Abram and Sarai have been sent away by Pharaoh, but Pharaoh didn't take away any of the gifts he'd given Abram when he thought Abram was Sarai's brother. So now the couple has more worldly possessions than they did before, but at what cost? Abram caused his wife to be taken into Pharaoh's harem. Abram lost his honor by telling a huge lie and being caught in it. I think Abram and Sarai's relationship needed some mending and I think Abram's relationship with the Lord needed some mending too.
Nevertheless, the couple and Abram's nephew Lot try to make a fresh start. "So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord." (Genesis 13:1-4) Abram probably feels quite thankful to have made it back to Bethel safely with everyone and everything that belongs with him, but later on in Genesis we will find him telling the same lie about Sarai, so we can't honestly say he's learned from his mistake in Egypt. He may be sorry for his lie and his lack of faith, but when placed in the same situation again, he'll make the same poor decision.
"Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram's herders and Lot's. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time." (Genesis 13:5-7) The area is becoming overcrowded. There is not enough good pasture land in the region to support all the flocks and herds of Abram, of Lot, and of the tribes of the land of Canaan. No wonder quarreling broke out. Good grazing land is as valuable as gold to the man who owns many animals, and now they are all competing for the same space.
"So Abram said to Lot, 'Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left.'" (Genesis 13:8-9) It must have been painful for Abram to have to live at a distance from the man who is like a son to him, but better to live at a distance than to be angry with each other. Abram graciously gives Lot his choice out of all the land that lies before them.
"Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord." (Genesis 13:10-13) Some Bible scholars accuse Lot of selfishness because he appears to have picked the very best land that the eye could see, not caring whether this left Abram with land that was less desirable. Lot looks at the fertile plain and thinks to himself, "Why, it looks like Eden! And it's as beautiful as the lush land along the Nile River! This is the land I want. How could I possibly go wrong with land as fertile as this?" If indeed Lot was being selfish, we'll see soon enough that he ends up paying for his greed.
Personally, I'm not sure whether he was selfish so much as he was lacking in spiritual discernment. Nothing in his spirit shrank back from dwelling among people who were living in such immense sin that the Lord will eventually destroy them for it. Lot isn't bothered by the idea of rubbing elbows with violent and rebellious men. His mind is on the profitability of the land, so he compromises his values, and nothing good ever comes from compromising our values. We can't trade our morals for money and expect a good outcome. As the aging Apostle Paul told his friend Timothy, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10) This verse is frequently misquoted as, "Money is the root of all evil." Money itself is an inanimate object, incapable of doing anything good or bad. Money can be a blessing if it's obtained honestly and if it's used in ways that honor the Lord. But it's the love of money that leads people to do immoral things. When a person loves money more than he loves honor or godliness, he's going to throw his morals to the wind. Lot looked at the fertile plain and saw the possibility of making money hand over fist, so he chose the land without taking to heart the fact that he'd be living among people whose hearts were cold and hard toward the Lord.
"The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, 'Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.' So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord." (Genesis 13:14-18) Have you ever been treated poorly by someone because of their selfishness? Lot chose what he thought was the best land for himself, but the Lord is giving Abram what will turn out to be the best land. Abram isn't a victim here. He's the one who receives a blessing from the Lord. Sometimes in our workplaces or in school or in other situations there will be selfish and greedy people who always try to take the best for themselves. There's often nothing we can do about it, especially when the selfish people are in authority over us. But the Lord's hands aren't tied. He will bless who He wants to bless, so it's better to be right with Him than to always be "looking out for number one". Lot's choice, if indeed it was made selfishly, is going to turn out to be the worst choice he could have possibly made. But the unselfish Abram, who was willing to take whatever land Lot didn't want, receives a covenant promise from the Lord. Lot is going to own land in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah for only a short time, but Abram's descendants are granted a dwelling place in the promised land forever.
Something to take away from today's lesson is this: let's not look around us and be upset about what others are doing. Let's look up and trust God to provide for us. As the Bible says, "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:1-4)
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