Genesis 13 - God Promises Abram the Land Again
Abram and Lot separate.
Verses 1-4 tells us Abram returns to the land promised to him.
“Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.”
Even though Abram came back from Egypt with great riches, he returned to the same place as before. He was right back where he started. Essentially, Abram’s time in Egypt was WASTED time. God could have and would have provided for his needs in Canaan.
Abram should not have used the blessing God brought to him in Egypt as a justification for going there. Even though God is great enough to bring good even when we disobey, there is STILL a cost to pay.
Abram’s unbelief took him from his place of worship; it led him into sin, and caused him to lead others into sin. It made him more confident in his ability to lie than in the protecting power of God. It even broke apart his family for a while. Finally, even an ungodly king rightly rebuked him.
To the place of the altar which he had made there at first: Yet, Abram also did what he should. Instead of torturing himself about his past sin, he got busy doing what he needed to do: living with the tent as a pilgrim and the altar as a worshipper, and calling on the name of the Lord.
LIKE ABRAM…THE CHURCH has always had the challenge of what to do with believers who slip into sin and want to come back into the church. For example, in the third century, the heroes of the faith were the martyrs and the confessors, but there were also many “lapsed” believers who buckled under the threat of persecution. Some churches were too lax, admitting them back as if nothing happened. Some were too harsh, saying they could never come back to the church and be used of God. Most churches did the right thing: they allowed the lapsed back, but basically as beginners again, not pretending as if nothing happened.
Here, Abram came BACK into the Promised Land basically as a beginner. He came back to Bethel, back with the tent and the altar, back doing what he should.
REVELATION 2:4-5.…JESUS TELLS THE CHURCH he wants us to walk in our first love and our first works.
Verses 5-7 tells us CONTENTION BEGINS BETWEEN Abram’s and Lot’s hired workers.
“Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell 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. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.”
NOW WE GET THE SECOND CLUE WHY GOD WANTED ABRAM TO LEAVE HIS FAMILY BEHIND IN UR. Lot also, who went with Abram: God commanded Abram to leave his family behind when he came to the land of Canaan in Genesis 12:1, but Abram brought HIS FATHER TERAH & his nephew Lot along with him. GOD WANTED TO SPARE ABRAM TROUBLE. PARTIAL OBEDIENCE BROUGHT Trouble like this was the result.
ALSO…DO NOT FORGET SATAN JUMPS IN TOO…this conflict came now, when Abram DID the right thing. SO then and NOW…WE NEED TO REMEMBER when we DO get right with God, we can often expect attack from the devil.
Something had to be done about this strife between the estates of Abram and Lot, because they could not continue a conflict like this before the unbelieving inhabitants of Canaan. AGAIN….GOD DOES NOT WANT HIS CHILDREN TO BE OPENLY CONTENTIOUS WITH EACH OTHER…it does NOT speak well of Christians in general & Almighty God in particular.
When the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land, and saw the men of Abram and Lot fighting, they must have thought, “Oh, they’re just like us. They say they worship another God, a God they say is the true God, but I see they are really just like us.”
OUR ACTIONS AND BEHAVIORS tell the lost and the world WHO WE REALLY ARE…SO WE MUST STRIVE ALWAYS IN WORD AND DEED TO BE GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLES FOR THE WORLD.
Their possessions were so great: This is the first mention of wealth in the Bible. There was a great difference between the riches of Abram and the riches of Lot. They both had great wealth, but Lot’s wealth possessed him. Abram had great possessions, but they did NOT possess him.
Verses 8-9 tells us of Abram’s generous offer to Lot.
“So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
Since Abram was the eldest, and GOD gave all the land to Abram (not to Lot), it was pure generosity on Abram’s part that caused him to make this offer to Lot.
If you take the left, then I will go to the right: Abram was able to fight when the occasion demanded it. He did not yield to Lot out of weakness, but out of love and trust in God. A few acres of grazing land didn’t seem worth fighting for to a man with an ETERNAL perspective.
God WAS glorified when Paul, out of love, waived his right to be supported by the gospel in 1 Corinthians 9:14-18.
God WAS glorified when Jesus, out of love, waived his right to an existence which knew no human suffering or trial by experience reminded to us in Philippians 2:5-11.
DO YOU ALSO NOTICE…Abram fulfilled the New Testament principle of love told to us in PHILIPPIANS 2:4, which says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
If you go to the right, then I will go to the left: Right or left, Abram knew he could trust God. He did it because he HAD FINALLY learned God would provide for his needs, and he did not have to worry about being too generous. Abram knew whatever Lot chose God would make sure Abram came out all right.
In Egypt, Abram thought he had to take his fate into his OWN hands. He had to look out for “number one.” Now, he is wiser and is willing to let God look out for his interests. Right or left, it didn’t matter to Abram, because God would be there.
AND…because he trusted in God, Abram did NOT have to be obsessed with his own “rights” and neither do we. The only right we truly have is the right to go to hell. Everything else is the free gift of God and has nothing to do with our “rights.”
Verses 10-13 tells us Lot chooses his portion of land.
“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”
Like the garden of the Lord: Lot made his choice purely based on what he could SEE with his NATURAL eyes. LOT CARED only for the material abundance of the land, and cares nothing for and does NOT STOP TO THINK how it will impact him and his family spiritually.
As much as anything, faith means we do not walk by what we see, but by what we know to be true in God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” as promised us in 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Abram was walking BY FAITH.
Lot was walking ONLY BY SIGHT.
Pitched his tent even as far as Sodom: It is only this far for now, but later Lot will become a LEADER of this sinful city. HE AND HIS FAMILY ONLY VALUING the things that can be seen will increase HIS WEALTH, HIS PROMINENCE, AND HIS STANDING temporarily, but in the END Lot will lose it all.
Of course Lot thought, “I can serve God as well there as here. They probably need a witness.” But he was deceiving himself. Beware of our ability to deceive ourselves!
JEREMIAH 17:9 WARNS US, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
It wasn’t Lot’s choice that led his heart astray. His heart was already astray, and it was demonstrated by his choice.
Verses 14-15 tells us God confirms HIS promises of the land to Abram and to his descendants forever.
“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are; northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
ONLY AFTER Lot had separated from ABRAM & gone his own way, did ALMIGHTY GOD APPEAR TO ABRAM. God wanted to talk to Abram alone after Lot had left. ALMIGHTY GOD HAD MADE THIS PROMISE TO ABRAM…NOT HIS FATHER, NOT HIS NEPHEW….ABRAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS ALONE…and HE WANTED NONE BUT ABRAM TO CLAIM IT AND RECEIVE IT.
This promise of the land had been made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). God is now repeating this promise.
All the land which you see I give to you: God also wanted to remind Abram that even though Abram had been generous enough to “give” some of the land to Lot, God still said ALL the land belonged to Abram.
Verse 16 tells us God reminds Abram of His promise to give Abram many descendants.
“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.”
I WILL MAKE make your descendants as the dust of the earth: This was quite a promise to make to a childless man in his 70’s or 80’s, but Abram knew to walk by faith and not by sight.
YOUR descendants: Again, this promise of many descendants was made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). To assure Abram, to remind Abram…God repeats the promise.
Verses 17-18 tells us Abram walks through the land God gave to him.
“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.”
As a token of Abram’s reception of the land by faith, God wants Abram to explore the land of promise, to walk through it as if it were his, though he does not have “title deed” to it yet.
In the same way, God wants us to explore our “land of promise,” His Word, where God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises in 2 Peter 1:4, & where He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in 2 Peter 1:3. He wants us to walk through this “land,” possessing it by faith.
Dwelt by the terbinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron: The name Mamre means, “vision.”; Hebron means “communion.” Abram is once again walking in the Lord’s vision for him and in communion with the Lord.
And built an altar there to the Lord: Abram built another altar. He lived life in constant awareness of the need for a sacrificial atonement and covering.
So what does JESUS WANT US TO SEE, TO LEARN, AND TO UNDERSTAND FROM GENESIS 13?
ABRAM IS ALSO A PICTURE OF THE CHURCH…HIS BRIDE in that WE, LIKE ABRAM ARE TO BELIEVE AND TRUST IN WHAT JESUS PROMISES US IN HIS WORD…NOT WHAT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES OR PEOPLE TELL US.
WE CAN NOT OUTGIVE JESUS. JESUS KNOWS THE FUTURE, HE HAS ALREADY MADE A WAY, AND PROVIDED FOR US IN THE FUTURE…NOTHING….NOTHING SURPRISES JESUS. JESUS IS ALREADY PREPARED….ALL WE NEED TO DO IS TRUST HIM…AND STEP OUT IN FAITH IN JESUS. JESUS WILL DO THE REST.
LIKE THE FAMINE, IT WAS A TEST TO SEE IF ABRAM WOULD TRUST ALMIGHY GOD OR IN HIS OWN ABILITIES, AND/OR BELIEVE AND TRUST IN HIS CIRCUMSTANCES…WHAT HE COULD SEE.
WE ARE TO WALK BY FAITH IN THOSE PROMISES, WITHOUT DOUBT, FEAR, AND WORRY…WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS PROMISED….JESUS CHRIST GIVES, ACCOMPLSIHES, AND WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO, AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN WILL HAPPEN.
GUARANTEED!
WE ALSO LEARN THAT JESUS PROMISES IN HIS WORD ARE FOR ABRAM HIS CHILDREN…WE HIS CO-HEIRS ALONE…THOSE WHO TRUST IN AND BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.
THE LOST WORLD WILL EITHER BE DRAWN TO JESUS & WANT WHAT YOU HAVE IN JESUS BY OUR ACTIONS, REACTIONS IN SITUATIONS, OUR WORDS, AND DEEDS…OR THEY WILL BE REPELLED…AND WILL REJECT JESUS CHRIST BECAUSE OF THEY DO NOT WANT TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO WALK IN FAITH.
JESUS WANTS US TO SHINE…TO BE SET APART FROM THE LOST WORLD…SO THAT WE WILL SHINE SO MUCH BRIGHTER…AND BE A LIGHT…BE A BEACON…A MAGNET THAT DRAWS THE LOST TO JESUS…AND JESUS ALONE.
JUST AS WITH ABRAM….THERE WILL BE THOSE IN OUR CHURCH, YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, JOBS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WILL RIDE OUR COAT TAILS FOR A TIME, BE BLESSED, RELISH AND ENJOY THE GRACE AND MERCY WAVES/BLESSINGS RESONATING OFF US AND THROUGH OUR LIVES…WHO WILL STILL CHOOSE TO LIVE AS THE WORLD LIVES AND REJECT, OVERLOOK, OR DISMISS THE OBEDIENCE WE FOLLOW AND SEEK TO LIVE GIVEN US IN JESUS WORDS. FOR THOSE, AS WITH LOT AND ABRAM…THERE WILL COME A TIME TO SHAKE THE DUST…SEPARATE FROM THEM…LET THEM GO…BECAUSE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM IN OUR LIVES WILL BECOME SELF-DESTRUCTIVE AND A STUMBLING BLOCK FOR US.
TERAH, ABRAM’S FATHER BROUGHT HIM TROUBLE.
LOT, ABRAM’S NEPHEW BROUGHT STRIFE AND TROUBLE TO ABRAM AS WELL.
LOT IS A PICTURE OF THE LOST WORLD THAT LOOK AT AND SEE THINGS AND BELIEVE THINGS AND ONLY HAVE TRUST IN THE THINGS THEY CAN SEE, FEEL, HEAR, SMELL AND TOUCH. AND THE LOST WORLD LIKE LOT, DO NOT SEE OR CONSIDER OR COUNT THE THINGS OF THE ETERNAL…ONLY THE NOW…THE FAULTY, TEMPORARY, PUSH BUTTON ANSWERS, PROVISIONS, AND SOLUTIONS.
AND LOT, IS ALSO A PICTURE OF JUDAS, IN THAT LOT WALKED WITH ABRAM, AS JUDAS WALKED WITH JESUS…BOTH MEN SAW MANY WONDROUS THINGS, CAME THROUGH TRIALS WITHOUT A SCRATCH, SAW ALMIGHTY GOD MAKE A WAY FOR THEM, SAW THE WORD PROMISED FULFILLED…YET WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE…BOTH LOT AND JUDAS CHOSE SELF, CHOSE THE LOST WORLD AND MANKIND AND WHAT LIMITED/TEMPORARY WEALTH, POSSESSIONS, AND THINGS IT OFFERED, AND THEY WALKED AWAY, THEY BETRAYED, AND THEY ENDED WITH LOSING ALL WITHIN THIS WORLD THAT THEY COVETED, WANTED, AND TREASURED ABOVE JESUS CHRIST AND ALMIGHTY GOD.
AND GENESIS 13 SHOWS US THAT THE TRIUNE GOD IS A PATIENT TEACHER, & UNSHAKEABLE PROMISE KEEPER. HE HEARS, HE SPEAKS, AND HE MOVES SUDDENLYYYYYY ON THE BEHALF OF THOSE HE KNOWS WHO LOVE HIM AND ARE SEEKING TO TRUST HIM, OBEY HIM, AND WALK WITH AND IN AND THROUGH HIM.
GENESIS 13 SHOWS US THAT WE CAN NOT OUTGIVE GOD. WHAT WE SHARE OF THAT WHICH THE TRIUNE GOD GIVES US….IT PLEASES HIM THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SHARE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE, GIVE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE…AND JESUS BLESSES US FOR CHOOSING THE ETERNAL OVER HOARDING, AND BEING STINGY, MISERLY WITH WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD GIVES US, BUTTTTTTT…JUST AS ABRAM GAVE LOT FIRST CHOICE OF ALL HE HAD THAT ALMIGHTY GOD HAD GIVEN HIM & PROMISED ABRAM, IN THE EYES OF ALMIGHTY GOD THAT GIFT OF LAND ABRAM GAVE TO LOT…STILL AND WOULD FOREVER REMAIN TITLED TO ABRAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS ALONE ON THE EARTH AND IN THE ETERNAL.
IN GENESIS 13 ABRAM WAS JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE NEW TESTAMENT COMMAND THAT WE WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST ARE TO STORE UP OUR TRUE RICHES IN HEAVEN, WHERE NOTHING COULD TAKE IT, HARM IT, OR DESTROY IT.
JESUS IS SAYING TO US THROUGH ABRAM….YOU ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ACCOUNTING, KEEPING RECORD, I KEEP EXCELLENT RECORDS AND KNOW AND SEE THE HEART, AND WILL BLESS, REWARD, PROTECT AND PROVIDE FOR YOU IN THE PRESENT WHILE YOU ARE PILGRIMS MOVING THROUGH THIS LIFE…AND I WILL BLESS AND REWARD YOU IN THE ETERNAL FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR ME TOO.
TRUST IN OUR JESUS ALONE…
BE BLESSED…STAY BLESSED.
Genesis 13 - God Promises Abram the Land AgainAbram and Lot separate.Verses 1-4 tells us Abram returns to the land promised to him.“Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.”Even though Abram came back from Egypt with great riches, he returned to the same place as before. He was right back where he started. Essentially, Abram’s time in Egypt was WASTED time. God could have and would have provided for his needs in Canaan.Abram should not have used the blessing God brought to him in Egypt as a justification for going there. Even though God is great enough to bring good even when we disobey, there is STILL a cost to pay.Abram’s unbelief took him from his place of worship; it led him into sin, and caused him to lead others into sin. It made him more confident in his ability to lie than in the protecting power of God. It even broke apart his family for a while. Finally, even an ungodly king rightly rebuked him.To the place of the altar which he had made there at first: Yet, Abram also did what he should. Instead of torturing himself about his past sin, he got busy doing what he needed to do: living with the tent as a pilgrim and the altar as a worshipper, and calling on the name of the Lord.LIKE ABRAM…THE CHURCH has always had the challenge of what to do with believers who slip into sin and want to come back into the church. For example, in the third century, the heroes of the faith were the martyrs and the confessors, but there were also many “lapsed” believers who buckled under the threat of persecution. Some churches were too lax, admitting them back as if nothing happened. Some were too harsh, saying they could never come back to the church and be used of God. Most churches did the right thing: they allowed the lapsed back, but basically as beginners again, not pretending as if nothing happened.Here, Abram came BACK into the Promised Land basically as a beginner. He came back to Bethel, back with the tent and the altar, back doing what he should.REVELATION 2:4-5.…JESUS TELLS THE CHURCH he wants us to walk in our first love and our first works.Verses 5-7 tells us CONTENTION BEGINS BETWEEN Abram’s and Lot’s hired workers.“Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell 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. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.”NOW WE GET THE SECOND CLUE WHY GOD WANTED ABRAM TO LEAVE HIS FAMILY BEHIND IN UR. Lot also, who went with Abram: God commanded Abram to leave his family behind when he came to the land of Canaan in Genesis 12:1, but Abram brought HIS FATHER TERAH & his nephew Lot along with him. GOD WANTED TO SPARE ABRAM TROUBLE. PARTIAL OBEDIENCE BROUGHT Trouble like this was the result.ALSO…DO NOT FORGET SATAN JUMPS IN TOO…this conflict came now, when Abram DID the right thing. SO then and NOW…WE NEED TO REMEMBER when we DO get right with God, we can often expect attack from the devil.Something had to be done about this strife between the estates of Abram and Lot, because they could not continue a conflict like this before the unbelieving inhabitants of Canaan. AGAIN….GOD DOES NOT WANT HIS CHILDREN TO BE OPENLY CONTENTIOUS WITH EACH OTHER…it does NOT speak well of Christians in general & Almighty God in particular.When the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land, and saw the men of Abram and Lot fighting, they must have thought, “Oh, they’re just like us. They say they worship another God, a God they say is the true God, but I see they are really just like us.”OUR ACTIONS AND BEHAVIORS tell the lost and the world WHO WE REALLY ARE…SO WE MUST STRIVE ALWAYS IN WORD AND DEED TO BE GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLES FOR THE WORLD.Their possessions were so great: This is the first mention of wealth in the Bible. There was a great difference between the riches of Abram and the riches of Lot. They both had great wealth, but Lot’s wealth possessed him. Abram had great possessions, but they did NOT possess him.Verses 8-9 tells us of Abram’s generous offer to Lot.“So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”Since Abram was the eldest, and GOD gave all the land to Abram (not to Lot), it was pure generosity on Abram’s part that caused him to make this offer to Lot.If you take the left, then I will go to the right: Abram was able to fight when the occasion demanded it. He did not yield to Lot out of weakness, but out of love and trust in God. A few acres of grazing land didn’t seem worth fighting for to a man with an ETERNAL perspective.God WAS glorified when Paul, out of love, waived his right to be supported by the gospel in 1 Corinthians 9:14-18.God WAS glorified when Jesus, out of love, waived his right to an existence which knew no human suffering or trial by experience reminded to us in Philippians 2:5-11.DO YOU ALSO NOTICE…Abram fulfilled the New Testament principle of love told to us in PHILIPPIANS 2:4, which says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”If you go to the right, then I will go to the left: Right or left, Abram knew he could trust God. He did it because he HAD FINALLY learned God would provide for his needs, and he did not have to worry about being too generous. Abram knew whatever Lot chose God would make sure Abram came out all right.In Egypt, Abram thought he had to take his fate into his OWN hands. He had to look out for “number one.” Now, he is wiser and is willing to let God look out for his interests. Right or left, it didn’t matter to Abram, because God would be there.AND…because he trusted in God, Abram did NOT have to be obsessed with his own “rights” and neither do we. The only right we truly have is the right to go to hell. Everything else is the free gift of God and has nothing to do with our “rights.”Verses 10-13 tells us Lot chooses his portion of land.“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”Like the garden of the Lord: Lot made his choice purely based on what he could SEE with his NATURAL eyes. LOT CARED only for the material abundance of the land, and cares nothing for and does NOT STOP TO THINK how it will impact him and his family spiritually.As much as anything, faith means we do not walk by what we see, but by what we know to be true in God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” as promised us in 2 Corinthians 5:7.Abram was walking BY FAITH.Lot was walking ONLY BY SIGHT.Pitched his tent even as far as Sodom: It is only this far for now, but later Lot will become a LEADER of this sinful city. HE AND HIS FAMILY ONLY VALUING the things that can be seen will increase HIS WEALTH, HIS PROMINENCE, AND HIS STANDING temporarily, but in the END Lot will lose it all.Of course Lot thought, “I can serve God as well there as here. They probably need a witness.” But he was deceiving himself. Beware of our ability to deceive ourselves!JEREMIAH 17:9 WARNS US, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”It wasn’t Lot’s choice that led his heart astray. His heart was already astray, and it was demonstrated by his choice.Verses 14-15 tells us God confirms HIS promises of the land to Abram and to his descendants forever.“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are; northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”DID YOU CATCH THAT?ONLY AFTER Lot had separated from ABRAM & gone his own way, did ALMIGHTY GOD APPEAR TO ABRAM. God wanted to talk to Abram alone after Lot had left. ALMIGHTY GOD HAD MADE THIS PROMISE TO ABRAM…NOT HIS FATHER, NOT HIS NEPHEW….ABRAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS ALONE…and HE WANTED NONE BUT ABRAM TO CLAIM IT AND RECEIVE IT.This promise of the land had been made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). God is now repeating this promise.All the land which you see I give to you: God also wanted to remind Abram that even though Abram had been generous enough to “give” some of the land to Lot, God still said ALL the land belonged to Abram.Verse 16 tells us God reminds Abram of His promise to give Abram many descendants.“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.”I WILL MAKE make your descendants as the dust of the earth: This was quite a promise to make to a childless man in his 70’s or 80’s, but Abram knew to walk by faith and not by sight.YOUR descendants: Again, this promise of many descendants was made to Abram when he lived in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:2-4). To assure Abram, to remind Abram…God repeats the promise.Verses 17-18 tells us Abram walks through the land God gave to him.“Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.”As a token of Abram’s reception of the land by faith, God wants Abram to explore the land of promise, to walk through it as if it were his, though he does not have “title deed” to it yet.In the same way, God wants us to explore our “land of promise,” His Word, where God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises in 2 Peter 1:4, & where He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in 2 Peter 1:3. He wants us to walk through this “land,” possessing it by faith.Dwelt by the terbinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron: The name Mamre means, “vision.”; Hebron means “communion.” Abram is once again walking in the Lord’s vision for him and in communion with the Lord.And built an altar there to the Lord: Abram built another altar. He lived life in constant awareness of the need for a sacrificial atonement and covering.So what does JESUS WANT US TO SEE, TO LEARN, AND TO UNDERSTAND FROM GENESIS 13?ABRAM IS ALSO A PICTURE OF THE CHURCH…HIS BRIDE in that WE, LIKE ABRAM ARE TO BELIEVE AND TRUST IN WHAT JESUS PROMISES US IN HIS WORD…NOT WHAT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES OR PEOPLE TELL US.WE CAN NOT OUTGIVE JESUS. JESUS KNOWS THE FUTURE, HE HAS ALREADY MADE A WAY, AND PROVIDED FOR US IN THE FUTURE…NOTHING….NOTHING SURPRISES JESUS. JESUS IS ALREADY PREPARED….ALL WE NEED TO DO IS TRUST HIM…AND STEP OUT IN FAITH IN JESUS. JESUS WILL DO THE REST.LIKE THE FAMINE, IT WAS A TEST TO SEE IF ABRAM WOULD TRUST ALMIGHY GOD OR IN HIS OWN ABILITIES, AND/OR BELIEVE AND TRUST IN HIS CIRCUMSTANCES…WHAT HE COULD SEE.WE ARE TO WALK BY FAITH IN THOSE PROMISES, WITHOUT DOUBT, FEAR, AND WORRY…WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS PROMISED….JESUS CHRIST GIVES, ACCOMPLSIHES, AND WHAT HE SAYS HE WILL DO, AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN WILL HAPPEN.GUARANTEED!WE ALSO LEARN THAT JESUS PROMISES IN HIS WORD ARE FOR ABRAM HIS CHILDREN…WE HIS CO-HEIRS ALONE…THOSE WHO TRUST IN AND BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST.THE LOST WORLD WILL EITHER BE DRAWN TO JESUS & WANT WHAT YOU HAVE IN JESUS BY OUR ACTIONS, REACTIONS IN SITUATIONS, OUR WORDS, AND DEEDS…OR THEY WILL BE REPELLED…AND WILL REJECT JESUS CHRIST BECAUSE OF THEY DO NOT WANT TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO WALK IN FAITH.JESUS WANTS US TO SHINE…TO BE SET APART FROM THE LOST WORLD…SO THAT WE WILL SHINE SO MUCH BRIGHTER…AND BE A LIGHT…BE A BEACON…A MAGNET THAT DRAWS THE LOST TO JESUS…AND JESUS ALONE.JUST AS WITH ABRAM….THERE WILL BE THOSE IN OUR CHURCH, YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, JOBS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WILL RIDE OUR COAT TAILS FOR A TIME, BE BLESSED, RELISH AND ENJOY THE GRACE AND MERCY WAVES/BLESSINGS RESONATING OFF US AND THROUGH OUR LIVES…WHO WILL STILL CHOOSE TO LIVE AS THE WORLD LIVES AND REJECT, OVERLOOK, OR DISMISS THE OBEDIENCE WE FOLLOW AND SEEK TO LIVE GIVEN US IN JESUS WORDS. FOR THOSE, AS WITH LOT AND ABRAM…THERE WILL COME A TIME TO SHAKE THE DUST…SEPARATE FROM THEM…LET THEM GO…BECAUSE TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM IN OUR LIVES WILL BECOME SELF-DESTRUCTIVE AND A STUMBLING BLOCK FOR US.TERAH, ABRAM’S FATHER BROUGHT HIM TROUBLE.LOT, ABRAM’S NEPHEW BROUGHT STRIFE AND TROUBLE TO ABRAM AS WELL.LOT IS A PICTURE OF THE LOST WORLD THAT LOOK AT AND SEE THINGS AND BELIEVE THINGS AND ONLY HAVE TRUST IN THE THINGS THEY CAN SEE, FEEL, HEAR, SMELL AND TOUCH. AND THE LOST WORLD LIKE LOT, DO NOT SEE OR CONSIDER OR COUNT THE THINGS OF THE ETERNAL…ONLY THE NOW…THE FAULTY, TEMPORARY, PUSH BUTTON ANSWERS, PROVISIONS, AND SOLUTIONS.AND LOT, IS ALSO A PICTURE OF JUDAS, IN THAT LOT WALKED WITH ABRAM, AS JUDAS WALKED WITH JESUS…BOTH MEN SAW MANY WONDROUS THINGS, CAME THROUGH TRIALS WITHOUT A SCRATCH, SAW ALMIGHTY GOD MAKE A WAY FOR THEM, SAW THE WORD PROMISED FULFILLED…YET WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE…BOTH LOT AND JUDAS CHOSE SELF, CHOSE THE LOST WORLD AND MANKIND AND WHAT LIMITED/TEMPORARY WEALTH, POSSESSIONS, AND THINGS IT OFFERED, AND THEY WALKED AWAY, THEY BETRAYED, AND THEY ENDED WITH LOSING ALL WITHIN THIS WORLD THAT THEY COVETED, WANTED, AND TREASURED ABOVE JESUS CHRIST AND ALMIGHTY GOD.AND GENESIS 13 SHOWS US THAT THE TRIUNE GOD IS A PATIENT TEACHER, & UNSHAKEABLE PROMISE KEEPER. HE HEARS, HE SPEAKS, AND HE MOVES SUDDENLYYYYYY ON THE BEHALF OF THOSE HE KNOWS WHO LOVE HIM AND ARE SEEKING TO TRUST HIM, OBEY HIM, AND WALK WITH AND IN AND THROUGH HIM.GENESIS 13 SHOWS US THAT WE CAN NOT OUTGIVE GOD. WHAT WE SHARE OF THAT WHICH THE TRIUNE GOD GIVES US….IT PLEASES HIM THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SHARE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE, GIVE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE…AND JESUS BLESSES US FOR CHOOSING THE ETERNAL OVER HOARDING, AND BEING STINGY, MISERLY WITH WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD GIVES US, BUTTTTTTT…JUST AS ABRAM GAVE LOT FIRST CHOICE OF ALL HE HAD THAT ALMIGHTY GOD HAD GIVEN HIM & PROMISED ABRAM, IN THE EYES OF ALMIGHTY GOD THAT GIFT OF LAND ABRAM GAVE TO LOT…STILL AND WOULD FOREVER REMAIN TITLED TO ABRAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS ALONE ON THE EARTH AND IN THE ETERNAL.IN GENESIS 13 ABRAM WAS JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE NEW TESTAMENT COMMAND THAT WE WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST ARE TO STORE UP OUR TRUE RICHES IN HEAVEN, WHERE NOTHING COULD TAKE IT, HARM IT, OR DESTROY IT.JESUS IS SAYING TO US THROUGH ABRAM….YOU ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ACCOUNTING, KEEPING RECORD, I KEEP EXCELLENT RECORDS AND KNOW AND SEE THE HEART, AND WILL BLESS, REWARD, PROTECT AND PROVIDE FOR YOU IN THE PRESENT WHILE YOU ARE PILGRIMS MOVING THROUGH THIS LIFE…AND I WILL BLESS AND REWARD YOU IN THE ETERNAL FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR ME TOO.TRUST IN OUR JESUS ALONE…BE BLESSED…STAY BLESSED.