To tell you the truth, I'm really proud of myself for thinking the title up. Of course, the "Siege of Sodom (and Gomorrah) refers to Genesis 14 where four kings decided to go against five kings in one of the most epic and greatest wars of Abram's time. In this war, the four kings, with the help of the terrain (Valley of Siddim, which was full of tar pits in verse 10) manage to beat the 5 kings, among which were kings of the infamous Sodom and Gommorah. The army of Kedorlaomer and his allies, victors of the battle, however, did an error that cost them much- they kidnapped Abram's nephew Lot, taking his possession with them.
When Abram got to know of the news, he responded positively. Now, backtrack a little, we read that there was a rivalry between Lot and Abram when their herds became too big. Abram, being a wise person that he was, decided that he would choose peace and tolerance- allowing Lot to choose where he wants to go, while Abram would go the opposite direction. Lot chose to pitch his tents near Sodom- and trouble came to him because of that choice.
You see, Sodom was a wicked city- the whole city were really, seriously wicked. By choosing to stay near Sodom, Lot was heading harm's way. The bible says in Proverbs 13:20 " He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." It is really not that hard to perceive that bad company, leads to bad influence, which leads to bad character. Furthermore, being in a perverse environment would really lower our values, our morality- as you can see how popular culture like Hollywood had influenced today's generation. Confessing myself, I too were influenced by my group of friends long time ago- where my life were running out of the tracks. Only when I came out of the group, was I able to put my life into order again.
Back to our story, the amazing man we have been looking at these few days, decided to launch a rescue effort to save his nephew Lot- forgetting the past rivalry and remembering that "we are brothers" . (Genesis 13:8) Isn't it so important really to have good friends, and brothers/sisters in Christ. These people really take care of you, man! I mean I gotto pause here to thank God really for blessing me with different groups of christian brothers and sisters, who look out for me and love me so much! Hallelujah!
Of course, the hero always wins. Abram and his warriors were not just heroes that day, they were literally "super" heroes. God was with them and fought the battle for them because with only 318 men, they beat an army five nations failed to beat. Absolutely fantastic! Observe what was said about Abram, though. "During the night Abram divided his men to attack them, and he routed them..." (verse 15). Abram was a brilliant commander, and he divided his forces that God gave him well. Likewise, we should divide and utilize the "forces" so to speak, well- our time, our money, our education, our experiences, our all- God can use them to defeat an entire army- or four.
Finally, don't even touch anything that belongs to the wicked- no matter how much we think we deserve them. God detests the wicked and the corrupted- may we never receive any bribes and goods that is "impure" (eg pirated goods???).
When Abram got to know of the news, he responded positively. Now, backtrack a little, we read that there was a rivalry between Lot and Abram when their herds became too big. Abram, being a wise person that he was, decided that he would choose peace and tolerance- allowing Lot to choose where he wants to go, while Abram would go the opposite direction. Lot chose to pitch his tents near Sodom- and trouble came to him because of that choice.
You see, Sodom was a wicked city- the whole city were really, seriously wicked. By choosing to stay near Sodom, Lot was heading harm's way. The bible says in Proverbs 13:20 " He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." It is really not that hard to perceive that bad company, leads to bad influence, which leads to bad character. Furthermore, being in a perverse environment would really lower our values, our morality- as you can see how popular culture like Hollywood had influenced today's generation. Confessing myself, I too were influenced by my group of friends long time ago- where my life were running out of the tracks. Only when I came out of the group, was I able to put my life into order again.
Back to our story, the amazing man we have been looking at these few days, decided to launch a rescue effort to save his nephew Lot- forgetting the past rivalry and remembering that "we are brothers" . (Genesis 13:8) Isn't it so important really to have good friends, and brothers/sisters in Christ. These people really take care of you, man! I mean I gotto pause here to thank God really for blessing me with different groups of christian brothers and sisters, who look out for me and love me so much! Hallelujah!
Of course, the hero always wins. Abram and his warriors were not just heroes that day, they were literally "super" heroes. God was with them and fought the battle for them because with only 318 men, they beat an army five nations failed to beat. Absolutely fantastic! Observe what was said about Abram, though. "During the night Abram divided his men to attack them, and he routed them..." (verse 15). Abram was a brilliant commander, and he divided his forces that God gave him well. Likewise, we should divide and utilize the "forces" so to speak, well- our time, our money, our education, our experiences, our all- God can use them to defeat an entire army- or four.
Finally, don't even touch anything that belongs to the wicked- no matter how much we think we deserve them. God detests the wicked and the corrupted- may we never receive any bribes and goods that is "impure" (eg pirated goods???).
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'
2 comments:
hor lau...foo here..where are u now? what is your hp number in UK ya? reply me at fooman0522@yahoo.com..and u wanna come over to glasgow next week? David is coming!!
yahor..paiseh..I tot u already here!
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