Genesis 13

Genesis 13 ESV

1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. 14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Abraham Reconnects with God. Vs. 1-4

Illustration - The many times I have returned to the Lord after being away or going off and doing my own thing. See FB Post.

Genesis 13:1–4 ESV

1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

In Chapter 12:10-20 There is zero mention of Abraham connecting with God. No prayer, no sacrifice, nothing. The only mention of the Lord is that the Lord plagued Pharoah.

Here in verse 4, “…Abram called upon the name of the Lord.”

When you are away from the Lord how do you reconnect with Him?

Confess your absence.

Confess your sin.

Confess your lack of faith.

Tell the Lord you love Him.

Praise the Lord for his patience.

Praise the Lord that He brought you back to himself.

Schedule regular time with the Lord.

Know what you are going to do when you return to the Lord.

Tell a strong believer that you are returning to the Lord.

Ask them to hold you accountable.

Join a small group of believers that share spiritually, so you develop spiritual relationships.

vs. 5-13, Abraham and Lot part ways

Genesis 13:5–13 ESV

5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

vs. 5, We see that both Abram and Lot are very wealthy with lots of herds.

There was not enough pasture land to support the herds. This caused fights and drama among the hired herdsman.

The strife and problem must have been very real. A decision to split would not be easy. Abram was in Haran with Lot his nephew for many years. Now they were to split up.

Abram handles the division generously.

-Abram sees the relational division among the herdsman.

-He doesn’t want relational division in His family.

-Abram prefers Lot and not himself

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

In doing so, God used this to spiritually protect Abram. What would have happened if Lot chose the West over the East?

Answer - Abram would have landed closer to Sodom and Gomorrah. He could have been pulled into the wickedness of the cities.

Where was Sodom and Gomorrah? In the region of the dead sea. Archeologists debate whether it was in the norther part, southern part or under the water in the middle.

Vs. 10, Lot chose the financially better, but the spiritually depraved.

-Our nation makes many decisions based on what is best for the $.

-Morally, more and more is being decided on what is best for the money versus what is right.

-It’s ok to sell drugs because it pays for my child’s food and school clothes.

-Just because someone can make money or become more wealthy by doing something doesn’t mean that you should invest in it.

examples?

14-18, God reconfirms his promise to Abram.

Genesis 13:14–18 ESV

14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

-We see that Abram made a mistake and sinned in Egypt by lying about Sarai being his sister.

-God restates his commitment to Abram.

-God confirms that Abrams sin has not cause God to leave or break his promise.

Psalm 103:8 ESV

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 108

Jonah 4:2 ESV

2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

Isn’t this what we see in the Gospel?

A God who is full of grace and mercy.

Who shows grace and mercy to those who repent and come to Him.

We serve a God who is ready to receive those who will come to Him.