5 ABRAM & LOT

The greatness of Abram’s person and godly character can be shown in more ways than just his faith and obedience. He also was a generous and gracious man. Christian leaders have much to learn from him.

Abram returned out of Egypt. Not everyone who goes somewhere for provision returns. Some get comfortable and stay. Abram came himself and brought all his with him back again to Canaan. Though there may be occasion to go sometimes into places of temptation, yet we must quickly escape from them as soon as possible. Naomi also did this as recorded in Ruth 1:6: “When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.”

Consider Abram’s twofold wealth. He was very rich. Genesis 13:2 says, “Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” The Hebrew word suggests that he became very heavy. This can be good or bad. Riches can provide opportunities or they can be a burden such as Habakkuk 2:6 refers to, “. . . Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?” Think about riches. There is a burden of care in getting them, fear in keeping them, temptation in using them, guilt in abusing them, sorrow in losing them, and a burden of accountability which is to be given in the end. Great possessions do but make men heavy and difficult to control, or difficult for them to submit.

Abram was not only rich in faith, good works, and promises, but he was “. . . wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” God, in His wisdom, sometimes makes good men rich men, and teaches them how to abound, as well as how to suffer want. We just need to remember that the riches of good men are the fruits of God’s blessing. God had said to Abram, “I will bless you” and that blessing made him rich without sorrow. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” True godliness can very well be consistent with great prosperity. Though it is hard for a rich man to get to heaven, yet it is not impossible. Mark 10:23&27 say, “23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Abram was very rich and yet also very godly. As godliness can help make things go well for a person, so for things to go well, providing those things are managed well, can furnish opportunities for doing so much more good. “. . . godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

No human being would have or could have worked through Pharaoh like God did. Pharaoh tried to compensate for having taken Sarai into his house by giving Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants and camels. God did this. This was God’s blessing. It came a strange way, but it was evidently from God. God said He would bless Abram and these things soon came to him, so we must conclude that they were from God.

Abram moved on to Bethel, probably not only because he had earlier had his tent there, and was willing to go among his old neighbors, but quite likely because he had had his altar there. Though the altar was gone (possibly he himself had taken it down when he left the place lest it should be polluted by the idolatrous Canaanites), yet he came to “the place where he had first built an altar.” Perhaps either to revive the memory of the rich communion he had had with God there, or maybe to pay any vows he had made there to God when he first made his journey to Egypt. You will recall that years later God sent Jacob to this same place on a similar errand. Genesis 35:1 says, “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your other Esau.’”

We need to be reminded, and should sometimes remind ourselves, of our solemn vows. It could be that the place where those vows were made may help to bring them afresh to mind, and it may therefore be good for us to revisit it.

Also, we should live among our neighbors well enough that we have no reason not to move back to their neighborhood if circumstances favor it. Pity the person who feels he must stay away from earlier acquaintances because of some offense they have committed a long time before.

Abram built, used, loved and revered altars, but notice he was not limited to using them. His altar was gone, so that he could not offer sacrifice, yet he “. . . called on the name of the Lord” (13:3). God’s people are praying people. You may as soon find a living man without breath as a living Christian without prayer. Those that would approve themselves upright with their God must be constant and persevering in this practical element of their personal faith. Abram did not leave his religion behind him in Egypt, as many do in their travels. When we cannot do what we would like to do, we must make the best to doing what we can do. When we need, but do not have, an altar, let us not for that reason not pray. Wherever we are, call on the name of the Lord.

In verses 5 - 9 we have a record of the falling out between Abram and Lot, who had until then not been separated. Evidently Lot also went to Egypt and prospered there because of Abram and Sarai. When he returned to Canaan with Abram he too had abundant livestock. I have heard two sides of this discussion. I understand that God told Abram to leave his relatives and yet Lot traveled with him from Harran to Canaan, to Egypt and then back to Bethel. Was this right? Some say “no.” I have also read that the disagreement between the herdsman of Abram and Lot was unfortunate because Lot subsequently suffered from the bad influence he experienced in Sodom and Gomorrah. Was this a punishment? We don’t know about that, but we do know that the occasion of their quarrel was their riches.

It is good generally to be in the good company of those who know God as Abram did. Zechariah 8:23 says, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, “Let us go with you because we have heard that God is with you.”’” Those that are partners with God’s people in their obedience and sufferings shall be sharers with them in their joys and comforts?  This may have been why Lot wanted to be with Abram, but why did Abram allow Lot to come along?

Isaiah 66:10 says, “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.” Abram received the promise of God’s blessings. Lot stayed with Abram and now they both were very rich and so “. . . the land could not support them while they stayed together.” Their riches set them at a distance one from another. Because the place was too small for them, and they did not have enough acres for their stock. They had to move apart. This can be good. When churches grow and need to divide, that produces another church and we see church growth. If, however, the church divides because of complaining or small-mindedness, that is not good. Let us learn to divide peaceably and amicably. Every comfort in this world has its cross. Successful church growth is a comfort, but it has this inconvenience that it sometimes requires us to separate from those we love, ironically and specifically because of the successful growth of the church.

Material riches, however, are often an occasion of strife and contention among relations and neighbors. Abram became rich through a misunderstanding. Abram did not try to get rich. His property was different than the greed by which some strive for riches as recorded in 1 Timothy 4:9&10  “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 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.” Riches not only produce reasons for contention and are the things most commonly striven about, but they also stir up a spirit of contention by making people proud and covetous. Poverty and travail, wants and wanderings, did not separate Abram and Lot; but riches did.

It was not Abram and Lot who argued over the land. The principle participants in the quarrel were their servants, their herders. They strove probably about which should have the better pasture or the better water; and both felt that they represented their masters in the quarrel. Bad servants, or church staff members, or persons on the church leadership team can make a great deal of mischief in churches, by the pride and passion, their lying, slandering or even tale-bearing. They probably do not represent the true feelings of the senior pastors and should be reprimanded. It is a very sinful thing for staff members to produce ill-will between church leaders and to sow discord. Those that do so may think they are doing the senior pastor a favor, but in actuality they are the devil’s agents and their masters’ worst enemies.

The problem was exacerbated by the people in the land, the Canaanites and Perizzites. This made the quarrel worse. If Abram and Lot cannot agree to feed their flocks together, let us hope that the common enemy do not come upon them and plunder them both. The division of families and churches often proves the ruin of both of them. Let’s imagine that the eyes of all the neighbors were on them, especially because of the uniqueness of their faith in Jehovah and the extraordinary godliness they professed. People of God and also the God of Abram and Lot would be dishonored. The quarrels of people who profess to be Christians are a blemish on the reputation of the religion they profess. They give occasion, as much as anything, to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

The solution for this quarrel was very happy whether you believe Lot should or should not have even been with Abram. They found a way to separate peaceably as did Paul an Barnabus when Paul took Silas and Barnabus took John Mark on mission trips. It is best to preserve the peace, that it be not broken. Going separate ways is sometimes the best thing to do. Abram was the one who kindly and tactfully proposed this as is recorded in verses 8&9: “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.’”

Abram’s suggested peace plan was affectionate as he shows himself to be a man of a cool spirit, control over his emotions and who knew how to turn away wrath with a soft answer. If a Christian leader wants to keep the peace he must be able to control his tongue and never pay back railing for railing. Abram was able to lower himself, was willing to appeal to even his inferior to be at peace, and made the first overture towards the reconciliation. Conquerors consider it their glory to give peace by power, but it is no less glorious to give peace by the meekness of wisdom. Christian leaders should always prove themselves themselves to be peaceable people. Whatever others are for, they must be for peace.

Abram knew how to draw a distinction between the quarrels of others and the relationship he himself had with others. Let the Canaanites and Perizzites contend about trifles, but let not you and me who know better things and look for a better country, do so. Professors of religion should, of all others, be careful to avoid contention. In Luke 22:26 Jesus said, “But you are not to be like that.” We are mortal creatures—we may die to-morrow and are to be concerned to be men and women of peace. We are rational creatures, and should be ruled by reason. We are men, and not brutes, men, and not children; we are sociable creatures, let us be so from our hearts. We are brethren, men of the same nature, of the same kindred and family, of the same religion, companions in obedience, companions in patience. Our relation to each other, as brethren, should always prevail to moderate our emotions, either to prevent or put an end to our contentions. Brethren should love as brethren.

Abram’s proposal for peace was fair. Some profess to be for peace yet will do nothing towards it, but Abram in word and action showed himself a real friend to peace that he proposed an exceptionable plan to preserve it. Genesis 13:9 says, “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” as if he had said, “Why should we quarrel for room, while there is room enough for us both?” Abram knows they must part, and  knows they should part as friends. What could be expressed more affectionately? He does not expel or force him away, but advises that he should separate himself. He does not charge him to depart, but humbly desires him to withdraw. Just because a leader may have the authority to command, yet sometimes, for love’s sake, and peace’ sake, he or she should rather appeal as Paul did to Philemon as recorded in Philemon verses 8-10a: “although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you.” If our great God condescends to reason with and appeal to us, we may well afford to reason with and appeal to one another.

Abram offers Lot a sufficient share of the land. God had promised Abram to give this land to his descendants, and it does not appear that any such promise was made to Lot. Abram might have insisted on this to the exclusion of Lot. Yet Abram allows Lot, who did not have an equal right, to receive an equal share. Furthermore, Abram will not make God’s promise a part of his argument or put any hardship on his nephew. Additionally, Abram gives Lot his choice, and offers to take what is left over. There was all the reason in the world that Abram should choose first, yet he declines this right for the sake of congeniality and peace. It is a noble conquest to be willing to yield for peace’ sake since it is the conquest of ourselves, our own pride and emotions.

We will see in the next lesson how God rewarded Abram for his good and wise deed.