Day 4: Lech Lecha/Genesis 14:21-15:6
The town’s people are important to the king of Sodom, not because of his care for them, but for the sensual and corruption, they represent. The depravity around the Salt Sea was so abhorrent that the king of Sodom was intent on keeping a stock of people for immoral acts and their limited wealth. In contrast, Abram’s response to the king of Sodom concerning taking the bounty and plunder was above reproach. He did not desire a fee for rescue, a reward, or even a token of gratitude for the effort. What was desired had already been gained by the retrieval of Lot and his family. Truth be told, Sodom and the surrounding cities were so corrupt that it was for Lot’s sake alone that Abram had acted. His love for his nephew in this heroic venture was clear. Lot’s rescue foreshadows the questions Abraham would eventually plead with the Angel of Elohim prior to the destruction of the Salt Valley.
The lack of self revelry or assumption of reward was an important attribute found in Abram. It was this character trait that marked this man of Elohim as different than the surrounding Canaanites. Abram knew that there was an empirical difference between right and wrong, good and evil. This is what moved him to rescue the righteous from among the unrighteous, even if it meant that those marked as unrighteous would be saved along with Lot. Like Elohim, Abram was willing to allow the unrighteous the opportunity to repent as a result of saving those that were already deemed righteous.
Abram’s belief that Lot was a good man belonging to Elohim incited him to a rescue attempt and victory. This was not done for gain for himself, but to bring glory to the Creator. To a believing individual like Abram, each person of the Creator’s character was one more person that could affect the world in a positive way. They could, if like Abram, transform nations and individuals for the purpose of understanding who Elohim is.
This type of belief system was not based on man’s ability to transform anything in and of himself but was a faith in the Creator to use man for His goodwill and purpose. It was this type of belief and faith that Abram had and Elohim saw it and reckoned that faith to Abram as righteousness. Abram did not look to his own hands or anything about himself to feel empowered or even able to measure up to what Elohim desired. In fact, the opposite was a reality for this servant of the Most High. As of yet, Abram still did not have a son/heir apparent and Sarai were still barren—quite a humbling place to be in that ancient culture.
This is where we identify with our father Abraham. There is nothing intrinsically good about us as we were born conquered by sin and ready to be devoured in death due to separation between us and the Creator. The faith that we maintain and the belief that what YHVH tells us as Truth and that YHVH keeps His promises is the beginning of good in us. Again, this is not our good, as we do not initiate first contact. It is the Ruach haKodesh that inspires us to cry out and call on the name of YHVH first, and to believe in Him. As that cry resonates, Elohim looks down upon a reflection of Himself and draws near to us. It takes faith, like Abram’s, to catch YHVH’s attention. Without a faith response to what the Ruach plants within us, there is no substance found within us suitable for use by the Creator.
The unbelievers around us, who see YHVH’s goodness, typically do not see the Creator Himself. They see the works of the Creator that can be used, borrowed, bought, bartered, or manipulated. They cannot purchase our righteousness, as it is not ours to sell, it is Yeshua’s in us.
Many people will, like the kings of old, try and conquer us for the sake of our lives, goods, and subjection; yet, Yeshua has come, like Abram, to ransom us back to Himself as He battles for our souls. For those of us that He has planted righteousness into, He rescues us for the sake of His own possession. The others that gain freedom as part of the multitude have a second chance to look upon the work of YHVH as evidenced in our lives. They can choose to walk in repentance because of the work of Messiah in us and on our behalf. By emptying ourselves of this world in exchange for what is good, pure, and undefiled, we can be used to bring about real change around us. The world will still be destroyed, just as Sodom ultimately was; but, in the end, how many lives could be touched because we believe in the Word and promises of YHVH our Elohim?
If we are receiving the benefits of Abram’s faith, could others seeing our lives be touched to receive blessings because we believe?
Dwell upon James 2:22-24, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘and Abraham believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
