Lot Separates From Abram
A. THE FACTS REVIEWED
1. Situation
Last week we watched as God tested Abram. God sent a famine, and the
famine drove Abram to Egypt. Faced with the might of Pharaoh, Abram’s fear of
man welled up. It drove out his fear of God. Despite God’s lavish promises to
love and protect him, Abram feared Pharaoh more than he feared God. He used
Sarai to shield himself from Pharaoh, and he lied to Pharaoh, exposing both
Sarai and Pharaoh to adultery.
However, amazingly, God remained faithful to his promises. He protected
Abram. He afflicted Pharaoh with a plague. Pharaoh sent Sarai back to Abram,
loaded Abram with wealth, and sent him back to Canaan richer than when he left.
Lesson? Through this failure, Abram came to know himself. He learned
that he was worse than he thought. He also came to know God. God was more
gracious than he had ever thought. Abram changed. He trusted in God more and
trusted himself less. Abram loved God more, and trusted himself less. So it is
with us: “To the degree that sin gets bitter grace gets sweet.” That is always the
formula. Testings get us in contact with the depth of our sin. They make sin bitter!
In today’s text, Abram returns to Bethel to worship.
(Genesis 13:1–4) "1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had,
and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and
in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his
tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had
made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.
Why Bethel? It was the place where he first built an altar to the Lord on his
initial arrival in Canaan.
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(Genesis 12:8) "8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and
pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar
to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD."
Application; so it is with us. Our failures, in light of God’s faithfulness,
always provoke worship.
2. Problem: Strife
Although Lot has been with Abram since he left Ur of the Chaldees, we
have not heard from Lot since Gen 12.
(Genesis 12:4–5) "4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had
gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran [slaves and servants], and
they set out to go to the land of Canaan."
Lot was still with Abram when he went down to Egypt. Lot also shared
vicariously in pharaoh’s enrichment of Abram. Now we find them pasturing their
flocks in the neighborhood of Bethel. But there is insufficient pasture for them
both strife erupts. The strife is from the Lord! God is sovereign over the hearts of
men.1
13:5-7a And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that
the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so
great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen
of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock..
3. Abram’s Offer
Abram loves Lot. Lot is like a surrogate son. So Abram treats Lot kindly
and generously.
1
Later in Gen 35:5-8 God sends a terror to Abraham’s enemies so they don’t follow him. In Dan 4
God curses Nebuchadnezzar with mental illness. In Gen 39:21, and Dan 1:9 God gives men favor with
others. Rev 17:17, Pr 21:1, Lev 2636 God puts it into the hearts of people to carry out his purposes. Ps
33:10 he confuses the counsel of nations.
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8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between
your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before
you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if
you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
Abram could have said, “Lot, there is not enough room for both of us, and
God has promised this land to me and my descendants. So, you will have to
move somewhere else.” He doesn’t. Instead, he says “if you take the left. I will
take the right.” In other words, If you take Northern Canaan, I will take Southern
Canaan. His words demonstrate great trust in God’s promise. Abram trusts God
to guard his possession of the land. He offers it to Lot because he thinks that Lot
is his promised heir.
4. Lots Response, Unbelief
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered
everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar.
(This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for
himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each
other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the
valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked,
great sinners against the LORD.
See Map. Abram Gen. 13-14.jpg
So far, in our study of Genesis, we have made much of the directions East
and West. Eastward movements have been away from God. Westward
movements have been back toward God—back to Eden, back to Paradise.
Vs 10 reads “And Lot journeyed east.”
At first he just moves to the well watered Jordan valley, but verse 12 tells
us that he subsequently “moved his tent as far as Sodom.” Later, in chapter 19
we will come back to Lot, and we will find him actually living in Sodom.
Here is why the word “east” is an important detail. The promises are to
Abraham and his descendants. Non-descendants are excluded. Abram has
probably considered Lot his descendant. Lot knows all about God’s promises to
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Abram. He must have sat around the evening campfire and heard his beloved
uncle explain God’s promises to bless him over and over. But, like Esau later, Lot
does not value the promises. When given the option about whether to live in
north or south Canaan, he doesn’t choose Canaan at all. Instead, he moves east,
away from the land of promise. In fact, he is actually attracted to Sodom not
Canaan. He gradually moves closer and closer to Sodom. In Gen 19 we actually
find him living in Sodom.
All of this proves one thing. Lot lacks Abram’s faith. Faith in the goodness
of God is God’s gift. It is the first sign one is a member of God’s elect. Don’t get
me wrong. Lot believed that God existed. I’m sure he believed that God made
lavish promises to Abram. But his actions speak about the nature of his real
convictions. He doesn’t really believe that God will extend those same blessing to
him.
In other words, because faith comes from God, faith in the promises of
Gen 12:2-3 is the first sign that one has been chosen by God, that one is an heir
of the promises. (The required faith is not perfect, as Abram’s story makes clear).
Lot’s actions indicate that he lacks this faith. He does not value the
promises. Instead, he values, and is increasingly drawn toward, what he sees in
Sodom.
His actions expose his heart condition.
What about you this morning? What do your actions say about your heart
condition? What is your heart drawn toward? What are you pursuing, God, or the
things that God has made?
5. God’s Faithfulness
14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and
look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and
westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of
the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the
breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and
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settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the
LORD."
God has been waiting for Lot to leave. He has something to say to Abram.
He wants to expand the promises, but he cannot do this until Lot is gone. Abram
is unwilling to send Lot away, so God arranges the circumstances to get it done
for him. Why is Lot’s absence important?
When Abram still lived in Ur of the Chaldeans God commanded him to
leave three things: his country (Ur), his kindred (extended clan), and his father’s
house. His father’s house meant his brothers and sisters, his father and mother,
his nieces and nephews. It meant everyone except his wife, Sarai.
However, Abram’s younger brother, Haran, had died leaving an orphaned
son, Lot. Abram and Sarai were childless. Scripture implies that Lot was like a
surrogate son to Abram. I am sure Abram thought, God has promised to make
me into a great nation. But, how can this happen? Sarai is barren. Certainly God
can’t or won’t overturn the laws of nature. The promise of a nation must be
coming through my nephew, Lot. So, because of unbelief, or misunderstanding
of God’s word and ways, he compromised God’s express command and took Lot
with him.
Kyle and Delitzsch, the Lutheran commentators, do a good job of
summing up the situation—
“The separation of Lot was in accordance with the will of God, as Lot had no share in
the promise of God; though God afterwards saved him from destruction for Abram’s
sake.”
Main Point: Because Abram doesn’t believe the promises of God he takes
matters into his own hands.
God is patient with sinners. Because God is merciful and gracious, He did
not judge Abram.
But now the time for a complete stripping of his God substitutes has come.
Lot will not inherit God’s promises. The heir will be the future miracle baby, Isaac.
But that child will not be born for another fifteen years.
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Isaac will arrive only when his conception and birth are completely
unexplainable by human means.
Now Abram is alone. He is stripped. He is grieving the loss of Lot. God
has promised to make him into a great nation. But he has no child, Sarai is 70,
and he is 80. They cannot reproduce, and now their only hope of a descendant,
Lot, has also gone. He has no one, and nothing, but God.
Now, with no hope of the fulfillment of God’s promise that can be detected
with his five senses, God comes to Abram. He expands the promises.
15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will
make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the
earth, your offspring also can be counted.
The main point? Because Abram doesn’t believe the promises of God he
has taken matters into his own hands. However, God does not want his
relationship with Abram to be explainable through human effort. The promise to
Abram of future descendants will only be explainable by a reference to the
supernatural.
B. APPLICATION:
1. Behold the kindness and grace of God.
When Abram is at his lowest point God comes to him and refreshes the
promise.
2. Don’t Give temptation a foothold
Lot’s temptation began with the lust of the eye. He didn’t turn from it. It
grew and eventually dominated his life with catastrophic fruit.
First, Lot chose and settled in the Jordan Valley because it reminded him
of Egypt.
Then, he “moved his tent as far as Sodom.”
When we get to chapter 19 we will find him actually living in Sodom, and
he has betrothed his daughters to men of Sodom.
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It costs him his wife. She follows her husband’s example. She wistfully
and longingly looks back at Sodom as they flee, and the angel of the Lord turns
her into a pillar of salt.
Lots daughters commit incest with him. His sons through his daughters
become the nations of Ammon and Moab, people groups outside of the
inheritance, people barred from access to the promises. Where did his daughters
learn this behavior? In Sodom.
3. Fix your Eyes On Jesus
Jesus was the anti-Abram. In fact, Jesus died so that God could fulfill the
two promises that God made to Abram in this passage—to inherit the land and
have numerous offspring.
1st Jesus death and resurrection multiplied Abram’s offspring like the sand
of seashore and like the stars in the sky.
2nd Jesus death expanded the promise of the Land to the entire world.
God has expanded the promise. The descendants of Abram will inherit the world,
not just Canaan.
(Romans 4:13) "13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir
of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith."
He did this in utter reliance on God’s means. What were God’s means to
this end? Jesus faced Abram’s temptation to use carnal means to accomplish
God’s ends numerous times. Here is an example.
God promised Jesus that he would inherit the earth, that he would be lord
of Lords and King of Kings. The Devil tempted him to use human means to that
end.
(Matthew 4:8–9) "8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give
you, if you will fall down and worship me.”"
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Here was Satan’s message. “You can get it the easy way, without the
cross.” But Jesus said, “Be gone Satan.” What did using God’s means mean to
Jesus?
It meant becoming strong by becoming weak—Utter Dependence upon
God.
(2 Cor 13:4) “He was crucified in weakness yet he lives by the power of God.” Jesus
conquered the world by dying. He conquered with upside down techniques.
He did this voluntarily. He did this by believing. If I do things God’s way, he
will bless it. What is God’s will? It is the cross. I will go and die, and through my
death God will use me to conquer. These are God’s means.
The results of our parenting, evangelism, ministry, etc. should not be
explainable without reference to supernatural power—power released through
our death.
All of God’s promises to Abram converge in Christ. He was a 100% son of
Abraham. He was sinless. When we believe the gospel, God unites us with
4. Ask God to Strip You of All Carnal Means
Abram was relying on Carnal Means (Lot) to achieve God’s Ends (many
descendants).
What ungodly means might we rely upon?
Forgiveness by works or forgiveness by believing?
Influencing others by force and control or influencing them by dying?
Conversion by distorting the truth or conversion by presenting the full
gospel with all of its sharp edges?
Like Abram, unbelief will motivate us to rely upon ungodly means to God’s
ends. Unbelief will tempt us to bring God’s plan to pass in a way that human
being can explain.We just don’t trust God to keep his word so we take matters
into our own hands.
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We know that we are using God’s means when the fruit of our spiritual
labors can only be explained by God.
Patrick: “The whole of our ministry as Christians…must be characterized by the
supernatural—that is, by what is not possible without God’s help, by what we are
unable to do through our natural abilities.”2
In God’s sight we also become Sons of Abram, and heirs of these
wonderful promises by believing the gospel. We are the dust and stars that God
promised Abram.
2
Darin Patrick, Church Planter, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010) pg 64
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