Genesis 13
Book of Genesis • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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If you remember in chapter 12 Abram left his home country of ur and traveled towards the promised land. while there, a famine came and instead of seeking the Lord as he had done with past travels, he just left and went towards the Negev and then into Egypt which brought him problems but God saved him. Today we are going to go into Gen 13 to see what happened next.
1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
We see Abram leaving Egypt, still a very rich man with a lot of live stock, gold and silver. can you imagine how slow travel would be with all that. Cattle don’t travel fast especially when there are thousands of them.
3 He continued on his journey from the Negev and came to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he first made an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Abram, leaves Egypt, following his original path down, through the Negev and back to where he was when the famine came. He found the altar he built the last time he called on the lord and He calls on the lord again.
What was going on here?
1. Why would God lead Abram to a land that was going to be his, just to let a famine come which would force Abram to leave?
God was clearly testing Abrams faith. Testing, brings us through difficult times to give us the opportunity to exercise our faith and see God provide.
In this particular series of events Abram chose not to exercise faith and chose to react on his own wisdom.
2. Was going to Egypt the only option?
No, The better option would have been to pray to the God that had led him this far and see what God planned to do in this situation. Maybe God was going to send him to Egypt and give him directions on how to handle the situation, maybe God was going to provide by raining manna, maybe God was just waiting for Abram to pray, then he was going to send rain. We are not sure because Abram never asked God for wisdom with this situation.
3. was going to Egypt a sin?
This is a little bit of a difficult question to answer but let me pose a couple thoughts from other parts of scripture.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Did Abram have faith in God to provide when he left the place that God brought him and headed to Egypt to supply his needs?
God brought Abram to where he wanted him, and when times got hard, Abram got up a left instead of seeking God in faith to find out what God had for him.
As of right now, God has each of us in his sight. God knows what each of us needs and He is the only one that knows where he wants us to be; Physically, Financially, Spiritually and any other way.
when we are in difficult times, we have 2 options, try to come up with our own path, which may include lying, stealing, manipulating or just plain running from God, or going to the altar and asking God for His direction and deciding within ourselves that we will trust and follow His direction no matter where that leads us. we are holding nothing back from God and we are going to seek Him in faith and patiently wait for His plan to unfold, being diligent to fulfil your responsibilities while you wait.
Ok, let’s move on and see what Abram does once he arrives back where God put him.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
So Abram and Lot had so many cattle between the two of them that the land could not sustain that much. Besides them two and all they had, the Canaanite and Perizzite were still in the land.
All this caused some difficulties for the workers to who were trying to keep the animals fed and watered. The workers began to fight with each other over the resources.
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Abram shows humility here, he is staying where God put him and desires to restore peace with his family. Abram gives Lot the first choice of land for his heard’s. Abram is content taking whatever is left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Lot chooses the greenest valley, a huge portion of land that was not only green and perfect for feeding a massive heard of cattle, it was close to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot traveled to the valley of the Jordan river as Abram stayed in the valley between Bethel and AI.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
Lot didn’t just chose the valley by the cities, he decides to go live in the city of Sodom where the people were not just pagan, but were fully given over to serving self and they did not recognize God as authority over their life. Lot chose to live among the people that served themselves rather than God. He could have done as Abram and built a place in the valley away from the pagans, but thats not what he did. and in the next couple chapters we will see some heart ache that comes to lot because of this choice.
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
God comes to Abram again and says, look around, every bit of land you see, in all directions, I will give it to you, notice the last words in verse 15 “forever” this is an unconditional promise. The Land that God gave Abram was a promise forever. there are some that think God removed his promises to Abram and gave it to another group or He gave it to the church, but that is not the case. this promise of the land of Canaan being given to Isreal is “Forever” no expiration. When God promises something, it will happen and He will never take that back. There are some promises where God says I will do this, “IF” you do this, But this promise does not have any conditions on it.
Also Notice that many say Abram never got to see the promised land, but notice that is not true, God gave this promise to Abram while Abram was standing and already living in the promised land. God also promised to give him more descendants than anyone could number.
Now let me share some exciting news with you!
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God’s promise of descendants that outnumber the sand are not just born in flesh as fleshly descendants of Abram. These descendants are from every nation in the world. If you are a believer in Christ, you are a spiritual descendant of Abraham and guess what, the promised land belongs to you too! In Rev God says all believers both Jew and non-Jew will reign with Christ in his new Kingdom, in the New Jerusalem. We are adopted into the family of God, and brought into one kingdom through the blood of Jesus Christ.
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
The Jews were full of Pride because they descended from Abraham. but that means nothing, Abram was only blessed because God was at work in his life and God brought salvation to all the earth through Jesus Christ, born in flesh as a descendant of Abraham but expanding the descendants through the Spirit to the entire world.
You see, if we are believers in Jesus Christ, we are heirs to this promise of God and we have become son’s of Abraham. We have become blessed only by the work of Jesus Christ, just as Abram was blessed only by the work of God!
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Abrams response was to this promise was to go by the oaks of Mamre, which was a forest that could sustain building a new civilization, and there the first thing he built was an altar and worshiped God. Notice through Abrams entire life, it is all about following God in Faith, and worshiping God where ever he goes. So to, should our lives be focused around following God in faith and worshiping God where ever he has us.
When we are in famine, Worship God.
When we are in times of plenty worship God.
When we are in times of sadness, Worship God.
When we are in times of Joy, Worship God.
Abram found it appropriate to worship God after each promise that was given to him, so as we remember the promise of salvation and being adopted into Abrams spiritual family, I want to end this time in a similar fashion of worship. Let’s sing, what a beautiful name, as we keep our focus on Him. and remember, no matter what season of life you are in, trust God and worship Him!
