Abram believes The LORD who reckoned that as righteousness

Your mother tells me you have finished your last pack meeting and next week you start Boy Scouts, are you excited?

< = = = I think so, it is always odd to go from being the most senior, back to the junior, but Marty and Ben are also being promoted. And Ben's dad wants him to start preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and has invited me to the extra classes. I wasn't sure I wanted any more classes in life, it seems like I don't get any free time, life is school, tutors like you and then eat, shower and bed.

Idle time is a destroyer Master Cohen and you have a destiny you must fulfill. Today, we learn about the promise of an heir. After the incredible blessing of Priest and King Melchizedek, and the rescue of Lot, Abram took the next day to rest, after all, even though he is in good physical shape he is eighty five years old at this point and while he was resting the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."
Now this simple statement has great meaning. If you look at this in Hebrew, you see the idea of "The Word of the Lord" and this is the first time we see this construct in the Pentateuch. However, after this, that phrasing will become common. Christians believe the Word of the Lord means Jesus Christ and it certainly refers to the Messiah to come. This is also the first time the Lord refers to Himself as "I AM". The LORD refers to Himself as Abram's shield and promises a great reward.

< = = = But Abram is the original man who has everything, what more can he possibly receive?

Ah, there is much more to life than money Master Cohen. Your parents are so proud of you and count you as a blessing. In the same way, I count my own son as an incredible blessing. Through Abram all the tribes of the earth will be blessed, at least those that choose to accept the blessing. And Abram fully understood what the LORD was talking about. He replied to the LORD and said, "O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since I don't have a son, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no children, so one of my servants will have to be my heir."

In those days, not having a son was a shame, a failure to thrive. Abram has riches, a trophy wife, he is an outstanding cook, a leader, a great warrior, and yet in the eyes of society and even in his own eyes, he was a miserable failure.

Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you." Then the LORD brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that--too many to count!"


And even though he was eighty five years old, Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith.

< = = = So, does that just apply to Abram, or does that apply to any man, that if you believe the LORD, the LORD declares you righteous?

That is a great question Master Cohen, but it is somewhat of a debate. Certainly if you believe The LORD, He can reckon you as righteous. However, the tricky part is believing The LORD as opposed to just any old god. Abram himself worked in an idol shop as a youth, he knew as well as anyone that the world is full of gods. His very special gift, his very special blessing was to hear God and follow God. His faith in believing God who told him he could sire children in the future when Abram was 85 was huge, but knowing the promise was coming from The LORD was just as important.

<= = = But what about us today? There are so many religions, so many interpretations, how do we know The LORD? How do we know which God to believe?

Mr. Storyteller paused, and in a quiet sincere voice replied, "A careful study of scripture and prayer certainly doesn't hurt Master Cohen and I am here to help guide you in your understanding."

Abraham Haggles with God to Save Sodom

<= = = Hello Sir, did you get your cheeseburger?

I did Izzy and thank you for asking. More important, how was your Seder? I hope you read ahead, it has been a while since I was able to come and this is a very important part of the story of Abraham.

<= = = Yes Sir, I did, but I am confused about some things.

That is fine Izzy, ask any question you like, but let's begin the story. After eating the meal that Abraham and Sarah prepared, the men got up from their meal and started on toward Sodom. Abraham went with them part of the way. "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?", asked one of the three men who was called Jehovah. "For Abraham will become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the LORD and do what is right and just. Then I will do for him all that I have promised."

Now as I have said before Izzy, when God asks a question, it is not because He does not already know the answer. Is He going to tell Abraham what He is going to do? Of course he is going to tell Abraham what He was going to do. So the LORD told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked. I Am going down to see whether or not these reports are true. Then I will know."

The two other men went on toward Sodom, but the LORD remained with Abraham for a while. Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city--will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" And the LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake."

<= = = Fifty people doesn't seem like that many?

Oh no Izzy, it is not and yet God would have spared Sodom for fifty righteous. Then Abraham spoke again. "Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?" And the LORD said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five." Then Abraham pressed his request further. "Suppose there are only forty?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are forty." "Please don't be angry, my Lord," Abraham pleaded. "Let me speak--suppose only thirty are found?" And the LORD replied, "I will not destroy it if there are thirty." Then Abraham said, "Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue--suppose there are only twenty?" And the LORD said, "Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."

<= = = How likely is it that God will get angry, Abraham seems concerned.

God loves spending time with Abraham and negotiation is a part of Abraham's culture. He loves to haggle, but there is another important point. Abraham is serving as an intercessor, standing between the people of Sodom and God and pleading for them. Later, Ezekiel will prophesy of Abraham's children, Israel, "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one." Izzy even though you are young, God wants you to intercede for the tribes of Israel, because a time of wrath is coming, more than Israel has ever seen.

Finally, Abraham said, "Lord, please do not get angry; I will speak but once more! Suppose only ten are found there?" And the LORD said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it." The LORD went on his way when he had finished his conversation with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his tent.

@AbrahamWanderer I think I should have negotiated harder for G-d to spare Sodom, but you would think they could come up with 10 righteous.

Abram "negotiates" for Lot

( The real source for this photo is here )

One of the men who escaped came to the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite and told Abram the Hebrew, that Lot, his possessions, women and children had been captured by the kings of the north.

Abram at that moment was with Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner and they were Abram's allies.

<= == = Woah, Abram the Hebrew, we haven't heard that before right? So, Abram is a Jew? A kid in school said Abram wasn't Jewish.

That is probably true Master Cohen, most people feel the term Jew comes from Judah son of Jacob. We believe the term Hebrew comes from Abram's ancestor Eber. Anyway, this is an exciting story, mind if I tell it?

When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called together the trained men born into his household, 318 of them in all and his allies and their trained me came as well.

He chased after Kedorlaomer's army over a hundred miles until he caught up with them in Dan, the uppermost part of Galilee. There he divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions. Kedorlaomer's army fled, but Abram chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Abram and his allies recovered everything--the goods that had been taken, Abram's nephew Lot with his possessions, and all the women and other captives.

<= = = I don't understand, King Kedorlaomer's alliance was so effective taking out anything in their path, Abram could not have been numerically superior, figure five hundred warriors tops unless Mamre, Eshcol and Aner were as wealthy as Abram. And they had to be tired from the chase, not like they could hop in a car. How could Abram win and the way you tell it win so easily?

There are several points to make here. One, Abram had the approval of the LORD and that alone should be enough. And it was night time and the northern federation were probably toasting their victory with wine. And you see strategy is involved, by dividing his men and attacking nimbly from multiple directions the numerically superior force couldn't use, couldn't deploy all of their warriors to the fronts. Finally, in those days, before guns, one man could be as a hundred or even a thousand if you were strong, fast, had the knowledge of your weapon, you could cut down a crowd.

However, it was an amazing victory, it shows anything can happen so you must be true to your own destiny. No matter how impossible or out of control things seem to be, remember this part of the story, have faith and prevail. Now we come to the most amazing part of all in this chapter in Abram's life.

Abram's nightmare vision

Good afternoon Master Cohen, how are you today?

< = = = I am a bit tired to be honest, didn't sleep so well, I had a number of bad dreams.

Yes, I imagine you did, there is a bit of a war going on around you and to some extent in you. We will keep today's lesson short and I will try to spice it up just a bit.



Abram believed the promise of the LORD, that he would have an heir. Then the LORD told him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land." But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?"

<= = = Wait, wait, that does not compute. Yesterday, Abram is Mr. Faith himself, now he wants proof, and what kind of proof can God possibly give him other than a pregnant Sarai?

Quite an insight young Cohen. More than one person has struggled with this turn of events. Keep in mind that Abram doesn't know God all that well. He didn't have any scripture to read, the oral tradition took quite a blow in the flood and ensuing years of silence. However, Abram is learning fast. How many people have a full on dialog with the LORD, they are having a conversation. And the LORD is revealing things to Abram for the first time in the Biblical record. But to be straight with you, this is a bit of a pageant. Let's see how it unfolds.

In response to his question, the LORD told Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." Abram took all these and killed them. He cut each one down the middle and laid the halves side by side. He did not, however, divide the birds in half.

< = = = Oh boy, here we go sacrificing animals again.

Indeed. The LORD chooses to meet Abram where he is. When two chieftains established a pact, they scarified an animal or several to commemorate the occasion. Abram took all these and killed them. He cut each one down the middle and laid the halves side by side, the sign of a continuing covenant. Abram's doing his best, God will more fully explain the ordinances of sacrifice to His servant Moses. Abram did not, however, divide the birds in half.

Now check this out, some vultures came down to eat the carcasses, this is a symbol of the adversary trying to steal what is meant for the people of God, but Abram chased them away. The vultures don't just come once of course, they come again and again like the slanted news on CNN. Abram gets weary defending the sacrifice. So just like you will sleep well tonight Master Cohen, that evening, as the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. He saw a terrifying vision of darkness and horror.

< = = = Like my nightmares?

Similar, this vision was essentially the history of four generations of the captivity of the Jews in Egypt especially towards the end of the period, when Pharaoh ordered all Hebrew male babies killed and how they were worked so hard. Abram saw the plagues and especially the plague that killed every first born except in the houses that followed the ordinance of Passover so that the angel of death did not judge them, but passed over them instead.

Abram struggled to get to the surface from this deep sleep and then the LORD told Abram, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, and they will be oppressed as slaves for four hundred years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. This was a lot to take in, so the LORD added, "but you will die in peace, at a ripe old age. After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, when the sin of the Amorites has run its course."

<= = = What was the sin of the Amorites?

Ummm, that falls into the category of TMI ( Too Much Information), but let's suffice to say that our word for love, Amour stems from their name and say they were exceedingly pagan and turn our thoughts back to the end of this story. Abram has had a big day with the LORD, he has seen a lot and has a lot to ponder, but there is more to come. As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.

So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day, a covenant that Abram could identify with and understand and the LORD said, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."

Abram, who didn't even have a descendant at eighty five years of age would one day sire a people that would have the power and opportunity to drive all of these peoples from the land, if they were courageous, stayed focused and listened to the Word of the LORD. Now I am off Master Cohen, time for you to eat, shower and sleep. Pleasant dreams.

Stormclouds of war

Master Cohen, the next section of our story is very important and will hit one of the most mysterious passages in the Bible, but we won't get that far today. But with your destiny, this is important stuff so listen well and learn.
About this time war broke out in the region. For twelve years the city states in the Siddim valley, (Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zeboiim and Bela/Zoar, had all been subject to King Kedorlaomer. They had to pay taxes to King Kedorlaomer and follow some of his dictates. But a movement was spreading through the Siddim valley, it was the original fight against big government and their battle cry was no taxation without representation.

< = = = Oh no, Mr. Storyteller, that is the American Revolution

Well perhaps you are right Master Cohen, however, as it says in the good book:
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

Anyway, back to our story in the thirteenth year they rebelled. King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (now called Zoar) formed an alliance and mobilized their armies in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea

The Siddim valley is the area below sea level that Lot had chosen.
These cities are probably under water, under the Dead Sea today. As the Jordan River makes its way south into the depression below sea level, there is no way for the water to get out.

Now for twelve years King Kedorlaomer has been getting money from these folks, it is approaching April 15th and time to pay up and all up and down the Siddim Valley they start holding tea parties. The word gets to King Kedorlaomer, what do you think he is going to do?

<= = = He is going to want to collect that money, if he shows weakness, they will start encroaching on his territory.

Very well said Master Cohen. But they have created an alliance of five city states, Kedorlaomer has only one, does he have the resources to take on all five kings?

<= = = He would if he had invested his tax tribute money in his army, but he probably built palaces and such, so he needs to form a counter alliance?

Perfect and that is what happened. King Amraphel of Babylonia or Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim, essentially the Kings to the North and we are talking modern day Iraq at least for Babylonia and Elam formed an alliance for war and for taking plunder.

One year later, Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived from the North. Along the way, they conquered the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim to the east of the Sea of Galilee. Then they made their way south, always east of the Jordan River taking their plunder a tribe at a time, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in the plain of Kiriathaim, and the Horites in the hill country around Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness. Supposedly the Rephaites, Zuzites, Emites and the Horites were all giants, seven or even eight feet tall, but you know the saying, the bigger you are, the harder you fall, they were all defeated. Then they swung around to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and all but destroyed the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.

Not bad for a military campaign, but now it is time for the main event. They have honed their fighting skills and recruited some new warriors from the defeated tribes. Now it is time for those pesky tax evaders in the Siddim Valley north to what would become the Dead or Salt Sea.

Showtime! The army of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela/Zoar prepared for battle in the valley of the Salt Sea King Kedorlaomer of Elam and the kings of Goiim, Babylonia, and Ellasar--four kings against five.
You see, King Kedorlaomer's alliance had much more firepower than the tribes they had just conquered, but now, perhaps a battle of titanic proportions was brewing. But it was not to be, they army at Siddim was not, they were not battle hardened when they faced the disciplined alliance to the North they wilted like a flower too close to a candle.

As it happened, the valley was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some slipped into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and began their long journey home, taking all the wealth and food with them.
They also captured Lot--Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom--and took everything he owned.

<= = = Mr. Storyteller, is Avram going to negotiate for Lot?

Yes exactly. Just like Bruce Willis in the Fifth Element, you remember that, Bruce is a down and out his sky taxi driver, who falls for the exotic Leeloo and needs to do the rescue bit, he blows away a roomful of hostage-holding aliens, then asks, "Does anyone else want to negotiate?". But that is a story for tomorrow.