Abram, Sarai and his entire
household were forced to leave Egypt, which they did. They then
travelled by stages towards Bethel, where they had camped before.
There they stopped at the altar Abram had built and again he
worshiped the Lord there.
Abram and Lot were both very
wealthy and had a lot of livestock. They had so many sheep and
cattle that the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all
their flocks and herds together. Arguments started to break out
between the herdsmen. Abram saw what was happening and decided to
intervene before serious family feuds broke out.
"Then Abram talked it over with
Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop," he said.
"After all, we are close relatives! I'll tell you what we'll do.
Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will
separate. If you want that area over there, then I will stay here.
If you want to stay in this area, then I'll move to another place."
Genesis 13:8, 9
Abram did the mature thing. He
tried to resolve the issue without causing any more conflict. He
approached the problem head on. And even though he had the first
choice due to his age, he gave up his right and gave first choice
to Lot. Now Lot was a selfish man and grabbed this chance to make
headway over his uncle with both hands.
"Lot took a long look at the
fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The
whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord
or the beautiful land of Egypt. Lot chose that land for himself."
Genesis 13:10, 11
Lot took the best land for himself.
Israel was promised to Abram and his descendants, God made a
covenant with him and yet here it would seem that the best
part of the land was taken by Lot. I can just imagine how Abram's
party must have felt. The best part of the land was supposed to be
theirs, and here Lot takes it all for himself. They must have felt
cheated in some way. And yet Abram accepted Lot's choice and parted
ways with him in peace. And because he did, the Lord once again
affirmed His covenant with Abram with him and told him that
everything as far as he could see was his, and not only that, he
will have numerous descendants too. He also said:
"Take a walk in every direction
and explore the new possessions I am giving you." Genesis
13:17
Even though Lot took the best land
for himself, God didn't acknowledge it. He still said that the best
land was Abram's, in fact everything in every direction of Canaan
was Abram's, along with all the possessions it entails. God was not
swayed by the actions of men; He still saw the land as Abram's.
Maybe you feel cheated in some way.
Maybe you feel the promotion should have come your way, or you feel
that your family member always gets what they want and you always
get second best. Maybe you feel that everyone else is getting the
lucky breaks that you have really worked hard for. Well, let me
encourage you today. Human activity doesn't stop our God. He is
eternal and He is mighty and what He promises will come to pass. No
boss can stop Him if He wants to promote you. No event can stand in
His way if He wants to bless you. If your attitude is right and if
your heart is pumping for God, nothing can stand in your way. Don't
hold grudges against people, don't envy what they have, but rather
give it all over to the Lord. He will fight for you and He will
lead you forward. He gave the whole of Canaan to Abram even though
Lot chose the best for himself. And He will do the same for you;
just make sure that your heart is pure and cleansed from bitterness
and unforgiveness.
Father thank you that You are
Almighty. We have so much peace in knowing that our lives are in
Your hands. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. You are in
command; You are our leader and our Redeemer. Thank you. Amen