Scripture to Read: Genesis 14:1-16
In today's devotion, we begin Genesis 14 and witness a rescue mission. In the first seven verses, God provides a brief history of the kings and their rival alliances. As the kings went to war, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and the enemies took all the land's possessions and captured those who were there. Lot and all his possessions were included in this capture in Genesis 14:12. One of the victims escaped and ran to tell Abram what had happened to Lot. Abram gears up and leads over 300 trained men to pursue those who had captured Lot. Abram and his men defeat their enemies and rescue Lot and those with him. In Genesis 14:16, God concludes the scene with "he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people." Although Lot had chosen this land, due to the sin of the people living there, Lot ended up needing to be rescued. God used Abram and his army to complete that rescue mission. The rescue mission is a beautiful picture of what God did for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Due to our sin, we needed to be rescued from the power and penalty of our sin. What God did for us was come, through our Lord Jesus Christ, to rescue us and defeat the enemy of sin and death for us. We were saved by believing in (trusting in, clinging to, and relying on) our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we can share with others how they can do the same.
Challenge & Application
What does this passage teach us about God’s work in the gospel and how does it point us to Christ?
In what ways do you recognize you are a sinner in need of rescue?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!