Wednesday 5/25/22
The Lord is Our Source

1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
 2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
 3And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
 4Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
 5And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
 6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
 7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
 8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
 9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
 10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
 11Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
 12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
 13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
 14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
 15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
 17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
 18Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: To Record God's Creation and Identify His Plan (c 1-22)
Theme: The Story of Abraham (c 12-25)
Message: Abraham and Lot (v 1-18)

Genesis 13 Commentary

(13:1-2) Abram Increases in Wealth - In Abram's day, sheep and cattle owners could acquire great wealth. Abram's wealth included not only silver and gold but also livestock. These animals were a valuable commodity used for food, clothing, tent material, and sacrifices. They were often traded for other goods and services. Abram was able to watch his wealth grow and multiply daily.

(13:5-9) Abram Responds to Conflict - Facing a potential conflict with his nephew Lot, Abram took the initiative in settling the dispute. He gave Lot first choice, even though Abram, being older, had the right to choose first. Abram also showed a willingness to risk being cheated. Abram's example shows us how to respond to difficult family situations: (1) Take the initiative in resolving conflicts; (2) let others have first choice, even if that means not getting what we want; and (3) put family peace above personal desires

(13:7-8) A Lack of Unity - Surrounded by hostile neighbors, the herdsmen of Abram and Lot should have pulled together. Instead, they let petty jealousy tear them apart. Similar situations exhst today. Christians often bicker while Satan is at work all around them. Rivalries, arguments, and disagreements among believers can be destructive in three ways: (1) They damage goodwill, trust, and peace- the foundations of good human relations; (2) they hamper progress toward important goals; and (3) they make us self-centered rather than love-centered. Jesus understood how destructive arguments among brothers and sisters could be. In his prayer on the night he was betrayed and arrested, Jesus asked God that his followers be "one" (John 17:21).

(13:10-11) Lot's Compromise - Lot's character is revealed by his choices. He took the best share of the land, even though it meant living near Sodom, a city known for its sin. He was greedy, wanting the best for himself, without thinking about his uncle Abram's needs or what was fair.
Life presents a series of choices. We, too, can selfishly choose the best for ourselves while ignoring the needs and feelings of others. But this kind of choice, as Lot's life shows, can lead to problems. When we stop choosing God's best for our lives, we may not realize we are heading in the worst possible direction.

(13:12-13) Sodom's Temptation - Good pasture and available water seemed like a wise choice to Lot at first. But he failed to recognize that wicked Sodom could provide temptations strong enough to destroy his family. Have you chosen to live or work in a "Sodom"? Even though you may be strong enough to resist the temptations, other members of your family may not be. While God desires for us to reach people in the "Sodom" near us, we must be careful not to become like the very people we are trying to reach
Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Genesis with Chapter 13 and in today's text we see Abram leaving Egypt very blessed of the Lord increased with goods along with Lot who was also blessed. Abram pitched his tents in Canaan while Lot pitched his tents towards Sodom, a city of prosperity but of great wickedness and sin. We all know the story to come but what catches my eye is that Lot was a righteous man and a prosperous man. He had no need to dirty his hands and live in the land of sin for prosperity sake. He simply forgot the source of his prosperity, the Lord. In making application we can learn from the mistakes of Lot and realize that everything we have comes from the hand of the Lord. We don't need to compromise our standards when it comes to making money but rather stand and receive the blessings of the Lord as the come from Him. How about you? Do you realize the source of your blessings? Let us learn from our text today and remember that the Lord is our source of all we have and there is no need to compromise on how we work and how we provide for our families.
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ο»ΏSincerely,
Dr. Dave Burnette
Director, The United States Bible Society, Inc.
Closing Prayer

Father in the Name and through the Blood of Jesus we pray that we would Take Today's Reading of Your Word and Give Us Understanding of Its Text, that You Apply this Word to Our Lives, and that you would help us grow in You. Father, Finally we Pray for Your Kingdom to come, that Your Will to be Done here on Earth as it is in Heaven. That You would Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen