This may not be your usual daily passage of Scripture to read. We are going to read about an ancient war where four kings, led by Kedorlaomer of Elam, crushed a rebellion by five city-states, including Sodom and Gomorrah. After defeating numerous regional peoples, they plundered the rebellious cities and captured Abraham’s nephew Lot, setting the stage for Abraham’s rescue mission.
“At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar,Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, two these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). 4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar.8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.” (Genesis 14 v 1-12)
This coalition of four powerful kings from the east—Kedorlaomer of Elam, Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, and Tidal of Goyim—who in the region of the Dead Sea had dominated five city states for twelve years. But in the thirteenth year, those same city-states rebelled and pushed back, and the next year Kedorlaomer launched a full-scale war supported by his allies.
This wasn’t a minor skirmish. Kedorlaomer’s response to this rebellion was a systematic crushing of tribes and peoples who were just frankly in the way. This wasn’t random violence. It was strategic domination. The four kings then went chasing Sodom and Gomorrah to defeat them, which reads easily enough, especially because the valley they called home was full of tar pits, which proved a trap for their own lives.
Then we come to verse twelve. Lot had chosen to live in Sodom, despite his reputation, and had separated from his uncle. Now he has been taken prisoner and his possessions stolen.
The world was a mess, and it had just got worse with the capture of Lot.
With hindsight, maybe Lot would not have chosen what looked good; Sodom, with all of its prosperity, now carries unforeseen consequences for being there. Where we decide to plant ourselves is very important. You may not know the historical conflicts, the present moral atmosphere or that war would break out. This isn’t punishment, but the truth that the decisions we make for our lives are always part of bigger stories that may have nothing to do with us.
We choose. We get to decide not only where we live, but who we live with, who we align ourselves with, knowing that we cannot see the chapters to come, just the one we are in now. We see injustice all around because the guilty and innocent are both at the receiving end of violence.
Sometimes we find ourselves trapped in other people’s battles. That battle may have had nothing to do with you. It could have been historical, for wounds can take a long time to truly heal, or it could have been predicted. In a sense, Lot was collateral damage; he could not have been blamed for the battle, he was just there.
Ask the child caught up in his parents’ divorce, the employee wondering how the executives’ battle will impact their own job, the family member pulled from side to side in a relative’s battle, or the neighbour who realises there is a historical feud in the neighbourhood. Proximity can create vulnerability, making it impossible to stay neutral. The examples are everywhere. We may live in a nation hated by most because of the regime and culture that we were born into, not involved in creating that enemy. We work for organisations that have systems and ways of doing things that work well most of the time, but when some begin to be negatively affected, we get caught up in those arguments, because neutrality gives us no protection whatsoever.
There we leave it. Lot was taken. He could not free himself. No matter how much positive thinking or good decision-making he did, trying harder would not set him free. He needed rescuing. There are moments in our lives when we are caught up in something that we actually didn’t choose. We blinked, and we were there, trapped. It is then that we need someone to say, “You’re caught in something you can’t escape alone, so I’m coming for you.” Not because it’s their fight, but because you’re their person. And that is the story of salvation.
Missions Paul 