In our passage today we will begin to see how God wasn’t finished with Abram.
In last week’s passage, Abram made some dumb decisions. But God was faithful despite them. As Abram sought to sabotage God’s call and blessing on his life, God continued to carry out his good will and plan for Abram’s life.
So, as we begin looking at our passage today, I want to remind you that God is faithful to carry out the work that he began in you. At various points in your life, it will seem like your greatest enemy is you. There will be moments in your life when your faith is clouded by fear. There will be moments when your heart will be a paradoxical mixture of self-reliance and trust in God. But, like Abram and Sarai, there is grace for you. Your lowest moments don’t have to be what defines you.
Christian brothers and sisters, your identity doesn’t reside in your failures; your identity resides in the one your faith resides. It’s safe and secure in Christ.
Let’s dive into our passage today and begin to look at what happens in Abram and Sarai’s life after their blunder in Egypt.
“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.”
RETURN TO WHERE IT BEGAN
Let’s pause here for a moment because there’s a few things quietly working behind the scenes here that are worth our attention.
Notice where Abram goes. He doesn’t go forward; he goes backwards. He goes back to the place where he built his first altar. He journeys “into the Negeb,” then continues on “as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first.” These aren’t random landmarks. These are all places in the promised land of Canaan. Every step Abram took led him further back into the land of promise, the place where this all began. He’s returning to where he first met God in worship in order to “call upon the name of the LORD.” After an embarrassing moment of failure that was marked by fear, he doesn’t run forward to prove himself. He turns back to remember. He returned to where it all began in order to “call on the name of the LORD,” which is an outward cry out to the LORD in worship and prayer.
This journey he’s making is a spiritual recalibration; it’s a display of humble repentance. He’s acknowledging his failures and placing himself back under God’s authority.
Friends, listen. There’s wisdom and application for us here today.
When we drift, when our hearts wander, it would serve us well to follow Abram’s example here. Like Abram, it would serve us well to return to where we started. Return to that place when Christ gripped your heart for the first time and you were awakened to a devoted love for Jesus. In heeding to the warning extended to the church in Ephesus in Revelation, we don’t want to abandon the love we had at first. When fear grips our hearts and we fail miserably, we pack our bags and return to the simple place of early mornings, humble hearts, and open Bibles. It would serve some of us well to fall on our face before the LORD and plead for him to stir back up in us a burning love for Jesus and his glory!
Do you feel dry? Do you feel distant? You’ve never drifted too far to return to where you began. Abram returned to where he began to call on the name of the LORD.
The second thing I want us to notice here in these first few verses is the state of Abram and his family at this point in time.
STRUGGLE WITH MUCH
We haven’t talked much about Lot at this point in time. But Lot is Abram’s Nephew. In Genesis 11:27, we learn that Abram’s brother Haran passed away, which explains why Lot is closely linked to Abram early on. Abram, who doesn’t have any children of his own at this point in time, has likely become Lot’s protector and provider.
So, here at the start of chapter 13, we see that both Abram and Lot are doing really well when it comes to worldly possessions. Coming out of Egypt, they aren’t lacking much—“Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold… And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herd and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.”
Now, pause. Really quick.
I had the question this week of where did all of this wealth come from? Is this wealth a direct result of Abram’s time in Egypt? Or was he wealthy beforehand? I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. Genesis 12:5 tells us, “Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.” So we see that Abram didn’t lack much at this time. It seems he had gathered quite a bit of possessions before entering Egypt. But, we also see in verse 16 that Pharaoh “dealt well with Abram, and that he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” So it seems that Abram possessed much when he went into Egypt, but it also seems that he left Egypt with more. And, because of their abundance of riches, conflict arose. The land could not support both of them dwelling together; “for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.”
Please do not miss how all of their strife in this moment centers around an abundance of resources. At the end of chapter 12, famine brought difficulties. But at the start of chapter 13, abundance brought difficulties.
Please do not overlook this simple truth: suffering brings challenges, but so does prosperity. Having empty pockets is hard, but having full pockets is hard, too. As Kent Hughes puts it, “Abram’s and Lot’s prosperity, rather than pulling them together, divided them.”
We’re all tempted to think that if we could only make more, then our problems will fade away. “If only I made more money… if only I had a bigger house… a nicer car… a larger yard.” Our hearts long for more, but more is not always better. As our possessions multiply, our stomachs may stop growling, but our hearts aren’t guaranteed to find rest. Instead, they discover a new kind of ache, the quiet groaning that often comes with material abundance.
Difficulties and blessings don’t hinge on how much we have in our bank account, which is why the author of Hebrews says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim 6:6-8). We talked about this last week, but Paul demonstrates this well in Philippians 4:11-13 when he says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Contentment flows out of understand that our external circumstances don’t have to effect our internal reality. Our possessions don’t have to possess us.
SEEKING PEACE AT ALL COST
Abram’s difficulties at this point and time hinge directly on the reality that he and Lot have a lot. And let’s look at how Abram responds to the issue at hand,
“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.”
The first thing I want to remind us of here is the fact that God had promised all of this land to Abram, not Lot. Yet, Abram, for the sake of peace, offers to Lot first choice of the land. He offered to Lot something that wasn’t promised to him.
There was a pastor I listened to this week who tried to convince his church that Abram is acting cowardly here. He sought to paint Abram as a cowardly man who was afraid of conflict, a man who fearfully let Lot take advantage of him. And the application was that we have to be willing to address issues and fight for what’s right.
I couldn’t disagree more with what this man was saying. Abram isn’t acting cowardly; he’s acting godly. In the next chapter, we’re going to see Abram literally lead his forces out to set Lot free from captivity. So, when needed, Abram isn’t afraid to fight. When a family member is in trouble, Abram will puff his chest and draw his sword. But this just simply wasn’t a time to fight. This wasn’t a time to insist on his own way. Abram was willing to fight for his people, but not with his people. Abram loved Lot and desired to be at peace with Lot. Therefore, he was willing to lay down his own wants and desires for the sake of peace. Abram is displaying to us true humility and meekness. He’s displaying to us what a Godly man should look like. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.” So, meekness isn’t weakness; it is power under control. It is a willingness to lay down your own wants and desires for the good of another. Sometimes in life conflict will arise, and you will be faced with a choice: Do you want to be right or do you want peace?
Some of us would rather hold on to strife than seek out peace. But Abram went out of his way to address the heart of the matter, and he intentionally sought to eliminate the issue at hand. “Let there be no strife between you and me,” Abram said to Lot. Then he humbly and willingly let Lot decide which direction he wanted to go— “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.”
But, notice what Lot did in this moment in verse 10– “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. So lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.”
Lot chose the better option for himself. Where Abram laid down his preferences and wants, Lot did not. Where Abram gave, Lot took. Abram chose selflessness, Lot chose selfishness. And I want you to notice the intentionality on Moses’ end in recording the detail of Lot’s proximity to Sodom… a land full of men who were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
We will see this more as we progress throughout this book, but there is danger that comes from proximity to wickedness. Sodom was not a good place to be. And lot moved close. The Bible elsewhere says, “Bad company corrupts good character (1 Cor. 15:33).” What this teaches us is that our beliefs, values, and actions will eventually begin to be shaped by those we’re closest to. Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” So, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked (Ps. 1:1).”
BLESSED IS ABRAM
Following this exchange, the LORD addresses Abram— “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.” Here the LORD is continuing to lay out for Abram his plan. Look in all directions. The land you are walking on will soon be yours. An “heir of the world (Rom 4:13),” you will soon become. Reach down and grab the dirt. Look at how many grains of sand there are. So too will your offspring. I am going to do great things in and through you. And although Abram has no son at this time and this land didn’t belong to him, Abram trusted God, and he continued to worship God by building another altar to God.
What a stark contrast between last weeks passage. In last weeks passage, Abram tries to take matters into his own hands. In this weeks passage, Abram trusts.
As we land the plane today, I want to land the plane on the gospel by revisiting Philippians 2– “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. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Abram’s selfless actions of putting Lot first were a shadow of what was to come in and through Jesus. In the same way that Abram didn’t act out of selfish ambition, Jesus didn’t act out of selfish ambition. In the same way that Abram looked to the interest of others, Jesus looked to the interest of others. In the same way that Abram laid down that which rightfully belonged to him, Jesus laid down that which rightfully belonged to him. Jesus emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, humbling himself to the point of death, even death on the cross. And in the same way that God blessed Abram after Abram laid down that which rightfully belonged to him, the Father exalted Jesus, bestowing on him the name that is above evert name, the name that every knee should bow and tongue should confess as Lord. Jesus is the offspring of Abram in which all the nations will be blessed. Through faith in him, people from all over the world can become descendants of Abram, recipients of this promised blessing!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Abram responds to failure by going back to the place of his first altar. What does “returning to where you began” look like in your own walk with Christ? What tends to keep us from doing this when we fail?
Abram and Lot experience conflict not because they lack, but because they have abundance. How have you seen blessing or comfort create spiritual danger or relational strain—either personally or culturally? What does biblical contentment look like in seasons of “much”?
Abram gives up what was rightfully his for the sake of peace, while Lot chooses what looks best for himself. How do we discern when we are called to lay down our rights for peace and when we are called to stand firm? What makes that so difficult?
Abram’s selflessness points forward to Christ’s humility in Philippians 2. How does seeing Jesus as the greater and truer Abram reshape the way we view sacrifice, trust, and obedience in our own lives?