Abraham leaves Egypt and takes all he has, he has gained quite a lot of possessions now, and travels to Bethel where he had built an altar to the Lord on his way into Egypt.

Now Lot, Abram’s nephew had wealth in his own right, and both Abram and his animals had increased since going to Egypt. There were too many people and flocks to be supported by one place.  Arguments erupt between Lot’s herdsmen and Abram’s, so Abram says let’s not argue, lets separate, whichever way you go I will go the other. So, Lot chose for himself the land that looked the richest and best, and Abram went in the opposite direction. Abram lived in the land of Canaan while Lot settled in the plain. Lot had chosen to live near the land of Sodom where there was great wickedness and the men there were sinning against the Lord.

Then God spoke again to Abram and told him He would give him all the land that he could see, and that land would go to his offspring. He also told him that Abram’s offspring would be as numerous as the dust of the earth; then He told Abram to walk through the entire land, for God was giving this whole land to him. Then Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre, and he built another altar to Father God.

One lesson in this passage is that choosing what seems best for us is not always the right decision.

Lot looked at the land before him and he saw an area of rich, lush growth, and one area which seemed apparently barren. Lot took the land that seemed the best, not realising that the men in this area were wicked and would want him to become involved, (we see this later in chapter 19). He left Abram with the land that looked less fertile, yet because Abram followed God, he came out best in the end.

Life often seems unfair to us. Good things seem to happen to those who do not honour Father God, and we seem to get left with second best; but look at the example of Lot and Abram. Lot maybe did get the best land, but where did that leave him when judgment came on Sodom? Lot had to flee with his family, and even then, he lost his wife, whereas Abram who seemed to get the worst deal ended with the greatest blessing.

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Prayer: Father God help me to see the world the way You see it, and trust in Your promises for me today. Amen.