1921 B.C.
Genesis 14:1 And it came to pass
(always marks a period of trouble ending in blessing)
in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar,
(Amraphel = keeper of the gods, dated in reign of a king of Babylon: the united forces led by a king of Elam. The Assyrian Tablets show that Elam had conquered and overran Babylonia. Amraphel reigned in N. [Shinar]: Eri-Aku [arioch], an Elamite prince, in the S. at Larsa [Ellasar]. All the names are found on one tablet)
Arioch (= venerable, his mother was sister to Chedorlaomer) king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer (= servant of Loamer) king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
(= great son. The Assyrian Tablet says "he assembled the barbarian tribes" of the Kurdish mountains, and that he "did evil" to the land of Bel. The Tablets are therefore shown to be correct by their agreement with Genesis.
LAWS BEFORE SINAI.
The existence of Laws in the book of Genesis and Exodus is evident, though there is no formal record of their delivery. Cp. Ex. 18:16.
Doubtless some were made known to mankind, as such, by God, e.g. (1) the Law of the Sabbath (Gen. 2:3). (2) The days noted in connection with the flood are all sabbaths except one, Gen. 8:5, Tuesday. See note on gen. 8:10, 12, 14. (3) The law of the place to worship (Gen. 4:3, 4, 16). (4) The law of offerings (Gen. 4:4), &c.
But, side by side with these special Divine communications, the Babylonian laws were codified in the age of Abraham.
In A.D. 1901, the Code of Amraphel (Khammurabi), Gen. 14:1, was discovered in Susa by M. J. de Morgan. The latest date for this code is 2139 B.C.
Eight hundred years before Moses, these laws governed the peoples from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, and from Persia to the Mediterranean, and were in force throughout Canaan.
This discovery overthrew the two main pillars of the "higher critics", one of which was that such writing was unknown before Moses; the other, that a legal code was impossible before the Jewish kings.
Hence, we have now before us both codes; and are in a position to answer Jehovah's question in Deut. 4:8, "What nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" )
2 That these made war with Bera (= son of evil) king of Sodom, and with Birsha (= son of godlessness) king of Gomorrah, Shinab (= splendor of the father) king of Admah, and Shemeber (= lofty flight) king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (= destruction), which is Zoar (= smallness).
3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
(Afterward, the Salt [or Dead Sea], when Moses wrote.)
4 Twelve years (= the number of government in Biblical numerics) they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
(V.4 goes back to the events leading up to the war with Sodom. In Biblical numerics 13 = rebellion. So what we see here is that King Khammurabi [Amraphel] and his allies attacked the king of Sodom and Gomorrah, that the small town around Sodom, and Sodom was defeated. When they took Sodom captive, they also took Lot captive as well.)
5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims
(A branch of the Nephilim, superhuman beings, so called after one Rapha: as Anakim after Anak.)
in Ashteroth Karnaim (= a star of the two horns, or peaks), and the Zuzims (also as Rephaims) in Ham, and the Emins (= terrors, same as above) in Shaveh Kiriathaim (= plain of the double city),
6 And the Horites (= descendants of cave dwellers, aborigines of same order as Rephaim) in their mount Seir (= hairy, shaggy), unto Elparan (= God his deliverance), which is by the wilderness.
7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat (= the spring of judgment. Not yet Kadesh = the Sanctuary), which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar (= pruning of palm trees).
8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
(= the #9 = the number of judgment.)
10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits;
(Which is bitumen, still a feature of the Dead Sea to this day.)
and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
Abram [Abraham] has finally gotten the word that his nephew Lot has been taken captive, and he is now taking action to get him back. We must also stand up for what is right. Abram does not give in to this aggressor, this evil ruler of Babylon. It is against God will to give in to any evil aggression.
Today we see the evil of the end times Babylon has worked it's way into Christianity, and these so called "men of God" have take all sorts of false doctrine, and heathen religious custom and mixed it with God's Word; and today they call it "Christianity", and "of God". Most Christians of today will not take the time, nor do most of them even care to study the Word of God, and they simply are satisfied to remain ignorant of God's written Word, and they allow themselves to believe in the Harlot religion of Babylon of our generation.
God expects each of us to take a stand and move to action when evil comes upon us, just as Abram took his stand when Lot was taken. This battle is over, and Lot is in captivity along with the rest of the people and things of Lot's cities.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants,
(or instructed, prob. in the worship of Yahaveh.)
born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
(Not the Dan of Judg. 18:29, but a city in northern Palestine long before the Danites changed the name of Laish. The Dan we have come to know in our Bible studies, was the son of Jacob, the great grandson of Abraham. Isaac, Dan's grandfather had not even been born at the time of this war Abram is fighting.)
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah (= hiding place), which is on the left hand of Damascus.
(Abram took only 318 men with him, as well as his allies, and drove the Babylonians back to their homes.)
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale (= the king of Salem).
18 And Melchizedek (= King of the righteous) king of Salem
(Three times he says "not My father, not My mother installed Me in this place but the "Mighty King", i.e. He did not inherit by succession, but by gift and the "arm of the Mighty King", the Deity. He was Christ who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.)
brought forth bread and wine:
(Yet no sacrifice, hence a type of Him to Whom all shall bow, and pay their tithes and bring their gifts.)
and He was the Priest of the Most High God (= El Elyon).
19 And He blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the Most High God, which has delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."
("Melchizedek" comes from two Hebrew words; "Melka" is "King", and "Zedek" is "righteous". Jesus is the King of the righteous, or righteousness. Paul discusses this "Most High Priesthood" of the Son, or Messiah in Hebrews chapter seven, and relates Abram's relationship to God to the unchangeable priesthood of the Levite priesthood, in relation to Jesus Christ's as being the Chief Priest over all priests.
The priesthood of Jesus Christ sprang out of Judah, where as the Levitical priesthood of Moses is from Aaron, and Moses spoke only concerning the Levitical priesthood. Paul teaches that when we are under the blood of Christ, then we are not under a law of carnal commandments, but become an eternal priest, after the "Order of Melchizedek" [Christ]. It is well worth the time to study the entire study on Melchizedek from Hebrews 6:20 to Hebrews 7:28.
God blessed Abram for slaughtering the evil Babylonians, and for Abram in remembering God with a tenth of the blessings. The giving of the tithe is a form of worship to God. the tithe means "one tenth" and it is to be the first and best of the blessing. If you can't do it God's way, and make it your best, don't insult Him. The tithe is the Lord's, it is already His.
Jesus addressed His existence and relationship to Abraham in John 8:56-58:
John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad."
Abram understood the promise of God, and observed Christ on that day. Abram understood that God's promise was of the promised Messiah, and he rejoiced.
John 8:57 "Then said the Jews unto him, "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?"
In verse [44] Jesus has already identified these pack of Jews as "Kenites", and of their father Satan, through Cain the first murderer; and these sons of Satan are asking Jesus the question about His seeing father Abraham. John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, "Verily, Verily, [Truly, Truly] I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."
"I am" is the sacred name of God, and Jesus has just told them it was him that was with Abraham. Abram saw Christ the King of Righteousness [Melchizedek] on that day that when he returned from battle, as the kinsman redeemer, saving the life of his next of kin, his nephew Lot.
It will be Melchizedek [Jesus Christ] that is our kinsman redeemer, later, after He passes through the womb of woman; and becomes the kinsman redeemer of all mankind that will believe upon His name. Jesus Christ shed His blood to save His near of Kin, and that is whomever will call upon Him and believe in His name.)
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, "Give me the persons (nephesh, souls), and take the goods to thyself."
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
(When Abram lifted up his hand, he swore an oath to God.)
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
(The blessing of Melchizedek, and the bread and wine, prepared him for this great renunciation.)
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
(Abram allowed the other allies to have their rewards, However, Abram would not bargain with Satan's people. He would not become beholding to any part of Satan's system.
Today we have the so called "men of God" working out deals with the one world system of Satan. They sell their gospel and trinkets, and rip off the people of God, as they twist God's word for their own profit. God's people, calling themselves Christians, fall for these gimmicks in ignorance. They send their money and sit back and expect to get God's blessing. To most of these dear souls, they don't know God's Word, or God's ways.
Abram did it God's way, in battle and in victory. Then when he tithed also in God's way to Melchizedek [Jesus Christ], he was blessed for doing it all God's way.)