day no. 16,449: the high-minded and heavy-handed stand no chance against a household in Christ united

Genesis 14:14-16

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

The high-minded and heavy-handed stand no chance against a household in Christ united.

One household overthrew four kingdoms. These four kingdoms had just successfully overthrown five kingdoms. Abram and his clan retrieved his kidnapped nephew along with everything else the four kingdoms had hauled off. In other words, he redeemed five kingdoms worth of treasure from four kingdoms worth of warriors. 

Abram had servants whom he had both trained and armed. They may have been servants, but they were trained and armed like free men. Thus they were loyal servants. They were given dignity and treated with respect and in return they fought for their faithful master and friend. They used their training to overtake their master's enemies and employed their weapons for the sake of setting others free. These men were citizens of Abram's household. They were born into his house and brought up by him. They were trained and nourished and disciplined in the instruction of the Lord God and when called upon, they fought as one single unit under the banner of Abram.

Pharaoh too once feared a family and for good reason. A band of brothers ain't nothing to sleep on.

Psalm 127:3-5

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: And the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; So are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Abram sharpened sticks into arrows and had nothing to fear when opposed by local tyrants. A man who attends to his household has no reason to worry about the kingdoms of rebels. A patriarch need not fear an emperor. A man with loyal sons is better equipped to resist his enemies than a man with fearful subjects and hired hands.

The high-minded and heavy-handed stand no chance against a household in Christ united.