A good friend will always be there for you. But many of us have that one friend who is in a state of perpetual crisis. We are no longer surprised when we get a message asking for help. That seems to be the case with Abram and Lot.

In Genesis 14, Lot was in trouble. Sodom and Gomorrah had been paying tribute to a coalition of Elamite kings (vv. 1–4). After years of this tribute, they decided to rebel and paid a price (vv. 5–12). Not only were Sodom and Gomorrah defeated, but Lot and his family were taken captive (vv. 11–12).

When Abram found out, he jumped into action. He gathered 318 men from his household and went to rescue Lot (v. 14). Since he had a much smaller force, he sprung a night attack (v. 15). This caught the captors by surprise, and Abram was able to rescue Lot and the residents of Sodom (v. 16).

At the end of the chapter, there is an interesting contrast between the king of Sodom and Melchizedek. Melchizedek showed hospitality to Abram and blessed him (vv. 18–20). However, the King of Sodom was disdainful of Abram. His only speech with Abram was a surly, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself” (v. 21). God had promised to bless those who blessed Abram and curse those who treated Him with contempt (Gen. 12:3). Melchizedek was blessed. We will see what happens to the King of Sodom. God was keeping His promise to Abram. Melchizedek is not only an example of a non-Jew who is blessed by Abram but also becomes a type of the future Messiah (Ps. 110; Heb. 5–7). Bundled into this story is the hope of our future deliverer and Savior.

Go Deeper

Why did Abram react to the King of Sodom by saying, “I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal” (v. 23)?

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