25/05/2023 - EVERYTHING TURNED OUT TO BE THEIRS

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And all their wealth, all their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses. Genesis 34.29

The spoil that Jacob’s sons took was great. In addition to the animals in the pastures and stables, there was also the harvest. They not only took the material things, but also the people, boys and women, and everything in their houses. This was the custom of the time when enemies were defeated. Not a single man was spared in that place. That was life then!

When the four kings – Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of Goyim – fought against Sodom and Gomorrah and the city-states of that region and overcame them, they took all the farm and all the food, taking Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and his wealth as their prisoner. But one who had escaped told Abraham what had happened, and so, he went to fight against those monarchs (Genesis 14.8-14).

In this struggle of Abraham, there are some precious and beautiful lessons for our spiritual growth. He armed 318 servants from his house and pursued those opponents as far as Dan. The patriarch and his servants split against them at night, wounded them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all goods, as well as Lot and his possessions. It was an intense battle, but the Lord helped him.

Then the monarch of Sodom went out to meet Abraham, and Melchizedek, king of Salem and also priest of the Most High, brought him bread and wine and blessed him, saying that he was blessed of God, who had delivered his enemies into his hands. The patriarch gave Melchizedek a tithe of everything. But the king of Sodom asked Abraham to give him only the souls and to keep the spoils, but he did not accept (Genesis 14.17-24)!

Abraham explained why he would not receive anything from the hands of the king of Sodom, saying that he had raised his hand to the Most High and would not take even a thread or a strap of a sandal, lest he say that he had made Abraham rich. Only the confederates could take their share. In the case of Shechem, Jacob’s sons had no confederates, so they took everything: the widows, their children and servants, as well as the wealth!

The life of God’s servants is not always a “bed of roses,” but with Heaven’s help, they manage to win the battles. Examples teach us how to fight, as Paul said: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6.12).

With the abundance of examples found in the Bible, we can and should fight with the strength of the Name of the Lord and the anointing of the Holy Spirit that rests upon us, and only return after we have won the war. In what area of your life is the devil fighting against you? Be brave, never back down, but head out to succeed. Believe and fight!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares