Read with Me
Genesis 13:1-11 (HCSB)
Then Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev —he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of Yahweh there.
Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 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, 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.
Then 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. 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.”
Lot looked out and saw that the entire Jordan Valley 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. So Lot chose the entire Jordan Valley for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other.
Listen with Me
Abram left Egypt in disgrace, but he was far richer than he had been going into Egypt. That was because Pharaoh had not demanded the return of the exorbitant bride price he had paid for Abram’s “sister”, Sarai. Over the next several months, Abram drove the flocks all over the southern part of Canaan, eventually settling back where he had built the altar to the Lord shortly after his arrival.
The pressure was great to keep moving around, because the huge, combined flocks of Abram and Lot quickly ate up all the plants wherever they stayed. This rapid depletion of resources caused the quarreling between the servants of Abraham and those of Lot.
Abram knew well that this kind of internecine conflict could quickly ignite into a feud if it went unchecked. So, he acted quickly and wisely in order to avoid any escalation.
Since God had promised the whole land to Abram, he would have been perfectly within his rights to simply send Lot back to Haran with all his flocks and herds and servants. But he didn’t. God’s grace was even then acting in his life, moving him to generosity instead of rejection.
Abram went even further, not merely assigning Lot a portion of the land, but allowing him to choose for himself where he would settle. And it didn’t take him long to choose the lush, green Jordan Valley for himself. That would enable him to settle down and not have to keep on moving as he had been. The valley had enough grassland that he could live in his tent and just have his servants move the flocks and herds a short distance each day.
For someone who had traded a stable life in Haran for the life of a nomad, getting back to stability looked really good to Lot. So, he packed up his tent and his belongings, and headed east down into the valley.
Pray with Me
Father, Lot seems to have chosen well in this instance. He traded wandering for stability and uncertain resources for what looked to be stable abundance. But even here You give us a clue that underlying all that green grassland was a foulness that would cause Lot abundant trouble, noting that this area, although it was now green and lush, would experience Your wrath when You destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot looked with his eyes, but he didn’t listen with his ears or his heart before he chose, and that would quickly lead to sorrow. Lord, help me to listen to You as I choose my path each day, so that I can avoid the traps that lie along many of those possible paths. Amen.