One must ask, why, in the course of the record here in Genesis, the covenantal promises are repeated, not exactly every time, sometimes only portions are given, well some obvious things can be said, Abram didn't get it all the first time perhaps, or it's just generally encouraging for God to remind us of the things that He has pledged and promised. In this account, at least in the latter verses of Genesis 13 there seems to be a higher purpose. We are not sure of the sequence chronologically in the life of Abram, but we are sure of the place of the repetition of these promises in the record itself here in Genesis. That's the thrust. And the divine wisdom of God, the Spirit, has a superintendent, Moses, author of the Pentateuch. This repetition is located just in this place in the record. It is given again following disobedience, the gross disobedience of Abram and Saria, which disobedience we have read, which we have mentioned in this evening series. And because of which the pagan Egyptians were not drawn to God at all, but suffered God's judgment on them, wasn't the promise to Abram to be a blessing to the nations and He was a curse in Egypt. That trip was failure. There's no way to wiggle around it. And I say to you this Sunday evening that it's significant that God comes in the repetition of His covenant promise, He reiterates His pledge in light of that disobedience. I think of the disobedience repeatedly of Peter. I ask you to turn for just a moment of the 22nd chapter of St. Luke's gospel. The 22nd chapter of St. Luke's gospel, Jesus predicting Peter's denial, we read it verse 31, the Lord said, Simon, Simon. Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as feet. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. The old King James is, and when you are conversant, I would prefer that translation still. Not conversion, so we have misunderstood and say that Peter was not yet born again of the spirit of God, but conversion in the sense of being brought back from disobedience to usefulness. That work of grace is like conversion. And how Peter must have rejoiced in the repetition of God's grace to Him. When you have been as it were, Peter, convert it all over again after your horrible denials that are coming.
Such cowardice, such curses, I will use you that never excuses disobedience.
Such repetition and pledge from God never lessens our responsibility, but it doesn't encourage us, doesn't it? And what we have sinned and failed, disobeyed, deal with it. Don't use it as an excuse. Receive a fresh, the pledge, and promise of God. Abram, Sarah, lying, deceiving, conniving, the promise is made again. It's the connection in the context that is to be seen. The promise is repeated, reiterated, underscored, focused upon, afreshed by Almighty God in the face of defections.
We have here in this chapter the separation of law, the neighbor, and it's not just a matter of herdsman and cattle and numbers and grass. It is that, but here is the beginning of the spiritual defection of law and his household. It begins right here. And in the context, in connection to such defection, God's promise is made afresh. His covenant is renewed. Aren't defections something like betrayal? Those who were with you in the battle, colleagues, who quit, who turned back. I do believe we can withstand the enemy, his onslaughts, more easily than we can withstand those who were once with us, who defect, take the other side. I remember meeting up with a classmate from Divinity school days, also a Presbyterian. I was glad to see him. It had been years since we had met, but after only a minute or two I sensed a difference at least if not coldness. So I pressed a bit further and he said, superciliously, oh, I never was the conservative evangelical. The rest of you boys were at seminary. He acted like it. He talked like it. I believe he defected. They're hard to take these departures. But follow with me for just a moment in the 19th chapter, the Sodom and Gomorrah chapter. I want you to see that in fact I'm not making this up. This departure of law for Sodom and Gomorrah and for the planes there in the valley, the lowlands, law, appealing as they were. We have this touch in verse 14 in Genesis 19. So a lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who had married his daughters and said, get up, get out of this place. The Lord will destroy the city. His sons-in-law thought he was joking, took it lightly. This was not a time for joking or frivolity or the misunderstanding of it. The judgment of God was looming over the city. His daughters had not married spiritually, had they. It's part of the defection. Confirmize. Verse 16, while he lingered, while he lingered, the men, heaven's visitors, the angels took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters. The Lord being merciful to him and they brought him out and set him outside the city. Lot, lingering, and the angels had to pull him out. Oh, I understand in the New Testament that his righteous soul was vexed by the immorality and perversity of Sodom and Gomorrah. But I also read right here in the Old Testament record the time of the judgment of those cities that lot lingered. His soul may have been vexed at the start, but the inference may be logically drawn from Old and New Testament accounts, that he became accustomed to Sodom and Gomorrah.
What is this in Methodism? Same sex, married ceremonies, in Emory's Chapel. Methodism
of the great fervor, spiritual life of the Wesley's in the Church of England,
camp meeting days, brush-over meetings in Alabama and all through these parts,
defections, the promises of God, connected to the disobedience of Abram and Sarrii connected to the defection of Lot and his family. Verse 26, it's worse isn't it? His wife looked back behind him and she became a pillow of salt. Would God have ever done that to a true believer? And then verses 30 and following unspeakable, one is careful, picky with words to read a passage of incest publicly. Must have been very difficult for Abram. Lot left there with him. Lot must have heard the pledges and promises made by Almighty God to his uncle, he chose Sodom and Gomorrah. And that choice is right here in our 13th chapter as we look at the life of Abram and in that setting, thanks be to God. The pledge is given again. Despite his defections that are to come, Abram, I want you to understand, my promises are sure, I will accomplish all my will. You know that verse, don't you? My counsels, my counsel shall stand, I shall do all my good pleasure. Despite defections and disobedience, Peter, Abram, here is my promise, my purpose, my pledge. And St. Paul picks it up and he says all of those promises are yay and amen in Christ Jesus. How good of a Lord. In the midst of difficulty to restate the pledge, reiterate the promise that will stand. And then you have following in chapter 14 that passage that none of us likes to read publicly, not because it is of incestim and immorality, but because you can't pronounce all those names very well. And this battle of the kings headed by Settle Omar, who was the king of Shainar, an ancient name for Babylon. You know where Babylon is, don't you? Here is Settle Omar in a confederation of kings and they come to the valley where Sodom and Gomorrah are, where law is, and they capture those cities and those city kings. And it says in verse 12, verse 4 for 12 years, they serve Settle Omar. And in the 13th year they rebelled. Verse 11, they had taken all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and they went their way. They also took law Abrams, brother son, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew for he dwelt by the tarabeth freeze of maverick. The Amorite, brother of Escal and brother of Anor. They were allies with Abram.
And Abram is involved in this disruption which distracts him from covenant conquest or does it?
In the midst of disruption, distraction, the promises of God stand sure. I can think of so many cases in denominations and congregations in institutions and schools where it seems like the enemy disrupts and distracts and uses up all of the energies in those disruptions. And Abram goes with all of his forces up against Settle Omar and defeats him. It is out of that passage and will come to it in due time that Abram meets Melchizedek, king of Salem, king of peace, and pays tithes to him. Here's the issue of domination, usurpation, grabbing all of the goods of law and others, and Abram having to do that which is distasteful, even in the promises of God. Do you know the names Kyle and Delic?
German Lutherans, they set the standard for Hebrew scholarship. Their volumes are printed generation after generation and sort of form the core of Old Testament commentaries. I say that because they're not given to flaky ideas, those German Lutherans, double German types, Germanic, Lutheran church, not given to bizarre notions generally, concerning eschatology. Therefore, I sat up and took notice when they said, is there not here a note, a type, a reminder, a things future when the spiritual Babylon, oh the book of the Revelation, calls the great city of the world system of the anti-Christ Babylon, seeks dominion over all the nations of the earth. The promises of God stand then as well. Allow me to read from those two old Germanic commentators. It appears significant also that the imperial power of Asia Babylon had already extended as far as Canaan and had subdued the valley of the Jordan no doubt with the intention of holding the Jordan valley as the high road to Egypt.
We have here, now listen, a prelude of the future assault of the worldly power upon the kingdom of God established in Canaan, Israel. You know, part of the reason we're in trouble tonight is we've taken the side of Israel. We do receive with thanksgiving to God incidentally, a note of encouragement and trust for God's overruling grace in this troubled world. We have here in this battle scene of chapter 14, this disruption, this distraction to Abram, the father of a Saul. We have here a prelude of the future assault of the worldly power upon the kingdom of God established in Canaan and the importance of this event to sacred history consists in the fact that the kings of the valley of the Jordan and the surrounding country submitted to the worldly power whilst Abram on the contrary with his home-born servants smote the conquerors and rescued their booty, a prophetic sign that in the conflict with the power of the world which will only grow worse and of which Saddam is only a figure, a prophetic sign that in the conflict with the power of the world the seed of Abraham would not only not be subdued
but would be able to rescue from destruction those who appealed to it for aid. In the midst of this disruption, in the midst of this distraction, Abram with his home-grown army defeats Shedalomar Babylon and rescues Lot because apparently he believed the promise of God repeated reiterated underscored and connected in the record to that difficulty. This night we look and wonder if Babylon really might win. I read the revelation, I read this in Genesis, I receive the promise of God, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not be able to withstand it. The seed of Abraham is not only not subdued by Babylon, the seed of Abraham, the church, the true born again church is able to rescue those who appealed to it for aid, for safe harbor, for salvation, how good of God to connect these promises repeated, to disobedience, defection, disruption, to this so sweet to trust in Jesus because he incorporates and it compasses incarnates all the promises of the covenant. Forever when the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Amen. I pray.