Genesis 13:2-7. 2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3And 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, 4to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7and 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.
There are two great tests in life. The test of scarcity and the test of prosperity. The test of failure and the test of success. We already saw how Abraham handled the test of scarcity.
Genesis 12:10. Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there.
Ultimately, Abraham passed the test of scarcity and failure. He returned to the Promised Land and to the altar. He drew near to God and God drew near to him. Now he will face a whole new kind of test, one that we don’t usually think of as a test, the test of having all that you need, and maybe even more than you need – the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
By God’s amazing grace, Abraham and Lot left Egypt with such great wealth that now once again the land is failing them. The patch of earth that they chose to settle on together soon became a point of contention between the herdsmen. In the words of Notorious B.I.G., mo’ money, mo’ problems.
Once again. Abraham’s character and his faith are under the test. How will he handle this situation? Will he lord it over his nephew? Will he simply tell Lot what to do and where to go? Who could blame him if he did? But Abraham takes the high road. You remember the story; Abraham offers Isaac his choice of the land.
Genesis 13:8-9. 8Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9Is 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.”
And that’s when this test of prosperity revealed Lot’s character.
Genesis 13:10-11. 10And 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.) 11So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
But this story is about much more than Abraham’s character development or conflict resolution. Once again, it’s about faith in the gap. The gap between the promise and reality. Abraham isn’t just avoiding conflict with Lot, he’s choosing the trust the promises of God. The promise of land, but especially the promise of offspring unto becoming a great nation.
Thus they separated from each other.
And with this separation a dream begins to fade. What dream? The dream of a great name, a lineage, a nation. Clearly Lot was God’s fulfillment of the promise. God has promised Abraham offspring as numerous as the sand on the shore. But how? Not through the beautiful but barren Sarah. The only answer is Lot. Lot, the orphaned son of Haran, now the adopted son of Abraham, and thus his progeny. But not anymore. Lot has turned away. Like Cain before him, Lot has gone to the east.
As Abraham allows Lot to leave, he is making a choice. A choice to once again trust God to keep his promise. He likely thought that promise would be kept through Lot, but now God will have to do something different. Something miraculous even. But remember, nothing will be impossible for God.
The test of prosperity has forced Abraham into another crossroads of his faith. Will he hold on to what he already has (Lot), and what he can see in front of him (the Jordan Valley), or will he open up his hand to the unseen? The promise that has yet to be fulfilled? This is exactly what Christ is asking us to do every day. Live with an open hand. Nothing we have been graciously given in this world is worth grasping hold of when the alternative is so much better. The alternative of knowing Christ and the fellowship of his suffering, becoming like him in his death.
Trading prosperity and success for suffering and the unknown is never an easy choice. But when you know that the promises of union with Christ are on the other end of that choice, it becomes the only choice to make.
You: Where are you facing the test of prosperity today?
You in Christ: How do the promises of union with Christ allow you to hold things with an open hand?
Christ in you: What gift of God do you need to hold with an open hand so that you might receive Christ?
Prayer: Father, your everything I have is a gift from you that I want to hold with an open hand, even my “Lot.” Show me that Jesus is better than even my “Lot” is; that he is more satisfying. Amen.
To Live is Christ 