The Enemy is Coming! Lot in Sodom - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

THE ENEMY IS COMING!

Riiiinnnnnnnnggggggg!!! The school bell somehow sounded louder than
it ever was before.

John quickly stuffed his notebook, papers, pencils and other
belongings into his backpack. It had been his first day back to
school, but he was eager to get home now so he could go out and
play.

As he went out the door and onto the sidewalk, he couldn't help but
notice that same boy who had been bullying him at recess. "Oh, no!
Maybe I should go back inside." But just as John turned around to
go back inside, the heavy door slammed shut, locking him out.

Too late! The bully saw him coming and was headed straight towards
him, with three of his friends right behind.

"Hey, John!" he yelled. "Wanna fight?"

John tried to act as if he didn't hear him and started walking on
down the sidewalk.

"Too chicken, AREN'T you?" the bully scoffed.

Just then, Mrs. Shade, the art teacher stepped outside with an
armload of books.

"You boys run on home," she scolded.

John breathed a sign of relief, as he watched the bully back away
with his three friends.

* * *

After his father died, leaving him everything he owned, Lot left
home and followed Uncle Abram, his father's brother. Because they
each owned too many things, they kept getting in each other's way.
Before long, in order to keep peace between them, Abram and Lot had
to move away from one another.

Lot chose to move near Sodom, simply because the place LOOKED so
BEAUTIFUL. Yet he KNEW Sodom was a very WICKED city. Of course, he
didn't move right inside the city...at first. He just lived near
the EDGE of it, not intending to stay very long. Little did he know
what was about to happen to him, along with everyone ELSE who lived
in that evil city.

Let me tell you what happened.

Living so near Sodom, Lot no doubt often went into the city to sell
some of the many things he owned so he could buy food. Perhaps he
even sold food he raised in his own garden.

Well, each time he went to the market, he learned more and more
about Sodom. He found out they had a king whose name was
Chedorlaomer (ked-or-lay-oh' mûr).

"Where is your king?" Lot asked one day in the marketplace. "I've
never seen him."

"Oh," the merchant replied, "that's because he doesn't LIVE here.
You see, he's king over four OTHER cities. He's ruled over us for
12 years now, and we're sick and TIRED of it. One day, we're going
to show him who's BOSS!"

Well, that day was SOONER than the merchant expected, for the very
next year, the people of Sodom decided on a plan to get rid of King
Chedorlaomer. They believed if they could persuade all the people
in the other four cities to rebel against the king, all at the same
time, together, they could DEFEAT him.

So the people in all five cities banded together and made it known
that Chedorlaomer was NO LONGER THEIR KING.

Soon the news reached the king's ears. A messenger told the king
what the people had done.

"Well," said King Chedorlaomer, "if they think they can get by with
THIS, they have another thing coming to them."

"Send a messenger to my friends, Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch
king of Ellasar, and Tidal king of Goiim. We will show these people
who's boss!"

And so it was that, in the fourteenth year of his rule,
Chedorlaomer and his friends gathered all their armies together and
headed toward the Salt Sea, conquering village after village as
they went.

The news soon reached Sodom that King Chedorlaomer, his friends,
and ALL THEIR ARMIES were coming. It struck FEAR in the hearts of
all the people.

Lot and his family moaned in panic:

"What will we do NOW?"

They wondered why in the world they had chosen to live so close to
Sodom in the first place.

But it was TOO LATE! The enemy armies were ON THEIR WAY.

It seemed the entire city of Sodom was in an uproar. People were
DASHING back and forth in ALL directions. Mothers were busy buying
all the food they could afford for their families, so they wouldn't
have to worry about running out of food.

Fathers were RACING to get their swords sharpened, and to buy more
weapons and armor to defend themselves, and then RACING back home
to say good-bye to their wives and children.

Children were running through the streets crying, trying to find
their moms and dads. Oh, there was so much FEAR and CONFUSION. It
was just TERRIBLE!

The men of Sodom called for the men of the other four cities to
come and help. Together, they met King Chedorlaomer and his friends
and their armies on the same battlefield where Chedorlaomer had
defeated them 14 years earlier.

* * *

REMEMBER

Yahweh is bigger than any problem I have.

THINK!
1. How close did Lot move to Sodom?
2. Did he plan on staying in Sodom a long time?
3. How long did King Chedorlaomer rule over Sodom?
4. How many other cities did he rule over?
5. What caused the entire city of Sodom to be in an uproar?
6. When the people were afraid, what did they do?
7. Did they turn to Yahweh for help?
8. Who is bigger than any problem you have?

A VERSE TO LEARN

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee..." (Isaiah 41:10a).

LET'S PRAY

****************************************************
Dear Yahweh, when I'm afraid, give me the courage to
trust You. Help me to always remember that You are
bigger than any problem I have.
In Yah'shua's Name. Amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 11:27-28; 12:4; 13:1-13; 14:1-7

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