Genesis Fourteen

"He (Abram) recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with women and the other people."
-----Genesis 14:16

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

I found it interesting in verse 10 as it talked about the men of Sodom and Gomorrah fleeing, that some fell into tar pits. These weren't just little puddles of tar. Men were falling in entire pits. The leader in me wonders what happened here? Who led these men into pits of tar? My guess is that no one did. And there in lies the problem. These men found themselves in a leadership depression. In the hysteria of retreat bad things happen. A good leader will always look out for the well being of those that are following him. A great one will lead them to safety (even in retreat). If he fails to do that then sooner than later he will stop leading and be the weird guy walking by himself shooting orders.

Abram displays his leadership skills here. He assembles men for a cause (318 men). Had the vision to divide them to make more progress. Verse 16 states he gets back all of Lot's wealth.
When great leaders lead, progress is made.
When leaders stop leading, there becomes a
confusion of vision. (And men get stuck in tar pits.)

One more note before I go:
Abram followed behind the lead of the King Eternal.
Lot followed the lead of the king of Sodom.
One led men into tar pits, the other leads us back to His heart.
Which will you and I follow today?

"King, I pray that You will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path today. Help me not fall in pits that will hinder my pursuit of You."

Heart and Soul
BAG
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