GENESIS CHAPTER 13: ABRAMS EXAMPLE OF PEACEMAKER

 

Introduction: Abram followed God’s wisdom with Lot when their prospective herdsmen were protective over the grazing land Abram’s and Lot’s cattle.

1.       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 has 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 call on the name of the Lord.

Abram returned to the place he had started from between Bethel and Hai at the place of the altar he had built. Both he and Lot had many cattle and their herdsmen were in conflict about the cattle’s grazing areas. So Abram gave Lot an opportunity to choose which land he wanted to own, as shown below in the next paragraph.

5. 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 herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8. And Abram said unto Lot, Lord “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; 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.” 

10. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, 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. 12. 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.

Through this example of Abram’s intent to keep peace between Lot and himself,  it shows that there should be no strife between brethren or family members. Selflessness is a rare gift among humans. And only when God is in control are we able to be filled with this type of love for others.

Lot choose the rich promise of material possession from the rich land. His focus was not on what God wanted for him but what he wanted because of this decision his family was seduced by the wickedness in Sodom, in which they moved into. Sodom was destroyed with Gomorrah because of its horrible wickedness.

14. 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 forever. 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.  17. 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.

After Lot and Abram were departed from each other God talked with Abram and told him that all that he could see northward, southward, eastward and westward, was to be his and his descendants. Abram moved his tent in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron and built an altar to the Lord there. This is where also Moses went and found his wife after leaving Egypt. It also tells us that God told Abram to travel the length and width of the land as to survey what the Lord God had given him.  

The Road to Salvation (KJV)

Romans 3: 23, 24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:8 “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:15 “For God so loved the world That He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 4:9”In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

John 6: 47, 48 “Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.”

Romans 10:9 – 14 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed: and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard: and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

If you are not saved, I pray you will accept Christ as your Savior to day. We are not promised another minute on this earth. We are but on a journey, passing though this world to the next, and you have a choice of where you will spend eternity. I pray you choose to spend it in Heaven with the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and all those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and paid our sin debt for us. 

Seek out a Bible preaching church in your area, one where God word is preached and  is the center of their service, study and devotion.

Philippians   4:13 "I can do all things through Christ that strengeneth me."