Bible Commentaries
Genesis 14

Introduction

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM

(Genesis 14-23)

No one expects unbelievers to live unselfish lives. This does not excuse them, but their selfishness can

be understood. However, it is hard to accept when a person who professes to be a Christian is selfish. In

Genesis there is an actual example of this in Lot. He can be thought of as a "twilight" believer because

twilight is a time of day when it is neither day nor night. Unfortunately there are some Christians like

that. One cannot say that they are not Christians, but neither can one say that they are what they

profess to be.

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, came with him when they set forth from Ur of the Chaldees as God led them.

Abraham’s father was an idol maker. Yet with idol worship all around him Abraham believed in the

Invisible God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, and Giver of all things. Lot also was a grown man of

means; he had flocks and herds of his own. Here were two men in the pagan world whose common bond

was not only that they were kinsmen but that they both had faith in God. The reason for Abraham’s

greatness was his obedience to God. Lot’s life actually resulted in loss and shame and this was due to his

basic selfishness.

Results in living are never haphazard. They do not occur by chance. There is always a reason for

them. When Lot chose the fertile valley for his grazing, we see the first indication of weakness in his

character. In making this choice, Lot ignored the spiritual peril which would beset him when (p.87) he

chose to live near the city of exceedingly wicked men. Thus Lot’s trouble began because he was covetous.

When anyone wants the best and the most for himself, he is moving into trouble. The Scripture says,

"Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." Lot’s desire for personal advantage and gain

blinded his judgment. The next indication of his weakness can be seen as he became careless in his

associations. He knew of the wickedness of the men of Sodom, and yet he "dwelled in the cities of the

plain."

Sodom was a large city where cattle could be sold and money was to be made. Because of the wealth

of Sodom it was often besieged and raided.

During one of these raids Lot was captured with the Sodomites by the enemies of that city, for by

now he too "dwelt in Sodom." He had chosen the worldly road to success, and now he had lost his

possessions and was in danger of losing his life. A refugee came to Abraham and told him that Lot had

been captured and carried away with the people of Sodom. Abraham immediately organized a rescue

party and pursued the enemy. With his 318 servants he managed to liberate Lot and the people of

Sodom with all their goods. The king of Sodom wanted to pay Abraham for this deliverance, but

Abraham would not take his money. Then he offered Abraham the loot they had won in battle, but be

would not touch a thing lest anyone say that the king of Sodom had made him rich. He would not accept

any personal profit from this particular experience.

Although he was separated from Lot, Abraham did not abandon his nephew to the consequences of

his own actions. In the time of his extremity Lot received help from the spiritual man Abraham. After he

was rescued Lot remained in Sodom despite his experience. Apparently living there was profitable for

him, so he stayed on. He became an honored man in the community. "He sat in the gate of Sodom,"

which means that he was on the town council and was one of the leading citizens in the community.

Peter writes, "Lot vexed his righteous soul daily with the ungodly deeds that these people committed."

Thus we see that Lot (P.88) was grieved with their ungodliness, but he did not leave them.

The wickedness of Sodom continued to increase until God decided to destroy the city. God revealed

to Abraham the judgment which He would execute upon Sodom. Abraham prayed that God would spare

the city, if there were fifty righteous people in it (Gen. 18:20-33). He prayed again and again until finally

he asked whether God would not spare the city if there were ten righteous in it. But the wickedness of

that city was so great that not even ten righteous people were to be found there. However, God did

rescue Lot and his wife and his two daughters from the destruction which followed. He sent two angels

to lead them to safety before the utter annihilation of this evil city.

This account is impressive because of Abraham’s repeated intercessory prayer. It is deeply moving to

see the grace of God, which did not forsake him in a time of great calamity. Another lesson is found in

Lot’s attempt to persuade his sons-in-law to leave the city, after being warned of its coming destruction.

We read: "He seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law." What a sad, sad situation when a

person’s own testimony to his family carries no weight! The husbands of Lot’s two daughters just

laughed at him. As a result these two men perished in the flames that engulfed the city. On their way out

of the city, Lot’s wife looked back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. So in the end Lot lost

all the things he had gone to Sodom to acquire. This is the fate of any "twilight" Christian who lives

without power or joy, and without a testimony to those who are dying all around him. How different

from Abraham this was!

"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." This is the well-known

testimony of Scripture for all believers. Throughout the Bible it is written again and again that Abraham

was a man of faith. Paul presents Abraham as the pioneer believer, calling him "the father of us all."

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not

to that (p.89) only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father

of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even

God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against

hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was

spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead,

when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the

promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded

that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for

righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to

whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was

delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:16-25).

In this passage is found the classic definition and description of Abraham’s faith, "Being fully

persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." It can be helpful to remember that

in Abraham’s day there were no churches nor Scriptures to encourage him. But he had an inner guidance

in his own soul. He had an awareness of the presence of God. In that day God spoke directly: He

revealed Himself directly to Abraham, whose faith was centered in God. Abraham’s faith was not

grounded in human nature nor in natural processes. He did not depend on faith in his own ability and

intelligence. Abraham knew God and because he trusted Him he left his home and his relatives and went

where God would lead him. In the New Testament is the record of these words of our Lord Jesus Christ,

"If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." On another

occasion He said:

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,

or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life (Matt. 19:29).

(p.90)

In other words, when God calls, nothing must stand in the way. Nothing else has priority when

spiritual values are at stake. Some people feel that if they have confidence in themselves they will be

successful in whatever they undertake. The Bible teaches that our confidence must rest in God. Our faith

must be centered in Him. In obedience to the will of God, Abraham separated himself first from his

kindred and later from his nephew Lot. Obstensibly this was done to avoid tension. Abraham did not

want conflict between their servants. This is the way it appears on the surface, but we can be sure that

the hand of the Lord was in this separation. When Abraham gave Lot the choice of the best grazing lands,

he was trusting God to watch over his affairs. Because of his complete faith in God, he was blessed

beyond human understanding.