content fight
Genesis 14:13-16
2004. 2. 1. Sunday Worship
■ Opening story
The recorded history is about 3, 4 thousand years, but the period without war is only 234 years. More than 93 percent of the time was war. Not long ago we witnessed the war in Iraq. Even now, in the acute confrontation between the United States and the Arab world, it is not known when and where a war will recur. War is often referred to as “clash of civilizations.” However, some criticized the war as "a clash of ignorance." The reason is that, despite the grand cause of most wars, internally, they are thoroughly based on the interests of the state and individual greed. Today's text is also a story of war. It was a relatively small war between tribes. When a tribal king named Chedorlaomer declared independence from the five tribal kings who had been loyal to him for 12 years, he allyed with the other three tribal kings to wage a war, and he won. However, during the war, Lot, who was living in Sodom, was captured. This caused Abram to intervene in the war. Why did Abram, a man of faith, intervene in war?
■ Why did Abram get involved in the war?
To rescue his nephew Lot, he intervened in the war near the end of the war. He allied himself with the Mamre brothers and took the 318 men he had raised at home. They raided at night and defeated the bad tribal kings, rescued their nephew Lot and other people, and the stolen goods were also returned. Abram went to war not because he was greedy for booty. Chedorlaomer's seat is not coveted. It was just to rescue his nephew Lot. Not long ago, he showed the virtue of yielding land to protect his relationship with his nephew Lot. And this time, to protect Lot, he sacrificed himself for war. We see the two sides of Abram here. The foolish figure that yielded the land and the bold face of a lion who was willing to fight... We have to be kind to people, yielding and serving people with meekness. However, you must fight against Satan with courage like a lion.
■ What must we protect?