Please turn with me to Genesis 13.

Last Sunday we began our look at the patriarch Abraham.  Abraham - who is one of the most significant people in history - certainly in the Bible.  Judaism - Islam - Christianity - all trace themselves back to Abraham.  Abraham’s a man that God used in incredible ways.  God spoke with Abraham.  Ate with him.  Blessed him.  God holds Abraham up as an example to us of a man who lived rightly before God.  An example to us of a man who lived by faith.  An example for us to follow.

But, the reason we’re looking at Abraham is not because he’s some super spiritual - Bible superhero - type guy.  We’re looking at Abraham because  there a parts of Abraham’s life that we can relate to on the level of where we live our lives.  Abraham struggled with faith just like we struggle in our faith.  His faith wavered.  He messed up.  He had lessons to learn.

And through all that - perhaps the greatest example and encouragement we can get by looking at Abraham’s life is that - through everything Abraham went through - God stayed with him - and through all those struggles Abraham grew in his relationship - his faith in God.

Genesis 13:1 - So, Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

Pause there - and let’s be reminded of what the word “so” - here in verse 1 - what the word “so” refers back to.

Last Sunday - we saw that God made an incredible offer to Abraham - a promise of what God would do in and through Abraham.  An offer that included land - descendants - incredible blessing - and that God was going to use Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing to all the nations of the world.

What God asked Abraham to do - to receive what God was promising - was to leave the country he was living in - leave his relatives - leave his father’s family - leave behind his old life and head out to the land that God was going to show Abraham.

Spiritually speaking that’s what God asks of us.  God offers us forgiveness and life - a relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ.  God tells us - to receive what He offers us we need to leave our old lives behind.  By faith trust Him.  Move forward into the life God offers us in Jesus Christ.

Which Abraham did.  Left like God asked him to.  Traveled from Haran all the way down to Shechem and Bethel and Ai.  Pitched his tent.  Built altars.  Worshipped God.

But then Abraham messed up.  There was a famine in the land.  Abraham - rather than trusting God - Abraham trusted his own wisdom.  Took matters into his own hands.  Headed south to Egypt.  Told Pharaoh that his wife was his sister - bent the truth.  Got her in trouble.  Got everyone in trouble.  Including Pharaoh and the Egyptians who God struck with plagues.

So, Pharaoh kicked Abraham and Sarai and the whole clan out of Egypt.  Escorts them to border and drops them off there with all their luggage.  Do you remember this from last Sunday?

Point being - In the face of God’s offer of incredible blessing.  Abe royally messes up by not trusting God.

That’s all part of the word “so” here in verse 1.  “So - after God’s offer and Abram failed at trusting God - Abram went up from Egypt…”

Verse 2:  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and gold.  He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Which was the land God had promised him in the first place.   This place.  Which is where he was before he headed south to Egypt.

Verse 4 - to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Verses 1 to 4 are a reminder of Abram’s failure and God’s graciousness.  Say that with me, “Abram’s failure and God’s graciousness.”

There’s a huge difference between playing golf and wandering around a grassy area chasing a small white ball with a club.  How many of you have played golf?  Even mini-golf?  Or, at least made the attempt?

Golf can be frustrating.  Yes?  But, one of the great things about golf is that every hole is a new opportunity.  We get to start over again.  It doesn’t matter how many balls the windmill ate.  Standing at the tee we’re a new man ready to take on the volcano.

Which is like our relationship with God.  Isn’t it?  The only difference is that God doesn’t keep cumulative scores.  

Abram royally messes up by not trusting God - everyone gets messed up.  And yet, here he is again - back at Bethel and Ai - in God’s promised land - starting over.  In verse 4 - he goes back to where he’d built the altar - where he was before he messed up - back to the first place to do what he should have done in the first place.  Abram calls on the name of the Lord.

God’s name represents all that God is.  His character.  His reputation.  His resources - all that God possess to meet our deepest needs despite the famines - despite the worst circumstances of our lives.  All of which God desires to bless us with - to pour out into our lives.

What Abram does is an example for us of what we need to do when we mess up by not trusting God.  Humble ourselves before God and call on the name of the Lord.  Come back to God.  Cry out to Him.  Count on Him - with His resources and wisdom.  Trust Him.  Believe Him.  Put our lives in His hands.

That’s the point where the new hole begins - where by God’s grace we get to T-off again.

Look how Abram arrives at Bethel and Ai.  Verse 1 - he arrives with his wife - nephew Lot - and all that belonged to him - all his livestock and possessions.  When Abram was in Egypt Pharaoh had given him even more livestock and servants.  All that - it seems - Abram was able to bring with him out of Egypt.  Verse 2 - he’s not just rich.  But, he’s very rich. 

The prophet Jeremiah writes - Lamentations 3:22 - “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.  For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your - what?  Great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22,23)

God is gracious - compassionate - the God of the second chance.  He’s faithful even when we are faithless.  God is so gracious to Abram that nothing gets left in Egypt.

Paul writes - in Philippians 4:19 - that when we learn to trust God - to call out to God - to put our lives in His hands - Paul writes that “My God will supply all your needs - not a few - not some - but - My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Grab on to that.   Any time - day or night - any place - in whatever circumstances - in whatever situation of failure - regardless of our past failures - big failures or small failures - we can begin again with God.  And He - God - in Jesus will supply to us all that we need to go forward with Him.  Isn’t that a great encouragement?

Verses 1 to 4 are a reminder of Abraham’s failure and God’s graciousness.   Whatever the issue.  Go to God.  Even when we mess up.  Go to God.  Try that with me, “Go to God.” 

Verses 5 to 7 focus on the test.  Say that with me, “The test.”

What we’re coming to here - starting in verse 5 - is the next test of Abram’s faith.  How well did he learn the lesson of chapter 12.

Verse 5:  Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents - oh my.  And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.  And there was strife - conflict - between the herdsman of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.  Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

(cartoon) You may have seen this before.  You’ll probably see it again.   I like what this says about our hearts.  

James writes - James 4:1:  What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?

Isn’t that a great question?  Everyone one of us experiences this.  Quarrels and conflicts touches every human relationship - from nations down to communities - our neighbors - to relationships at work or school or in the church - to families and marriages - parents and kids.  Volumes have been written about how to resolve quarrels and conflicts.  Because we all struggle with this.

James goes for the bottom line - going on in James 4:1:  What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?  Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 

The word here for “pleasure” is “hedoneh” - which is where we get the word?  “hedonism” from.  The idea that our own pleasure or happiness is the highest good. 

James’ answer:  The source is within us.  “We’ve met the enemy and he is - who?  Us.”  The source is self.  Try that with me, “The source is self.”  Our own self-serving attitudes and desires.

Reading on down through chapter 4 - James describes what this self-serving - self-trust looks like.  James writes that in our desire to please our selves we end up endlessly pursuing things that never satisfy.  We see what other people have and we want it.  When we pray - our prayers are focused on what we want and not what God wants.  Then we get all frustrated because God doesn’t give us what we ask for.  Ultimately we get trapped by the world - caught up in living and thinking and doing things that are self-destructive and carry us farther away from God.

Life is all about me.  You only go around once in life.  Grab what you can for as long as you can while you claw and scratch your way towards the top of the heap.  Mortgage the kids future with credit card debt - fudge on our stewardship.  Who cares what our self-gratification is costing others.  As long as I get what I want.

Notice that verse 7 tells us that the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling in the land.  That telling isn’t by accident.

The Canaanites and Perizzites were pagans.  People that God loves who needed to know about God’s love.  People that God’s people should have been a channel of God’s blessing to.  But here, the Canaanites and the Perizites had a front row seat as God’s people self-destructed because God’s people were focused on trusting themselves and not trusting God.

How many people have you run across who want nothing to do with God because God’s people have treated God’s people in an ungodly way? 

Would you agree with this?  Having stuff is not necessarily wrong or bad.   Stuff is not bad.  But when we focus on having stuff - serving ourselves - so that we're pursuing legitimate needs by illegitimate means we're in serious trouble. 

Put another way:  We have a choice - at the core of who we are - where we make our decisions - we have a choice as to where we go to have our needs met - self or God.  When we’re trusting ourselves we’re not trusting God to meet our legitimate needs.

Point being:  The conflict between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsman of Lot ultimately is a test of trust.  The choice between trusting God to meet the legitimate need of adequate grazing land or trusting themselves to grab whatever grazing land is available - even at the expense of their own family and the testimony of God’s love.

God’s people are tested.  According to their ability there are insufficient resources.  Who will they trust?

Verse 8 - verses 8 to 13 are  Abram’s solution.  Say that with me, “Abram’s solution.”  Abram’s answer to the test.

Verse 8:  So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.  Is not the whole land before you?  Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.”

With apologies to Sister Sledge.  We are family.  We’re brothers.  We’ve got the same God.  There shouldn’t be any conflict between us.  Especially not in front of the pagans.

“Lot, there’s all kinds of land here that God’s given us.  Choose whatever you want.  Whatever you choose.  I’ll take what’s left.”

Verse 10:  Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere - this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah - like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.

Notice two things:

First:  “Lot lifted up his eyes.” 

Lot was with Abram on the journey from Ur to Haran - from Haran to Shechem - to Bethel and Ai.  He probably heard from Abram about God’s offer and promise.  The answer to the question, “Uncle Abe, why are we heading to Canaan?”  “It’s a God thing.”

Lot was with Abram when Abram pitched his tent in Bethel and Ai the first time.  Was there when Abram built his altars and worshipped God.

Lot had a front row seat when Abram stumbled in trusting God.  When they headed down to Egypt.  Saw Auntie Sarai taken into Pharaoh’s home.  Witnessed God strike the Egyptians with plagues.  Got herded out of Egypt with the rest of the family.

Returned with Abram to Bethel and Ai.  Worshipped with Abram as Abram humbled himself before God.  Saw God’s reward of Abram’s faith.

And yet - Lot - like so many people who are touched by God’s grace - Lot struggles to respond to God’s grace by trusting God.

Lot lifts up his eyes.  Looks down the hill into the Jordan Valley.  What he sees is green - lush - grazing land.   Compared to the dry arid land around it - that valley is paradise.  Lot makes his choice - trusting his eyes - not God.  Choosing what looks good to him.  The source of quarrels is what?  Us - pursuing what looks good to us - without trusting God.

Second - notice God’s description of the land Lot chooses.

The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.  But it still has to be what?  Mowed.

Lot looks down into the Jordan River Valley.  In Scripture the name Jordan is often used to symbolize death.  For example, when God’s people come out of bondage in Egypt - wander for 40 years in the wilderness because of sin - not trusting God - they cross the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land.

Symbolically - crossing the river means dying to what lies behind - sin and bondage - and passing through death into life - God’s Promised Land - their future dwelling with God.

Remember the Gaither song?  “And then one day I’ll cross the river, I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; and then as death gives way to victory, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.” (1)

For us Christians the whole idea of “crossing the Jordan” is based on that Old Testament image - passing through death into life eternal with God.  The Jordan is death.

The valley is lush - until God wipes out Sodom and Gomorrah - because of their sin against God.

The valley looks like the garden of the Lord.  Think “The Garden of Eden.”  But, we got kicked out of the Garden because of sin.

Verse 10 says its like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.  Maybe Lot is thinking about the prosperity and wealth and power that he saw when he was in Egypt.  But Zoar is the city Lot had to flee to when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Point being that Lot chooses what looks good to him.  But, what he’s really choosing is a place of sin and death.   

Verse 11:  So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward.  Thus they separated from each other.  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.  Now then men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.  More foreshadowing - Lot entering the valley of the shadow of death.

All the land - the land of Canaan - the highlands towards the Mediterranean coast - even the land that Lot chooses - all the land that Abram is offering Lot - all of that is what God has ultimately promised to Abram.

There’s even more here.  At this point in the account - Lot is Abram’s closest relative - at this point his potential heir.  Potentially Abram is offering Lot the very promise that God offered to Abram.  That’s huge.  Wouldn't we understand if Abram held back just a tad.

When Abram was confronted with a famine - test #1 - Abram took matters into his own hands.  Rather than trusting in God to provide he chose to head south to Egypt.  Here he faces the test of conflict over perceived insufficient resources - a conflict driven by people trusting in themselves rather than God.

Abram’s solution to test #2 is to leave things in God’s hands - to trust God.  “Lot - choose whatever you want.  God’s given us all this land.  God will take care of us.”

Verses 14 to 18 are God’s promise.  Say that with me, “God’s promise.” 

What God promises Abram because Abram has chosen to trust God.  God’s renewing of his promise made to Abram back in Haran - back in Genesis 12.

Verse 14:  The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever; I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.  Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.”  Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Look at verse 14 - who tells Abram to lift up his eyes?  God.  What a contrast.  Lot lifting up his own eyes verses Abram waiting until God said, “Lift up your eyes.”  God showing Abram what Abram needed to see.

Walk with me through what God shows Abram.

First - in verse 14 - the promise of land. 

God tells Abram to look in every direction - north - south - east - west.  Even in the direction of land that Lot had grabbed for himself.  All that land - as far as the eye can see.  And looking from the highlands of Canaan - where Abram’s standing - a person can look pretty far.  If that’s not enough - God tells Abram to go on a journey - walk as far as you want in any direction and that land is yours.  I’m giving it to you and your descendants forever.

In Scripture land is consistently symbolic of dwelling with God - the fullness of life that comes when we dwell with God.  God’s presence and power in our lives.  Real joy in life.  Knowing God’s love and graciousness and mercy.  What really satisfies our hearts.

Paul prays for those who’ve trusted in Jesus as the Savior - Ephesians 3:17 - Paul prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:17-19)

All that fullness is ours if we’re willing to trust God to make our choices for us.

Second - verse 16 - the promise of descendants.

Any one ever dust your house?  Dust is endless.  The Hebrew word here for dust is “afar” - which can also mean dirt.  We can estimate the weight.  Talk about volume.  But, ultimately how many particles of dust and dirt are there on the earth?  Countless.  A huge number.

“Abram - I’m going to make you fruitful beyond anything you can imagine.  While you’re living you’re going to see some of it.  But, after you’re dead and buried - down through the ages of history - people are going to rise up and say, ‘I was blessed  because of that man.  God did something in my life because of Abram.’”

And isn’t that true today?  Here we are almost 4,000 years later studying the life of this man - who in many ways is our spiritual father - and we’re being blessed by God.  Talk about a legacy - having your life count for something. 

Verse 18 tells us that - after God had shown him all these things - reassured him of His promises - Abram came down and pitched his tent by the oaks of Mamre - which are in Hebron.   A place that looks like this today.

The word “mamre” means “fatness” or “strength.”  “Hebron” is a word that means “association” or “fellowship.”  Its descriptive of a place where a person’s soul is made fat - strengthened - supplied with all that’s needed.   A place of spiritual supply and fellowship with God that Abram pitches his tent and builds an altar - worships God - dwells with God - experiences the strength and supply of God in his life.    

All of which is a description of what happens to us when we trust God - even in the midst of conflict - to set ourselves aside - and wait upon God to move us forward. 

Any of you ever watch The Price Is Right?  The game is played how?  People are given their one moment on the stage of life - shown fabulous prizes - the treasures of the world.  They’re supposed to decide how much each prize is worth - to evaluate the worth - the value of the prize.  The people who win are the one’s who know how valuable each prize is.

Lot made an evaluation.  For Lot the price was wrong.  He placed the greater value on the wrong prize.  Abram waited on God to show him what really was valuable.  To have God lift up his eyes.  To gain insight from God’s perspective.  What God gave Abram was immeasurably more valuable than what Lot chose for himself.

Every day each one of us faces that choice.  Two directions in life.  Two outcomes.  Self and the world.  Or God.   

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1. William and Gloria Gaither,  “Because He Lives”