Old Testament - Genesis 14 & 15 - February 8, 2022

 2/8/2022 – Genesis 14 & 15

Chapter 14 starts with the kings of individual city/states beginning to war with one another. These conflicts included the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah (v 8). V 10 tells us that it was in these conflicts that “…the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they  that remained fled to the mountain.” The winning kings then took “…all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot…and his goods, and departed.” (v’s 11-12)

One of Lot’s servants escaped and came running to Abraham with the news. Abraham immediately gathered his servants, “he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” (v 14) Abraham was not a man of war, but he had trained his people for war…just in case. His people divided their forces in the night and were successful not only freeing Lot, but all others who had been taken--they also bought back their stolen goods.

Abraham was thanked by the king of Sodom. He was also visited by Melchizedek, king of Salam. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and telling him that he had been blessed as God “hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” Abraham paid tithing to Melchizedek on all the things they had taken from the enemies they had defeated.

Then the king of Sodom came to Abraham, telling him to “Give me the persons, and take the good to thyself.” (v 21) Abraham’s answer was “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine….Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me…let them take their portion.

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Old Testament adds 15 verses to Genesis 14, some of which speak of the power of the priesthood and to those who believed in the Lord: “For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that everyone being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course: To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from  before the foundation of the world. And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.”  As we obey the Lord’s laws we come closer to Him, and are able to experience ever more of His help, His comfort, and His love.

Genesis 15 starts with “the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Abram then asked for what he longed for: to have a child. (v 3) The Lord comforts him and tells him: “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord;” (v ‘s 5-6). The Lord continues to assure Abraham in v 13; “…Know of a surety that thy seed shall be stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.” I don’t know how comforting this was to Abraham, but it certainly assured him that he would have a child.    

The JST gives us more information: “And it came to pass, that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord, and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness.”. (v 12)

What a reminder for me! When I ask the Lord for specific things, I can feel filled as I get up from my prayers…but then I continue on seeing no real answer to my prayers. The answer is in the peace I feel. The lesson is that I must learn patience and continue to work to grow closer to His commandments, and this closer to Him. 


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