Instead, he gave Lot first choice. He must have known what Lot would choose. In giving Lot first dibs, Abram was taking the land of Canaan. Why did he do that? Because Abram knew the land of Canaan was the Promised Land, even if it looked less than promising. Lot was trying to get back into the Garden. Abram knew he was already there. Abram, on the other hand, found liberation.
We live in a world filled with the tension of choosing what is seen for what is not. What will we choose? The contrast between Abram and Lot instructs us on the nature of trusting God. Lot chose by sight; Abram by faith. Lot moved to the edges, Abram to the center. Lot found corruption and temptation; Abram found assurance and peace. Lot was spiritually compromised; Abram was spiritually alive.
Lot moved in with sinners; Abram moved in with God. Lot built no altars; Abram built them all. Lot chose by sight alone, and that is always a mistake. After Lot separates from Abram, we hear the voice of God again. Calvin comments. When it is said, therefore, that the Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, the circumstances should be noted.
And thus he teaches us that the best remedy for sadness is in the word of God. What does he see? Does he see paradise? I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. So Abram walked, and he built an altar to worship God again. Worship flows from trusting God. In Genesis 13, Lot goes to the Garden while Abram stays in the wilderness. It sounds familiar to the early part of the gospels, where Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours. Jesus faced what Abram faced: a shortcut to the kingdom of God. Instead, they believed the word of God and placed all their hope on that sufficient promise. There was an altar in Hebron to bear witness.
His faith kept him from failure. And Abram, though he never saw Christ, saw the redemption he would bring that day on the mountain overlooking the valley. He knew that the promise of God was strong enough to sustain him in the chosen land.
He knew what paradise looked like and he found it in the word of God, in the presence of God, in the worship of God. He knew—somehow—the promise of God sprang from the wilderness. It is the same for us all. But what Abram saw by faith, we see now in history. Jesus came. Jesus lived and died and rose again.
And like the thief on the cross, if we trust in him, when we die we go to be with him in paradise. Jesus brought the promise to pass for us all. Abram shows us how to trust in it today. Other Writings. Bible Study Papers. Journey Through the Bible. For the Church. Gospel-Centered Discipleship. Writer's Guild. Jan We are quick to defend ourselves when people point out our mistakes.
Why is it hard to pursue peace in your relationships? How has God helped you with this? It is our default mentality to think we are not wrong. God allow me to learn from difficult situations and trust in him rather than rely on my own wisdom and strength.
We also tends to put our needs higher than others. Summary of Genesis We see that Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. Questions What are some causes given for the need of Abram and Lot to separate?
He was only concerened with the here and now. He wanted immediate benefit. He had no foresight to see that he was moving toward disaster. See verse 10 and 13 and what they say about Sodom and Gomorrah. When he didn't pray and ask God to help him in this decision making hour, then God could not lead him to make the best choice.
Lot's value system was not in God and in the intangible things of God. His value system was in material things and in pleasure. He tried to get the best of both worlds, spiritual world and physical world. He was trying to live a compromised life. He was a luke-warm Christian at best. At first glance, it sounds good to enjoy both spiritual world and physical world. Being spiritual man having convition of going to the kingdom of God and enjoying pleasure seeking lifestyle while on earth sounds good.
But we can't deliberately choose to live a compromised life and be blessed. A Christian who tries to do so will suffer even more than one who actually belongs to the world. Look at chapter 19 to see the final consequences of his decision of this chapter.
He lost all materials, his wife became a salt pillar, and he left evil fruits between his daughters. The evil descendants of Lot, Moabites and Ammonites later became the enemies of Israel continually. But he pitched his tents near Sodom according to verse Later he is found to be living in Sodom which was under God's wrath an judgment. Lot was blind spiritually to see where he was going. Abram on the other hand, lived in the land of Canaan This is the promised land.
This means that Abram tried to follow God's calling and live by faith. He did not give into his physical desires and live a compromised life. He had lost the best part of the land out of his generosity to Lot. And also Lot did not consider him a father, though he loved him as son. He must have realized that he definately needed his own son. According to verse 17, God told him to walk through the length and breadth of the land. He could see the land that God was promising to give him.
He could visualize the vastness of it and this would help him to have more faith God would indeed give him the land. He could also take his mind off of Lot and see that God would give him greater things than what he lost.
See verses The offspring, dust of the earth, great nation. God helps us with his promises which are unfailing. This promise, which was more specific than the promise given in ,3 and , was like Abram's Bible. God reminded him of his promise at least three times -- times of crisis in his life.
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