DAY 93 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE PROMISE
When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men..three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Genesis 14:14
Reading: Genesis 13:11-12, Genesis 14:13-24, Genesis 14:27
Yesterday, we looked at the life of Lot and saw that things did not go well for him after he chose to move closer to Sodom and Gomorrah. At one point he was taken captive and Abram went to rescue him.
What does this story have to do with us? It was his relative Lot who made the choice to go and live near Sodom and Gomarrah, that had been slave cities for 12 years. Why would Lot go and live in slavery when God had blessed him with wealth and a life of freedom? Despite this, Abram did not carry a grudge and celebrate that Lot was getting what he deserved – he acted in a Christlike way by going to Lot’s rescue. Abram took 318 trained men from his home and defeated the might of the four kings who had a track record of already defeating five kingdoms. The fighting men that accompanied Abram had been trained in his house but they were not kept as slaves in the same way as others around him were. They had been circumcised and brought into the covenant of God. They had chosen to follow the God of Abram and to fight alongside Abram.
As you read through the Bible, look out for signs of God’s hatred of slavery and His efforts to save slaves. The ultimate example of this, of course, is that God sent Jesus to buy us, with the currency of his own blood, out of the slave market of this world. The Lord calls us to be free and to never allow anything to enslave us again. Again, Abram demonstrates this for us at the end of the story when he refuses to take any of the captured spoil so that he would not be enslaved to any man. He considered himself to be the Lord’s slave only.
Prayer
Lord thank you for setting me free from the enslaving power of darkness. Deliver me from the temptation to fall into fear, and help me to help others who are controlled by fear.
FOR THE FAMILY
Explain
Briefly share the story of Abram and Lot.
Engage
Then print out this maze puzzle and let the kids figure it out.