Monday: Abraham’s Testimony to the Kings
Lot was a relative of Abraham and accompanied him on some of his travels. His choice of the well-watered Jordan valley brought him into the company of the wicked men in Sodom (Gen. 13:1-13). He was then rescued first by Abraham (Gen. 14:11-16, and later by two angels (Gen. 19).
Image © Jeff Preston from GoodSalt.com
When Abraham heard that his relative Lot was in trouble, he decided to help him. In rescuing Lot, Abraham headed a military force of more than three hundred men of his own household. Numerous kings were involved in the battle for Sodom, and Abraham came out the victor.
Read Genesis 14:8-24. What did Abraham’s actions say about his character and, hence, about his faith and his God?
To the kings he conquered, Abraham revealed the power of God. Even during this rescue mission, the father of the faithful
did not lose his divine call to be a blessing to the nations.
The worshiper of Jehovah had not only rendered a great service to the country, but had proved himself a man of valor. It was seen that righteousness is not cowardice, and that Abraham’s religion made him courageous in maintaining the right and defending the oppressed. His heroic act gave him a widespread influence among the surrounding tribes. On his return, the king of Sodom came out with his retinue to honor the conqueror. He bade him take the goods, begging only that the prisoners should be restored. By the usage of war, the spoils belonged to the conquerors; but Abraham had undertaken this expedition with no purpose of gain, and he refused to take advantage of the unfortunate, only stipulating that his confederates should receive the portion to which they were entitled.
–Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 135.
Think about your dealings with others. What kind of witness do they present to others about your faith?
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Lesson Learnt from this topic :-
a)As our brothers keepers we should help one another and those who are in need
b)God will always protect us no matter the battle is so long us we are faithful to him
c)We should not take advantage of any situation for our own gain but let it be for the glory of the Lord
I Do it for the Glory of GOD!
My message today was so awesome Abram - Abraham what's the light and we all know that light was Jesus Christ the Son of God of his salvation so we as believers in the the Son of God we have to show the light to others ,WWJD what would Jesus do in this situation so Please Show the light so that people can ask a question who do they serve , I want to know that God so let's do that today, let others see Jesus the Son of God,GOD bless you all and everything that you do in Jesus name! Amen
Abraham’s response to the offer of praise and honor in the form of goods (of monetary value) was to direct attention to Jehovah, to whom he already showed gratitude (Genesis 14:18-23). Although one may be tempted to accept a little credit and share the spotlight with God or get some personal media highlight, when the Lord uses His people all honor and glory is due to Him.
Here was one occasion when the people of Sodom had opportunity to embrace the God of Heaven. However the luxury life in a land which was comparable in fertility and beauty to the Garden of Eden was of greater value to the city dwellers than the protection and support of Abraham’s God (Genesis 13:10).
The people were increased with goods and could spend almost all their time vacationing in a paradise of perverted pleasure with little regard for the poor (Jude 1:7; Ezekiel 16:49). Abraham’s witness was sufficient, but he did not try to force God on them.
Sometimes the saints might think it is their duty to ensure that others accept their Savior. They go overboard pressing their case in an effort to bring conviction to another soul. By this they probably encroach on the territory of the Holy Spirit. They may even resort to cheap tricks, deceptive strategies or fallacious arguments to win a convert. This may only corrupt the mission.
People who are pressured into accepting Christ may not wish to serve the King of kings for eternity. Life in Heaven (and New Earth) in submission to the Creator and His laws would prove a miserable or torturous experience for some. In mercy God destroyed the inhabitants of Sodom, for they were not interested in Heaven’s offer, as He will destroy the ungodly at the end of time (2 Peter 2:6-10).
Missionaries are to make much effort, but recognize their role is to fervently share the Gospel message, not actually save the soul (2 Timothy 4:2-5). Conviction and conversion are of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:7; John 16:7-11).
Hey Hugh, I am still in the crawling stages of studying god's word; and I love the studies. Today, you gave an answer that I needed. "conviction
And conversion are of the holy spirit,". Amen. Amen.
Yes Abraham could have done what other conquerors have done but that is not the reason he went after those kings. What he did require is reimbursement for the expense of feeding the rescued captives so it really wasn’t a total give-away project. He just wanted Lot back safely.
I think if we would deal with people the way Abraham dealt with people we would be the kind of effective witnesses we should be. After he rescued Lot, Lot had two good reasons for following his uncle. First Abraham gave him the first choice of where to settle and now he was rescued from a bad choice he made in the first place. To me it is this kind of a thing that Jesus referred to when he said, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (Jn 8:39).
Abraham used the model Jesus used, but of course it was Christ Himself that developed Abraham's character and mission, "MEETING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS FIRST THEN LATER BIDS THEM TO FOLLOW HIM. Most of us forget this attitude, Jesus never baptized any but prepared the way for the disciples when he died they would then follow up and baptized them. And this is the case with Abraham, we should be clear on this matter, most of us would go into uncharted territory to prepare the way for the harvesters, so be content with your role and satisfy yourself that you are only part of something big but that does not mean you are insignificant but otherwise very important and the catalyst for harvest to occur.
Zacchaeus would be my favorite courageous bible character and what a miracle for he conquered himself, his lust and weakness and he recompensed those he stole from as a means of genuine relent and repentance of his past mistake, what a genuine reconciliation attempt on his part to those he wronged..
Abraham went out to war against the enemies of his neighbours - what can I learn from that?
Now our war is against arguments & opinions raised against the knowledge of God and our weapon is divine power from the LORD.
Abraham in his fighting was not corrupt.It was jesus who was in him.
We are saved to serve.let's not watch our brothers n sisters
by lifting them when fallen
Abraham , not only the father of the faithful , the one through whom all families will be blessed but also a man of valor : a strange combination. In our modern world it seems as though our leaders are mostly trained theoretically but not enough experientially.. Another faith venture of Abraham as he decides to go to war against many kings but coming out victorious . With God and one faithful saint what victory can be achieved. MayGod have the opportunity to train us in every way for this conflict in which we are engagaed spiritually.
Shelly,
Thank you for bring out, "father of the faithful and a man of valor: a strange combination. And,"our leaders are mostly trained theoretically but not enough experientially".
We do need leaders who can also be like Abram/Abraham in these ways you have described.
Matt.5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
If we Like Abraham are filled with compassion for others, with courage and confidence in the Lord, much would be accomplished in this missionary work.
We all should try to live loving and have a forgiving spirit. Abraham was faithful and obedient, he trusted Gods command and went by faith following the commands of God. He never doubted God.
Because of Obedience and Faith God gave all the riches and his son.
Read Genesis 14:8-24. What did Abraham’s actions say about his character and, hence, about his faith and his God?
Abraham did not seize the opportunity to fight for recognition or gain. He wanted to, in simple terms, help the helpless, including his nephew Lot. He did not look at the opportunity to help others as an opportunity to help himself. For those who are less fortunate than us, we should be quick to help without an agenda. There should not be a ‘what’s in it for me’ thought.
Thinking about your dealings with others. What kind of witness do they present to others about your faith?
When the opportunity arises for us to help others, the choice to do so should never be tainted by any agenda. We should help because that is what a follower of Christ would do. There should be no expectation of ‘payment’, no focus on how much people would think that you are brave. Nor that you will only be helpful if you may have an opportunity to be on television. An incident comes to mind - there is a very cantankerous lady who is very sick and needs lots of help. I have listened to a Christian say that she will not be helping that person anymore because she is deliberate, have a bad temper and is ungrateful. How should this Christian lady witness to this sick lady? I believe that the situation the sick lady finds herself in, the fear, the uncertainty pushes her to lash out. The Christian lady should be meek, calm and forgiving, never believing that helping this sick person is a chore, a hard task. Instead, the Christian should use this as an opportunity to pray with and for the sick lady. Imagine how much influence the Christian can have on the life of the sick person by being patient, kind and understanding that illness and fear of the unknown can push those who do not know Christ over the edge sometimes. We as Christians should be in a position to help that person see Christ through our interactions with them.
May God help us to be selfless and Christlike in everything that we do.
Halo saints. From Abrahams life Praise be to the good Lord for He made him victorious and only God can reward us after a victory and take heed let us not take or claim victory for our own, Abraham did by not accepting gifts from the kings, as Abraham went to Lots rescue we are equally tasked with being our prothers keeper Gal 6:1-5 But let\'s take heed as we do it lest we fall too as we rais them.
Let us not push others too much to accept our Faith as lords missionaries lets be like Abraham who left lot with to chose our work as God\'s missionaries is to take the message but He does the conviction Titus 2:14.
Let people see light in us, not boasting of our self. We see the kindness of this man, and also what some speak about him, as you heard from the king who met him. What we preach to others must follow us.
We are learning more from your comments. Thanks all of you God bless you.
Great lesson. Abraham allowed himself to be used by his creator. Lesson learnt was to allow ourselves to be used by the Lord and there should be no fear of doubts within us and the Lord himself will lead us to where wishes for us.
If we always hear the voice of the Lord daily in our lives what a heaven on earth will it be hence life on earth will be worthy living.