Bible Study – Family (2) – Abraham and Lot – Genesis 13:5-11, 14-18 – October 20, 2024
Bible Study
– Family (2) – Abraham and Lot – Genesis 13:5-11, 14-18 – October 20, 2024
Trust GOD
when challenged over your rights and possessions.
This is a
major topic in today’s society, and it was a major topic in early Biblical
times.
Today, when
a person dies without will, it can trigger a multitude of issues such as what
to do with the deceased’s assets. Often, disputes are caused by greed and
jealousy over who gets what.
Our study
focuses on the distribution of land between Abram and his nephew, Lot because
both had animals that needed to graze and them staying together presented a
grazing problem. Simply the land could not support both because their herds had
grown so large.
Let’s
explore!
Genesis 13:1-18:
Abram and
Lot Separate
(Lot is Abraham’s
nephew.)
13 Abram went up from Egypt to the
Negev—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. 2 Abram
was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He
went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai
where his tent had formerly been, 4 to the site
where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of
the Lord there.
5 Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also
had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 But the land was unable
to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so
many possessions that they could not stay together, 7 and
there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen
of Lot’s livestock. (At that time, the Canaanites and the Perizzites were
living in the land.)
[The seven
nations are all descendants of Canaan, son of Ham and grandson of Noah,
from whom they derive their collective name Canaanites. When enumerated
separately, one of the seven nations is called Canaanites, while the others are
called the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites
and the Perizzites]
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have
quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since
we are relatives. 9 Isn’t the whole land before
you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go
to the right, I will go to the left.”
You may
recall in last week’s study regarding Cain and Abel.
GOD told Cain,
“Do what is right.” Cain was furious over the fact that Able’s sacrifice was
accepted by GOD and his was not.
In Genesis 4:
3 In the course of time Cain presented
some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And
Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their
fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his
offering, 5 but he did not have regard for Cain and
his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain,
“Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If
you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is
right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule
over it.”
Doing
the right thing is the key. That takes courage and trust in GOD that HE will take care
of you and your family. Abram trusted GOD and did what was right.
10 Lot looked out and saw that the
entire plain[a] of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well
watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. (This
was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So
Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed
eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram
lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set
up his tent near Sodom. 13 (Now the men of Sodom
were evil, sinning immensely[b] against the Lord.)
14 After Lot had separated from him,
the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look
north and south, east and west, 15 for I will give you and
your offspring[c] forever all the land that you
see. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the
earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your
offspring could be counted. 17 Get up and walk around the
land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and went to
live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to
the Lord.
Unity of
family is vital as we journey through life. The old saying is “blood is thicker
than water” is true when families do the right thing.
Doing the
“right thing” takes courage and trust in GOD that GOD will honor and support
your decision. Our part is to seek and ask GOD to reveal to us HIS leadership
and guidance in matters of the family. Do what is right. Step one is to ask
yourself are you in right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS? If not,
then ask JESUS to come into your heart and forgive you for your sins.
Wisdom comes
from GOD through faith in JESUS. When a person has been redeemed from sin,
he/she has the Holy Spirit within to lead and guide that person.
Satan is
still in the world and he is still the enemy of all people and especially those
who have been redeemed from the consequence of sin through faith in JESUS. In John
4, we read that greater is HE, JESUS, WHO is in us, the redeemed, is greater
than he (Satan) that is in the world.
Just know
that all families become a target of Satan and especially the families of those
who have been redeemed. Therefore, be prepared that he attacks whenever it does
the most damage.
In our
study, we see that Abram took the initiative to bring up a potential serious
issue that needed to be resolved before it erupted into an even larger issue.
Satan loves
conflict because it often destroys relationships.
Humans can
make a mountain out of a mole hill when they let issues fester.
It takes
courage to sit down and discuss issues before they become even larger issues. Pray
and seek GOD’S help and will as we decide to approach an issue and seek the
wisdom of the Holy Spirit to guide the process. Remaining calm is vital,
listening and staying focused on the issue(s).
GOD’S Word gives
us examples for reconciliation. The main concern is have we been reconciled
with GOD through faith in JESUS?
Abram was a
man of faith in GOD and he trusted GOD. Was he perfect? No! Abram trusted GOD
such that he was willing to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering with the faith
that GOD would raise Isaac back to life from the ashes. GOD intervened and
provided a substitute sacrifice. That is why JESUS came to earth to be our
perfect acceptable sacrifice to GOD for our sins. However, we must accept JESUS
as our Savior.
JESUS told Nicodemus
in John 3:1 There was a man from the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This
man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a
teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs
you do unless God were with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell
you, unless someone is born again,[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 “How can anyone be born when he is
old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be
born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell
you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the
flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do
not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The
wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where
it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the
Spirit.”
9 “How can these things be?” asked
Nicodemus.
10 “Are you a teacher[b] of Israel and don’t know these
things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell
you, we speak what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but you
do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you
about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you
about heavenly things? 13 No one has
ascended into heaven except the one who descended from
heaven —the Son of Man.[c]
14 “Just as Moses lifted up the
snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so
that everyone who believes in him may[d] have eternal life. 16 For
God loved the world in this way:[e] He gave[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in
him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and
only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The
light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who
does evil hates the light and avoids it,[g] so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But
anyone who lives by[h] the truth comes to the light, so that his
works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
In 1 John
1:9 5 This is the message we have heard from him (JESUS)
and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in
him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him
(GOD),” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing
the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he
himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If
we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not
in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not
sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Romans 3: 22 The righteousness of God is through
faith in Jesus Christ[p] to all who believe, since
there is no distinction. 23 For all have
sinned and fall short of the[q] glory of God; 24 they
are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. 25 God presented him as the mercy
seat[r] by his blood, through
faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint
God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God
presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he
would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
The
shed blood of JESUS paid, in full, for sin when a person places his/her faith
in JESUS.
Hebrews 9: 22 According
to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness.
Salvation
is not saying the right words. Salvation is about the very core of a person’s
being. Some people have said “LORD, I give up. I want to be YOUR Son or
Daughter.” Salvation is GOD’S gift to all through the birth, sinless life,
death, resurrection, and ascension of JESUS. Salvation is about your heart
toward GOD and JESUS.
When you
ask JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for JESUS to come into your heart,
HE does. All who place their faith in JESUS receive the Holy Spirit, WHO
confirms that they have been “born-again.”
As a newborn
Christin, you must have nourishment. Read, and study GOD’S Word, the Bible and pray
(talk to GOD) and ask HIM to teach you as you study. Apply what you learn as GOD,
through the Holy Spirit, gives you opportunity. Keep in mind, you are the enemy
of Satan and he will do all he can to discourage you but stay the course, learn,
study, and apply.
Blessings!!!