Summary of passage: Lot, Abram’s nephew, was traveling with Abram until he had to separate because their herds of animals were growing too big to support both flocks. This caused quarrels between the two groups. The Canaanites and Perizzites were living there as well so it was crowded.
Abram approached Lot and suggested they separate, giving Lot the choice of which lands he wanted. Lot chose the plain of the Jordan which was well watered and they parted, leaving Abram in Canaan and Lot near Sodom. Sodom was wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.
3) Genesis 13:5-13: Abram saw tensions rising and he took quick action. He came up with a solution and gave the choice to Lot instead of Abram choosing which way to go. He approached Lot out of love and deferred to him.
1 Corinthians 6:1-8: This passage says to settle disagreements between believers without bringing in unbelievers. Appoint an arbitrator from the church. Paul says it is better to be wronged than to wrong your brother. Abram followed this advice Paul later wrote. He approached Lot with their disagreement and came up with a fair solution and Abram humbly let Lot chose.
Ephesians 4:1-3: Paul advised to live humbly and be patient and deal with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity, to get along. Abram did just that. He loved Lot as a brother so he wanted to settle the problem quickly.
Ephesians 4:31-5:2: Paul says to not be angry or slanderous but to be kind and compassionate and forgiving to one another. Be imitators of God and live a life of love. Abram did just that.
Seems Abram and Paul had a lot in common!
4a) He was the eldest and God gave Abram the land (Genesis 12:1), not Lot. Lot just tagged along.
b) Personal Question. My answer: I have no concrete example but no, I would say my attitude is usually pretty poor when it comes to submitting rights. But I will say as time passes and I grow in God I do become more generous, compassionate, and yielding. This is hard when we are born selfish. It definitely takes time to develop.
In this day and age when it’s all about personal rights and people thinking others owe them, this is a shining example of how to show God’s love to others. The Canaanites and Perizzites were watching. They saw the quarrels and probably didn’t think much of Abram’s God. But when Abram did something not many others would in the ancient world, the Canaanites and Perizzites probably wondered, Who is this God of theirs?
And just like that, the seed is planted…
We must remember everyone is watching (this isn’t too hard in the age of YouTube and hidden cameras). We must reflect God to the un-Godly.
Conclusions: I liked this lesson. It’s a great reminder that we don’t always have to be right or even exercise our rights. By submitting our will and rights, we are submitting to God’s will and showing trust in God that all will work out as He planned (not as we planned) and God will take care of us.
End Note: It’s interesting the turn around in Abram. We’re not told how much time has passed between Egypt and Abram and Lot separating but here was a man in Chapter 12 who did not trust God to save him so he took matters into his own hands by prostituting his wife.
Now we see Abram completely surrendering his rights to his nephew, trusting God will take care of him and his animals.
People do grow in faith. This gives me hope that I can as well.