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Separation of Abram and Lot

by Paul George  
1/20/2009 / Bible Studies

Abram left Shechem and went to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh. There is a famine in the land and Abram goes to Egypt.

Before Abram went into Egypt the Lord told him, "I will give this land to your seed." When the Lord told Abram, He will give this land to his seed, Abram was in the area of Shechem and the covenant between Abram had not been established. This is a promise that falls into the same category as the promises of the blessings God promised Abram if he will leave his country, relatives, and his father's house. Abram has left his country and his father's house but a relative is with Abram, therefore the command to leave his relatives has not been fulfilled by Abram.

Abram going to Egypt is the first sign of a weakness in his faith. When Abram left Haran he was continuing the journey he began with his father. Now he is on his own. The journey to the land of Canaan was a dangerous venture. Abram was not a fighting man. He did not have soldiers to protect him, his wife, and his nephew as well as their flocks, herds, herdsmen, and servants. He did not know if the land of Canaan was the land that God said He would show him.

Abram was like many who begin their walk with the Lord and people are impressed by their show of faith. However, when they come to that place in their walk with the Lord that is like the famine that Abram was facing, like Abram they do not understand famines have a purpose. The purpose of the famine is to test one's faith. What a great testimony for his descendants it would have been if Abram would have stood his ground and would have trusted the Lord to provide what he needs to survive the famine.

In the land of Egypt we see the main concern of Abram was his own well-fare and the consequences of a failure to trust the Lord to provide what he needs to survive the famine (Genesis 12:11-20). He was determined to preserve his life even if it meant putting his wife in a dangerous situation. God had a plan for Sari's life and if He had not intervened one of the great revelations of the ability of the Lord to accomplish the impossible would have never occurred.

We need to remember, the Lord never asks us to do the impossible. The Lord did not ask Abram to do the impossible when He told Abram to leave his country, his relatives, and his father's house. The Lord is going to do the impossible.

When Abram, with his wife Sarai and Lot return from Egypt, note how God keeps His word, even though Abram was lacking in faith, he returned from Egypt a rich man, he has livestock, silver, and gold.

When Abram arrives in the land of Canaan, he goes to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, and the place of the altar, which he had made there when he first came into the land between Bethel and Ai. There Abram called on the name of Yahweh. Although, it is not stated in the Bible why Abram went to Bethel, it is possible he went there to renew his relationship with the Lord. What a lesson for us today. There are times when we need to go back to the place where we began our walk with the Lord and do some soul searching and confessing.

When Abram returned to the land of Canaan, Abram has not fulfilled the final condition attached to the promises the Lord made to Abram, Lot went to Bethel with Abram.

We are told, because of the size of Abram and Lot's flocks and herds, there was not enough grazing land to support their flocks and herds. This created strife between the herdsmen of Lot's flocks and herds and the herdsmen of Abram's flocks and herds. We are also told the Canaanite and Perizzite were living in the land. There is more to the strife over grazing land then meets the eye. God is moving forward in His plan for the salvation of humanity and the course of history and there is an obstacle that needs to be removed. The obstacle is Abram's failure to cut ties with his relative Lot. There is also a lesson in this strife for us today. Just as the Canaanite and Perizzite, pagans, were watching this disagreement between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's herdsmen, who were doing the same thing the Canaanite and Perizzite were doing, the Canaanite and Perizzite of this day is watching what is taking place in the organized church. What do they see? They see the same behavior of the professing people of the Lord the Canaanite and Perizzite saw in the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. The question is what Abram and Lot will do to settle the problem.

This is the first incident in what I call a family feud in the Middle East.

There are two solutions to the problem created by the inability of the land to support both Abram and Lot's flocks and herds; Abram and Lot could become involved in the conflict. What kind of example would Abram set if he got involved in the conflict? Remember, the Lord has not established His covenant with Abram.

Note Abram's solution, Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives" (Genesis 13:8). The solution begins with a question, "Isn't the whole land before you?" Note what Abram does next, he didn't tell Lot to hit the road, he makes a second request, "Please separate yourself from me" (Genesis 13:9). Note what else Abram does, he doesn't tell Lot what direction he will go and what direction Lot is to go, he tells Lot, "If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left" (Genesis 13:9). Here is the eldest, the uncle, telling the nephew who should be subject to the wishes of his uncle telling the nephew to choose what direction he will go.

It would appear Abram and Lot was standing on the top of a hill or mountain and had a clear view of the plain of Jordan. In verse ten of chapter thirteen we are told "Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other" (Genesis 13:10-11) and
"Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh" (Genesis 13:12-13).

The obstacle is removed; the Lord will move forward and cut a covenant with Abram.

Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your seed may also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its breadth; for I will give it to you." Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh" (Genesis 13:14-18)

The key word in this passage is the word "forever." The word "forever' has been defined as meaning for eternity, for always, endlessly. Regardless of what man may say, when the Lord said, forever, that is what He meant.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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