Abram And His Connections
(Genesis 13:1-18)
Introduction:
A policeman stops a lady and asks for her license. He says, “Lady, it says here that you should be wearing glasses.”
The woman answered, “Well, I have contacts.”
The policeman replied, “I don’t care who you know! You’re getting a ticket!”
Sometimes it’s good to have contacts and connections and sometimes it’s not.
A few weeks ago, I shared with you from Genesis 12 some things about Abram And His Call.
I’m speaking to you tonight about Abram And His Connections. As we begin…
I. We Notice Abram’s Former Connections In This Chapter
(Genesis 13:1-4)
A. There Is A Reminder Of The Place Of Wandering
(Genesis 13:1) And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
We must call to mind the statement from the previous chapter…
(Genesis 12:10) And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
sojourn – Hebrew 1481. guwr, goor; a prim. root; prop. to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather for hostility (as afraid):--abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger, X surely.
1. He Came Out Of Egypt With An Increase Of Prosperity
(Genesis 12:13) Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
(Genesis 12:14-16) And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. {15} The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. {16} And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
well – Hebrew 3190. yatab, yaw-tab'; a prim. root; to be (causat.) make well, lit. (sound, beautiful) or fig. (happy, successful, right).
He did do well, but at what cost?
The ironic twist to the story came when someone wanted Sarai, someone who need not bargain for her, namely, Pharaoh. The very words of Abram (“so that I will be treated well,” v. 13) came back on him for Pharaoh treated Abram well because of beautiful Sarai, and Abram got very wealthy. … But this bound Abram to an obligation from which he was not able to deliver himself. His scheme nearly lost him his wife, and without Sarai his promised blessing would be doomed. (From Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament)
2. He Came Out Of Egypt With An Increase In Problems
A casual observer of this episode might conclude, “What happened to Abraham wasn’t all bad. Pharaoh gave Abraham a lot of wealth (Genesis 12:16; 13:2), and Sarah was given her own maid, Hagar (16:1). God forgave Abraham’s sin, and he started over again. So, what’s the big problem?”
The “big problem” is that everything Abraham received in Egypt later caused trouble. Because of their great wealth, Abraham and Lot could not live together and had to separate (13:5-6). Hagar, the Egyptian maid-servant, brought division and sorrow into the home (Genesis 16). Having had a taste of Egypt (the world), Lot started measuring everything by what he saw there (13:10-11); and this led to his downfall and the ruin of his family. There are no benefits from disobedience.
The practical lesson from all of this is simply never abandon your altar. Stay in fellowship with the Lord no matter what the circumstances may be. If you have disobeyed and God is disciplining you, go back to the place where you left Him and make things right.
Remember: “The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.” That is not an excuse for sin, but it is an encouragement for repentance. (From The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe)
(Genesis 13:1-2) And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. {2} And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Probably (up… into the south refers to) the south of Canaan, as in leaving Egypt he is said to come from the south, Genesis 13:3, for the southern part of the Promised Land lay northeast of Egypt. (Adam Clarke)
It’s pretty bad when you have to go up to reach south. Is that like having to reach up to touch bottom? Whatever the case, Abram had gone away from the place of God’s leading. As Alexander Maclaren said…
The narrative seems to imply that his going to Egypt was a failure of faith. It gives no hint of a divine voice leading him thither. We do not hear that he builded any altar beside his tent there, as he had done in the happier days of life by trust. His stay resulted in peril and in something very like lying, for which he had to bear the disgrace of being rebuked by an idolater, and having no word of excuse to offer.
B. There Is A Return To The Place Of Worship
1. He Returned To The Proper Place Of Worship
(Genesis 13:3) And 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;
Cf. (Genesis 12:8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
Bethel means “the house of God,” and Hai has the idea of ruin. And that’s where we live as Christians; between the house of God and the world of ruin. It was a journey of about 300 miles from Egypt back to Bethel, but it was worth every step.
Alexander Maclaren says…
Another lesson is also taught. After the interruption of the Egyptian journey, Abram had to begin all his Canaan life over again. Very emphatically the narrative puts it, that he went to ‘the place where his tent had been at the beginning,’ to the altar which he had made at the first. Yes! that is the only place for a man who has faltered and gone aside from the course of obedience. He must begin over again. The backsliding Christian has to resort anew to the place of the penitent.
2. He Returned To The Proper Practice Of Worship
(Genesis 13:4) Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
called – Hebrew 7121. qara', kaw-raw'; a prim. root [rather ident. with H7122 through the idea of accosting a person met]; to call out to (i.e. prop. address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
LORD – Hebrew 3068. Yehovah; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God
II. We Notice Abram’s Family Connections In This Chapter
(Genesis 13:5-13)
A. There Is A Difficult Parting That Severs This Family Connection
1. Let’s Consider The Situation Of Strife
David said… (Psalms 133:1) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
And as pleasant as unity is, disunity is just as unpleasant.
Abram’s first test of faith came from a famine; his second test came from his own family. Family tests are the hardest tests of all. (Warren Wiersbe – Chapter By Chapter Bible Commentary)
a. It Was Unpleasant Because Of The Warring
(Genesis 13:7-8) And 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. {8} And 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.
strife (vs. 7) – Hebrew 7379. riyb, reeb; or rib, reeb; from H7378 (meaning to toss, grapple; wrangle, hold a controversy; defend); a contest (personal or legal):-- + adversary, cause, chiding, contend (-tion), controversy, multitude [from the marg.], pleading, strife, strive (-ing), suit.
Illustrate: The Hebrew word is riyb, so they just kept riybing each other.
strife (vs. 8) – Hebrew 4808. meriybah, mer-ee-baw'; from H7378 (same as root word above); quarrel:--provocation.
b. It Was Unpleasant Because Of The Witnesses
(Genesis 13:7) And 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.
Canaanite – Hebrew 3669. Kena'aniy, ken-ah-an-ee'; patrial from H3667; a Kenaanite or inhabitant of Kenaan; by impl. a pedlar (the Canaanites standing for their neighbors the Ishmaelites, who conducted mercantile caravans)
Perizzite – Hebrew 6522. Perizziy, per-iz-zee'; for H6521 (meaning an open country or unwalled rustic country); inhabitants of the open country; a Perizzite, one of the Canaanitish tribes:--Perizzite.
These names suggest that this strife was before the face of those in the world of commerce and out in the country.
John Phillips said…
It was bad enough for brethren to disagree, but to fall out, especially over material things, in the presence of the ungodly was worse. Nothing will hinder the testimony more quickly.
2. Let’s Consider The Solution Of Separation
(Genesis 13:9-11) Is 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. {10} And 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. {11} Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
separate (vs. 9, 11) – Hebrew 6504. parad, paw-rad'; a prim. root; to break through, i.e. spread or separate (oneself):--disperse, divide, be out of joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder.
a. We See Abraham’s Generosityvs. 9
Again John Phillips said…
It would have been natural for Abram to say to Lot, “Now look here, Lot, this land belongs to me. God has promised it to me, not to you. You’ll simply have to move on.” But what did Abram do? He did nothing. That was his first reaction to worrying circumstances. He had learned all too well what happens when a child of God takes matters into his own hands.
b. We See Lot’s Greedvs. 10
B. There Is A Divine Purpose That Severs This Family Connection
1. This Painful Process Brings Abram Deeper Into The Divine Command
– We See His Furtherance With God
(Genesis 12:1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
(Genesis 13:12-13) Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. {13} But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Abram draws closer to God while Lot draws closer to the world.
F. B. Meyer said…
The outward separation of the body from the world of the ungodly is incomplete, unless accompanied and supplemented by the inner separation of the spirit. It is not enough to leave Ur, Haran, and Egypt. We must be rid of Lot also. … So long as there was an alien principle in our breast, a Lot in our heart-life, there could not be that separation to God which is the condition of the growth of faith. Lot must go. … Can you bear the fiery ordeal? The manufacture of saints is no child’s play. The block has to be entirely separated from the mountain bed, ere the Divine chisel can begin to fashion it.
2. This Painful Process Brings Abram Deeper Into The Divine Communion
– We See His Friendship With God
God was jealous over Abram. He wanted him all to Himself. And God had some things that He wanted to talk to Abram about just between the two of them.
As Andrew Jukes wrote…
Abram separated from Ur, and from Erah, and from Egypt, has further to be separated from Lot also, before he can be perfected; for it is only “after that Lot was separated from him, that the Lord said unto him, Lift up now thine eyes, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it” (vs. 14-15)
(James 2:23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Alexander Whyte, that master of Bible biographies said…
I did not know before that God had ever needed a friend. I did not know, I could not have believed, that any mortal man could possibly have befriended Almighty God.
When you find out He’s all you have, you begin to realize He’s all you need.
It is sometimes a painful process to sever the earthly ties that bind in order to be bound closer to the heart of God.
Illustrate: Moving to Virginia for my first pastorate after living with my parents for nine months & seeing Dad leave crying. It was a test for me and for him.
III. We Notice Abram’s Future Connections In This Chapter
(Genesis 13:14-18)
A. His Expectation Involved The Promised Dividends
1. God Makes A Promise To Abram Concerning His Land
a. God Said, “Take A Look”
(Genesis 13:14-15) And 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: {15} For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
b. God Said, “Take A Walk”
(Genesis 13:17) Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
2. God Makes A Promise To Abram Concerning His Lineage
(Genesis 13:16) And 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.
B. His Experience Involved The Present Difficulties
In spite of the promises of God, sometimes it seems like our experience doesn’t jeehaw with our theology.
(Genesis 13:18) Then 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.
1. The Adversity Is A Continuing Element In Abram’s Life
He dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron
Mamre – Hebrew 4471. Mamre', mam-ray'; from H4754 (in the sense of vigor); lusty; Mamre, an Amorite.
4754. mara', maw-raw'; a prim. root; to rebel; hence (through the idea of maltreating) to whip, i.e. lash (self with wings, as the ostrich in running):--be filthy, lift up self.
The name “Mamre” points us to the idea of mistreatment.
Hebron – Hebrew 2275. Chebrown, kheb-rone'; from H2267; seat of association; Chebron, a place in Pal., also the name of two Isr.:--Hebron.
2267. cheber, kheh'-ber; from H2266; a society; also a spell:-- + charmer (-ing), company, enchantment, X wide.
The name “Hebron” has the idea of society.
So based on the meanings of these names, “the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron,” points us to the idea of mistreatment in society. And that’s what a follower of God and Christ will experience in this world.
2. The Altar Is A Continuing Element In Abram’s Life
(Genesis 13:18) Then 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.
The prospective blessings are accompanied by the present burdens, but as Paul said…
(Romans 8:18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Conclusion:
7541. The Gateway Arch
Curving gracefully to a height of 630 feet, the Gateway Arch of St. Louis, Missouri, is the nation’s highest monument. Tourists have the option of climbing l,076 steps or riding a capsule to the observation deck, where at the apex they may look east and west for thirty miles.
The arch memorializes the spirit of the pioneers who settled the West after the Louisiana Purchase.
—Gospel Herald
You can look to the east where they came from, and then you can look to the west where they went. I think Genesis chapter 13 allows us to do that with Abraham’s life and spiritual experience and with our own.