Abram and Lot Seperate (Rework)

Sin is not a series of bad choices, but a state of being from which bad choices continually come.

Gary M. Burge

Have you ever wondered how two people can grow up in the same household and one will go on to serve the Lord and the other will completely reject it. Today we will attempt to shed light on this phenomenon.

We will look at two individuals Abram and Lot both faced with a choice to make. Both will be tested not in their need but in their abundance. A few weeks ago we looked at the account of Abram in Egypt. We pointed out that a lack of faith is often a lack of experience with God.

So God in his way and in his time brings about or allows circumstances in our lives to bring about this experience, so that the wise will learn to trust Him. This trust of course is still a choice of faith which our sinful and stubborn hearts can still deny and refuse to learn.

So Today we are going to look at a comparison of two men who have had the same experiences with God yet very different results when it comes to faith.

Genesis 13:1–4 CSB

Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the Lord there.

Abram returns to the Land

Now after this fiasco in Egypt Abram returns back to the land where he had been living before the famine. It is here that goes to the place where he had built and alter and called on the name of the Lord there. Now I have to imagine that Abram is worshipping Yawheh in the same pattern as he would have worshipped the other gods of his fathers.

To an ancient near eastern person. An Alter is where you interacted with the gods. No doubt Abram was at this place thanking God and waiting on further instructions. However, when God first appeared to Abram to instruct him to leave his native land, there is no mention of an alter. In fact, in just a couple of chapters we will see that God meets with Abram again with no mention of an alter.

We have a god that is not bound, nor can be contained by temples or religious artifacts. Abram was learning this very lesson. For how could God always be with him if he was a God of alters and temples. Even in the future when the Tabernacle was in operation. God spoke to his prophets whenever and wherever He chose.

Abram and Lot witnessed the same event.

Genesis 13:5 CSB

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

Lot no doubt traveled with Abram to Egypt and back. Lot witnessed the mistakes of Abram and the goodness of God’s protection and blessing.

So both men witnessed the same situation but as we will see they will have very different reactions to the test of abundance.

The Problem or Test

Genesis 13:5–7 CSB

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together, and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.)

How many of you would like to have a crack at solving this problem?

You and your relatives were next door neighbors. During the course of time you became so wealthy that you both needed more room. I mean this sounds like a terrible problem to have doesn’t it? All of the sudden you just have so much wealth that you have to move. Some of you are thinking, Lord if you need to increase my faith by increasing my wealth than I submit to your will....

All joking aside this does seem to lend itself to some familial problems doesn’t it? Because of this the servants of Abram and lot begin to quarrel. In this stressful situation, it would only be a matter of time before Abram and Lot began to quarrel.

As much as I hate it wealth often has the potential of creating trouble in the family. We have all heard of stories where brothers are separated over quarreling over their fathers inheritance. The love of wealth has the power to separate friends and families.

However, I think with the love of wealth there is an even more insidious separations that takes place in families often over the course of a few decades.

The love of wealth over time often separates parents from their children. Children are only little once. How much does the pursuit of the American dream separate moms and dad’s from spending time with their children. This type of separation is much more sneaky. Because we believe the lie that we have plenty of time to make it up to them. After all we are trying to provide a better life for them.

The reality is that children can survive without a fancy house, nice cars, and name brand clothes. In fact, small children care nothing about these things. They only want the affection and attention of their parents. And a a child that grows up with maybe the ridicule of friends over his lack of stuff when he/she is older will look back with a much greater appreciation of His parents sacrifice of time than they will growing up with parents who gave them everything, but time.

Parents be careful not to allow wealth or it’s pursuit to separate you from your children.

The Plan/Solution to Preserve Peace

Genesis 13:8–9 CSB

So Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

So in order to preserve peace in the family Abram tells Lot. This is a big land. I will give you first choice and wherever you go I will go the opposite direction.

Now this is a big change in Abram. Just a couple of weeks ago we saw that acquiring provision was Abram’s chief concern. I mean he left the land of promise and lied about the identity of his wife in order to ensure he had what he needed.

But now in a strange turn of events, Abram seems relatively unconcerned. So what has changed? Abram had an experience with God and because of it chose to have faith. He tasted first hand that God was going to keep his promise. He saw God move heaven against Pharoah to ensure the Abram left Egypt unharmed and well-provided for. Abram had experienced God and based upon the experience chose to believe in God.

But then there is Lot.

Genesis 13:10 CSB

Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Do you all know what is in Jordan to the City of Zoar now....

Map

The dead sea. (When scripture gives us information, it is for a reason. The entire are has been made desolate when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 13:11–13 CSB

So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. (Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely against the Lord.)

Again we see a parenthetical statement. It is meant to both foreshadow but also show us that Lot most likely new this information. Yet he chose for himself a land that would increase his wealth but corrupt his heart. He chose security over righteousness.

Lot was not a good steward of his spiritual opportunities and advantages. Though excellent his spiritual training by Abraham, Lot did not grow much spiritually.

bio.johngbutler

Now I mentioned at the beginning that we would attempt to answer the question of how can two people in the same household experience the same God, one remain faithful and the other walk away?

The answer is not complex and may not be very satisfying. Its a choice. It’s a choice of choosing to use the experiences God gives us to increase our faith.

It’s as John G. Butler put it it’s being a good steward of the opportunities that we are given.

God does not waste opportunities to display His character to us through the hardness of life. One can use these opportunities to acknowledge God in them and grow or one can choose to waste the opportunity and choose self-interest over righteousness. Just like Lot.

I don’t know your situation this morning, but could it be that God is redeeming a trial by giving you an opportunity to see Him in it?

Could it be that ,in your trial, you have become so self-focused that you are failing to see God and missing out on experiencing him in a greater way.

When Abram acknowledged this experience and chose to recognize God in this situation he chose to let his faith grow. He chose to a much less fertile land.

Why? Because he had experienced and recognized God’s faithfulness and chose to build his life on it.

So then what did God do…God reassured Abram once again that he was with him.

Genesis 13:14–18 CSB

After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Notice how both of these experiences resulted in Abram choosing to worship God.