Abraham Finds The Way Back (Read Chapter 13:1-4)

For Abraham to get back to the place where he should be, two simple steps were needed. For him to return, meant ...

Leaving The Place Where He Was Not meant To Be. (vs. 1)

Being in Egypt was not part of God’s plans for his people at this time. That would come later at the time of Joseph. It was essential for Abraham to leave and head back to Canaan if he wanted his former close walk with God to be restored. Surrounded by prosperity in Egypt he may have wanted to stay. It could have been difficult for him to pack up and leave. The Pharaoh’s deportation order was in reality the hefty shove from the Lord that he needed. “So they left Egypt …” (vs. 1).

Setting Direction Towards The Place Where He Should Be. (vs. 1)

We now find Abraham and his caravan heading back to Canaan. “… and travelled northward into the Negev …” (vs. 1). He has with him all that he came into Egypt with and much more. It is most likely that the Egyptian girl Hagar became a house maid for Sarai while they were there and is now accompanying them. (cf. 16:1).

   It is also more than probable that Abraham increased his wealth during their stay in Egypt, “for Abram was very rich in livestock, silver and gold.” It is interesting to note in passing that the Hebrew word translated here as ‘very rich’ is kabed meaning in its primary sense, ‘heavy, burdensome.’ Its secondary senses extend to cover a range of meanings like ‘difficult, grievous, severe, weighed down, rich.’ We can only hope that the wealth he has accrued does not weigh him down so heavily that he cannot move freely along the pathway the Lord has planned for him.

   Nothing wrong with gaining wealth of course, except if it is gathered in dishonest ways. It becomes a burden however and detrimental to spiritual life when it is seen and used as if it belongs to us. In that case it is just as the Lord reminds those of every generation. “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith. Wealth is treacherous and the arrogant are never at rest. They range far and wide, with their mouths opened as wide as death, but they are never satisfied.” (Habakkuk 2:2-5).

   The reality to be acknowledged is that all wealth belongs to the Lord. As the Lord made clear to Asaph the song writer, “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10). Solomon accepted his wealth as being a gift from God. He wrote, “And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20).

   Wealth that is acknowledged as belonging to God but entrusted to us for use in the work of his kingdom becomes a means of ministry rather than a burden or cause of sorrow for us. Peter writes, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.” (1 Peter 4:10).

   And so Abraham, with all the wealth that God has entrusted to him, heads back to where he should be. Notice now that …

The Way Back Took Place In Stages. (vs. 3)

It was not an instant restoration. There was a journey to be taken step by step. The distance to be travelled would have been close to 400 kms. Along the way the ordinary and sometimes mundane things of everyday life had to be taken care of. The livestock looked after, the tents pitched for overnight stopovers, the gold and silver secured, watchmen assigned. As well as these was the need for Abraham to set aside time for prayer, for the recommencement of his daily time of quiet with the Lord. His devotional life must have suffered when he wandered off the pathway God had set before him.

   The process of restoration took place in the course of daily life, in the midst of pots and pans and the tensions that can arise among a group of travellers. Each day took him a step further along restoration road as “they continued travelling by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before.” (vs. 3). Likewise for us also, when we meander away from the Lord. The way back is by stages. We find an example in a story Jesus told (Luke 15:17-24),  about a son who left home and “wasted all his money on wild living.” (vs. 13). The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible[1] identifies the stages in the restoration of this son. The process began when the son hit rock bottom. After listing the son’s downward steps into ruin, Thompson names the steps back as, Realisation (of his condition, vs. 17), Resolution (to do something about it, vs. 18), Repentance (vs. 19), Return (vs. 20), Reconciliation (vs. 20), Reclothing (vs. 22,) and Rejoicing (vs. 23-24).

A Right Relationship With The Lord Is Again In Place. (vs. 4)

On his return to the place where he diverted from the way of the Lord, the first thing Abraham did was to return to the place of worship he had built there previously. “This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshipped the LORD.” (vs. 4). Once more he is comfortable in the presence of the Lord . Griffith Thomas[2] comments, “We read of no such altar or prayer in Egypt. Abraham seems to have been out of communion there. Now however, he does the only possible thing—he returns to where he had been at the commencement; he came back to the true surrender and simple worship of his earliest days in Canaan. Whenever we backslide there is nothing else to do but to come back by the old gateway of genuine repentance and simple faith. (Psalm 23:3, 1 John 1:9)”.

   Abraham has found his way back to the Lord. But this does not mean that there will be no more difficulties to face, troubles to find a way through, temptations to be dealt with, hurts to be endured, for it is not long before Abraham runs headlong into another problem. This time however he comes through the storm in better shape. 

Tested But Finding A Way Through. (Read Chapter 13:5-13)

There were several factors contributing to the problem now confronting Abraham. (vs. 5-7)

The Wealth That They Had Accumulated.

As well as Abraham, Lot “was also very wealthy with sheep, cattle, and many tents.” (vs. 5). We have already discovered that it is not the wealth itself that is the problem but rather an attachment to it, regarding it as one’s own rather than belonging to the Lord. Trusting in wealth is always risky. Why?

   The first reason that we discover in searching through the Scriptures is that no amount of riches is enough to purchase our redemption. This is acknowledged by the descendants of Korah in one of their worship songs. Speaking of those who do not know the Lord, the songwriter puts it in these words, “They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave.” (Psalm 49:6-9).

   Another reason we find is that the pursuit of riches leaves little time to think about the things that matter most. Jesus told a story about a rich man who was so attached to his wealth that he forgot about what lay beyond. Jesus concluded with the comment, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. (Luke 5:21). Members of the church in Laodicea needed to learn this. The Lord sent this message to them, “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing.’ And you don’t know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich.” (Revelation 3:17-18).

   What is the gold that the church in Laodicea is encouraged to look for? Peter tells us that it is the gold of faith, tested and purified in the fires of testing. He writes, “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

   Paul reminded Timothy how damaging going after riches can be to faith. “So if we have food and clothing let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:8-10).

   Yet another reason that trust in riches is risky is that wealth can so easily be lost. Solomon, realising this late in his life, left us this advice. “Don’t weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird.” (Proverbs 23:4-5). Wealth soon vanishes for those involved in sinful activities. Solomon reminds us of this. “The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted.” (Proverbs 29:3).

   A further factor contributing to the problem now confronting Abraham and Lot actually arose as the result of the wealth they had gathered.

Insufficient Space. (vs. 6-7)

With the number of their livestock increasing all the time Abraham and Lot soon found that “There were too many animals for the available pastureland.” (vs. 6). The space around them was inadequate. They needed to find space for each other—some personal space.

   Likewise we need to allow the people we rub shoulders with every day the personal space necessary for them to function successfully as themselves. Not intruding into the personal space of another allows that person a personal identity. This is true for all relationships but especially so for marriage.

   Minirth, Newman, and Hemfelt[3] address this aspect of personal space in their chapter ‘Can You Maintain Individual Identity Within Your Marriage?’ They speak of maintaining an individual identity along with the marriage identity. This leads them to discuss first the two extreme positions of an exaggerated dependence of one partner on the other and an exaggerated independence of one or the other or both. The more balanced position is that of a healthy interdependence. Frank Minirth[4] explains. “The goal in marriage is a healthy interdependence. A great mistake is when one partner tries to feel all the feelings (or do everything) in the marriage. Those persons feel everything so intensely, they cannot live without the other person. This leaves the other person feeling inferior. The other extreme is also a mistake … That’s when the person shuts down and lets the spouse do all the feeling (or do everything).” Allowing others to own their personal space makes healthy interdependence possible.

   Arguments are likely to flare up when one person intrudes upon the personal space of another. Like it did among Jesus’ disciples on one occasion. At this stage in their discipleship they had not come to understand that each of them would be given special gifts. These would flow from their personal space in ministry to others. But for now they were into each others space. They were getting in each others way. They thought there was a hierarchy to climb. “Then there was an argument among them as to which of them would be the greatest.” (Luke 9:46).

   It was the same for Abraham and Lot’s farmhands. Finding their own space being invaded as places for the cattle to graze became harder and harder to find, “an argument broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot.” (vs. 7).

Adding further to the problem was …

The Presence Of People Who Did Not Know The Lord.

There were those who would not have looked kindly on the need Abraham and Lot had at this time for more space for, “At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.” (vs. 7). One of our guide books[5] tells us that the Canaanites were to be found “on the coastlands, in the valleys and plains, and the Jordan Valley … The term can bear the more restricted meaning of ‘merchant, trafficker,’ trading being a most characteristic Canaanite occupation.” The Perizzites were “apparently hill dwellers,” but are also mentioned among the Canaanites in various places.

   Abraham and Lot are now cramped for room. Their livestock are bumping heads as they crowd into each others pastures. The farm workers are grumbling in their tents.

Can A Solution Be Found? (vs. 8-9) 

As the older person, Abraham makes the first move. He “talked it over with Lot.” (vs. 8). As they discussed the problem he makes a positive suggestion to his nephew. His proposal is that they should occupy more of the land. He offers Lot the first choice as he points to the areas for them to consider. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want and we will separate. If you want that area over there, then I’ll stay here. If you want to stay in this area, then I’ll move onto another place.” (vs. 9).

   Abraham makes the proposal in faith. He is willing to move on or stay where he is. He is trusting the Lord to do what is best for him. Trusting the Lord has replaced the deviousness of his former approach to problem solving. The proposal provides for them to stay together in the land, close enough to be able to help each other, but each with his own space. Lot must have wondered at the generosity of his uncle. But what kind of a choice will he make?

Lot Looks Around Him. (vs. 10-13)

Lot makes his decision on the basis of what he could see. He “took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful garden of Egypt …Lot chose that land for himself—the Jordan Valley to the east of them.” (vs. 10-11).

   Lot is concerned only with what he can visualise happening in the short term. His vision does not go beyond the immediate. He thought only of the now. What he could see looked good. It was what he could not see that would become for him a source of great trouble. The place he chose to settle was close to a place where evil ruled, “near Sodom, among the cities of the plain. The people of this area were unusually wicked and sinned greatly against the LORD.” (vs. 12-13).

Abraham Looks Around Him And Beyond. (vs. 14-17) 

Whereas Lot saw only what he was able to possess using his own resources, Abraham saw what God could give him. “The LORD said to Abram, ‘Look as far as you can see in every direction. I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession.” (vs.14). And so Abraham looked out across the land.

   What Abraham saw could only be seen by the eye of faith. Faith saw beyond his present location and time frame, far into eternity,” to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.” (Hebrews 11:10). The eye of faith took him to what John also saw, “the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2). What a view it was that Abraham saw!

   Now the Lord invites him to go exploring, just as he has invited us to go exploring with him in the Scriptures. “Take a walk in every direction and explore the possessions I am giving  you.” (vs. 17). What treasures await discovery!  

The Walk Begins. 

Abraham is now settled in Mamre at the grove of oak trees owned by an Amorite chieftain of the same name. Mamre is just north of Hebron and about 35kms south of Salem, later to be known as Jerusalem. It was there that Abraham received a reassuring promise from the Lord. (18:1-15). It was where he purchased a field and a cave for a permanent burial place for his family. (23:16-20, 49:29-33, 50:13). Mamre was the place Jacob called home. (35:27).

   The first thing Abraham did there was to build an altar. He would have built it of earth or possibly of stones. (vs. 18, cf. Exodus 20:22-26). It was built for the purpose of offering a sacrifice to God and as a commemoration and memorial to this special time in his life when he was at the start of a great adventure with God. (cf. 12:7). It became for Abraham and his household a place to receive the assurance of a right standing with the Lord, a place for repentance and acceptance of God’s forgiveness, a place to seek the direction of the Lord for the next step to take in his service.

   We do not need to construct altars like that today because God constructed one for us. It was a wooden cross on which the sacrificial lamb was lifted up for all to look to for salvation. As John the Baptist invites us, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). The author of Hebrews makes the meaning clear. “And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honour at God’s right hand.” (Hebrews 10:10-12).

   Christ’s once only sacrificial death to provide the way for the forgiveness of our sins leaves us with no other sacrifice to offer other than “to offer the sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name.” (Hebrews 13:15). And ourselves for his service, as Paul exhorted the Christians in Rome to do. “And so dear Christian friends, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask.” (Romans 12:1).

   As we will learn in the next lesson, it is not long before Abraham faces yet another test to his faith.