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7. Lot's Danger and
Salvation.
Lot had not chosen
happily. Short-sighted people often choose their misfortune, no matter
how wisely and carefully they think they are acting. But if he has only
acted honestly, God already knows ways and means to save his own.
Lot lived among godless people; that was already a great misfortune.
There were also many petty rulers in those regions. A war broke out
among them. Four fought against five. The war spread to the valley of
Sittim and as far as Sodom. The four won against the five. Lot and all
his menservants and maidservants and his beautiful flocks were captured
and carried away, along with the people and all the possessions of Sodom
and Gomorrah.
A fugitive reported to Abraham that Lot, his friend, had been captured
with the rest of the inhabitants and led away by the enemy. So Abraham
set off quickly with all his people, three hundred and eighteen of them.
He was also accompanied by his allies, the men Aner, Eshcol and Mamre
and their men. They caught up with the procession of prisoners, attacked
the enemy unexpectedly from various sides during the night and rescued
Lot and everything the enemy had taken. The happy march home passed the
town of Salem.
At that time, a venerable man by the name of Melchisedek lived in Salem.
He was both king and priest of God Most High in this city. Melchisedec
came out to meet Abraham and welcomed him. ‘Blessed are you,
Abraham, God Most High, who rules heaven and earth; and praise be to God,
who has delivered your enemies into your hands!’ He also entertained
Abraham and all his people with food and drink - Abraham took this as a
great honour. It was a real day of honour and joy for him. He also laid
down a tenth of all his spoils at the altar of God Most High, to whom
Melchisedec was a priest, to show that he owed the salvation of his
friend not to his wisdom and manliness, but to his God.
At the same time, the king of Sodom also came to him. The pious shepherd
Abraham had to deal with kings that day. The king of Sodom said to him:
‘Give me back the poor people whom you have freed from the power of the
enemy. You may keep the goods for yourself.’ For he did not believe that
Abraham wanted to give him anything back. But Abraham said to him, ‘May
the Most High God, to whom I lift up my hands, keep me from this, that I
should keep a thread of all that is yours, except what the people have
consumed and what my allies have to give.’ With these words, Abraham
gave back to the plundered king of Sodom everything that his enemies had
taken from him.
This is how beautiful gratitude towards God and mercy towards
unfortunate people emerge at the same time from a humble heart, and one
may not be possible without the other.
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