Genesis 13
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. 5 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. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. 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.” 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. 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. 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 settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
When I read the story of Abram, there are certain parts that stick out. For instance, did you catch the part when Abram gives the power to choose where to settle to Lot? When I read this as a child, the only parts of this story I could remember were Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt and Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac. Now as I am much older, I have a different perspective of the Scriptures. I see the Old Testament for so much more than what we have been portraying it in Sunday schools across the globe. The Old Testament points us toward Jesus. The entire Bible is about Jesus and to bring Him glory.
So now, after years of viewing the Bible through a tiny lens, my view has been expanded. This story is a story of God’s sovereign will. He set this in motion from the beginning. Lot chose that area to settle because God predestined it. Wait a minute, did I just say that? I did. And the reality is that it is true. It’s in there. You just have to search (Romans 9). I don’t fully understand it all, but knowing it is in there means I can’t take a sharpie and make out the tough parts of the Bible. They are there for us, to be studied by us, so that we may bring glory to God.
So the next question we should be asking is, where in this story is Jesus? If the Bible is about Jesus, then we should be able to find him on every page. Let’s look…
What I understand from what Jesus taught is that we (those that have been rescued from death to life by His choice) are given to Him by the Father. 'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.' John 6:36-39
God’s ultimate plan was for Jesus to come to earth, to die a death that WE deserve, raise Himself from the grave, and draw those that have been predestined, to the Father. This was all accomplished through Jesus. The path started with Adam and Eve, then made its way to Abram and then through David. Abram was part of the story, but not THE story. That is where I think people get mixed up. Abram is not the story of Genesis, but part of the story. And by part of the story, I mean that he was part of the plan that God set in motion before the world ever came into existence that Jesus would become THE STORY. God did not somehow, after the fall of Adam and Eve, think, “great, now I have to come up with a plan ‘B’”. No, all along, God’s intent was for Jesus to come and rescue us. That is partly where we get mixed up with Genesis. We see the book of Genesis as the beginning of God’s plan, when the reality is that Genesis is way into the future of God’s plan.
So, back to the story of Abram and where we can find Jesus. Jesus was descended from Abram. God needed Abram in a place where he could use Abram and reveal a glimpse of what God had in store for Abram. He needed Lot to choose the land that was lush and pleasing to the eye. He needed Abram to go by faith in the direction that God was leading. Once there, God spoke to Abram to let him in on a part of His plan. He then proceeds to inform Abram that he would have many descendants. This was God’s sovereign plan. Now, what if Lot chose the other land, well, God would still have a plan for that as well. But the real question we should be thinking about is, which land that Abram would dwell in would give God more glory?
God has a way about Him that when He takes us out of our comfort zones and we have to trust Him, He is getting ready to teach us something. Not all the time is this ‘something’ exciting or neat, but sometimes it is tough and heart-wrenching. But, through it all, God is there.
So, Lot goes to Sodom and Gomorrah, and God rescues Lot in order to reveal His power, His wrath, and His grace. He didn’t have to save Lot, but He did. This is a God I want to know. This is a God I want to serve. This is a God, I am overwhelmed with because He saved me from death and He didn’t have to. He sent His Son to die for me, and He didn’t have to. But He did. That is where you find Jesus. Lot went away so that God could show His people that one day, He would send a rescuer above any other that would save His people from His wrath. That is where you see Jesus. That is Abrams story.
