Genesis 13

Genesis 13:6

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. We see that in the first verses of Genesis 13. Abram has been blessed with riches of livestock, silver and gold. He has become so wealthy, along with his nephew Lot that the land could no longer hold them both together. God’s promise of blessing over Abram’s life goes far beyond material blessings, but Abram’s material blessings are a reminder to us all that riches of the righteous are the fruits of God’s blessing. Abram’s fruit required space to grow. Have you ever had to separate yourself from someone because you felt like they were limiting what God could do in your life? Abram tells Lot that they must separate because all that they acquired individually could not be sustained if they stayed together. This is a battle we all probably faced once before. It isn’t easy separating from family or friends or a job for that matter, but sometimes it’s necessary because staying limits us and causes unnecessary suffering.

Now Lot chose the land that looked good to the eyes, but was full of sin. Just as Eve was deceived in Genesis 3 and ate the forbidden fruit because “she saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious” so was Lot deceived by his eyes and own desires. What he thought to be a flourishing land similar to the Garden of Eden turned out to be one that would soon be ashes because of the wickedness found within it. Lot never consulted the Lord when making his decision. He went with what he saw as good instead of praying to God to ask what was good for him. God wants us to include him in every decision we make. His word tells us in Proverbs 3:6 to “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”  God doesn’t want us to fail or fall, but His protection and provision in our lives requires on our part consideration of Him and commitment to obey.

Did you also notice that it wasn’t until after Lot went his separate way that the Lord gave Abram a new insight and instruction? He told him to walk the land he was giving to him and his offspring. This is significant. God needed Abram to believe in the promise and strengthen his faith in the promise. Abram walking the land represents an act of faith in claiming God’s promise for himself. He was able to finally see the land up close, smell it, feel it and connect to it. His first response after walking the land was building another altar to God. Abram never stopped worshipping and honoring the Lord from the moment God gave him instruction to leave his home to go to a foreign land to now witnessing that foreign land up close and personal. Why do you think that is? Is it because he knew his obedience would have a greater impact?

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