Abram and Lot

Who remembers children that challenged your rights or your possessions?  That's MY toy! Youngsters cry...  

It is human-nature for us to seek to possess what is best for our selves   This leads to an attitude of taking rather than of sharing and leads little ones to challenge the rights and possessions of others.  Today we look at an example of this and learn that we can trust God when we are challenged over our rights or possessions.

It is common for us to look after our own interests as the cliche goes "If I don't do it, who will?" We seem to believe that we direct our own environment and we seek our direction to be the dominant version of reality.  Compromise, a "letting go together, can often be an option, but sometimes the best option is simpler to put aside our own interests and let the other person take the lead and make the decision.  Often the result is to receive greater benefit and preserve and even strengthen the relationship.

Today we look at an instance of this as we look in Genesis 13:5-1 and 14-18 we learn about a family problem that Abram and Lot had and how they resolved it. Abram had obediently responded to the Lord's call to leave the security of his land, the community of his relatives and the identity of his father's house to immigrate to a land that he knew nothing about.  Abram left all this behind him at the age of 75 when he and his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot left their home in Mesopotamia for the land of Canaan.  When he arrived in Canaan Abram moved around the land and built altars to the Creator, or as described by Melchizedek, the God Most High (remember, we don't learn the name of God until Moses' time).

At one point a contention arose between the estate of Lot and the estate of Abram.  Let's start by looking at that.

Genesis 13:5-8

5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 
6 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, 
7 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.) 
8 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.

When Abram, Sarai, Lot and their "clan" left for Canaan they both had significant estates, and God continued to bless them with riches and livestock.  Abram and Lot had reached the promised land but the men had flocks and herds so large that the land where they camped could not support them both.  At one point their estates were so large and environmental resources becoming scarce enough that the managers of the herds had conflict because of the overcrowded conditions. 

Lot’s name means “concealed.” He was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother who had died in Ur of the Chaldeans. Upon returning to Canaan from spending a time in Egypt during a famine, Abram and Lot camped between Bethel and Ai a dozen or so miles north of Jerusalem in the hill country. During the summer months the patriarchs found relief from the heat as well as good grazing land for herds and flocks in the higher elevations of the mountains. The families of Abram and Lot with their wealth of animals and "employees" remained or staying camped in close proximity to one another in the promised land of Canaan. The term together derives from a root meaning “to be united.” They were "one big happy family." 

Abram had become a man of considerable wealth in livestock, silver, and gold. He had accumulated some wealth while living in Haran, and also had acquired flocks, herds, donkeys, camels, and slaves in Egypt. The Hebrew word translated possessions might also be rendered “estate.” It designates a wide variety of property, including movable possessions, cattle as well as other domestic animals, and supplies and stores. The conflict between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen arose over the shortage of good grazing land.

In addition to the apparently large estate of Abram and Lot, the country was still populated by the Canaanites and Perizzites.   Canaanites generally designates the inhabitants of Canaan, the land that the God Most High promised to Abram. Canaan descended from Ham, one of Noah’s three sons. Canaanite became a common noun meaning “merchants” for the Canaanites tended to congregate in walled encampments. 

Perizzites, meaning “rustic,” were another one of the people groups who opposed the Israelites’ entry into Canaan. Their name suggests they lived in open country in contrast to the Canaanites who dwelled in walled encampments. So in these descriptions I see the age old problem with humanity the struggle between human "urbanites" (pertaining to living in a city) and their "rural" (open landed) counterparts.  So, basically, overpopulation, over crowding, and resource depletion led to conflict and strife between the city dwellers, the rural inhabitants and even between the estate managers of Abram and Lot.

Abram rightly saw the potential for this quarrel to damage his family. Instead of defending his status and rights, he chose to trust the Lord. Abram could have joined in the conflict, but rather he chose a different path as we will read in the next passage.

Genesis 13:9-11

9 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.”
10 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.) 
11 So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other.

Although Abram “outranked” Lot, he allowed Lot to choose which land he would take.  Abram discussed their options for parting ways and resettling in opposite directions. Abram was diplomatic by seeking a solution rather than dwelling on whose fault it may have been for causing the conflict.  Abram was gracious and deferred to Lot, giving him his first choice of land options. Lot jumped at the opportunity to choose first for himself the entire Jordan Valley, which was lush and green because it was well watered. 

Here we see another "Cain and Abel" type of contrast.  The spiritually-natured Abram graciously offered the younger Lot first choice.  The human-natured Lot chose to live close to the urban civilization in the Jordan valley.  As seems typical, evil found itself at home in the urban areas where humans can more easily focus on their selfish human-nature than they can upon their deity-focused spiritual-nature. 

Giving Lot first choice in order to keep peace in the family was a tough thing to do, but God affirmed Abram’s decision to trust God by re-issuing His promise to Abram.  In Genesis 15:18-21, the Lord outlined the boundaries of the promised land as stretching from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River. At times the nation of Israel included land east of the Jordan River. 

The Jordan Valley is the strip of land between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. It is approximately seventy miles long. The Hebrew term rendered plain literally means “circle.” It refers to the large round plain where the waters of the Jordan empty into the Dead Sea. Current archaeology theories and evidence indicates that there were a "circle" of cities in ancient times around the mouth of Dead Sea and that, like our Brazos River Bottom, it was a very fertile, and prosperous area.  Lot chose to live in the urban areas among human prosperity.  Abram chose God and remained in the highlands. Basically this fertile circle was like the Nile River Delta....well watered, fertile and prosperous, in contrast to the scarcity found in the hill country.  Lot chose the easier life.

Well watered in verse 10 along with “the Lord’s garden” emphasizes the beauty of the plain and helps explain Lot’s attraction to it.The garden of Eden and stamped a location as idyllic or perfect. The Hebrew verb from which the noun garden derives means “to put a shield about” or “to protect.” The basic idea is to shield from danger. In the Old Testament a garden designated a plot of ground protected by a hedge or wall. People cultivated flowers, fruits, and vegetables in these areas that often were irrigated. The Hebrew word rendered well watered derives from a verb meaning “to give to drink” or “to irrigate” and can also mean “irrigation” or “drink.”  Gardens provided a respite from the stifling summer heat. Kings typically possessed elaborate gardens. The expression the Lord’s garden became a symbol for land covered with lush vegetation.  But the land’s beauty distracted him from the evil that lay in wait there. In Sodom and Gomorrah. 

These two cities were in close proximity to one another both geographically and culturally. Although their exact location remains unknown, they apparently lay near the Dead Sea. The two cities became notorious for their wickedness. Lot chose to set up his tent near Sodom and may have become a prominent citizen in Sodom because his sitting in the gateway suggests he played an influential role in the community. When Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Sodom because of Lot’s presence there not even ten righteous persons could be found in the city. Therefore the Lord rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah after bringing Lot and his family out of Sodom.  Lot escaped to Zoar when the Lord rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah that apparently engulfed the entire Dead Sea region.  You may learn more about this destruction at This YouTube Link.

The king of Zoar was a member of a coalition of five kings of the Jordan valley who warred against a group of four kings from Mesopotamia. Abram later rescues his nephew Lot who had been captured by the four kings in the conflict, encountering Melchizedek at Jerusalem on his return from Lot's rescue.  One last "rest of the story" point: as part of Lot's escape story his daughters, believing that they were the last humans on the planet, chose, and tricked, their father into incestuous relations.  This produced Lot's descendants Moab and Ammon.  The descendants of Moab and Ammon, the Moabites and the Ammonites, continued to demonstrate conflict between Lot’s descendants and Abram’s descendants.

Ultimately Lot lost everything that he thought he would profit from by choosing the worldly urban perspective. He lost his wife, his sons-in-law, and his surviving daughters lost their sense of shame. In contrast Abram could have pulled rank over Lot and claimed the land of his choice, but he placed his faith in God, and his inheritance “remains forever” as we will read in the next passage.

Genesis 13:14-18

14 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,
15 for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. 
16 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. 
17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” 
18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

When God showed Abram his land and promised “To your offspring I will give this land”, it was not until Lot was gone that God showed Abram the full expanse of His blessing.  The Lord promised Abram the land of Canaan as a permanent possession. There is no end date of God’s promise to Abram. He and his offspring were promised possession of this land—forever, even thought at this point, Abram had no son, no heir. Abram trusted the LORD, who promised his offspring would increase in number “like the dust of the earth.” The patriarch would have so many descendants that they could not be counted. The Lord elsewhere compared Abram’s numerous descendants with the countless stars in the sky and the innumerable grains of sand on the seashore. The phrase dust of the earth ties together the promise of the land with the promise of a multitude of descendants.

The Lord described the promised land in terms of all the land Abram could see (v. 15) as well as all the land he could walk on.  In Genesis 15 the Lord delineated the boundaries of that land as running from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River. Bible scholars have identified the Brook of Egypt with an Egyptian river running just south of the Gaza strip. The Brook of Egypt became a familiar landmark for Canaan’s southwestern border.  The land area depicted became the ideal standard. While, because of their unfaithfulness to God Most High, the nations of Israel and Judah would fall to the Assyrians and Babylonians, the Most Hight God has proved faithful to His promise of the land to Abraham’s descendants allowing the Jewish people to return to this area at various times throughout history, even into modern times.

After separating from Lot, Abram moved to Hebron.  Hebron means “association” or “league.” It was a major city in the hill country of Judah located nineteen miles south of Jerusalem.  David made Hebron his capital for over seven years before moving it to Jerusalem.  Here Abram set up his camp under the oaks of Mamre and built an altar.  Here he also purchased the field of Machpelah and its cave as a burial site for his family, ultimately becoming the burial site for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah.  Mamre was named after an Amorite named Mamre who assisted Abram in defeating a coalition of kings who had captured Abram’s nephew Lot. Mamre was well-known for its oak trees and the spring which watered them where he built an altar. Worship of the Lord characterized Abraham’s life as indicated by his building altars as he moved from place to place.  An interesting YouTube video on this location tells more about Mamre and shares a view of its archaeology. 

God used a season of unwelcome conflict and tension to separate Lot away from Abram.  This left Abram to trust more fully in the promises of God as the distractions of the apparently worldly-centered Lot may have brought. Abram was left in the position and the place of God’s intended blessing. God made promises to Abram and ALL of those promises came to pass and are still coming to pass today.

What actions will you take when you encounter conflict with a family member? 
Some good guidelines are:

• Go Directly to God. Start by asking God for wisdom and guidance 
in this situation.

• 
Go Diplomatically. There is no need for assertive contention.  Abram demonstrates a diplomatic demeanor.

• Go with a godly goal of restoration. Trust God when challenged over your rights or possessions and seek to restore peace.

Every believer has received a promise from God that the Lord will take care of them. He has promised abundant and eternal life that ushers us into the presence of Christ forever. Surely we can trust Him to manage our rights and possessions in this life as he did with Abram, especially when we know the life to come will be incredible.