Choosing God’s Choice

"So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 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. 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. 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.' 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. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom." (Genesis 13:1-12, ESV).

When the Philippines had the new President, he related his vision in his inaugural address. Others chose to pray for its success. Some noted the defect in his speech.

When we would suffer pain, emotional or physical, we have also a choice in our reaction. Generally, we choose to get angry or boil in hate. But we could also choose to be tenderhearted and forgiving.

We choose what dress to wear, what food to eat, what job to take. We choose whether to marry, or whom to marry. We choose whether to come late, earlier, or on time during our meeting.

But is our choice right? Our choice may be the option of everyone, but does it please God? Is our choice in agreement with His Sovereign Will?

So, if we would make a choice, choose not only what we feel or think is right.

We need to be, as we have our topic today, CHOOSING GOD’S CHOICE, while we focus on our text (Gen. 13:1-12).

So, what choices should we make? Is there any guide that would help us to choose what is right in God’s eyes? And if we have an idea of God’s choices, should we not consider them the best option for us to have? What are some choices then that are in line with the Sovereign Will of God?

In the last few verses of chapter 12, we learned how Abraham left the land where God instructed him to go. Also, he directed his wife not to confess the whole truth that she was just his sister, not his wife. In spite of his wrong doing, God granted him the favor to receive physical favors.

Ultimately, the Sovereign God worked out a way that Sarah would be delivered from harm. And He drove back Abraham to the land of Canaan, as Pharaoh sent him out of Egypt.

Now, in our text we could learn at least three (3) choices that would be within the Sovereign Will of God. What are those? First...

I – CHOOSE TO VALUE GOD (vv. 1-4).

We read verses 10-13, “So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 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, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD."

It was pointed out in verse 2 that Abraham was “very rich.” His riches were compounded by what Pharaoh had given him while he was in Egypt. With his great possession, he could just have settled in Negeb. Then, enjoyed and be contented with his riches.

But what did he do?

He proceeded “to the place where his tent had been at the beginning.” It was the location where he built the first altar, when he arrived in Canaan.

And there called upon the name of the Lord. Whether he worshipped there or just prayed to God, but one thing was clear. Abraham had chosen to value God. Instead of remaining in the place where he could just enjoy his riches, he opted to be with His God.