You Can Go Your Own Way (Genesis part 25)
Text: Genesis 13:1-18
By: Ken McKinley
(Read Text)
Now if you remember last time, Abram had gone to Egypt because of a famine. His faith was tested, and he failed the test. But even though he failed, God showed Himself to be faithful, even when Abram was faithless. Now look what happens here; Abram returns to the Promised Land. And he’s going to go back to the place where he had originally built the altar to God. God had shown Himself faithful, and even blessed Abram with wealth, and livestock, and many possessions, but before he goes back to the place where he worshiped God, our text… right there in verse 1, tells us that Abram left Egypt and went to the South. The literal Hebrew says he went to Negev. It’s the area south of Israel, that the Bible commonly calls the “wilderness.” It’s the same place Moses and the Israelites will wander for 40 years. And Abram goes through this wilderness, before coming back to the place where he built the altar.
Do you see what’s happening here? In the last chapter; Abram messed up, he doubted God, and got off track. So what he’s doing here is back-tracking. He’s retracing his steps and heading back to the place where he first came into the Promised Land… heading back to the place where he first called on the Name of the Lord. But before he can do that, he goes through a wilderness experience. We should never fool ourselves into thinking that we can get into sin and then easily get back to our relationship with God. Sin has consequences, and it takes a toll on us. The best example of this that I can think of in the Bible is the story of David. David was a man after God’s own heart, he had a wonderful relationship with the Lord, but after his sin with Bathsheba things were never the same again. Yes; God forgave him – God is a merciful and forgiving God, but there’s always consequences for our sin. Abram finds that out as he’s making his way back to God.
Then, verse 4 says that he again called on the Name of the Lord. So you see; what God’s doing here by telling us about Abram, is giving us a pattern to follow. If you’ve ever sewn, then you know the value of a pattern to follow… but if you’re not a sewer, then think of it as a road map… or maybe a better way to think of it, is as a treasure map. Here in our text God is giving us a pattern of repentance. When we sin, when we stray, the best way to get back on track is to go back to the place we were before we sinned. Abram did it physically, we do it spiritually, and I guess sometimes physically, depending on the circumstances and situations. And again; it’s not always easy, Abram had to pass through Negev, through the wilderness. But he does it! He returns to the place he was, and he worships God. God has seen him through the famine. God’s seen him through the trials of Egypt and the wilderness. So Abram worships the Lord.
And it’s a good thing too, because he’s about to have another test (Read verses 5-7).
So Abram worships God, and the next thing we see is strife between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. They have too much livestock between them that the land can’t sustain them. And at the end of verse 7 we’re also told that the Canaanites and the Perizzites surrounded them as well. Now they were tribal people as well at this time, and they had their own herds and crops, and no doubt with the arrival of Abraham and Lot, and all their animals. The “ites” of the area were not looking at them too fondly.
They were probably thinking something like, “You know this guy Abram and his nephew are taking up a lot of our grazing area.” And they may have even been considering stealing some of their livestock or other treasures. So Abram and Lot agree to separate.
God’s will, will be done.
Remember; it was back in chapter 12 verse 1 where God told Abram, “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house.” Now maybe, Abram was thinking, “Well 2 out of 3 ain’t so bad.” He had left his country and his father’s house.
The only problem was that Lot had hung around. Until now!
But see; the covenant was with Abraham, not with Lot. It’s going to be the line of Abraham that the promises come through. So Abram has this test to go through, but unlike the last time, this time he passes.
What was the difference between this time and last time? Worship!
Remember verse 4? Abram had spent time in worship. He had gone back to where he had been with the Lord and had spent time in worship. Now I don’t know about you all, but I can see this in my own life. When times are tough and things are hard, if I can spend some time in church, worshiping corporately with brothers and sisters in Christ, it makes it easier to deal with whatever it is I’m facing. Being here on Sunday is like a recharging of our spiritual batteries.
So Abram worshiped; and then, look at verses 8 and 9 (Read).
He deals graciously with Lot. Basically Abram says, “Go wherever you like. Chose whatever land you want.” See; Abram could say that because he was now trusting in the promise that God had given to him. He knew that God was going to give him the land, so it didn’t matter where Lot went, or which way he chose. God had already promised it to Abraham, and Abraham trusted in that promise. So he’s like, “Ah… do whatever you want, God’s going to work it out in the end.”
And again; this is a pattern for us to emulate. Notice in verse 8 Abram says, “We are brethren…” This is a lesson about unity amongst the brethren. Abram understood what mattered most. Lot wasn’t his enemy! He kept the peace and resolved the conflict with grace. And you notice Lot makes his choice. I guess we could say, Lot chose by sight, whereas Abraham chose by faith. And verses 10 through 13 are very telling. We read that the land that Lot chooses was fertile, it was like the Garden of Eden almost, with wide open plains, but there was something else about the land Lot chose. The land was good, but the people were bad. What Lot did was chose based on his physical interests in mind, but not his spiritual interests, or the spiritual interests of his family. How many times are we tempted to do the exact same thing? Maybe it’s with a job, or a raise, or with a business deal. It could be all kinds of things, and on the outside it looks promising, and it looks like a good deal, or a bargain, or the perfect situation or scenario… and it looks so perfect that we don’t even bother to check with the Lord to see if it’s His will or not.
One of the Scriptures I quote to the youth over and over again is Proverbs 3:5 – 6 which says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Lot didn’t do that. He looked at the plain and saw that it was “good”, just like Eve looked at the fruit and saw that it was “good for food.” There’s no acknowledging God in this decision. It’s purely a worldly, physical, temporary thing, and he goes for it whole heartedly .
Later on Lot is going to pay a heavy price for his choice.
But what Abram did, was… he trusted God. He gave up his rights as the elder of the family and trusted that God would take care of him, and provide for him, and give him all that He had promised. And because of this faithfulness; God reiterates His promise to Abram. He tells Abram that He’s going to give him all the land he can see.
Now the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 9 and Galatians 3:9 that those who are of the faith of Abraham are the true children of Abraham… he calls them “True Israel,” and that those who are the true children of Abraham are the once who receive the blessings of this promise. Now remember, God promised that Abraham would be the father of a great nation, that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him, and a land for his descendants. And we have got to understand that each one of these promises are fulfilled in two distinct stages. The first stage is according to types and shadows, and it’s the history of the nation of Israel – 2nd Samuel 17:11 tells us that the nation of Israel under Solomon’s reign is numbered “like the sand on the seashore.” In the New Testament we are told that all of those who are in Christ are the seed of Abraham – millions and millions of Christians have lived throughout history. Throughout Genesis we’ll see various ways in which Abraham and his family bless the nations. For example; if not for Abraham’s great grandson Joseph, all of Egypt would’ve starved in a severe famine. In the New Testament the nations are blessed in Christ.
And finally, the Jewish people eventually take possession of the land in Joshua 21 (but even then it’s not fully realized), but in the New Testament… in Hebrews chapter 11, we see that Abraham came to understand that he was seeking more than just a physical land. Hebrews 11:8-9 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise AS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for THE CITY WHICH HAS FOUNDATIONS, WHOSE BUILDER AND MAKER IS GOD!”
That’s why in verse 15 of our text God says to Abram, “For all the land which you see, I give to you and your Seed FOREVER.” The promise isn’t just to the descendants of Abraham, it’s to Abraham as well, and it’s fulfilled in type by the possession of the land by Joshua, but it’s fulfilled in completely in Christ. All the promises of God in Christ are “Yes and Amen” (Amen means so be it). That’s also why Paul says in Romans 4:13, “For the promise that Abraham would be the heir of the WORLD was not to Abraham or to his Seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
We’ll look at this some more when we get to chapter 17, but if I don’t get back to our text, we’re going to run out of time. Look at verse 18 (Read). This chapter is quite a bit different than the last one. In chapter 12 Abraham faltered and failed. Chapter 13 though, begins and ends with worship. When we come to understand all that God does for us, and all that He blesses us with, and how merciful He is to us, and how awesome and amazing and wonderful and powerful He really is, we can’t help but worship Him, and praise Him and give Him glory!
That’s what characterizes a lifestyle of faith.
And I hope that’s what characterizes your life and mine.
Let’s Pray
