Genesis 13

2 b 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 c 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 d the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 e and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time f the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, g “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, h for we are kinsmen. 1 9 i 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 j Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like k the garden of the Lord , like the land of Egypt, in the direction of l Zoar. (This was before the Lord m 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 n 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, o northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give p to you and q to your offspring forever. 16 r 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 s settled by the t oaks 1 of Mamre, which u are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord .

Genesis 13:2-18

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2 וְאַבְרָ֖ם כָּבֵ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד בַּמִּקְנֶ֕ה בַּכֶּ֖סֶף וּבַזָּהָֽב ׃ 3 וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְמַסָּעָ֔יו מִנֶּ֖גֶב וְעַד ־ בֵּֽית ־ אֵ֑ל עַד ־ הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁר ־ הָ֨יָה שָׁ֤ם אהלה 1 בַּתְּחִלָּ֔ה בֵּ֥ין בֵּֽית ־ אֵ֖ל וּבֵ֥ין הָעָֽי ׃ 4 אֶל ־ מְקוֹם֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ אֲשֶׁר ־ עָ֥שָׂה שָׁ֖ם בָּרִאשֹׁנָ֑ה וַיִּקְרָ֥א שָׁ֛ם אַבְרָ֖ם בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָֽה ׃ 5 וְגַם ־ לְל֔וֹט הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ אֶת ־ אַבְרָ֑ם הָיָ֥ה צֹאן ־ וּבָקָ֖ר וְאֹהָלִֽים ׃ 6 וְלֹא ־ נָשָׂ֥א אֹתָ֛ם הָאָ֖רֶץ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת יַחְדָּ֑ו כִּֽי ־ הָיָ֤ה רְכוּשָׁם֙ רָ֔ב וְלֹ֥א יָֽכְל֖וּ לָשֶׁ֥בֶת יַחְדָּֽו ׃ 7 וַֽיְהִי ־ רִ֗יב בֵּ֚ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵֽה ־ אַבְרָ֔ם וּבֵ֖ין רֹעֵ֣י מִקְנֵה ־ ל֑וֹט וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י אָ֖ז יֹשֵׁ֥ב בָּאָֽרֶץ ׃ 8 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל ־ ל֗וֹט אַל ־ נָ֨א תְהִ֤י מְרִיבָה֙ בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֔יךָ וּבֵ֥ין רֹעַ֖י וּבֵ֣ין רֹעֶ֑יךָ כִּֽי ־ אֲנָשִׁ֥ים אַחִ֖ים אֲנָֽחְנוּ ׃ 9 הֲלֹ֤א כָל ־ הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הִפָּ֥רֶד נָ֖א מֵעָלָ֑י אִם ־ הַשְּׂמֹ֣אל וְאֵימִ֔נָה וְאִם ־ הַיָּמִ֖ין וְאַשְׂמְאִֽילָה ׃ 10 וַיִּשָּׂא ־ ל֣וֹט אֶת ־ עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת ־ כָּל ־ כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן כִּ֥י כֻלָּ֖הּ מַשְׁקֶ֑ה לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ שַׁחֵ֣ת יְהוָ֗ה אֶת ־ סְדֹם֙ וְאֶת ־ עֲמֹרָ֔ה כְּגַן ־ יְהוָה֙ כְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בֹּאֲכָ֖ה צֹֽעַר ׃ 11 וַיִּבְחַר ־ ל֣וֹ ל֗וֹט אֵ֚ת כָּל ־ כִּכַּ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיִּסַּ֥ע ל֖וֹט מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיִּפָּ֣רְד֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ מֵעַ֥ל אָחִֽיו ׃ 12 אַבְרָ֖ם יָשַׁ֣ב בְּאֶֽרֶץ ־ כְּנָ֑עַן וְל֗וֹט יָשַׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיֶּאֱהַ֖ל עַד ־ סְדֹֽם ׃ 13 וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַיהוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד ׃ 14 וַֽיהוָ֞ה אָמַ֣ר אֶל ־ אַבְרָ֗ם אַחֲרֵי֙ הִפָּֽרֶד ־ ל֣וֹט מֵֽעִמּ֔וֹ שָׂ֣א נָ֤א עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ וּרְאֵ֔ה מִן ־ הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר ־ אַתָּ֣ה שָׁ֑ם צָפֹ֥נָה וָנֶ֖גְבָּה וָקֵ֥דְמָה וָיָֽמָּה ׃ 15 כִּ֧י אֶת ־ כָּל ־ הָאָ֛רֶץ אֲשֶׁר ־ אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה לְךָ֣ אֶתְּנֶ֑נָּה וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ עַד ־ עוֹלָֽם ׃ 16 וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶֽת ־ זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אִם ־ יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת ־ עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּֽם ־ זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה ׃ 17 ק֚וּם הִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ בָּאָ֔רֶץ לְאָרְכָּ֖הּ וּלְרָחְבָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י לְךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה ׃ 18 וַיֶּאֱהַ֣ל אַבְרָ֗ם וַיָּבֹ֛א וַיֵּ֛שֶׁב בְּאֵלֹנֵ֥י מַמְרֵ֖א אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן וַיִּֽבֶן ־ שָׁ֥ם מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהוָֽה ׃ פ

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Notes

Abram and Lot part ways Introduction 'Living by faith' affects our decisions; Lot sees things as they appear to be, Abram sees things according to God's promise. Lot grasps at something that appears to be an attractive blessing, Abram waits on God. In the coming chapters we will see how this unfolds. 1. Abram has been richly blessed, and Lot with him (v2-7) Map Rich, blessed Retracing to the place of his original altar. Worships there again. Lot blessed by being with Abraham (and follow the story, as he goes his own way things do not go well for him) 7b a note to the reader 2. Lot chooses the land that looks good (v8-13) v8-9 benevolent. Trusts the blessing to come from God, as he had promised, and not from Abram maneuvering himself. And NB the land is, humanly speaking, not his to give yet. Yet Abram sees and decides from faith. God's promise is more real to him. v10 Lot's decision making is like Eve's or like the 'Sons of God'; deliberate linguistic similarities. cf 1 Samuel 16 how God sees differently to us. v10 the beauty and resource of this area possibly the grounds for profound human pride that unfolds in Sodom v13 another note to reader. A unique phrase here. 3. The LORD promises the land to Abram and his descendants (v14-18) v14-17 the LORD gets more specific on his promise. This always the pattern; not a new plan, but even more detail and depth on what has already been said. Who are his descendants? How the Bible makes this clear. v18 another altar Glory of God: he keeps his own promises, he doesn't need our help or strategies. FCF: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We look and choose and decide based on what we'll get for ourselves. Rather than on self-giving. We only see what we can see. Rather than seeing according to promise. We try to maneuver and engineer towards what (we have decided) is a 'blessing'. Once again in Genesis, the lurking problem in our hearts is, 'surely God is actually holding something good back - we can fix that.' Rather than trusting yieldedness. Person of Jesus: entrusts himself fully to the good plan of the Father. He is the person in whom all the blessing is found. He himself is the length and breadth of the blessing of the Father. He talks, acts, in light of God's true promises, not his circumstances. He shows us to do the same. Work of Jesus: he dies the death of one who grasps. He dies for those who disbelieve the goodness of God's promise and look only with their eyes. In his death he gives the final evidence of the truth of God; out of death itself he brings the fulfilment of his promise to do away with death forever. Out of curse he secures blessing for ever. Our unbelief is not only forgive but healed. Union with Jesus: we see with faith and not mere sight. We view people differently, community differently, the globe and missions, family, our own futures, etc differently. We know that there is no good thing outside of the place of God's blessing - Jesus himself. We delight in what we have been graciously given in him, and thus live generously - no longer grasping. In Jesus, the seed of Abraham, I receive and share in the blessing and promise to Abraham. Wrap-up 'Living by faith' affects our decisions; Lot sees things as they appear to be, Abram sees things according to God's promise. Lot grasps at something that appears to be an attractive blessing, Abram waits on God. In Jesus we are being re-humanised to take God at his word.

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