When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. – Genesis 14:14

Today's Scripture Reading (September 25, 2024): Genesis 14

George Armstrong Custer went to Little Big Horn with one mission in mind: defeating the Lakota Sioux. He was confident that he would win. And maybe it was that confidence that ended up working against him. Ultimately, the Lakota village was larger than any village the soldiers had ever seen before. And that, coupled with the childish rivalry that was taking place among the American Military leaders, contributed to Custer's defeat. In the end, Custer's soldiers were simply outmanned, and, maybe surprising to some, they were outgunned. The forces of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse had more soldiers and better weapons. With the circumstances being what they were, there was no way Custer would come out of the Battle at Little Big Horn alive.

The amazing thing about this story of Abram is the patriarch's choice. Lot had left and took the best land in which to settle down. There could have been anger. Lot, you left and took what was best; now, you are paying the price for your greed. To the xenophobic nations of the plain, Abram could have simply declared that they were getting what they deserved; they were paying the price for your unfriendliness. Abram had fond memories of Mesopotamia; he grew up there. He was married there. That the Kings of Mesopotamia had come in and put the cities of the plain in their place, well, what can I say; it must be God's will.

Abram doesn't do this. He says the world he wants is one where people don't have to live in fear. It is a world that isn't frightened by strangers. It can be so much more than it is. And I am willing to put myself in the middle of that world. I am willing to take my servants and go and fight the four kings who have defeated the five cities to which I live closest.

The reaction to Abram's plan had to be that the plan didn't make any sense. Abram, you can't do that. The numbers don't measure up. You, a single outcast, can't win against the combined force of four Kings of Mesopotamia. But Abraham believed that changing the world started with him.

And so he gathers his small army and chases down the Kings of Mesopotamia, determined to get Lot and his belongings back. It was a little like the Battle at the Little Big Horn, except that Abram's confidence was in God and not his own military ability.

One final note. There is evidence that this story was written later and not by someone who was there at the time of the Battle between Abram and the kings of Mesopotamia. One of the struggles we have with the story of Custer at the Little Big Horn is that no one who had fought on Custer's side survived the Battle. The only stories of the Battle come from the Lakota Warriors who defeated Custer and his troops. And there is evidence that they didn't even know they were fighting against the famous George Armstrong Custer until much later. In Abram's case, many survived the confrontation and likely passed this story down through the generations. By the time it was written down, Dan was a territory. But Dan did not become a territory until hundreds of years after Abram rescued Lot. All of this means this story was passed down for generations before someone decided to write it down.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 15