It's Time for an Eye Exam

IT’S TIME FOR AN EYE EXAM

An Exposition of Genesis 13:1-18

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: October 2, 2022

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says:

¹ So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.³ And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. ⁵ And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, ⁶ so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, ⁷ and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

⁸ Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”¹⁰ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. ¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, ¹⁵ for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. (Genesis 13:1-18)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Let’s begin with an overview of the passage.

Abram’s Travels

In Chapter 12, Abram had first entered the land of Canaan from the north. Abram’s north-to-south journey through Canaan took him to Shechem (Genesis 12:6), then south to the hill country in between Bethel and Ai, and finally to the Negeb in southern Canaan. In Genesis 12:10, due to a severe famine in the land, “Abram went down to Egypt”.

Now in the opening verses of Chapter 13, Abram and Sarai are reversing course, moving from south-to-north. He goes “up from Egypt” and back “into the Negeb” in southern Canaan. In verse 3 Abram continues to move northward and returns to the hill country “between Bethel and Ai”. Chapter 13 concludes with Abram in Hebron, which is south of Bethel and Ai. Hebron is about equidistant from Bethel and Ai to the north, and the Negeb to the south.

Abram’s Wealth

Moreover, Abram had great possessions. Abram acquired possessions during his time in Haran (Genesis 12:5) and he obtained additional possessions (sheep, oxen, male donkeys, and camels) during his time in Egypt (Genesis 12:16). Genesis 13:2 simply says, “Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.”

Although this is not the right moment to launch into a full-orbed theology of wealth, it is worthwhile to say that the Bible does not view wealth negatively. Sometimes we make the mistake of locating a problem in the wrong place. The problem commonly associated with wealth is not wealth, but the love of wealth, the preoccupation with wealth, anxiety over wealth, the tendency to covet and hoard wealth, the refusal to be openhanded and generous. If we make worldly wealth the treasure of our hearts, then we are idolaters and we will not inherit the kingdom of God. But if God is the treasure of our hearts, then we will be able to handle both abundance and scarcity, plenty and lack. As the apostle Paul said,

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

If God is the treasure of our hearts, then we will use what we have – whether we have little or much makes no difference – we will use what we have to demonstrate that God is our treasure and that His kingdom has captured our hearts. Use your earthly resources to pursue God’s kingdom goals! Store up heavenly treasures, not earthly ones! Worship God, not stuff!

Abram’s Worship

This is what Abram does: he worships the Lord. He had “build an altar to the LORD” (Genesis 12:8) between Bethel and Ai on his first trip through Canaan, as we learned back in Genesis 12:8. Now in Genesis 13:3-4 we are told that Abram returned to that place “between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 13:3-4) With Abram “[calling] upon the name of the LORD” in the hill country between Bethel and Ai in verse 4, and then later “[building] an altar to the LORD” in Hebron in verse 18, we learn that worshiping the Lord is the regular and defining feature of Abram’s life. Is worshiping the Lord the regular and defining feature of your life?

Strife Between Abram’s People and Lot’s People

Of course, worshiping the Lord doesn’t mean that you don’t have problems. Abram the faithful worshiper faced a severe famine back in Genesis 12:10. Now Abram the faithful worshiper faces an organizational logistics problem.

Abram’s organizational logistics problem involved his relationship with his nephew Lot. Lot’s father Haran had died while the whole family was back in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:28). When Abram departed from Ur, his nephew Lot accompanied him (Genesis 11:31). When Abram departed from Haran, after having settled there for a while (Genesis 11:31), we are told that “Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son” (Genesis 12:5). As we enter Chapter 13, we realize that Lot had continued to be a regular traveling companion at Abram’s side: “So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.” (Genesis 13:1, italics added)

But as we look at verses 2-7, we learn that Abram’s and Lot’s respective households were clashing. And by ‘households’ I mean ‘household organizations’, because what is in view is an extensive organization of nomadic people, some centered upon Abram and some centered upon Lot. We already learned that “Abram was very rich”. Now in Genesis 13:5 we learn that “Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents”. We also know that Abram had quite an entourage of people in his household organization. Abram acquired people – presumably servants – in Haran (Genesis 12:5), and Abram obtained both male and female servants in Egypt (Genesis 12:16). Jumping ahead to Genesis 14, we see there that Abram was able to pull together a fighting force of 318 trained men who were “born in his house” (Genesis 14:14). When you put all this together, Abram must have had at least several hundred people in his extensive household organization. Lot also had a number of people in his household organization, although we don’t know how many.

As it happened, Abram’s household organization and Lot’s household organization were working the same land, and things were getting stressful. The relationship between Abram and Lot may have been relatively stable, but the relationship between Abram’s men and Lot’s men was getting volatile:

“And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling 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. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.” (Genesis 13:5-7)

That last bit about “the Canaanites and the Perizzites… dwelling in the land” shows us that Abram and Lot were foreigners or outsiders in relation to the inhabitants of the land. Abram and Lot would have been subsisting off of open land areas, such as they could find.

But these two budding household farm organizations could no longer make do on the same acreage. Abram’s men and Lot’s men were getting on each other’s nerves: “there was strife” and envy, conflict and discontent.

Abram, being a man of peace who wanted to maintain cordial relations with his nephew, didn’t want strife to characterize his relationship with Lot, nor did Abram want his herdsmen to be at odds with Lot’s herdsmen. Abram says to Lot “for we are kinsmen” (v. 8) – and kinsmen and extended family members ought to desire and pursue the absence of strife, and the presence of goodwill, toward one another. Abram takes the lead to promote goodwill and proposes this solution:

“Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” (Genesis 12:9)

Abram’s guidance is simple enough: “Separate yourself from me.” Abram doesn’t tell Lot where to go, only that he should go. Abram is content to let Lot choose whether to go this way or that way, and Abram will go in the opposite direction.

Lot Moves East and Abram Settles in Canaan

As it happens, Lot scans the expanse of land to the east – “the Jordan valley” (v. 10), “in the direction of Zoar” (v. 10) where there were a number of cities. These “cities of the valley” (v. 12) included Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 10, 12-13). “So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley” (Genesis 13:11)

With Lot’s move to the east, “Abram settled in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 13:12). “[After] Lot had separated from him [Abram]” (Genesis 13:14), the Lord spoke to Abram and made promises concerning the land (v. 14-17).

In response to the Lord’s instruction and promise, Abram broke camp and hit the road, eventually “[settling] by the oaks of Mamre” – Mamre is a man who became an ally of Abram (see Genesis 14:13). “[The] oaks of Mamre” were “at Hebron” in the region that would eventually be given to the tribe of Judah. After he arrived in Hebron, Abram did there what he had already done in Shechem and in the hill country between Bethel and Ai: Abram “built an altar to the LORD.” (Genesis 13:18) Worshiping the Lord was the regular and defining feature of Abram’s life.

That is the big picture of what is going on in Genesis 13.

TWO WAYS OF SEEING

With this big picture in mind, I want to drill down into some important details that open the door to a vitally important lesson. Genesis 13 shows us that there are two very different ways of seeing: there is the way of seeing with physical eyes (exemplified by Lot), and there is the way of seeing with spiritual eyes (exemplified by Abram). Thus I have titled this sermon, “It’s Time for an Eye Exam.” Scripture administers this eye exam, and what will this examination reveal about your eyes?

The health or unhealth of your eyes – the eyes of your heart – sets the pace for your entire life. For our Lord said:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (Matthew 6:22-23)

As we subject our eyes to the gaze of Scripture, we may find that this lesson hits closer to home than some of the other negative examples that we have encountered in Genesis. For example, when you think about unrighteous Cain and unrighteous Lamech (in Genesis 4) or the wicked generation of Noah’s day (in Genesis 6) or the proud men at Babel (in Genesis 11), perhaps you are apt to think, ‘Well, I’m certainly not like that!’ And perhaps, by God’s grace, you aren’t. Such people were exceedingly wicked, and it may well be the case that you have kept your feet closer to the paths of righteousness.

But here’s the thing: the negative example in Genesis 13 involves a man who was not exceedingly wicked. In reflecting upon Lot, we have to reckon with the fact that Lot was a righteous man. The Bible is clear about this. How did Lot feel about dwelling in the region of Sodom, a place that was inhabited by men who “were wicked, great sinners against the LORD”? The apostle Peter tells us that Lot was

“greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7-8).

Lot was a righteous man with a righteous soul, and he had a righteous grief over the unrighteousness that was all around him. But as we shall see, in Genesis 13 Lot makes a poor choice.

So, what we have in Genesis 13:10-13 is a righteous man making a poor choice. Sometimes righteous people make poor choices. Sometimes true disciples get sloppy and settle down into places or habits that are unwise. As we look at verses 10-13, I want you to see the anatomy of Lot’s poor choice, in order to encourage you not to go down that path. Then we’ll contrast verses 10-13 with verses 14-17, which teach us about the better way in which God calls Abram – and us – to live.

Lot’s Way of Seeing

The lesson begins in verse 10: “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt”. The reference to “the garden of the LORD” takes us back to the “garden in Eden” (Genesis 2:8) that was watered by “[a] river [flowing] out of Eden” (Genesis 2:10). The reference to “the land of Egypt” reminds us of what happened at the end of Chapter 12: although there was a severe famine in Canaan, there was an abundance of provision in Egypt. So, Lot saw that the land to the east was an abundant and beautiful, lush and luxuriant, land what was well provided for and showed great potential and promise. Now someone might ask: what’s wrong with that? The answer, of course, is that there is nothing wrong with that. The objective goodness of the land is not the problem. The problem is with Lot: he sees and assesses and decides for the land without considering the Lord’s will and without considering the spiritual ramifications of his decision.

A Pattern in the Book of Genesis

Let me show you a pattern that has been unfolding in the Book of Genesis. This pattern involves the eyes and the craving of beauty and the unwillingness to live within God’s appointed boundaries.

Eve is exhibit #1: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Genesis 3:6). She saw that which was delightful to her eyes and took it for herself.

The sons of God are exhibit #2: “[The] sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” (Genesis 6:2) When we studied Genesis 6, I argued that these “sons of God” are angelical beings who abandoned their proper sphere and sinned grievously by cohabiting with human women. But whether or not you agree with that interpretation, what is clear from the context of Genesis 6 is that what “the sons of God” are doing in Genesis 6:2 is not pleasing to the Lord, because what follows are words of judgment in Genesis 6:3 and in Genesis 6:5-7. Like Eve, they saw that which was attractive to their eyes and took it for themselves.

The Egyptians are exhibit #3: “When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman [Sarai, Abram’s wife] was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.” (Genesis 12:14-15) Although Abram and Sarai bore responsibility for pretending that they were not married, the fact remains that the Egyptians also fell into the beauty trap. Like Eve in Genesis 3 and like the sons of God in Genesis 6, the Egyptians saw that which was very beautiful in their eyes and took it for Pharaoh.

Now Lot becomes exhibit #4: he saw that which was captivating to his eyes, and he took it for himself. Verse 11 says: “So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley”.

“The Desires of the Eyes”

Lot, and the Egyptians, and the sons of God, and Eve all serve as examples of what the apostle John warned about when he spoke about “the desires of the eyes”:

“For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)

Remember: the problem isn’t the beauty of the thing itself. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was part of God’s good creation, and so there is no reason to doubt that it really was “a delight to the eyes”; “the daughters of man” really are “attractive”; Sarai was a “very beautiful” woman; and the Jordan Valley truly “was well watered like the garden of the LORD”. The problem isn’t the beauty of the thing itself. The problem, as I said above, is to see things without considering the Lord’s will, without considering the spiritual ramifications of the choice, without inquiring into the spiritual character of what is involved.

Lot should have taken a closer look at things. He should have sought to see the Jordan Valley and “the cities of the valley” (v. 12) from God’s perspective. If Lot had slowed down and sought to test and govern his visual impulses by the wisdom of God, then he would have had to reckon with the wickedness of the people who lived in “the cities of the valley”. The end of verse 10 foreshadows the judgment that will soon fall on Sodom and Gomorrah: “This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.” The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and other “cities of the valley” (Genesis 19:29) is recounted in Genesis 19. Why did these cities meet with complete destruction? Genesis 13:13 tells us: “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.”

Lot saw the physical wonders of the valley, but didn’t see the spiritual wickedness of its cities. Lot saw the desirability of the place, but didn’t see the abominations of its people. Lot didn’t realize that he was choosing to settle in a region that was about to be decimated by the judgment of God. Lot saw the Jordan Valley and desired its beauty without taking the spiritual ramifications into account.

We Can Fall into the Same Trap

You and I are more than capable of falling into the same trap that Lot fell into. A young Christian man visits a college campus that is on his short list of colleges he might attend, and he is captivated by the historic buildings, the symmetrical and well-landscaped layout, the beautiful central courtyard, the generous scholarship offer, and the success rate of its graduates. That is what he sees, but he doesn’t consider how the school and its people will impact his spiritual life.

A young Christian woman falls in love with a man – he is handsome, articulate, and makes good money. That is what she sees, but she doesn’t ask the hard question about whether he has what it takes to be a faithful spiritual leader.

When Christian people are looking for a church to become part of, they might be entirely won over by the aesthetics of the sanctuary, the atmosphere of the worship service, the sound of the music, the length of the service, the socio-economic level of the other congregants, and the number of programs that are tailored to their interests. That is people being foolish: they see what is pleasing to the eye or pleasant to the senses, but they do not discern what is doctrinally sound and spiritually beneficial.

Christians can choose a set of friends, not because they share your Christian commitments, but because they are perceived as fun, cool, and creative.

Christian can accept an exciting new career opportunity, not because it is consistent with God’s call upon your life, but because the economic and social benefits are too difficult to turn down.

Christian can justify certain movies or shows or other forms of entertainment, not because they are wholesome and spiritually enriching, but because you appreciate the artistic quality.

Is my point that artistic quality, economic benefits, and fun personalities have no value? Of course not. What I am saying is that you are foolish when, like Lot, all you can see and care about are the outward allurements and external appeals. You see the artistic quality but not the moral compromise, you see the economic benefit but not the spiritual detriment, you see the cool personality but not the negative influence that this new friend will have upon you.

Are you learning to govern your visual impulses by the wisdom of God? Are you learning to weigh character and substance, instead of being so easily captured by superficial considerations? Are you learning to see with God’s perspective?

“Lot Chose for Himself”

Four words in verse 11 that capture the wrongheadedness of Lot’s decision: “Lot chose for himself”. Is that how you want to live? Do you want to choose for yourself the people you hang out with and the places you go and the things you have and do, without taking the Lord’s will into account? Is that what you want? Let Lot be to you a cautionary tale: “Lot chose for himself” a valley full of cities full of wicked men who were going to be obliterated by the judgment of God.

“Lot chose for himself”, but Abram most emphatically did no such thing. Abram did not choose for himself the land of Canaan. Instead, God is the One who chose the land of Canaan for Abram.

Abram’s Way of Seeing

“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw” through his own pair of glasses. But in verse 14 the Lord invites Abram to “[lift] up [his] eyes and look” through a very different pair of glasses. Thus Abram’s way of seeing (in v. 14) is set up in deliberate contrast to Lot’s way of seeing (in v. 10).

Notice that verses 14-17 say nothing about the natural desirability or lushness or potential of the land. “[The] Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD” (v. 10) – and that is high praise for its natural beauty. There is no comparable statement about the land of Canaan in verses 14-17. Whether or not Canaan is the equal of the Jordan Valley in terms of natural beauty is beside the point. What makes Canaan special is not its natural advantages. Instead, what makes Canaan special is that God has decided to give it as a gift to Abram.

Abram’s Seeing was Governed by God’s Words

Now here’s the key point I want to make about how Abram is supposed to see – and frankly, this is how you and I are also supposed to see. Abram is supposed to see with his hears attentive to God’s words. God invites us to see the world out there within the framework of hearing the Word of God. Why do I say it like this? Because Abram’s act of seeing was generated by God’s speaking. Think about it:

Verse 14 begins: “The LORD said to Abram”. The Lord’s words to Abram begin in the middle of verse 14 and run all the way through the end of verse 17. Divine words are cascading over Abram’s soul, and it is those words that are supposed to shape the way that Abram sees the land. This stands in sharp contrast to Lot’s seeing. “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw” as a response to Abram’s very pragmatic counsel about how to fix the spat between their two households. But Lot’s seeing was never governed by the Lord’s perspective. Lot’s seeing was not governed by God’s words, but Abram’s seeing was governed by God’s words.

What did the Lord say to Abram? First, the Lord told Abram to look “from the place where [he was]” in every direction, north, south, east, and west (v. 14). Second, the Lord promised to give “all the land that [he could] see” to Abram and Abram’s offspring forever (v. 15). Third, the Lord promised to make Abram’s offspring as innumerable “as the dust of the earth” (v. 16). Fourth, the Lord invited Abram to walk through the land and discover the land that would be given to him (v. 17).

Abram’s ability to see the land for what it was depended entirely on trusting God’s words. At that particular moment, Abram had a wife and no kids, no offspring, no descendants. Further: “At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.” But those factors notwithstanding, the Lord invited to see the land for what it would be – namely, the title to the land would be transferred from the Canaanites to Abram and his offspring. At the same time, the Lord invited Abram to behold a future in which his descendants were filling the land from north to south and from east to west.

How do you see?

Do you see what you decide to see according to the flesh, according to physical realities or physical probabilities, according to the wisdom of sinful man, in light of the here and now of earthly treasures that will eventually be destroyed?

Or do you see what the Lord invites you to see according to the Spirit, according to divine realities and divine promises, according to the wisdom of God, in light of treasures in the heavens that will last forever?

Do you see what you decide to see in light of the words and ways of men?

Or do you see what the Lord invites you to see in light of the words and ways of God?

Can you imagine what would happen in our lives and in our families and in our congregation if we bid farewell to the type of visual impairment that afflicted Lot, and instead resolved to take God at His Word and let His words shape the way that we see and hope and walk and worship?

Natural Eyes vs. Spiritual Eyes

The natural man is impressed by external adornment – the braiding of hair and expensive jewelry and fashionable clothing. But a spiritual man sees with God’s perspective and knows that “the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit… is very precious [in God’s sight]” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

The natural man is impressed by rich people making large donations to God’s house. But a spiritual man sees with God’s perspective and understands that “a poor widow” who “out of her poverty” contributes all that she has (which happens to be “two small copper coins”) “has put in more than all” of the wealthy contributors (Mark 12:42-44).

The natural man is impressed by a city known for great learning and intellectual achievement. But a spiritual man sees with God’s perspective, which is why when the apostle Paul found himself in the city of Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).

The natural man is impressed by cultural power and political clout. But a spiritual man sees with God’s perspective, and the truth of the matter is that the Lord’s embattled and suffering church, consisting of the world’s nobodies and often despised by the world, are dearly loved by the Lord, precious in His sight, the apple of His eye, His cherished bride.

The natural man is impressed by charisma and strength and outward appearance. But a spiritual man sees with God’s perspective, and the truth of the matter is that the very One who “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2), and who was “rejected by men” (1 Peter 2:4), is in fact “[chosen and precious] in the sight of God” (1 Peter 2:4).

It matters how you see. It matters that you learn to see as God would have you see, from His perspective, and shaped by His promise.

Where the Lord’s Promise Led Abram

In the final analysis, just think where Lot’s foggy vision led him in contrast to where the Lord’s gracious promise led Abram. Lot’s foggy vision led him to live among the wicked in a place that would be destroyed. But the Lord’s promise to Abram is highlighted by the word “forever” (v. 15).

The truth of the matter is that the clock is ticking for the place that “Lot chose for himself”. The clock is always ticking for that which you choose for yourself. But there is no end to the expansiveness and duration and glory and wonder of that which the Lord chooses for you. Do you see it? There is the expansiveness of place: “northward and southward and eastward and westward” (v. 14), as far as the eye can see. There is the expansiveness of time: “for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (v. 15). There is the expansiveness of holy offspring: “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted” (v. 16). The identity of Abram’s innumerable offspring can be examined from different angles, but ultimately Abram’s innumerable offspring cannot be equated with his physical descendants. Instead, Abram’s innumerable offspring are those who share Abram’s faith: “[In] Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:26, 29)

So here’s the upshot of the Lord’s promise to Abram. In stark contrast to Lot settling into a sinful city that was going to be destroyed in Lot’s lifetime, the Lord’s promise to Abram envisions the Lord’s people in the Lord’s place forever. Not the Jordan Valley, but the place of God’s choosing. Not in the temporary company of those who “were wicked, great sinners against the LORD”, but in the great intergenerational company of Abram’s descendants, the children of promise, the innumerable sons and daughters who possess the same faith as ‘father Abraham’. Not a city project that ends in destruction (and every city that the Lord is not watching over will end in destruction), but a secure dwelling place forever.

The Lord’s promise is that the Lord’s people will dwell in the Lord’s place forever. That promise, sealed by the blood of the Messiah, is worth everything. That promise is worth giving your life for. Everything else is worth little by comparison. 

A FINAL WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Brothers and sisters, be resolved to see the world through the lens of God’s Word. Be determined to see whatever you see in submission to what God has said. Let God’s Word govern what you see and how you see it. Join Abram in cherishing the promise that the Lord’s believing people will enjoy an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom that God prepared for them from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Abram, after all, “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). And we, as Abram’s sons and daughters, also have our sights set on the same glorious city that God has promised to us (Hebrews 13:14). 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Assohoto, Barnabe and Samuel Ngewa, “Genesis.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Zondervan Edition (first edition published in 2006).

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Book of Genesis (Ariel’s Bible Commentary). Fourth Edition. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2020.

Maclaren, Alexander. “The Importance of a Choice.” Sermon on Genesis 13:1-13. Available online: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/maclaren/gen_num.ii.i.xvii.html.

Morris, Henry M. The Genesis Record. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.