In The Face Of Evil, Jesus Brings You Peace

"Peace I leave with you;

My [perfect] peace I give to you;

not as the world gives do I give to you.

Do not let your heart be troubled,

nor let it be afraid.

[Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance

and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]"

-John 14:27 (amp)

In Our Valley Of Darkness, Jesus Comes To Us

In Genesis 14 we find Abram in a position of war. To be honest, I never thought of Abraham as a man of war, and yet the text is clear that he was ready to do battle when necessary! I think we should keep that mind, that the "father of all who believe" (Romans 4, Galatians 3:6-9) was ready to go to war when asked. Sometimes we have to really fight for our faith, are we ready for war?

"And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people."

Genesis 14:8-16

I underlined several parts of the text I want to focus on. The first part is "four kings against five...Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled." First off, there were 5 kings that joined together against 4 kings, and they met in the Valley of Siddim. In the Hebrew, 5 is the number for grace and favor, 4 is depicted as the number of creation or earth (4 corners of the earth). The Valley of Siddim is the valley of division, field of demons. The etymology of the word Siddim means to deal violently with, ruin or destroy.

There are going to be times in our lives in which we set out to do battle in grace with God's favor and come up against the world in the valley of the field of demons. They are going to deal with us violently, ruin us and try to destroy us. Asphalt (or tar) has really interesting symbolism in the Bible. Tar symbolizes the atonement (of the blood of Jesus), protection against sinking, judgment, and the works of people. Depending on our situation and how we respond depends on what the asphalt pit will mean to us!

When we come up against something demonic in our lives, or hit a valley filled with evil activity, do we flee in fear? It's when the king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and left his post of war that his people were captured and their goods plundered. If we flee from grace of the Lord (5) because of what the world (4) is doing to us, then the demonic valley filled with asphalt pits will become a place of judgement and we'll fall at the hands (or works) of people. BUT, if we fix our eyes on the blood of Jesus (atonement) He will protect us and keep us from sinking!

Of course we know from scripture that the king of Sodom wasn't a godly man, so he wasn't likely to call on Jesus to save him. But me and you? We can call on our Savior when we find ourselves in the Valley of Siddim. Whatever our place of demonic induced darkness happens to be, He will cover us with His precious blood and keep us from sinking. Looking to Jesus keeps us in the center of His grace, and nothing the world throws at us can get to us!

But what if we run in fear? What if we flee in a fit of anxiety? Then I have another word of encouragement for you, because the story doesn't end here. It continues with "They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre."

Many years ago the Lord showed me that when we find someone sitting beneath a tree in the Bible it is a picture of dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty. We very often find Abraham dwelling beneath the Terebinth tree which is where he would commune with the Lord. You know who else sat under a tree? Deborah, the female judge and prophetess would render justice under the palm tree.

So, while Lot was living in the land of sin and evil, (which he chose to dwell in, let's not forget), Abraham was choosing to spend his time with the Lord. 

Let me give you one quick truth from the lives of these two men: Lot appeared to be *technically* blessed with the blessing that Abraham wanted. They both had similar livelihoods and great possessions which signified similar levels of wealth (Genesis 13:6). But it was Lot who had children.

If you are waiting on a promise from the Lord and you see others who have been given your promise and not you, don't let yourself be jealous of them! Instead, choose to spend your time with the Lord under the shadow of His wings. Because one day, the ones who have your blessing but walk in the ways of evil, they will be captured by the enemies and have their possessions ransacked.

Stick close to Jesus, He will bring your promise in due time! And while you wait, you don't have to worry about your home, your family, your livelihood, or anything else God has given you be stolen from you. He will protect you and He will preserve all He's given you.

Ok, moving along. Genesis 14:14 says, "Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants." The number 14 in Hebrew has several incredible meanings, and we find it twice here, chapter 14, verse 14. While the original text didn't have chapters and verses like our Bible does now, I don't believe anything in God's Word is by accident. There is a reason that all things line up like they do!

This website states the number 14 this way: "To write fourteen in Hebrew, they wrote two Hebrew letters: yod-daleth. These signify the hand (outworking) of the door. It pictures a release or deliverance from the prison with the opening of the door. Fourteen is the number of deliverance or release. Israel was delivered from Egypt by the Passover lamb that was killed on the 14th day of the first month (Passover). When the ship that was carrying Paul to Rome was caught in the storm, they were delivered on the 14th day (Acts 27:33, 34). In Gen. 12:10 Abram went down to Egypt in order to deliver himself from the famine in Canaan. This was the 14th time Abram’s name is mentioned in Scripture. The 14th time that Abraham is mentioned is in Gen. 18:13, where the Lord told them that Sarah would deliver a child (Isaac) in the next year."

Fourteen is the strong hand of God at work to deliver us and open the door to our prison cell. And, it's a double measure of the number 7, meaning double spiritual perfection. Abraham took on the call to go up and deliver his brother from his captors, taking on the strong hand of God to open their prison doors and set them free.

But! What I found very fascinating when I studied this chapter was that he took 318 trained servants to go to battle with him. Do you know what word occurs 318 times throughout the scriptures? Peace. The word for peace comes up 318 times. God gives us peace in the midst of our troubles.

Abraham knew he was meant to deliver Lot because he was spending time with the Lord and knew God was with him. So in peace, with a peaceful heart believing in faith God was with him, he went out against 4 kings. And he recovered all. Isn't that amazing?

When we dwell with the Lord, which really just means when we spend time with Him day in and day out, our hearts will remain at peace and we will know that He will deliver our enemies into our hands. We need not worry, He will be with us.

So if you find yourself running from the battle out of fear or anxiety, then call on the name of the Lord. One man escaped and called on father Abraham to deliver Lot and his family. You can call on the Lord God no matter what time of day it is, or no matter how far you've run. There isn't enough speed in your step that will outrun the Lord's love for you and His ability to deliver you. So call on Him if fear takes over and you fall from grace!

The story continues on from there:

"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley),

after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. 

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 

And he blessed him and said:

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Genesis 14:17-20

The king of Sodom met with Abraham after his victory over the king's enemies. The king's name is Bera (Gen 14:2), which means son of evil. I think it's safe to say that Sodom was led by a king who delighted in evil, wouldn't you?

But in the very next verses we see the first mention of Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High. In Hebrews Jesus is said to be from the order of Melchizedek, our High Priest forever, sitting at the throne of God interceding on our behalf.

Melchizedek is the king of Salem, and Salem means peace, derived from the word shalem, to be or make whole or complete. In the face of those who are the sons of evil, we can be assured that Jesus, our High Priest, will meet with us and bring us peace.

The word priest, just like the word peace, is also mentioned 318 times throughout the Bible. Jesus is our High Priest, and He is our Prince of Peace. And in these verses it doesn't say that King Bera leaves when the King of Salem arrives, so even in the face of evil we can have peace! It doesn't matter who is against you, because the Lord God and your Savior Jesus Christ the High Priest, is for you. Amen!

This is the first time we see the beautiful truth of communion as well. Melchizedek brings out the bread and wine, signifying the future broken body of our Yeshua. Then he blesses Abraham (Abram) and declares that it was the Lord who delivered his enemies into his hands.

One big truth from this passage is that taking communion is an amazing way to declare our enemies have been defeated by the blood of the Lamb. I went through a challenging season of sickness and disease many years ago, and it was taking communion nearly every day that put the disease to death. I can tell you it's been 9 years and it hasn't risen from the dead since. Taking communion brings life to our bodies!

And secondly, the Lord God delivers our enemies into our hands. When we dwell in the shadow of the Lord, He takes care of anyone who would come against us. He gives us peace in the face of true evil.

Stick with Jesus! Stay close to the Lord! Remain under the tree! He will protect you, preserve you, deliver you, and keep your heart steady and give you His peace.

But What If Evil Seems To Win?

Ok, so you might be like, "that's all well and good, but my situation is a dumpster fire right now and I'm losing."  Alright, let's take a look at another passage that also has some key truths about the number 318 in the Bible.

In the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, entry 318th is the Hebrew word ochoreyn, meaning last. We find it only 1 time in the scriptures and it's in Daniel 4:8 "But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation."

At this point in the story we've seen that King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream from the Lord and he's already brought in every single wise man in the realm. In comes the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans (influential wise men known for their skills in mathematics and astrology), and soothsayers (people who are supposed to be able to foresee the future). The very final man called before the throne is Daniel.

Have you ever felt like everybody else is winning and you're just, losing? Or perhaps that you're constantly overlooked, even though God has chosen you and given you very specific gifts and talents? I wonder if Daniel felt that way.

We know that Daniel's character proceeded him because Nebuchadnezzar says of him, "I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation." The king was fully aware that the Spirit of God was in Daniel, that nothing troubled him, and that Daniel would be able to interpret the dream. So that's how we can know that even if Daniel ever felt unfairly prejudiced against for being picked last, he didn't let it show in court. Because Nebuchadnezzar specifically calls out Daniel's inability to be troubled by secrets.

Sometimes it's a mystery why the people of this world are being picked first, but it isn't to God. Sometimes it's a mystery why random events are happening, but it isn't to God. Sometimes it seems like evil people are plotting secretive endeavors, but God's not shocked or surprised. And if we stick close to the Lord, then we won't be troubled or surprised by the events of this world either. And we can walk in to our boss's office with strength and assurance, even if we're the last one summoned before him.

What's also odd about Daniel being called in last is that at this point he has already interpreted the king's dreams before, and was given a promotion. So wouldn't he be summoned first? But that's often how the world works, they want to forget the ways of God and those who walk with Him, in favor of the people of the world and those who walk in evil. And so often we forget that true wisdom, true knowledge and all truth, comes from the Lord God Almighty. And no one and nothing compares to Him.

King Nebuchadnezzar calls out Daniel's ability to not be troubled by anything, and that tells me that by sticking close to God he remained at peace.

Jesus said in Matthew 20:16, " So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” You might be in a position right now where it feels like you're being overlooked by everyone around you. Maybe you even feel like the Lord keeps passing you over in favor of other people. But Jesus said that those who are last will end up being first.

We're all called by God to live out a life of purpose when we come to Christ. But how do we go from being called to being chosen? We have to be willing. Willing to wait on Him and to surrender totally and completely to His will. And when that happens, there will come a time when those who pass us by won't be able to ignore us because we'll be the only ones who carry the truth and wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. We'll be the only ones with the answers they're seeking.

Daniel spent his time in prayer (Daniel 6:10), and he grew in wisdom and knowledge of the ways of God. In Daniel 2 we see the first dream Nebuchadnezzar has, and Daniel needs time to hear from the Lord on the meaning (Daniel 2:16-19). In Daniel 4 he no longer requires hours of time to hear the Lord's interpretation.

But perhaps your life is a dumpster fire? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego know a little something about that. In chapter 3 they refused to bow down to worship the gold image and faced burning consequences as a result.

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Daniel 3:16-18

We all want to see miracles in our lives. We all want to walk in God's glory and see His hand move on our behalf. But how many of us are willing to stand up and do the right thing even if it means being thrown in jail or into a blaze? True miracles are seen when we choose to do the right thing in dire circumstances. Otherwise it wouldn't be called a miracle! It comes when we need it most.

Instead of Nebuchadnezzar witnessing the death of three men, He saw Jesus coming to save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego from the fiery flames. "“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) He knew that the wisdom of God rested on these men! And yet, yet, he returned to his advisors who practiced evil and magic within his kingdom.

If your feet are to the fire, call on Jesus. If your whole life is going up in flames, cry out to the Lord! It's Jesus who comes into our situation and protects us from the heat, and we will walk out without any burns.

Maybe you're in a place right now where your boss, your parents, your coach, should know better. They have seen how you walk, they know how you talk. But yet, they pass you over in favor of someone else. Maybe you're being thrown into the fiery furnace and life is getting hot. Maybe you're ignored, or hated, or in the valley of darkness. There's only one answer I have for you: call on Jesus. Call on the blood of the Lamb, and He will enter into your midst and give you His peace.

You might be coming in last right now, spend your time with God. You might be surrounded by evil, spend your time with the Lord. You might have enemies on every side, go sit under the tree. Because a day is coming when you will be called on to do the job God as for you to do, and no one else will have the wisdom and words of the Lord to speak what He would have you speak. The day is coming when only you will be able to pick up the sword and go to war, because you've been taught how by God. Don't let yourself be troubled, your time is coming.

Daniel might have been picked last by men, but God chose him to be first. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were thrown into the fire for walking in righteousness, but they walked out unscathed. You might have people around you who are like the sons of evil, but Jesus is at your side infusing you with His peace.

Choose not to worry about your life. Just stay close to Jesus.

With joy always,

Jessica



For Further study & reading:

• Hebrew Linguistics & The Bible
• Strong's Concordance