Friday, August 20, 2021

Abram and Lot

In my Coloring Through the Bible Series (using my Beautiful Word Coloring Bible), we are now brought to Genesis 13. At the end of Genesis 12, we read that Abram had lied about his relationship with Sarai so the Pharaoh had taken her as his own wife. This disaster resulted in famine in the land of Egypt. When the Pharaoh learned about Abram's deception, he sent them away. In fact, Pharaoh's words were "Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!"

Abram and Lot

Now in Genesis 13, Abram traveled from Egypt up to the Negev. He took his wife and all his possessions. Abram's nephew, Lot, was also with him. We learn that Abram had become very wealthy. Abram went back to the place where he had been earlier, the place where he had first built an alter.

Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 13:3)

Lot had is own possessions but the land where they settled could not support Abram, Sarai, and all their possessions and also support Lot and all of his possessions.

Abram and Lot had a lot of stuff!

Eventually, Abram's herders and Lot's herders began to argue with each other but Abram didn't want he and his nephew to argue. He didn't want their herders to argue either. Abram told Lot that there was plenty of land so if Lot would take his possessions to the right, Abram would take his to the left or if Lot wanted to take his possessions to the left, Abram would take his to the right. So they separated.

Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan toward the East which was great land but it was not far from the city of Sodom where the people were evil and were sinning greatly against God. Abram settled in the land of Canaan.

After Lot left Abram, God said to Abram:

"Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land for I am going it to you."

So, Abram went to live near the trees of Mamre at Hebron. There, he built an alter to the Lord.

Do you see a pattern with Abram? Abram was always faithfully calling on the name of the Lord and wherever he lived, he built an alter to the Lord. Abram was faithful to his God.

Here is a short lesson for adults about how this story of Abram and Lot relates to selfishness.

Let's go back to Lot for a minute or two. Remember that Lot had settled near the city of Sodom where the people were wicked and sinful. In the beginning of Genesis 14, we learn the there had been a 13 year war in the area. The region had been subject to King Kedorlaomer for 12 years. In the 13th year, some of the kings rebelled. In the 14th year, King Kedorlaomer and those allied with him defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in Seir. Then they turned back and went to Kadesh and conquered the whole area of the Amalekites as well as the Amorites in Hazezon Tamar. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela marched and drew battle lines in the valley of Siddim against King Kedorlaomer, King Tidal, King Amraphel, and King Arioch (4 kings against 5).

One Side:

King Amraphel of Shinar

King Arioch of Ellasar

King Kedorlaomer of Elam

King Tidal of Goyim

Other Side:

These forces had been subject to King Kedorlaomer but in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.

King Bera of Sodom

King Birsha of Gomorrah

King Shinab of Admah

King Shemeber of Zeboyim

King Zoar of Bela

The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled. As they did so, some of their men fell into tar pits which were plentiful in the valley of Siddim. The rest of their men fled to the hills. The four kings allied with King Kedorlaomer seized all goods in Sodom and Gomorrah.

They also carried off Abram's nephew, Lot, and all of Lot's possessions. Remember that Lot was living near Sodom.

At least one man escaped who ran to tell Abram about Lot's predicament. Abram gathered 318 trained men who had been born in his household. They traveled as far as Dan. During the night, Abram divided his men and prepared to attack the kings who had taken Lot. Abram and his men followed the kings and their men as far as Hobah which was located north of Damascus.

Abram defeated the kings, received all the goods, and rescued his nephew, Lot, and his household.

After Abram had defeated the kings allied with King Kedorlaomer, the king of Sodom went to meet Abram. Then the king of Salem and a priest of God, King Melchizedek, brought our bread and wine and blessed Abram saying:

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High
Creator of Heaven and Earth
And praise be to God Most High
Who delivered your enemies into your hand."

Then Abram gave King Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom wanted Abram to give him the people and for Abram to keep the goods but Abram responded:

"With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of Heaven and Earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me - Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre. Let then have their share."

It is after this that God makes a covenant with Abram. God tells Abram:

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
Your very great reward."

At the time, Abram had no children so his only heir was one of his servants, Eliezer of Damascus. But God told Abram:

'This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir. He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars - if indeed you can count them.' Then God said to Abram, 'So shall your offspring be."

Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to Him as righteousness.

In the rest of Genesis 15, God tells Abram that for four hundred years, his descendants will be strangers in a county not their own. In that land, they would be enslaved and mistreated. But God assures Abram that He will punish the nation that enslaves his descendants and that eventually they would come out with great possessions. God promises Abram that he will go to his ancestors in peace and die at a good old age. God promised Abram that He would give his descendants the land from the Wadi of Egypt to the great Euphrates river - the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.