Bible Text: Genesis 13 | Pastor: Eric Danielson | Series: Abraham

Life is filled with disruptions that cause anxiety, stress and tension. When disruptions happen our feelings and emotions rise to the surface and we can easily treat people very poorly. People see the worst in us. How does God want us to respond in those situations and how is that possible?

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Faith and Love
Genesis 13

Last summer we had two neighbors on our street who decided to sell their houses at the same time. Anytime that happens there’s concern and curiosity as you wonder who the new owners will be. Will you like them? Will they take care of their house? Will they make a lot of noise? One bad neighbor can make life miserable and we had two possibilities. Well one day, our neighbors were in an uproar because they just found out that both houses were bought by the same person without ever going to market and that person was going to convert them into rental properties. Everyone assumed the worst – that overnight our nice neighborhood would basically turn into the slums of Amery; property values would plummet; houses would fall into disrepair; and crime rates would go up. It was very disturbing for many.

This was the worst thing that could happen and people were mad. Everyone was talking about it and voicing their frustrations. When the new owner drove by, people glared at her with judgmental stares: “How could you ruin our neighborhood!” Some of the neighbors took the liberty to tell her how they felt. One neighbor even put up a fence up between their yard and the rental property in preparation for the new renters.

Things like this happen often in our lives – things that bring disruption and cause conflict and stress. They infringe on our peace and comfort; they ruin our plans, eat up precious time, or cost a lot of money. People don’t seem to think about how what they’re doing affects you and it can make us frustrated and angry and bring out the worst in us. It might be something as simple as kids making a big mess at home for the thousandth time and not cleaning it up, or a neighbor cutting down a bunch of trees on your property line – trees you didn’t want removed. It might be someone stopping by unannounced who takes up a bunch of your time on a day you have lots to do; or a major change at work that makes life more miserable. These situations can be the most difficult for us to navigate through in the life faith. They stir up our emotions and make us defensive and angry, and we can respond in very negative ways. We treat people poorly and they see the worst in us.

We’ve been looking at Abram, a man who was learning to live by faith and we’ve seen how he responded when God called him to change the direction of his life; we’ve seen how he responded when he was faced with an extremely difficult decision and apparently God didn’t tell him what to do, and this morning we are going to look at how he responded when he was faced with a major disruption caused by his nephew Lot. Abram demonstrates how I think God wants us to respond in living the life of faith when we are faced with disruptions.

Read Genesis 13:1-7.
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.

So Abram escaped from the ordeal in Egypt that we talked about last week and returned with his family, livestock, servants, and possessions all the way back to the land in Canaan where he first settled. I’m sure when he got back to Bethel he thought, “Finally, now we can put down some roots, plant some crops, get established in this new land that God has promised me and my offspring.” He had abundant possessions and wealth and was poised to get off to a great start. And after everything he had just been through, the future was now looking very bright. Things were finally going his way.

But then came a major disruption. Not only was Abram enjoying a time of growth and prosperity in his camp, but his nephew Lot was as well. Lot’s father had died back in Ur of the Chaldeans and Lot had decided to travel with Abram and Sarai and they graciously took him under their wing and allowed him to accompany them. But Lot was not their son, which meant that he had his own family, herds, flocks, and workers that were separate from Abram. This wasn’t a problem in the beginning because both camps were small enough, but after returning from Egypt things had changed. Both camps had prospered and they were no longer able to occupy the same land – there simply was not enough pastureland and water to support them both. So, their workers started to quarrel – they were competing over the same water and land.

Now, when Abram became aware of this, I’m sure some things crossed his mind. He was the elder; he was the superior; he had allowed his nephew to travel with him. It was he whom God had called and sent to Canaan; he whom God had promised that land forever – not Lot. And now Lot and his herdsmen were causing a major disruption. So Abram had had reasons to get angry and give Lot a piece of his mind. He had all the rights and authority to send Lot and his camp packing: “This is my land. You’re causing the problem. Go find somewhere else and quit bothering me.”

If I was in Abram’s shoes, that’s what I would have probably done. I would have probably taken action to protect my own interests. I would have reasoned that I had the rights to the land and everyone would agree, so it would be expected and fitting for Lot to get out of there. But that’s not how Abram responded. He didn’t take matters into his own hands in order to protect his own interests. He did something very surprising.

Read Genesis 13:8-13.
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. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

This decision wouldn’t be such a big deal if we were comparing apples to apples – if the land in either direction would have been basically equal in quality, then Abram wouldn’t be taking any risk by offering Lot the first choice. They’d both end up with the same thing no matter who chose first, so go ahead and let Lot choose. But the land quality wasn’t equal – not by a long shot. (picture) The land surrounding the Jordan River Valley was well watered and lush with vegetation and they could both see it off to the east. It would have been perfect land for planting crops and raising livestock. It would have guaranteed success.

The land to the west was a different story. It was the hill country between the Jordan Valley and the Mediterranean Sea – rocky and rugged. It was the high ground where the seasonal rains would come and turn the grass green, but then water would run off in either direction. So during the dry season, everything turned brown and died and it would be difficult to find good grass for grazing. It did not guarantee success, but would mean hard work and seasons of drought.

Both Abram and Lot could see the difference in the land; both knew which land was better; and both knew that if it came down to a choice the first choice would be to go east. Abram had every right to take first choice – He was the elder and leader, and Lot was disrupting his plans. He should have chosen the best land and sent Lot on his way, but he didn’t. He let Lot choose first, and told him he would go the other way. That’s not normal. What’s normal is for us to take first choice and put our own self interests first.

It reminds me of a story about my kids. About two years ago we were sitting down for supper and I was going to pour drinks when I saw that we had a little Kool-Aid left from the day before. I knew Kool-Aid was everyone’s favorite, but we only had enough for one cup – what should I do? I decided to do a little test; I’d ask who wanted the Kool-Aid because I knew what would happen and I wanted to see if any of the kids would show any selflessness – if they did I would reward that person with the Kool-Aid and teach them the value of selflessness. So I asked the question and, as expected, I heard a chorus of “Me! I want it! I want it!” Then after a little while I heard Sophia say, “It’s ok, Ayla can have it.” Bingo, that’s what I was looking for, so I rocked their world and gave the Kool-Aid to the one kid who didn’t ask for it. And then I proudly taught them the importance of being selfless and not selfish.

The next night I noticed there was only one glass of chocolate milk left, so I decided to try again and see if we had learned anything. So I asked who wanted the last cup of chocolate milk. This time things were different; only Ayla, who was 3 years old at that time, cried out, “Me! Me! I want it! I want it!” Matthew and Caleb sat there with nervous looks on their faces – they wanted it so bad, but they knew that if they said they did, they wouldn’t get it, but if they gave it up to someone else, they might end up getting it… So they nervously said, “That’s ok, Ayla can have it.” And I think Sophia was just watching the whole thing and wondering what would happen.

As I saw things begin to unfold, I started to panic. Here’s Ayla who sees that for once in her life there’s no competition – she’s the only one that wants the chocolate milk! It’s amazing! She’s got this in the bag. Then there are the boys who are doing the right thing on the outside – the thing that got rewarded the night before, but they’re doing it for the wrong reason. My proud teaching moment turned into the realization that rather than teaching selflessness, I had taught my boys the fine art of using deception to get what you want… I didn’t know what to do! I couldn’t give them the milk and reward deception, but I couldn’t give Ayla the milk either, or that would ruin the lesson. So I didn’t give it to any of them, which left the boys confused, and Ayla bewildered – and crying. Amy just looked at me and shook her head. None of us could actually remember what happened to the cup of milk – it was such a traumatic experience.

The natural thing for us to do is to take first choice so that we get what we want. But Abram didn’t. He put his nephew first and let him choose. How could he do that? Let’s finish the rest of the story.

Read Genesis 13:14-18.
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.

This was not the first time that God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. The first time was before he left Ur when God promised him: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” The second time was when Abram first arrived in Canaan and God said: “To your offspring I will give this land.” And here, God reaffirms his promises again in greater detail. He told him that all the land, not just the land to the west where he was now heading, but to the east – where Lot went, and the north and the south – as far as he could see, as far as he could walk – all of it would belong to him and his offspring forever. And his offspring would be so numerous they would be like the dust of the earth.

I think Abram was able to respond to Lot the way he did because of faith – he was trusting that what God had already promised him back in Ur and when he first arrived in Canaan would come to pass. He had seen what God did to protect him and keep his promises when they went to Egypt and now that he faced the disruption by Lot he was trusting him again. God had already told him that all the land he could see would be his and he believed him. And because of that faith, he was freed up to not have to take matters into his own hands and protect his own self-interests, but rather he was free to love – to put Lot’s interests in front of his own and trust that the Lord would keep his promises. His faith was working itself out in love.

When we face disruptions in our lives, rather than getting ugly and nasty, I think God wants us to respond with love. How is that possible? I mean, these are tough situations – the anxiety goes up, the frustration builds, we’re feeling threatened… How can we respond with love? It begins with trusting in the promises of God. What are those promises? I think of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

We have a heavenly Father who knows what we need – he knows how much you have to do today; he knows how much time you have; how much money you have; he knows everything that’s coming in the future. And he’s promised to take care of you. There’s no disruption that’s beyond his control, so when those things come, we can trust in him – he wants us to learn how to trust. And when we trust in him, it is then that we will be able to respond to people with love – actually considering their interests as more important than your own in that time. “God knows what I need, he will take care of my interests, so rather than fending for myself I can trust him; and I can love this other person.” I think that’s what was happening with Abram, and I think that’s what how God wants us to grow as well.

So if someone buys a home next to you and turns it into a rental property, or your kids make another mess at home, or the unexpected visitor stops by on a busy day, or your neighbor cuts down a tree that you wanted to stay… learn to trust the Lord in those moments, so that you’ll be free to love that person.