Genesis 13. Abram and Lot Separate

Abram and Lot Separate

• An interesting turn in events where Abram gives Lot the choice of land. Abram chooses to trust God with whatever happens, compared to in Egypt where he was full of fear and took the matters into his own hands.

 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

• God didn’t call for Abram to go to Egypt originally, he is now being brought back.

² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 

• This is because of Pharaoh and Sarai from the previous chapter. Abram accumulated lots of material wealth, but still has no child.

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. 

• “…to the place where his tent had been at the beginning…” We are now back to where he started
• Abram continues to make altars to God – what can that look like today for us? Obviously sacrifice is no longer needed but just wondering how can we intentionally create space to worship, remember, and honor God in our everyday lives?

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.

• Not only are Lot’s and Abram’s flocks so large, but the Canaanites and Perizzites were living in the land as well. There were too many people.
• We will continue to see disputes between close family in Genesis (Cain/Abel, Abram/Lot, Isaac/Ishmael, Jacob/Esau, Joseph/brothers)

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.) 

• An interesting pattern in Genesis: Eve saw that the fruit was good and took it (Genesis 3:6). The sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful and took them (Genesis 6:2). Lot saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered and chose it. What looked desirable by human eyes ultimately led to destruction.

¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 

• Another mention of traveling east (Adam, Cain, Babel)

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.

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. 

• In verse 10 Lot “lifted up his eyes” while here God tells Abram to “lift up your eyes”. Abram waited for God’s guidance.

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. 

• Humans came from the dust (Genesis 2), and now Abram’s descendants will be as numerous as the dust.

¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”

• I find verse 17 comforting. Like walking through His blessings He gives…

 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.

• Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah are buried in Hebron
• Today there is a famous tree called the Oak of Abraham (or Oak of Mamre) near Hebron. However, it is probably not in the exact location of Mamre in the Bible and the tree is only a few hundred years old.

From Faithlife 2019