Verses 1-4 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
After being kicked out of Egypt by Pharaoh, Abram went back to where he had been in the first place. It is not known how long he had been in Egypt, but at this point in time he was called “very rich”. He had been blessed by God as promised in Genesis 12:2 and was now dwelling back near the town of Bethel which means “house of God”. Here he called on the name of the LORD and went back to the altar he had built when he first camped there.
Application: During a Christian believer’s life it may be that he/she strays away from the presence of the LORD for a time. Like Abram, the true believer will return to that place where he/she experienced the presence of the LORD and will then seek a renewed fellowship with Him.
Verses 5-7 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 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. 7 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.
Because of the blessing of the LORD upon Abram, Lot was also the recipient of the blessing and therefore his wealth and possessions increased. As a result, the two men had to separate or part company. Abram was then in compliance with God’s command in Genesis 12:1 that he leave his kindred. Note that the descendants of Ham had been living in the land prior to Abram’s arrival.
Verses 8-9 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. 9 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.
Abram’s character and heart is revealed here. He could have chosen the best land for himself. Instead, he gave his nephew the first choice and agreed to settle for the next best place for his cattle. He was humble, caring and generous.
Verses 10-11 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Lot did what any selfish person would do and chose the land that was well watered. Note that if the land was not well watered, the grass would be less desirable for livestock and wells would have to be dug to provide water for both man and beast. So Lot chose the land that was described as being like “the garden of the LORD”. This could have been a reference to the garden of Eden or else it could have been a reference to the Egyptian land along the Nile river that they had just seen when in Egypt. The city of Zoar was located near the Dead Sea along with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Notice that Lot headed east which is symbolic of moving away from God toward the things of the Devil, while Abram would have stayed in the west.
Verses 12-13 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Here is seen a major difference between Abram and Lot. Abram lived in the land whereas Lot lived in the cities and chose to become part of the inhabitants of Sodom. As stated previously, the name “Sodom” means “burning”. Lot must have realized that the men living in Sodom were very wicked, but he chose to stay living there anyway. Abram, on the other hand, chose to live with his family and servants out in the land where he would be close to God and away from the wickedness of the inhabitants of the cities.
Application: Simply put, if a Christian believer dabbles with the lifestyle of wicked, unbelieving people, he/she will get “burned”. It will not be long before the wicked sinners recognize the believer as a follower of the LORD and seek to take advantage of him/her. Or, it will not be long before the believer slowly loses his/her Christian witness due to the pressure of the sin in the people around him/her. This is not to say that believers should never interact with unbelieving sinners. That would be against the commandment of Jesus to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. A believer has to have a ministry among unbelieving sinners or there is no ministry. But a believer does not have to choose to live among and participate with people who continue to reject the truth and goodness of the Gospel and of the LORD Jesus Christ. Learn to discern the difference between ministry and poor choices. 2 Corinthians 6:17 commands, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
Verses 14-15 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
The LORD spoke to Abram after his nephew had left with all his possessions and repeated the promise to give Abram and his seed (singular, not seeds) all the land that he could see forever.
Application: There is a difference between the content of the promise of God to Abram in verse 15 above and in verse 7 of Genesis chapter 12. The difference is the word “forever”. In chapter 12 Abram and his descendants are promised the land, but God did not say it was theirs forever. In the verse above, the promise is forever. History proves that the land was not kept forever by the Hebrew children as they experienced two foreign captivities and a final scattering into all the world in 70AD. So what did God actually promise Abram? Paul clears this up in Galatians 3:16. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds as of many, but as of one. And to thy seed, which is Christ.” So if the Bible was read and understood to say what it says, the land of Palestine belongs to the LORD Jesus Christ and will belong to Him forever. The Jews of today and the Arabs claim it, but it has always belonged to various people groups who lived there and ultimately it and all the Earth belongs to God. So why all the fighting? Think about it.
Verse 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
The children of Israel became a great nation, and down through the ages they have continued to increase in number so that they cannot be counted. Also, when the Temple was destroyed in 70AD, all the records proving the genealogy of the Jewish people were destroyed so that no one today can prove their lineage except perhaps through DNA testing. So the number of descendants of Abram cannot be numbered. This was the earthly covenant that God made with Abram.
Verses 17-18 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.