After leaving Egypt, Abram (now very wealthy), Lot, and Sarai travel back to where they were before they left for Egypt.
Abram and Lot part ways
At this point, Lot and Abram had acquired too much stuff – too many animals, too much wealth, too many people, and they were getting in each others’ way. Abram let Lot pick who would go where, so Lot picked the lush land of the Jordan at the east, leaving Abram to go West to Canaan.
Despite this, God promised Abram that all of the land would eventually be his, and his descendants would number as much as all of the dust on the earth.
The land Lot had chosen was near Sodom and Gomorrah, lands full of sinners.
Abram defeats kings in battle
There was a war between different kings of the region surrounding Lot, and as a result of the war, Lot was taken captive. News of this was reported to Abram, who took his army of 318 men and rescued Lot and his people. I’m not sure how the numbers stack up, but it seems Abram defeated a large army of kings with a humble army of 318.
The first tithe
In response to what sounds like a miraculous victory, Abram was praised by Melchizedek who was both a king and a priest of God. Abram gave 1/10 of his belongings to Melchizedek in return (the first tithe).
A priest before priests?
I’m curious how a man from another nation (Melchizedek) was a priest of God, before priests of God were really established in the story of the Hebrews. I would have expected a priest of any other nation to have been considered a priest of a false religion. Anyone with knowledge of this, please leave a comment!
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Abram had defeated the kings who were fighting against the king of Sodom. The king offered Abram wealth, but Abram refused, saying his wealth would be from God, not from men.
A vision and a promise from God
Next, God speaks with Abram in a vision. He tells Abram he is his protector, and tells him his reward. He promises Abram a son, and descendants that would number as many as the stars. Despite Abram’s old age and barren wife, he believes God.
A strange sacrifice and a dark vision
When Abram asks how he can know he will take over all of the land, God tells him to bring a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon, which Abram cuts in half. Abram then falls into a deep sleep and is overtaken with a terrible darkness.
God tells him that his descendants will be strangers for 400 years, enslaved and mistreated. But eventually they would rise out of oppression and gain wealth.
A firepot and a torch appear and pass between the pieces of animals Abram had brought. Then God made a covenant with Abram, that he would give the land to his descendants.