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.