valley of the Jordan, a fertile
and well-watered plain, but near the wicked cities of the Canaanites,
which lay in the track of the commerce between Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and
the East. The worst vices of antiquity prevailed among them, and Lot
subsequently realized, by a painful experience, the folly of seeking, for
immediate good, such an accursed neighborhood.

Abram was contented with less advantages among the hills, and after a
renewed blessing from the Lord, removed his tents to the plain of Mamre,
near Hebron, one of the oldest cities of the world.

(M40) The first battle that we read of in history was fought between the
Chaldean monarch and the kings of the five cities of Canaan, near to the
plain which Lot had selected. The kings were vanquished, and, in the
spoliation which ensued, Lot himself and his cattle were carried away by
Chederlaomer.

(M41) The news reached Abram in time for him to pursue the Chaldean king
with his trained servants, three hundred and eighteen in number. In a
midnight attack the Chaldeans were routed, since a panic was created, and
Lot was rescued, with all his goods, from which we infer that Abram was a
powerful chieftain, and was also assisted directly by God, as Joshua
subsequently was in his unequal contest with the Canaanites.

(M42) The king of Sodom, in gratitude, went out to meet him on his return
from the successful encounter, and also the king of Salem, Melchizedek,
with bread and wine. This latter was probably of the posterity of Shem,
since he was also a priest of the most high God, He blessed Abram, and
gave him tithes, which Abram accepted.

(M43) But Abram would accept nothing from the king of Sodom--not even to a
shoe-latchet--from patriarchal pride, or disinclination to have any
intercourse with idolators. But he did not prevent his young warriors from
eating his bread in their hunger. It was not the Sodomites he wished to
rescue, but Lot, his kinsman and friend.

(M44) Abram, now a powerful chieftain and a rich man, well advanced in
years, had no children, in spite of the promise of God that he should be
the father of nations. His apparent heir was his chief servant, or
steward, Elizur, of Damascus. He then reminds the Lord of the promise, and
the Lord renewed the covenant, and Abram rested in faith.

(M45) Not so his wife Sarai. Skeptical that from herself should come the
promised seed, she besought Abram to make a concubine or wife of her
Egyptian maid, Hagar.