GENESIS

Notes on Genesis 13

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.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
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;

Some think that going back to Bethel is similar to being spiritually refreshed or seeking the face of God after being out of fellowship with Him for a season. It could be also like a backslider returning to His first love in the Lord. Abraham needed a reminder and a refreshing in the Lord after being in Egypt. Even Jesus went to the garden to pray many times in His early ministry. God never forgets us, but prayer and fellowship with God reminds us that He is with us. It helps our faith. It's a renewing of the Holy Spirit and a refreshing. God of course never needs a boost in His faith, He never loses it but we constantly need to seek God to remind ourselves of His presence.

Without faith its impossible to please God so to build our faith, the study of the word and prayer will strengthen it. It's not that we are trying to work our way into God's favor. All it takes is faith to reach God, and praying so long and saying the right words is not going to gain or lose with God. Some think by saying long prayers and reciting impressive words, it will make God answer. No, He answers when He sees our faith. Prayer helps us have that faith. We do need to fervently prayer and taking a long time is good. When I said long prayers I don't mean to imply it's wrong to pray a long time, just the opposite, but never say long prayers to impress or try to impress God or an audience if it's in public. God sees our motives.

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.

Abraham wanted to make sure that he was in the right standing with God. He most probably knew that he failed miserably in Egypt. This is my speculation here. The bible doesn't say that Abraham got out of God's will. Hebrews chapter 11 describes Abraham as a man of faith. His mistakes if any were forgotten which shows us how important God's grace is. Notice that in the New Testament the mistakes of Abraham, David and other men who believed and trusted in God are never mentioned. This I believe is because of grace.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

The new Testament writings confirms and also explains much that is written in the Old Testament.

Genesis 13:5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And 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.
7 And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen 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 herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we be brethren.
9 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.

Abraham was a person who put others first. I believe he was sincere in desiring that Lot have first choice of the land.

Genesis 13:10 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.

The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah seemed to have had it good but did not use that good for right living. Sometimes having what we call the good life leads us away from God but in Abraham's case though he was rich, he didn't let those riches consume him. He would have given it all away if God required it.

Genesis 13:11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Lot seems to be more of the selfish one but the bible calls him righteous because although he compromised and lived around the sin of the cities around him, he still kept himself from their influence. The evil did influence his daughters as we see later. Yet if Lot sinned, his sin was forgotten because the New Testament describes him as a man of faith.

2Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

God is so good and does not remember our past sins against us once we come to Him. Others may remember them but He does not.

Genesis 13:12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Here was the beginning of compromise. He was close enough to just be dazzled by all the wickedness. Soon we see that he sat at the gate of Sodom meaning that he had a position of importance there.

Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

We see here the term, "before the Lord" similar to the one concerning Nimrod who was a hunter "before the Lord." I believe this means that in the face of God or in rebellion against God knowing that God sees all, they sinned exceedingly. These men of Sodom were not innocent ignorant sinners. They were sinners before the Lord. They most probably didn't care what God thought, they were going to sin anyway. However, we see in the New Testament that if they would have had the gospel at this time they would have repented. In the book of Revelation though we see that even with judgment, warnings and the gospel of Jesus, people do not repent. This is how it is getting today in the world. It use to be people hid their sin, now they openly rebel against God which is the same as shaking a fist in His face.

Matthew 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

It is sad to see our country and many other countries not only sin but sin before the Lord not caring what He thinks or what His written word says.

Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

I've always said that even the day when evolution is debunked wicked people will find an alternative explanation for our existence.

Genesis 13:14 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 forever.

Here God assures Abraham that he still is chosen of God and will inherit all the land before him. This is for the seed of Abraham forever.

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.

Though Satan has tried numerous times to wipe out this seed of Abraham, they still exist and are still a nation in Israel. It is a miracle that Israel exists but it is a testimony of the truth of God's word.

Here is only a few times when Satan attempted to destroy the seed of Israel:

The slaying of Abel
Pharaoh ordering all males under two to be killed.
Haman in the book of Esther
Herod trying to kill the Christ child.
Roman army in 70 AD
The Spanish inquisition
The German holocaust
There were many more, I only scratched the surface.

Israel still has enemies that do not recognize their right to exist and would kill them in a heart beat. We as Christians must remember God's promise to Abraham and not think that God substituted us in their place. We are added to them and they are temporarily cut off but it is only temporary. We must not ever lift a hand against Israel or we will be cursed just as God told Abraham we would be.

I know Israel is not perfect. I know they have rejected the first coming of the Messiah. I know they do things some think is wrong but we must fear God and trust God to deal with Israel. We must not do anything against the promised seed of Abraham whether it be Israel or (born again believers in the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ).

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.
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.

Building an altar to the Lord is similar to our praying in the spirit or seeking God in prayer. We don't have to build an altar and make sacrifices because we know the perfect sacrifice has been made when Jesus gave His life by dying on the cross. Every time they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, they were exercising faith that the Lord would send the perfect one, which is the Messiah.

Later the Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah because they were expecting a Messiah who would deliver them from the Roman oppression instead of someone who would save them from sin. We miss the whole message of the gospel if we try to get to God without repenting of sin or recognizing our need to be saved from sin because we are sinners separated from God. Our sin separates us from God and we need the sin cleansed and removed before we can have access to God again.

Jesus was the intercessor and redeemer to bring us back to God. He had to come the first time to make an offering for sin. His second coming will save Israel from their enemies and set up an everlasting righteous kingdom. Now His kingdom is not of this world but in the souls of those who believe in Him. We must not try to set up that kingdom ahead of time but we must patiently wait for Him. Now believers are to preach the gospel to a lost and dying world. We are not to try to run the world and try to set up God's kingdom in this world. Jesus has to do that by destroying the evil first. We are not to attempt to do that for Him or we will get it wrong. We are to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves. If we forget this, we have lost the vision God wants us to have. Save the lost, do not destroy them. DC

Genesis 14