Abraham Rediscovering the Path to Spiritual Success (Genesis 13:1-18)

We noticed in a previous study that Abram had begun his life in Canaan with spiritual confidence, expressed by his determination to indicate to the peoples of the land that from now on it belonged to him through a gift from God. This he had done by building altars to the true God in the vicinity of pagan shrines, an action that revealed both his courage for God and loyalty to God. Yet this period of spiritual progress had been stopped by his decision to go down to Egypt during the famine. His decision had been caused by a lack of trust in God, a response which can be made by the best of Christians when they face a new situation, never mind a spiritual novice which Abram was at that time.

Nevertheless, Abram discovered that his God was still working on his behalf in providence, even if he was embarrassed to having his deception made public by Pharaoh who sent him back to his own land. In passing we can note that some of the most embarrassing words that a Christian can receive are from worldly people who tell the Christians that they should be living in another spiritual territory than that in which the worldly people live.

In any case, Abram is now on his way back to where he should be, and in his journey we have a picture of rediscovering the path to spiritual success. The process of recovery has three stages and we can consider each of them in turn.

Abraham returns to the life of faith

The first stage is seen in Abram’s journey to Bethel. The significance of Bethel in the story is that it was the last place where Abram had expressed his devotion to the Lord (v. 4). Here we have a picture of repentance in the Christian life. It was not sufficient for Abram to return to the nearest location within the promised land, nor could he merely assume that he could start anew when he crossed the border. Instead he had to retrace his steps right back to where he went wrong.

The temptation is always there for a backsliding Christian to try and take shortcuts in repentance. When that happens, the Christian has to ask himself, ‘What was the effect of my sin?’ The effect reveals the seriousness of it. We don’t discover the seriousness of our sins by comparing them with the sins of other people; instead we are to note what outcomes have happened to me because of my sin.

We can see this in Abram’s sins in Egypt. From one point of view, his request to Sarai that she pretend to be his sister was based on a half-truth. We see its seriousness through its effects – danger for Sarai, deceit, indifference and other evil effects. When Abram was confessing this sin, he would have to dig to the root of why he committed it. And so have we. We should not treat sin lightly just because we know it will be forgiven when we confess it. Instead, repentance has to be heart work, otherwise it is just a sham.

In addition, the devil may try and tell the backsliding Christian that there is no hope for him, that he has sinned away the opportunity of knowing the Lord’s blessings again in his life. The devil’s aim is to create despondency, perhaps with the intention of confusing the believer and making him think that despondency is part of repentance. Each Christian has to learn that repentance does not come about through the devil’s assessment, but it comes through listening to what God has to say about it. His word is that ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:8). The Lord’s promises, and not the devil’s twisting, are to be the focus when repenting from our sinful falls.

We see a marvellous example of the confidence that can exist in the heart of a penitent believer in the words of David in Psalm 51:12-13: ‘Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.’ Or there is the promise that Jesus gave to Peter when he fell into sin: ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers’ (Luke 22:31-32).

When a penitent believer ignores the devil’s attempts to distract him and his own desire for shortcuts, he or she can have a profound experience of repentance in which they draw near to the Lord with a broken spirit and a contrite heart, and discover that he is full of mercy and willing to restore them freely and completely. Then they will sing with David in Psalm 103:10-12: ‘He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.’

Abraham and Lot separate

The second stage in Abram’s recovery was to remove sources of tension that were potential causes of trouble. Shortly after he left Bethel, a problem arose within the family of Abram due to inability to find enough pasture for their flocks. Here was a second test for Abram – the first had been how he would cope with famine and he had failed that test. How would he cope with this new test?

The author informs his readers about a surprising aspect of the problem. Within the country, it was not possible for the servants of Abram and Lot to live together, yet the Canaanites and the Perizzittes could. Here we have a very picture of a very common but sad reality. The disciples of Jesus, depicted by the family of Abram, cannot live together in peace, yet the world, depicted by the people of Canaan, can live together. I suspect that Abram realised that the quarrelling of the servants was removing any effective witness they could have for God in that area.

So what did Abram do? Remember that God has given to him every inch of the land of Canaan and there is no record that he even gave one inch to Lot. Yet Abram willingly gave up his right to tell Lot where he was to go and instead allowed Lot to have the choice. I think we can see in this response by Abram several developing features of his spiritual outlook.

One feature that is exhibited here is Abram’s willingness to trust in the sovereign control of God. The patriarch realised that God’s promises will not be fulfilled through human ingenuity that cuts corners; instead they will be experienced as he displays a godly attitude. This way of seeing things goes straight against worldly wisdom which would have advised Abram to put himself first. But Abram had learned, through his descent into Egypt, that common sense is not always the best policy.

Here we see Abram beginning to have victory over what seems to have been a defect in his character. We all have defects, and one that the biblical accounts indicate was there in Abram was his determination to preserve himself at the expense of others, which he did twice even with regard to his wife. It is a lot easier to deal with personal defects when we are in the path of obedience to God’s will, and it is impossible to deal with them when we are living in disobedience. Instead of preserving himself, Abram here was willing to let Lot have the first choice.

Abram’s decision here points to another development in his character, and that is the presence of humility. He could have said to Lot, ‘Look, here. I took you on this journey because you promised that you would not cause any trouble. Why can’t you control your servants?’ Instead Abram, I suspect, would have said to himself, ‘I wonder if it is my servants that are causing this problem? In case it is, I will take steps to prevent them defending my rights in a sinful way.’ Whatever the reason, Abram expressed a humble attitude. Here we have an example of the wise man’s advice, ‘A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger’ (Prov. 15:1).

A third feature seen here in Abram as he returns to the path of spiritual success is his willingness to make tough decisions, decisions that include a certain amount of self-sacrifice. Abram realised that Lot and he had to separate, which of course meant he had to lose fellowship with a person he loved. Sometimes the path of following God can take costly turns, and we find ourselves making decisions that are very hard. I suppose an example of this occurs when a minister gets a call away from a congregation which he loves. The call of God, in that case, is to separate in order to continue on the path of spiritual success.

What about Lot? He, too, is being offered an opportunity for living on a path of spiritual success. Abram has given him the choice of the land of Canaan. Peter tells us that Lot was a righteous man who was greatly upset by sinful practices (2 Pet. 2:7). So what decision did Lot make? He decided to choose the fertile Jordan Valley.

I suspect the author is telling us that Lot chose a location where he would not have to depend upon the Lord. Moses says that the valley was ‘like the land of Egypt’, which means it would not have famines. From a natural point of view, it was ideal ground for a person with herds and flocks. We can imagine Lot saying to himself, ‘I am glad I came here. I wonder how Abram is getting on, trying to find water for his flocks.’ It may have been harder for Abram, yet he was on the path to spiritual success. In contrast, Lot was on the path to spiritual ruin. If we find ourselves in situations where we don’t have to trust in the Lord regarding what he has given to us, we are on a slippery slope. Moses tells us that eventually Lot ended up in Sodom, a wicked city. But his choice had blinded him and he could not see that he was in the wrong place.

We will see in later studies some of the consequences for Lot of his choice. Briefly, he found himself involved in the wars and defeats of Sodom, he discovered that his children had absorbed the outlook of Sodom and even brought it into his own experience, and even his wife became a permanent memorial to the judgement of God. Some of the consequences of a selfish decision made by a righteous man.

Abram receives assurance from God

Although Abram had lost fellowship with his fellow-believer, he discovered that God could more than make up the loss for his servant. The Lord came to him and encouraged him with an expanded promise.

One detail to note from this promise is that Abram lost nothing by his willingness to make a spiritual sacrifice. The Lord did not say to Abram, ‘Look in every direction apart from the east which Lot has taken for himself.’ Instead Abram was told that he would have all that he could see, including the area that Lot had chosen for himself. It is impossible to lose out from serving the Lord. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 10:29-30: ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.’

Furthermore, Abram was encouraged by God to go wherever he wished in the promised land. We suggested in the previous study that travelling in the promised land is a picture of a Christian traversing in a spiritual sense throughout the range of blessings that God has given to him. Abraham, now that he has returned to the right path, discovers once again that he has full liberty to explore his inheritance. There are not any no-go areas in the land of spiritual blessing for those who return to the Lord.

We can recall that Moses earlier had pointed out that the Canaanites and Perizzites were still in the land. Outwardly they seemed more powerful than Abram because they were more numerous than him. Yet in this command/invitation from the Lord, there is contained within it an implicit promise of divine protection. In the spiritual life, there are enemies intent on preventing Christians from discovering their God-given treasures, such as assurance, insight into God’s great purpose, and aspects of salvation. Despite their weakness, they discover that their God enables them to overcome these opponents and explore their inheritance.

Moses closes this account by mentioning that Abram does move to another location, the oaks of Mamre near Hebron. There he continues the type of lifestyle he had before he went to Egypt, depicted by the tent (pilgrim travelling home to God) and altar (worshipper of God). He had rediscovered the path to spiritual success.