War for supremacy was a common practice in ancient Biblical times. These would determine the roles of servant and master, as well as the method for allocating resources for survival. This was a seasonal practice, as seen in 2 Samuel 11:1: “It was spring. It was the time when kings go off to war.”
Before entering the territory of Canaan, God instructed the Israelites on the standard and expected practices of war. Deuteronomy 20 outlines God’s laws governing warfare. “If you have to go to war, you may find yourselves facing an enemy army that is bigger than yours and that has horses and chariots. But don’t be afraid! The Lord your God rescued you from Egypt, and he will help you fight.” (Deuteronomy 20:1)
Regardless of who initiated the war, the outcome was clear: The one who wins owns everything. That was their right as winner. Therefore, going to war and winning was an acceptable means of becoming rich and powerful.
In Genesis 14, we find the story of a clan of four kings who went to war against five other kings whom they ruled but who had decided to rebel against their power. These four kings getting ready for war were:
- Amraphel, the king of Babylon.
- Arioch, the king of Ellasar.
- Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam.
- Tidal, the king of Goyim.
Even though their target was the five rebellious kings, they also decided to conquer the cities and kingdoms they encountered along the way. With such a large army, the people in these places had no chance and were conquered. These were:
- Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim
- Zuzites in Ham
- Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim
- Horites in the hill country of Seir
- Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar
After all these campaigns, finally, the four kings were ready to wage war against the five rebellious kings:
- Bera king of Sodom
- Birsha king of Gomorrah
- Shinab king of Admah
- Shemeber king of Zeboyim
- The king of Bela, also called Zoar.
“These five kings all gathered their armies together in the Valley of Siddim. It was also called the valley of the Dead Sea.” (Genesis 14: 3)
However, the battle did not go well for these five rebellious kings. They were obliterated. After losing, there was no other choice but to escape.
“The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away from the battle. Some of their men fell into the pits, but the rest escaped to the hills. The four kings took all the things that belonged to Sodom and Gomorrah. They also took all their food and then left. They carried away Abram’s nephew Lot and the things he owned. Lot was living in Sodom at that time.” (Genesis 14:10-12)
The rule was clear: the one who wins takes it all, and they did. However, they made a little mistake: They took Abram’s nephew.
Amid this disaster, a man escaped and brought the bad news to Abram. “Abram heard that Lot had been captured. So he called out his 318 trained men. All of them were sons of his servants.” (Genesis 14:14)
Let’s take a moment to acknowledge something relevant to this story: Abram had an army of 318 men trained for battle. Abram was armed and ready to defend himself. He had the resources and power to do it.
Then Abram, his 318 men, and some friends went into battle against the five Kings who had just conquered everyone in their way. An army that has obliterated 10 kingdoms. This could have been a very daunting undertaking, but not for Abram.
“Abram and his men chased their enemies as far as Dan. During the night Abram separated his men into groups. They attacked their enemies and drove them away. They chased them north of Damascus as far as Hobah. Abram took back everything the kings had taken. He brought back his nephew Lot and the things Lot owned. He also brought back the women and the other people.” (Genesis 14:14-16)
What a victory! Abram, his 318 trained men, and some friends had won and gotten back everything, including the captured nephew. And what was the the rule of war? The one who wins takes it all. Fair game, Abram had the right to everything he took back. The people Abram had rescued were now considered Abram’s possessions; they were his slaves now.
And the king of Sodom knew the rule but requested: “Give me the people. Keep everything else for yourself.” (Genesis 14:21)
With this victory, Abram was richer than ever before and had done it in a “legal way.” But he did not accept it, even if it was “officially legal” and he had the “right to it.” Because Abram understood God’s promise and decided not to accept this VALID EXCEPTION to gain the power and wealth that God had promised him.
“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have raised my hand to make a promise to the Lord. He is the Most High God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. I’ve said I will not accept anything that belongs to you. I will not take even a thread or the strap of a sandal. You will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’” (Genesis 14:22,23)
Apart from this, let’s analyze another factor in this story. Abram had an army and friends capable of confronting and intimidating five kings. In other words, he had the political and military capability to conquer and become the king of all the territories around him. And doing this would have been a 100% acceptable common practice—a completely acceptable way to become “a great nation” as God has promised. Abram had this perfect EXCEPTION he could have used, but he did not do it.
Abram understood that when a “favor” or “exception” is taken, even if it is a common practice, the outcome, whatever it is, is no longer pure but comes with an eternal debt to those granting the exception. And that debt, sooner or later, had to be paid, perhaps to the detriment of personal principles or affecting the given mission or responsibility.
Abram had the option to be successful and go through life saying: “To the valid exceptions I was offered and took, plus the exceptions I cleverly crafted, and also to God be the glory!” On the contrary, Abram decided not to take exception and protect his right to be able to say:
“To God, only, be the glory!”
Copyright Italo Osorio 2025
