(Genesis 13:1-18) So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. 3 He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5 Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” 18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” 18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Immediately, I'm struck with this thought... when Abram returned to the place where he had heard God's promise to him, and the place where he had built an alter to the Lord - Abram then called on the Lord.
This is exactly how going to church can be! Even when you are in the habit of going every week, one can feel blasé or even defiant about going "the next time" - but once you get there - you are so happy that you went! We need those weekly and daily reminders to equip us and encourage us to be seeking after the Lord for everything - all of the time!
Abram would have probably seen the remnants of his alter, which could have reminded him of God's promise, which involved land. And lack of land was the very issue he was having at the moment with his nephew, Lot. Being aware of God's promise and plan, but not knowing all of the details, Abram had to trust that God would sort it out.
After Lot left, God pointed out the land that would belong to Abram, and reminded Abram of His promise. But before Lot went his separate way, we do not know what God said to Abram, if anything, but Abram would have sensed God's direction and "presence" in the matter. Of course, God knew which land was meant for Abram, and God knew which land Lot was going to pick; so for Abram to give Lot the privilege of choosing was not a threat to God's plan and promise.
Of course, Lot chose "the beautiful" land. Just like the allure of sin, the beauty was deceptive. How often do we pray for something "beautiful", and God doesn't give it to us... and instead, we get something that doesn't seem so appealing at the moment. But when we make decisions based on God's will, and we stay in God's will... this leads to a time and a life of true beauty!...
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