourself.And I see this in our text. We stretch ourselves, our faith is like a muscle. We stretch and extend ourselves, just like when we stretch and push a muscle. The more we do it, the more we enjoy it. We like that burn. We like the benefit that we gain and derive. We can, we're capable to do more activity. That's what faith is like.In verse 17 in our passage, after Abram's return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kinds who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley) and Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hand." So, Melchizedek, we could spend weeks talking about Melchizedek.His name means king of righteousness. His name is king of Salem, probably king of what was then Jerusalem, king of peace. He serves bread and wine. He blesses Abram. He blesses God. He is this, but he comes out of nowhere and scripture leads us to believe that since Noah, all of man, when God wiped of man from the earth with the flood, we have this impression that there are not many true God worshipers. And yet, this Melchizedek arises. There's a lot of debate, as if Jesus Christ himself, a Christophany, is this a type of Christ? You can talk about Melchizedek forever.But what I want to focus on is that how he is a type of Christ in a way that Christ, as our high priest meets us and cares for us, and sends his spirit to us in times of need when we are stretching ourselves for him. So, what does Melchizedek do? He meets Abram after Abram's contending for the faith, he's contending for righteousness in pursuing his captured nephew from this evil king. Melchizedek provides refreshment.Why? One, because he knows that Abram is weary and is spent from going on this task. Scripture shows that when servants of the Lord contend for the faith, believers can expect the Lord to meet them there. Think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego on the fiery furnace. Think about Daniel in the lion's den. Christ comforted them with his presence. I think those were a Christophany. This is a little different.Charles Spurgion once said about Christ meeting us, "As in the building of Jerusalem in trouble less times", he's referring to in Nehemiah, "they had the sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. So our Lord, Jesus Christ, while he teaches us to use the sword, takes care to edify and build us up in the faith at the same time. He understands that warriors require strengthening meat and that especially when they're under stern conflict they need extraordinary comforts that their souls may be stayed and refreshed. The martyrs protest that they've never had such communion with God anywhere as among the caverns of the hills or the swamps of the woods, to which they were exiled for Christ. And that even on the rock, an extremity of torture or even upon the grit iron in the heat of the fire. Even there, the sweet presence of Christ has been overpoweringly delightful to them so that they almost lost the sense of pain.Spend your strength for God, brother, for when fainting seems inevitable then shall come such a sweet renewing of your strength that like an eagle you shall stretch your wings and mount aloft to commune with God in solitary joys. Christ, your Melchizedek will meet you in your conflicts if he never did before." This is just radical stuff, just thinking it's when we stretch and extend ourselves that we will be fed. A lot of us, a lot of Christians get fear that stepping out in faith to support a brother and sister, acting on a faith, acting on a calling that just seems insurmountable, they just fear that physical exhaustion. Or they do step out initially and it's challenging, it is draining, and upon that first feel of challenge, they fall back to the crutches that they leaned on. That the old man weaned on.The habits, the patterns, the self soothing, the escape. For a lot of Christians, I think a lot of us are really, if we're honest with ourselves, we're living vacation to vacation to vacation to vacation. Those of us who can afford to live here in a place like Boston, take those comforts, take those patterns that you've grown up with, those leisurely activities out of your life. And would you trust God to satisfy you? Now, it's hard, but scripture says he's going to show up. Melchizedek does that for Abram after this battle.The New Testament taps into this. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction. It's more theologically correct to not say... I don't want anyone to think that Christ is just going to keep popping up in your life physically. The Holy Spirit, John 14:26, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.So, we have the Holy Spirit. Christ has ascended and his spirit pours out upon us, and he comforts us just on the field of battle. And furthermore, it's not just comfort, it's not just tender soothing love sometimes. Sometimes it is a hard poke. It's a strength and it's a fixing, a recalibration that Christ's presence offers to us. And just in our text, it's subtle, verse 20 B says, "And Abram, he meets Melchizedek, receives his blessing and Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Hebrews 7:4 comments on this. "See how great this man was to whom Abram, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils."Verse 7 says, Hebrews 7:7, "It is beyond dispute that the inferior, Abram, is blessed by the superior." So, Abram, he's this king, this victorious king that just captured this enemy, who's just bossed everybody in the region around for the past decade. Abram is met by Melchizedek and what does he do? He offers a tithe. This isn't tribute. Abram's the victor. Abram sees something in the regal character, the awesomeness of this priest king, and he worships. He's brought to a point of humility. Maybe this is God offering when we're victorious, there's that tendency when we stretch ourselves when we're in faith, there's that tendency to get pride, to well up, to get over confident, to think that we won the victory.Or sometimes when we're not so victorious, when we're still in the battle, and it's challenging and it feels like we're losing; bitterness, anger, entitlement towards God starts growing. And what is the best way to counter that? It is God's presence himself. So, we have... there's nothing that humbles us more, comforts us and humbles us more, than the presence of God himself. And the Holy Spirit, when he comes to us, he gives us these little corrections.I want to hold a grudge against my wife about something, thinking probably she's being childish right now. But, what does the spirit do in such a moment? He reminds me, just little reminders, "You think she's childish? Look at you before your Heavenly Father, look at the way you complain, look at the way that you gripe." He has been gracious to you, you be gracious to her. Pursue reconciliation for my glory.And the Lord meets us. He doesn't just comfort us. He corrects us, and this is like Isaiah, this sort of shock present that we fill in the presence of God. Woe is me, for I am lost. I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. We get the sense Abram's experiencing something like that. He is taken to worship, and taken to service to his God, when he... this replenishment rekindles his faith.My last point, replenishment leads to faith. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the good for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I've lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours. Less you should say I have made Abram rich. I'll take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. But Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre take their share."Abram, he receives the replenishment of the Word, and he's prepared to step forward in faith once again. He's prepared to turn his faith into action, and he has to be swift because what happens? The king of Sodom, this guy who just lost the war, Abram rescued him. He tells him, he's this complete opposite of Melchizedek. He says, "Take the spoil. I want my people." Abram, and this is just what happens, why we need the Lord to meet us in moments because when we often have victory for the sake of God's kingdom, who sweeps in? Satan himself.And a lot of the commentators, they say this is Abram's ultimate battle in this chapter of faith. The physical war, sometimes physical battles for God are easier to face than the spiritual battles. Abram's confronted unexpectedly by the enemy to trust God. And what does he do? He's saying he's caught between choosing taking God's word, his promise of blessing and we're taking this short cut. He rightly deserves this booty, the riches that he recovers from the war. And he chooses God, the presence of Melchizedek says he raises his hand. He's making a pledge. "I've lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours. Less you should say I made Abram rich."And so, this is Abram. Whatever you thought of him in Chapter 12, when in his first trial he went to Egypt and sold his wife, prostituted her to Pharaoh to protect himself. Abram is at... You see the growth here. You see he's willing to forgo really all the pleasure that these riches had to offer. This temporal pleasure to trust that God would fulfill his greater promises.Furthermore, he sees through that this treasure will not satisfy him. It won't deliver like this Lord can, this great God who has graciously revealed himself to him and wants a personal relationship. Abram's holding on to God's promises, though he doesn't see them coming through in fruition right there and then, he trust that God will deliver. So, that's... And he's more prepared because he doesn't stumble. When we lose these battles, when we stumble, it's almost like we have to regain that strength again. We have to regain that cycle, that trust in God.Abram's at a point of strength, he's getting gains. And we can have that in our Christian life. Do you believe that? Do you pursue that? Or are you just constantly just going to those little sources that are going to soothe you, give you temporary satisfaction? Abram places his trust, his satisfaction in God himself and ultimately scripture tells us he finds it in eternity. And by our faith in Christ we, like Abram, have access to the Promise Land. We, by faith, have access to the great treasure, a home in Christ's mansions.And when we're facing this question, am I going to trust God, his promises? Am I going to be honored even to receive his word? And serve him? Or am I going to take the ways of the world? We have to follow our father Abram. Christ himself, his ministry is taking off, Satan approaches him and he takes him to a mountain and he says, "I'll offer all of this to you, the kingdoms and cities of this world, and all that they have if you follow me." Christ said no. What did Christ do in his life? He left his heavenly perfection of Father, Son and Spirit, begotten from the beginning, existed in the trinity. The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. He left a perfect wealth, perfect joy, and splendor and he went to the depths of hell to redeem us.And we, like Christ, we, like our father Abram, we need to make the same choices. We need to choose God, choose his riches, choose his presence over the world's. Will you do that? Let's pray.Heavenly Father, we praise you that you are gracious to us. Often we don't deserve your presence. We don't deserve you meeting us in the moment, for we are wondering, we are straying, we are turning away from you intentionally. But Lord, you pursue us, and you give us the chance to turn away, to turn and repent, turn towards you and faith time and time again. I pray Lord, help us to stop the cycle. Help us to stop the cycle, help us to go on an upward trajectory of gains and the faith. However, we just feel the burn and attention of the moment we don't turn to comforts. We don't turn to the things that the world and say, no. First, we turn to you and are fed, and satisfied. Lord, help us to stay faithful until you return. We get to enjoy you in all of your perfect glory. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

https://youtu.be/3srmoEwgGpI Hebrews 7:1-10 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; v.6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.” Derived from the Genesis account Genesis 14:18-20 NKJV 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him [a]a tithe of all. Only three books of the Bible mention Melchizedek: Genesis, Psalms, and Hebrews. Melchizedek lived during Abraham's time--After God called Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans, he finds himself in an interesting situation: his nephew Lot has been kidnapped. Chedorlaomer, the king who had been controlling the city-states of the region was off conquering the nearby world. While he's away, five of the vassal kings back home rebel—including the king of Lot's town. Chedorlaomer drives the five rebel kings into hiding, then takes the spoils from Lot's city. Unfortunately for Lot, his family and herds are part of the king's spoils of war. The king makes Lot his prisoner and moves on. Abram takes 318 trained warriors, beats the king in battle, and takes Lot (and the spoils) back to Canaan with him. It's at this time that Melchizedek meets Abram and blesses him. (before the name change) Melchizedek has no recorded family. The Jews were all about genealogies— yet Melchizedek has none. The author of Hebrews contrasts the lineage-based priesthood of Aaron with Melchizedek, who has no recorded birth or death. This is where the discussion on Melchizedek gets really interesting, and goes in many different directions. Was he just a righteous man? An apparition of Jesus before he was born in the flesh (called a “theophany”)? An angel sent to govern the city of Salem? That's not really the author's point. The author of Hebrews is more interested in showing off Jesus' superior priesthood to these Hebrew Christian converts who knew the history of Abraham, Aaron's preisthood and Melchizedek (remember they were in a time of hard persecution and were warned in several passages to not go back to what God delivered them from) This Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High-  Melchizedek is the king of Salem. “Salem” means “full, complete, safe, whole, peaceful.”1  The author of Hebrews calls attention to this when likening Melchizedek to Jesus—Melchizedek was the king of “Peace,” the ancient town of Salem later becomes known as Jerusalem. Melchizedek's name means “king of righteousness”-  The order of Melchizedek is royal and everlasting- The 110th Psalm is a Messianic prophecy that tells us two things God promised to do for Jesus: make Jesus the king in Zion and make Jesus a priest.