May
the mumbling commence!
Choices
have consequences. It’s a hard learned
lesson – if it’s ever learned. Lot’s
choices had consequences. Read from Peterson’s
The Message:
Then this: Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar,
Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim went off to war to fight Bera king of
Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar.
This second group of kings, the
attacked, came together at the Valley of
Siddim, that is, the Salt Sea. They had been under the
thumb of Kedorlaomer for twelve years. In the thirteenth year, they revolted.
In the fourteenth year,
Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him set
out and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth
Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Sahveh Kiriathaim, and the
Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El Paran on the far edge of the
desert. On
their way back they stopped at En Mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and conquered the
whole region of
the Amalekites as well as that of the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Tamar.
That’s when the king of Sodom
marched out with the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar.
They drew up in battle formation against their
enemies in the Valley of Siddim –
against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of
Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against
five.
The valley of Siddim was full
of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into the tar pits, but the rest
escaped into the
mountains.
The four kings captured all the possessions of Sodom and
Gomorrah, all their food and equipment, and
went on their way. They captured Lot, Abram’s nephew who was living in Sodom at the time,
taking everything he owned with them. (Genesis 14:1-12)
Now
read the same passage from the NIV translation:
At this time Amraphel
king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king
of Goiim went to war
against Bera king of
Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). For twelve years
they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied
with him went out and defeated the Rephaites
in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the
Emites in Shaveh
Kiriathaim and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. Then they turned
back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole
territory of the
Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of
Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and
drew up their battle lines in
the Valley of Siddim against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim,
Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar – four kings against five. Now the Valley of
Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into
them and the rest
fled to the hills. The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram's nephew
Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. (Genesis 14:1-12)
The
differences are minimal between the NIV and Peterson’s work. The story is essentially the same.
Abram
chose the Lord. Lot chose his
appetite. He wanted the best of the land…
ALL OF IT! So it was with the other
peoples in the area.
The
various kingdoms fought with one another for dominance. After the flood, this is the first time that
violence and war is mentioned. And it’s
associated with going east spiritually.
It’s associated with choosing appetite over the Lord.
Let’s
choose the Lord. At times, we will fail
to do this. Let’s give thanks for our Christian
brothers and sisters who come to our rescue… as we will read about tomorrow.
Enough
mumbling for now…
Peace
Out
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