ABRAHAM - THE PROBLEM OF POSSESSIONS

Welcome to Bible Study online. We are continuing to study the life of Abraham with special reference to his faith and worship. We have a few additional Scriptures to look up, so grab your Bible and let's look at Abraham.


ABRAHAM - THE PROBLEM OF POSSESSIONS


We have seen that when Abram left Egypt, he had attained great wealth through the generosity of pharaoh. While great possessions can assure our comfort in life, they also leave us burdened with maintenance, thereby encroaching on the very comfort we value and seek. Is there any balance in life between the freedom and the responsibility that comes with possessions?


A LOOK AT LOT


Let's review Genesis 13:1-4.


"Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD."


The passage that we are going to be looking at today really introduces us to Abram's nephew Lot for the first time. He has been mentioned earlier as traveling with his uncle from Ur to the Promised Land, but we have not yet had any further insight into his personality. From these verses we see that he traveled with Abram into Egypt and back out again. Up to this point, he has shown wisdom in sticking with Abram, both as a family leader and a spiritual mentor. Abram is the one to whom God has spoken and he is leading the family. Lot is respectfully following along. As a follower (learner, or disciple), it is important to pay close attention to the leader. You can learn a lot by watching, paying attention to their successes, failures, and personal habits and attitudes. He has seen Abram build altars to the LORD and begin to possess the land by his spiritual influence. But he has also seen Abram falter when perplexity came. In Abram's life, and I think in the life of every believer, there were times when God revealed Himself clearly, but there were also times when God was concealed, and perplexity was the result. Abram has just come through a time of perplexity as a result of the famine. He made a mistake in turning to Egypt for help and in forsaking his altar with God during his sojourn in Egypt. God intervened and Abram returned to the Land of Canaan, and originally went to the South, also called the Negev. Apparently, he still did not find the spiritual restoration he was seeking, so he traveled all the way back to the altar he had built between Bethel and Ai. Recall that the names of Bethel (House of God) and Ai (ruin) signify finding a balance in life between the spiritual and the physical. He has returned and found spiritual restoration, sacrificing self and the physical on the altar and beginning once again to proclaim the name of the LORD in the land. Lot has witnessed all these things in the life of Abram. The question is, "does he learn from his mentor?"


ALL THAT STUFF!


We are tested and proven in life and our character is formed by the problems we encounter and our ensuing decisions. Let's take a look at the first recorded problem in the life of Abram's nephew Lot. Genesis 13:5-7 says,


"Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land."


First, I think it is fair to say that Lot had prospered largely because of his relationship with Abram. While pharaoh was busy lavishing stuff on Abram, he did not neglect to show generosity toward Lot as well. They both came out of Egypt heavily loaded with livestock, servants, gold, and silver. We will see in future chapters that Abram alone had more than 300 men in his camp, not including women and children. Imagine pitching all those tents and keeping all the livestock and finding water enough. Lot, we can imagine, had quite a number of people under his responsibility. Remembering that they did not come into a vast, empty land and stake a claim, but that the Canaanites were already in the land, we can easily see that it would have become difficult to find enough pasture to keep everybody together and still be out of the natives' way. Quarreling broke out, not between Abram and Lot, but between their herdsmen because they had been given a job to do without adequate resources.


OBSERVATION: As a wealthy nation, our chief problem often seems to be how to deal with all our stuff. I have traveled in the "high end" areas of some of our cities, and I am amazed at some of the homes that I see. They are huge--more like castles than homes, and I find myself wondering what it takes to keep the place up. One would simply have to hire help with it. I can easily imagine from looking at them that it would take most of a day just to vacuum, sweep and mop the floors. Even with a riding lawn mower, the yard work would eat up chunks of time. But on a smaller scale, the average American home has so much stuff that the closets are full, the drawers are full, the shelves are full, the outside storage is full, the vehicles are outside because the double-garage is full, and the final answer seems to be to rent additional storage space! Stuff gets to be quite a burden! I have found that Goodwill stores are a tremendous blessing for me because I can lay down some of the burden, and others can then benefit from it.


QUESTION: Since the acquisition of stuff clearly taxes our time, energy and resources, why are we so eager to get more? And if it really brought us satisfaction, would we need to continue to acquire more? Are we just so bored with life that we don't know anything else to do? And how often do we quarrel over our stuff, both among our own family members as well as our neighbors? Isn't this the root of a lot of our lawsuits?


QUESTION: What kind of a witness to the "Canaanites and Perizzites" in our lives is our quarreling over stuff?


THE EVIDENCE OF AN ALTAR


As the story continues, I think we will see that Abram's altar, i.e., his worship of the true God, has received the sacrifice, not only of Abram's personal self, but his stuff as well. As we read in verses 8-9, notice the following principles operating in Abram after his return to Bethel/Ai:


PRINCIPLE ONE: Less stuff = More freedom


PRINCIPLE TWO: Less of Me = More spiritual freedom


PRINCIPLE THREE: Abram's Altar = Freedom to let Lot choose


"So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.'"


The answer to the problem seems obvious. Sheep and cattle require sufficient grass and water, so more pasture is necessary. They will have to either sell off some of their stuff or find more pasture. As later events unfold, I think it will seem evident that Lot was not spiritually mature enough to separate from Abram and would have done better to sell some of his stuff. However, the decision is made to separate. Lot will leave and begin to demonstrate his own character through his decisions.


In looking at this passage, I am reminded of American history, when the westward movement began. The land in the east was filling up and more land was needed for the people to grow. As the people pushed further west, the natives were increasingly pressed for resources and wars broke out. I think the US government always had good intentions in their dealings with the Indians, but they just were shortsighted about it all. Treaties were inevitably broken because the land was needed for settlement and the natives were forced to adapt to the ways of the settlers or die. Competition is basically a cruel, selfish business, but it is hard to live in the world's system without it.


As the elder and the leader of the family, it was certainly Abram's right to choose what he wanted for himself, but he chose to waive his personal rights and show graciousness to Lot. I think in doing so, he also chose to leave the matter to God; he accepted Lot's choice as God's choice for himself as well. So often we want to fight and kick when others make choices that affect us, but God is in control of our circumstances. If the choices of others are not in line with His will for our lives, He will circumvent things Himself. The world teaches us that we must fight for our rights and that if we won't stand up for ourselves, nobody else will either. Faith teaches us that God engineers our circumstances according to His good pleasure and it is up to us to trust Him completely.


In verse 9, Abram tells Lot to take a look at the land and choose. I think that there is more in this statement than just a real estate appraisal. This is a choice that is about more than just finding pasture. The real question is, "Lot, where would you like to live? What will you choose to be influenced by in life?"


LOT'S CHOICE


Verses 10-13 show us Lot's character as he makes his choice:


"And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD."


These verses tell us that the Jordan plain was as lush and beautiful as the Garden of Eden itself. There was plenty of pasture for his livestock as well as the native dwellers. No more struggle to get what he needed. Who wouldn't want that? Do you suppose he felt a twinge of guilt at taking what obviously appeared to be the best? Or was it just a good business decision? From a physical standpoint, it was the best decision, and Lot apparently was standing solidly in the physical realm.


QUESTION: On what will we choose to depend--the physical or God? We absolutely cannot have it both ways, but there will be a constant tug-of-war between the two, especially living in a very materially-oriented society.


In contrast to Lot, Abram has kept tryst with God at his altar, not only in regard to his personal life, but in regard to his possessions as well. He graciously allows Lot to take the "best." The Scriptures tell us that Lot was a righteous man (II Peter 2:7-8), but he clearly does not exhibit the same faith as Abram. He is compromised in his faith, and it will eventually cost him everything that he has depended on. We see at the end of these verses that Abram has settled in the land, but Lot has settled in the cities. He has pitched his tent, i.e., settled his physical life, as close to wickedness as possible in the attempt to have abundance.


POINT: Jesus taught us that, "Life is more than an abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:15)


OBSERVATION: The first thing that Cain did after he killed Abel and was judged for it was to go out and build a city. (Genesis 4:16-17) While cities may be beautiful, they tend to be strongholds of the flesh. They operate on competition (basically, selfishness), love of stuff, and a dependence upon man rather than God. People who live in cities generally have a harder time maintaining an attitude of dependence upon God and detachment from things, while people who live close to the land tend to depend more upon God to meet their needs. It is a matter, I think, that requires a more close circumspection in the lives of believers who dwell in metropolitan areas. (Hopefully, I haven't offended any city dwellers too much. Obviously there are people in large cities who maintain a godly walk and growth, and I think the Brooklyn Tabernacle congregation would be an excellent example.)


THE LORD REVEALED


After Abram's graciousness toward Lot, God once again chooses to reveal Himself to Abram. Verses 14-17 say,


"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; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.'"


After Abram's spiritual detour in Egypt, he has returned to the Promised Land and has been reestablished in his faith. He has proven his trust in God by allowing Lot to choose where he will live. Consequently, God appears again to Abram and reaffirms His promises of the past. The Scriptures tell us that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29) We can't mess it up badly enough to cause God to "unbless" us, but He may occasionally have to change the manner in which He blesses us in order to get our attention. The blessing of God is not stuff, but Himself; when we give ourselves to God on the altar, He gives His own life, His Holy Self, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to us! (John 14:16-18) What a thought! And He will never take that away, even when we blunder from time to time. (John 6:37) He reaffirms to Abram that the land--all of it, including the land in the east that Lot chose for himself, will belong to Abram and his descendants. He also promises that Abram's descendants will be more numerous than the sand. These promises require faith--Abram doesn't own any land in Canaan and he has no heir as yet. Hebrews 11:13 tells us that Abram and other people of faith saw the promises of God from afar, but that the fulfillment came later.


POSSESSION WITHOUT OWNERSHIP


The appearance of God concludes with the instruction to Abram to arise and walk throughout the land. This isn't just a sightseeing tour. By walking through the land, Abram is taking possession of it morally. God has His hand on Abram and the inhabitants of the land recognize it, as we will see in later chapters. He never owns the land, but he possesses it through godly influence.


QUESTION: We may own property in this life, but is the influence of the Lord felt as we walk about in our land? Or are we like Lot--compromised because we are attached to our possessions?


WHAT IS WORSHIP?


Worship and faith are the two main characteristics that we see as we study the life of Abram. Chapter 13 concludes thus:


"Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD."


One of the main points that we can easily see in the life of Abram is that when he built an altar, his faith remained strong and he proclaimed the LORD to the land's inhabitants. When he neglected to build an altar (Egypt), his faith wavered. As we have said before, an altar is a place of death. The worshiper identifies himself with the sacrifice as dying to sin and self in order to live to God (Romans 12:1-2) As Christians, we identify ourselves with the death of Jesus. As Jesus took on our sin at the cross and died carrying it, God's verdict that sin must die is exhibited. It is important to understand that we cannot blithely pray and ask for salvation without the accompanying death to sin. (Repentance is the actual word for death to self and sin.) We are saved, not principally from hell, but from sin. Hell is the consequence of sin. Once we are saved from sin, hell is no longer a consequence to be faced.


POINT: Real Worship is not an emotionally moving service at church--it is a death that produces devotion to Christ.



Thanks for joining us. The next lesson will begin to reveal the consequences of Lot's choice. I hope you will join us.