January 17, 2013
A TALE OF TWO CHOICES
Genesis 13
Marc Bellah
Central Truth
He who chooses to trust in the LORD for guidance will always make the right choice.
Key Verse | Genesis 13:14–15
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever." (Genesis 13:14-15)
Genesis 13
Abram and Lot Separate
1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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. 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.
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. 1 13:8 Hebrew we are men, brothers 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.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 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. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks 2 13:18 Or terebinths of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.
Dive Deeper | Genesis 13
I am something of a control freak. From time to time, I'm bent toward a struggle with impatience and a desire to exercise my independence. After all, I've grown up in a culture in which real men are taught to make quick decisions and single-handedly solve problems. Likewise, this same culture often preaches, "You can have it all and have it now." This message of independence and instant gratification sounds and looks great at first glance. And, at times, I've bought into it.
As I've grown, however, I've recognized this message is a lie. It's a lie that, unfortunately, has warped my perspective and led to choices that, in retrospect, I should not have made. Even after giving my life to Christ, there have been times when I haven't been firmly rooted in truth, and that deceiving worldly perspective has prevented me from making the right choice.
In Genesis 13 we see two men, Abram and Lot, faced with a choice -- the choice of how they will occupy the land given them by the Lord. In making his choice, Lot takes the way of the world. Allowing his perspective to become clouded by past struggle, present prosperity, and the deception of temporal beauty, he doesn't seek any counsel other than his own in making his decision. Lot is deceived by the "you-can-have-it-all-and-now" lie. What we discover later, though, is that Lot's quick choice will lead ultimately to much heartache.
Unlike Lot, Abram makes the choice to trust patiently in God's promise. Rather than relying solely on his own judgment and making a hasty decision, Abram waits instead on God's instruction. The result of Abram's patience is an amazing blessing from the LORD.
May I be like Abram, making choices based not on the things of this world, but on God's eternal promise of provision, protection, and life through my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
1. Are you currently considering a major decision in your life?
2. If so, how are you trusting in the LORD's guidance in making that decision?
3. Is there any decision for which you believe you can't ask the LORD's guidance? See Proverbs 3:5-6 and Philippians 4:6-7.