Title: When My Life Shakes
Contents
Genesis 14:1-16
There are times in a person's life when things go smoothly and there are times when life shakes violently.
However, the truth is that it vibrates more often than when it is flat. Even in our half-million-year history, there were few peaceful times, and there were endless wars and civil wars. During the Three Kingdoms period, three kingdoms fought: Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. In the Goryeo Dynasty, the pressure of the Mongol and Yuan Dynasty was severe, and in the Joseon Dynasty, because of the invasions of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, the northern barbarians and the Japanese Japanese, our ancestors who lived at that time were frantic in running away from here and there, and there was nothing to eat.
At the turn of the 20th century, the whole country was taken over by Japan. After liberation, the Korean War
There was a cup. There was a military coup, there was the Gwangju Massacre. Meanwhile, he lost his son and his brother.
Too many people lost. In fact, there were not many flat times in the history of half a million years. There really was nothing that Korea could do to let the world know about us. Now, the 2002 World Cup semifinals and 2006 World Baseball semifinals yesterday are to write groundbreaking history.
But even now, our lives are severely shaken. Everyone remember 1997. The IMF, an event that shook the basics of the Korean economy, broke out. In 2006, is Korea still unshakable and flat? The issues that shake us the most are polarization, unemployment, and education.
There are very few of us who can say, 'I'm doing well'. Most of the worries are, ‘What am I going to do here!’ So, at a time when our lives are shaken, what promise does the God I trust make to me! You need to know this.
God taught by Abram
Abram learns one very important thing from the story of Sarah in Genesis 12. and to God
Realize knowledge about and hold on to one clearly. What is it? “The God I believe in is
You are on my side!” “Even if I fail and fall, God keeps me strong because of His promises” This is it. This is training to see God without looking at me. Realizing that one thing, he returned from Egypt to Canaan.
In Genesis 13, Abram realizes one more precious thing when he separates from Lot. parted
The reason was that their possessions were too large, and the land was narrow, and they were quarreling with each other.
However, Abram applies the case of Sarah to the time of parting with Lot this time.
God has been generous to me, so I must also be generous to Lot.
'Nephew, you must first choose a good land! Lot just looked at the city of Sodom and liked it so much,
‘Uncle, I will go to Sodom’ So Abram sends Lot. after sending Lot
God said to Abram, and Abram, I am on your side! I give you all this land
I will give you! You reconfirm your appointment.
But if you said that you would give the land of Canaan, nothing would happen and you just shepherd them in peace.
You have to let him live, but in chapter 14, an event that can shake the axis of Abram's life occurs. A great world war breaks out in that town.
The Great War between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom
At the beginning of chapter 14, four nations centered on King Shinar and five nations with the king of Sodom wage a great war with each other. If you look at the map of Israel, Shinar is the place where the Tower of Babel incident happened, and it is in the north, but it is now Iraq. Sodom is a region near the Dead Sea in southern Israel. However, while the five southern countries were serving the northern kingdom, they revolted once. So the Allied Forces of the Kings of the North launched an all-out attack to the South. In short, a world war broke out in the ancient Near East.
Abram was not directly involved in the war because he had nothing to do with it and had no hatred of the kings of the north, but nothing could happen to Abram. Abram is now living in Hebron, so he has no choice but to enter into a whirlwind of war between Shinar and Sodom. Also, the most difficult problem for Abram was that his nephew Lot, who was living in Sodom, was in danger. Look at verses 11-12. Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated by the combined army of the kings of the north, and everything was taken from them. This was an event that shook Abram's life very much.
I believe that God thoroughly intervenes and guides our lives. It is the same with Abram and us. However, if we understand God's guidance and intervention more precisely, it does not mean that God allows us to have nothing or nothing to worry about. So, while you and I believe in our God, it is better not to expect these things at all. Nothing will happen to our house, our country, or our household business, and only smooth things will happen! God's will is not to create a situation where nothing happens to us. The goal is to develop the faith to endure, overcome, and cope with life-changing events.
Abram also loses his only flesh and blood as the situation around him shakes violently. Although Abram and Lot separated, Abram lived in Hebron and Lot lived in Sodom. What should Abram do here, and if it is Abram in Chapter 12, what should he do when an incident like this happens?
He will flee to Egypt. There was a time when the famine broke out and he immediately fled to Egypt. But this time it's war. Famine and war are incomparable. Shinar captured Lot
The Allied Forces might invade Hebron, so you might run away because you're afraid.
But this time Abram does not run away. It doesn't tremble.
318 men go against the kings of the north
But, looking at verse 14, Abram went to Egypt out of fear and cowardly deceived Sarah as being his sister. Abram gathers all his servants. Gather everyone, number! one two three how many in all? Yes, 318 people. Is that all? How many of the allied forces of Shinar took Lot and took them captive? Since it is an allied army of four countries, catching 10,000 each is 40,000, then 318 to 40,000, or more than 1,000 per person.
After Abram gathered all his vassals and counted them, would he have stopped because he had no courage at all? No. Have you all gathered? Yes! Then let's go! Everyone, Abram, did something change? It's obviously changed. Is Abram sane now? I'm out of my mind So, what are we going to believe in? This is important. Two God experiences.
There was one incident of Sarah in Egypt, and one incident of breaking up with Lot after returning to Canaan. In verses 14-15, Abram took 318 men from Hebron to Dan.