Verses 1-4, “Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.” So Abram comes full circle, ending up back at the alter he had originally made. The trip to Egypt was a time waster and accomplished nothing, except that his lapse in faith came along with some pruning to get him back on track. Being rightfully rebuked by a heathen certainly may have opened his eyes to the reality of his situation. God will also discipline us when we choose to go outside of His will. The Jews kept doing laps in the wilderness until they finally got to a place of obedience and on board with God's plan. In God's love and patience, He allows us to repeat tests and trials until we get it right. However, the flesh follower could say that because Abram left Egypt with wealth, it must have been God's will for him to go there...and that is simply not the case. Even though He allows good to befall us, there are still consequences for our disobedience. Remember that God allows good even for the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Verses 5-7, “Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell 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. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.” God originally told Abram to leave his family behind, and his faith lapse here would lead to contention between their people, another consequence of disobedience (partial obedience in this case). God's ways are beyond our understanding, but the events leading up to this fork in the road for Abram were all under His sovereign control. The wealth and prosperity was certainly used to create contention and get Abram to a place where he would fully obey God's calling. He would get another chance to walk by faith rather than by sight.
Verses 8-9, “So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.' ” All the land was promised to Abram and his descendants, and therefore he had every right to take all that was his. Allowing Lot to choose the best of the lands was an act of faith. Abram’s actions displayed his trust in God's ability to fulfill His promises. Christians often get offended when they think their "rights" have been trampled on. The reality is that we all deserve immediate death and eternal hell. Every blessing we have is a gift from God, and therefore we should keep an eternal perspective. Giving up our rights at times for the bigger spiritual picture may be in order. Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
After Abram took a step of faith, God reassures His promise once again. Verses 14-18, “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.' Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.” God tells Abram to walk in His promise by physically walking through the land even before it comes to pass. God has the power raise what is dead to life, including a vision of what is to come. Abram's next steps included building an alter from which to worship the Lord, who is worthy of every sacrifice.
Romans 4:16-25, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, 'I have made you a father of many nations') in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, 'So shall your descendants be.' And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore 'it was accounted to him for righteousness.' Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
Righteousness can be imputed to us also when we believe God's promises, including eternal life for those who believe in the Son's death, burial, and resurrection. And furthermore, His promises and callings will be fulfilled in those who are fully convinced, just as Abram became the "father of many nations." II Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord . Genesis 13:1-4
ReplyDeleteAbraham is back in the same place as he began. Going to Egypt did not accomplish anything, but sin and works of the flesh. Although this was waiste of time time, he was still blessed with riches and livestock. This didn't mean it was a good this Abraham went, but by His grace he was still blessed. When Abraham went back to Bethel and called on the name Lord, this when Lot and him depart ways. Abraham was supposed to leave his family including Lot, but he did not fully obey, and now because of their people not getting along, Abraham now has to separate from Lot.
There are many people who go off from what God wanted them to do. They try do things in their flesh and end up making a lot of Ishmaels. These people just keep on circling and never accomplish anything because they are not do His will. They are actually worse off then they began. We need to be careful that we do His will and keep circling in the wilderness, trying to do things in our flesh, and collecting Ishmaels. Although God may still bless us and give us grace their is still consequences to our sin. It is never good thing that we did not do His will.