Christians have a manual on hand. The Bible. So I intend to spend sometime starting in this post to read some biblical events and ask that the Lord Holy Spirit to lead us through valuable lessons from the Commander in Chief in heaven Himself in His words. The cases show us principles that we can apply physically, mentally and spiritually.
The first case recorded how Abraham responded successfully to a major life and death crisis of his loved one - nephew Lot and family.
Background:
1. Wars broke out between two interest groups (in those days, of kings)
2. Lot was a 'civilian citizen' or 'resident' of one of the kingdom. His king was defeated.
3. The defeated kingdoms were plundered and Lot too was captured with his family and all he owned.
4. Someone escaped and told Abraham.
Abraham's response:
1. He mobilized his best army whom he had trusted (318 trained men born into his household ). He was always prepared with good and trusted warriors for war like this.
2. He was also prepared with faithful allies (neighbors with whom he had maintained comrade relationship long before the crisis).
3. He was prepared in physical and mental stamina. He pursued until he caught up with the enemy.
4. He divided his men and attacked during the night. He was prepared with a battle strategy that indeed worked and overwhelmed this group of newly victorious invaders.
5. The enemy fled, but he chased them (regardless the distance, the time and length of the war). He was prepared with his battle goal -total and definite casting out of the enemy.
6. He fought until he recovered all that had been taken by the enemy. He did not stop until his final goals are fully accomplished - complete freedom for all the captives and their possessions.
7. Why was Abraham so confident of success? He knew His God. He knew God was on his side. Who can be against him?
Genesis 14Abram Rescues Lot
New Living Translation (NLT)
14:1 About this time war broke out in the region...
5 One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated ...8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle ...10 As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains.
11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies.
12 They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.
13 But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies.
14 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.
