Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to El Paran, which is by the wilderness. They returned, and came to En Mishpat (also called Kadesh), and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that lived in Hazazon Tamar. The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some fell there. Those who remained fled to the hills. They took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way. They took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.”
(Genesis 14:5-12)

The kings had rebelled against their yoke and that yoke was hitting back. They could not stand against the force that Chedorlaomer brought against them. There were four kings with him coming against the five kings from the land. They had more kings, but Chedorlaomer had a better force. They were defeated badly. The four kings were victorious, scattered their enemies, and took any plunder they wanted. People, possessions, flocks, and herds. They took it all and headed home.

If Lot had been left behind way back when, he wouldn’t have suffered this. If he’d picked a different place to live, he wouldn’t have suffered this. This imprisonment (which would probably lead to enslavement) was NOT God’s will for Lot. This was NOT where God had wanted him to be. This was a consequence of Abram’s initial disobedience. Lot did not have a covenant with God even though he was a worshipper and follower of God. It doesn’t matter who in our family has a relationship with God or how close that relationship is. What matters is OUR relationship with God. OUR standing with God. Whether or not WE are in covenant with Him. God wasn’t about to abandon Lot, but what happens is not because of Lot’s relationship with God. It will be because of Abram’s covenant.

The people of the four kings were idol worshippers. Some of them were the giants which the ten spies would later see and quake at (Deuteronomy 2:10-11, 20; Numbers 13:33). Some were from Mount Seir, the area Esau would conquer and hold (Genesis 36:8).

The whole valley was filled with tar pits of bitumen. They were a great source of construction material. They were also a negative when judgment came. Imagine the fires and heat when the fires from Heaven met the tar pits on the Earth. Bitumen on its own is hard to ignite. But when it gets heated (150-200 C), it releases hydrocarbon vapours that will ignite when exposed to flame. It would have been VERY hot in the valley on that day (Genesis 19:24-25).

The sage Sforno writes: ‘ויכו את הרפאים…ואת הזוזים…ואת האימים, all of these people had been subservient to the group of 5 kings headed by the king of Sodom, and had even fought wars on behalf of their masters. By telling us all this, the Torah wanted us to know that the five kings were not just paper tigers, pushovers. By inference, it enables us to imagine the military power of the four kings who defeated the five kings afterwards. Having once appreciated all this, we can image what a tremendous feat Avram accomplished when he defeated the four kings under the leadership of Kedorleomer. He must have possessed outstanding military skills in order to have accomplished this. It also testifies to the act of selfless love he displayed for his nephew, when he endangered himself and his men to such a degree in order to free him from captivity. Most of all, it gives us a chance to marvel at the mercy G’d showed both to Lot and to Avram in this sequence of events. ויקחו את לוט בן אחי אברם, they made a special effort to capture Lot because he was Avram’s nephew. They were aware of his wealth. They were expecting that Avram would pay a heavy ransom for the release of his nephew.’

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘ויפלו שמה, They fell into them. They did not “fall” into them, as they were familiar with them, but they used them to hide in while trying to escape the pursuers. The construction is similar to Genesis 25,18 where Yishmael is described as על פני כל אחיו נפל. The loam was not wet, but could be used to help make bricks. והוא יושב בסדום, “and he dwelled in Sodom;” note the singular mode; none of his relatives lived in Sodom. This accounted for his being taken captive alone. Alternate explanation: he entered the city now that he was afraid of being solitary against the warring nations.’

The sage Steinsaltz writes: ‘They then turned back, and came to En Mishpat, which is also called Kadesh. After defeating all the rulers on the eastern side of the Jordan River, the kings turned northward again and smote the entire field of the Amalekites, a region in Edom. Although Amalek was not yet born, his descendants would later live there, and the place is described according to its future name. And they also smote the Emorites, who lived in Hatzatzon Tamar, another name for Ein Gedi. The kings of the north traveled from place to place, striking any nation or tribe that stood in their way. Their vast experience and military might undoubtedly gave them a substantial advantage over the local kings of small fiefdoms. They fought with Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim, and Amrafel king of Shinar, and Ariokh king of Elasar; four kings against the five. Although the local kings outnumbered the foreign ones, the actual balance of power dramatically favored the kings of the north, who represented four powerful kingdoms against the rulers of five small cities. It should be noted, however, that as was customary among mighty kings at the time, the king himself did not participate in the battle. He simply sent a spearhead force to quash the rebellion. They, the four kings from the north, took all the property of Sodom and Gomorrah, Adma, Tzevoyim, and Tzoar. They passed through these cities without meeting any resistance and looted their property, and all their food, which they fed to their armies. And they then turned away and went northward back toward their place of origin.’