Village Schools of the Bible

Genesis: A Devotional Study
by Max Frazier, Jr

Last week we began our faith-adventure with Abraham. We observed his obedience in leaving his home behind, and striking out with his wife Sarah, went to a country whose destination would be decided by God. God had never asked anyone to do this before. The Bible does not tell us why He chose Abraham out of all the people upon the face of the earth. But I believe it was something within the heart of Abraham that touched God's heart. Perhaps God saw this germ of faith and knew it had the potential to grow into something significant.

Yet, we also noticed last week, that upon the arrival into the Land of Promise, and being greeted there with a famine, Abraham took matters into his own hands and fled to Egypt because there was food there. What a sad mistake that would later come back to haunt Abraham. We'll get into this a little bit more later on in our story. But, beware of Egypt.

Now we proceed to our thoughts from chapter 13.

Genesis 13

Key Words: "I will"

Key Verse: Verse 4 states that Abram got back to firm ground by re-establishing ties with God.

Purpose Statement: This chapter shares with us the importance of including God in all our decision making. Note the contrast between what Lot did and what Abram did.

Outline: The Separation of Lot and Abram

I. Abram leaves Egypt (vs. 1-4)
II. The conflict between Abram and Lot (vs. 5-7)
III. Lot's choice (vs. 8-13)
IV. God's promise to Abram (vs. 14-17)
V. Abram's obedience (vs. 18)

Questions to Probe: Why did Abram persist in keeping Lot as part of the team?

Thoughts to Ponder: Whenever we take along baggage that was not a part of God's plans, we can expect problems. It was not God's plan for Lot to accompany Abram. Abram just took him along. And Lot was a constant problem for him. When God says to separate ourselves, then we need to separate. Let's get rid of the "Lots" in our lives. Doing so will save us many problems and difficulties.

Lot saw the plains of the Jordan with his physical eyes. He saw green pastures, clear waters, and people. The cities and lands around Sodom looked so much more exciting and offered more hope for success than did the barren plains of the Negev. What he did not see was the evil of the hearts of the people living there. Lot chose based only on the physical evidence. But the beauty of Sodom would soon fade into ashes, and its hopes would turn into total despair. The eyes of men do not see as the eyes of God. After Lot had chosen the best what was left for Abram? God now told him to look. What did he see? He saw and heard the promise of God. All the land was to be his and his descendants. I am certain that Abram may not have fully understood it all but he trusted God. I have often wondered how Abram could have had the peace to let Lot choose first. I think I have found the answer in verse 4. Abram returned to the altar and called on the name of the Lord. Prayer, surrender, and obedience - these are the keys to fully trusting the Lord.

One can only imagine what precipitated the quarreling among the servants of Abram and Lot. But I am sure there were selfish motives included. It appears from the text that Lot was motivated by his own self-centeredness. He saw the most favorable land and decided that it would be most suitable for him. As he was to later discover, even as we do also, a decision based upon selfish motivations often leads to disastrous consequences. When we only focus upon our personal needs rather than God's will, we will make wrong choices. Abram had already made one bad choice, so he wisely consulted God in prayer. That is a model we can learn from as well.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: To cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life. (Samuel Johnson)

Genesis 12 Return to Table of Contents Genesis 14