A "Lot" Of Choices Series

A “Lot” of Choices

Genesis 13:1-12

• We have a lot of choices in this life.

• Everyone remembers the choice Joshua laid out for the Israelites.

• Jos 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

• Some of our choices are big, life-changing, and clearly monumental in our lives.

• However, some choices in life (and you can ask any elder among us), seem to be small but end up having a major impact on our lives.

• Maybe that is because of the motives behind our choices as much as it is the choices themselves.

• Ill. Two business partners were having a huge argument about the direction of the company.

• One of them accused the other of making very poor business and personal decisions.

• The argument seemed to be going nowhere.

• Exasperated, the first one said, “I just don’t understand you. What in sam hill do you based your decisions on? What is it that drives you to make such poor decisions all the time.”

• The second one answered, “Let’s just keep my wife out of it and talk about the company.”

• What motivated Lot in his departure from Abram? What drove his choice?

Gen 13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

Gen 13:2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Gen 13:3 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,

Gen 13:4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.

Gen 13:5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,

Gen 13:6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,

Gen 13:7 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.

Gen 13:8 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.

Gen 13:9 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."

Gen 13:10 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.)

Gen 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.

Gen 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

• Abram made out in Egypt like a bandit.

• He kept the riches Pharaoh gave him for Sarai, but brought Sarai back with him.

• The wilderness of Negeb, or Negev, is in South Israel, kind of due east from Egypt.

• The then turned north and went towards Bethel and Ai, north of what later became Jerusalem.

• He was probably generous with his new found wealth.

• Probably there were more animals than Abram’s servants could manage, so his nephew Lot also had a lot of wealth.

• But Lot’s servants and Abram’s servants began to quarrel about grazing land.

• Abram jumped in with a solution.

• “Lot, you take your bunch whichever way you want to go and I will go the other direction.”

• Lot looked at the rich land of the valley, Sodom, the lush valley of Jordan.

• Abram went the other direction, the more rugged territory of Canaan.

I. Lot’s choice was selfish.

• God had blessed Lot for being around Abram.

• God was blessing Abram and it was overflowing into Lot’s life.

• Now he had lots of livestock, animals and servants.

• He was now a wealthy man.

• So when Abram asked which way he wanted to go, he had three choices, same as we often have.

• Could be selfish (take the east), fair (take the north or south), or he could have been appreciative and sacrificial (take the west).