Tale Of Two Fathers (Father’s Day)

Abram had been accompanied by Lot in all his wanderings. But a separation must take place between them. Abram and his seed were to be kept distinct from all other races, as from him the promised Messiah was to spring.

This also was brought about by what seemed a series of natural circumstances, and probably Abram himself was ignorant of the Divine plan of God that was working in his life at that time.

The increase of Abraham and Lot’s wealth, led to a dispute between the herdsmen of their flocks. Their herds were getting so large that there was not enough grass for both herds.

The dispute proved to be an embarrassing situation, since the Bible states, "The Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.” They were probably witnesses to this "strife" between the two groups of herdsmen.

To avoid strife, Abram now proposed a voluntary separation, allowing Lot to make the decision as to where he would want to move his family.

As far as Lot was concerned it was a simple decision. As he looked eastward, at a distance he could see the mountains of Moab. At the foot of these mountains he could see the Jordan valley, which was rich with the most luxuriant tropical vegetation.

As Lot saw this “paradise”, like the part of Egypt watered by the Nile, his heart went out after it. He could think of nothing else but it’s beauty. The scene might well have won the heart of anyone whose affections were set on earthy matters.

But when Lot chose to live on the outskirts of Sodom, it caused some to question if he was a saved man. In fact, some who examine his life say they believe that he was not saved.

But the Word of God states clearly he was. Look at 2 Peter 2:7 “And delivered JUST Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.”

Look at the word “just”. The word “just” here is dikaios, pronounced as dik'-ah-yos. It means innocent, holy, right (right-eous).

Lot was not only a believer in the true and living God, the Holy Spirit records (2 Peter 2:4-10) that he was distressed daily by the evil that surrounded him in this ungodly place where he chose to raise his family.

We do not have to wonder if he was saved or not, the Word of God says he was a righteous man. But we cannot help but question WHY HE WOULD CHOOSE TO LIVE IN SUCH A PLACE.

• He is like so many professing Christians, he did not live as a saved man should live

• He did not make good godly choices

But on the other hand, Abraham lived his life in such a manner that no one would doubt his salvation.

Lot and Abraham were very different in many ways.

• The way they conducted their lives

• The way they raised their families

• The way they conducted their business

The way these two DADS lived their lives, we cannot help but ask ourselves four questions about their lives and our lives as dads.

The first question we should ask ourselves is:

I. WHERE AM I LOOKING?

That is, where am I looking to raise my children. As dads we have to look for a place to raise our children. That includes:

• Where are we going to take them to church

• What school are we going to enroll them in

• What are we going to allow them to watch on television

• What kind of music are they going to be allowed to listen to

These are all important decisions in raising children, and we dads can’t take our responsibility lightly.

• Where we choose to raise them…

• The way we choose to raise them…

…makes a big difference in the way they develop and grow.

Illus: Children are like flowers, in that if you put them in good soil they grow and develop to their full potential. But you can take a good seed and plant it in bad soil, and the flower will have a hard time surviving, not to mention reaching its full potential.

But we have some dads today, like Lot, who seem to think it does not matter what kind of environment they place their children in.

Look at Gen. 13:6 9, we read, “And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”