Verse of the day: Genesis 13:14-15 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift
your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward,
eastward, and westward; or all the land which you see I give to you and
your descendants forever.
Both Abraham and Lot were wealthy men, and their
wealth is now causing strife between Abraham’s herdsmen, and Lot’s. Once again,
we see the outcome of Abraham’s partial obedience to the Lord’s command to
leave his father’s house. Had Abraham obeyed fully, and left with just Sarah,
as commanded, he would not be dealing with this conflict, with his nephew, now.
Nonetheless, Abraham’s response was one of humility, and faith. In verses 8-9
we see Abraham’s response to the conflict that was now taking place. Even
though he had every right to put Lot in his place because the command to go to
Canaan came to Abraham directly from God, Abraham chose to be a peacemaker, and
deal with his nephew in a selfless manner. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:9 that
blessed are the peacemakers. Can I say this, regardless of the conflict, we do
not always have to get our way. Abraham chose the godly route, and was rewarded
heartily in that he once again heard from God, and the promise repeated. At the
end of any conflict, if the ultimate reward is that we hear from God, then that
is a greater reward than anything else we can receive here on earth. Note the
God waited until Lot separated from Abraham (Abraham now being in complete
obedience to God’s command), before He spoke to him again. God expects complete
obedience from us, and when we only partially obey, we have to deal with the
consequences of it. Nonetheless, we see Abraham’s heart, and faith, in the
choice he makes to allow Lot to choose which direction he would go, and what
part of the land he would choose to settle in, first. Lot, on the other hand,
was very selfish in that he had no consideration for where Abraham would
settle, as long as he (Lot) chose the best of the land for his herds. By
Abraham choosing peace, and allowing Lot to choose first, he demonstrated great
humility, and showed that he trusted God to take care of him and his family,
and herds. This is a big turnaround from what he had just done in going to
Egypt of his own accord. Sometimes we have to fail in going our own way before
we realize that we cannot go wrong trusting God for the outcome of our
conflicts. Although he had the right to choose first, he relinquished that
right and allowed Lot to have the advantage in this situation. In the end, he
received the greater blessing. When we are slow to get angry, and approach
conflict with humility, and a mindset of making peace, God will always honor
our efforts, because in doing so we are emulating Jesus, who did not revile,
even when He was reviled (1 Peter 2:23). Interestingly, we see that this
conflict took place, after Abraham’s return to where he had originally built an
altar to the Lord, between Bethel and Ai (v. 4). Abraham had learned a valuable
lesson in Egypt about God’s grace, protection, and provision; and only after he
came back to that original place of worship and surrendered once again to the
Lord, was he able to now take the proper approach to resolving this conflict
that now arose. He did not forget that God was faithful to him, and so he could,
with confidence, allow himself to be at what appeared to be a disadvantage in
this conflict, trusting that God would continue to be faithful to him and his
family. Why then is it that we so often refuse to humble ourselves in conflict,
and refuse peace simply to try and prove ourselves right? In the end, if our
motives are pure before God, and He sees our heart, what does it matter if we
allow the other person to have the advantage for that moment? Will God not
recompense us with His good, and His blessings, if we choose peace, humility,
and trust?
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