Genesis 13
Abram and Lot Separate
13 So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. 2 (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.) 3 From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.4 This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.
5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. 6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. 7 So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
10 Lot 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 land of Egypt. (This was before the Lorddestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. 12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants[a] as a permanent possession. 16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.
When I was a child my mum would make a roast dinner every Sunday. It was the best meal of the week by far and I would always challenge myself to see how many of her roast potatoes I could manage. Monday nights we would have the leftovers, turned into a soup or curry. Somehow she would take what had been left behind the day before and would transform it into another incredible meal. Her leftovers soups have gone down in history.
It can feel in life at times like we are living on leftovers. That the best has been taken and we are making do with what we have. In today’s chapter, Abram is flourishing. Between him and his nephew, Lot, the land can no longer contain them. So, they make the decision to separate the land. Abram, in a display of incredible humility, says that Lot can take his pick and that he will take whatever is left. He chooses to live on leftovers.
I bet that Lot was dancing as he got to decide exactly what he wanted. Naturally, he moved to the richest land and left Abram in Canaan. However, it is in this moment that Abram has a second encounter with God. God points in every direction, even the land that Lot has taken, and he tells Abram that he will receive all of it. God blesses the leftovers.
This reminds me a bit of the story of another woman from Canaan. Her daughter was demon-possessed and she needed help. Jesus initially says no to her because she is foreign and he was called to serve the people of Israel.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith!Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Matt 15:26-28
She believed that leftovers blessed by God are worth more than the whole.
We see this in tithing, that we live on blessed leftovers. We give God the first of our income and he blesses the rest. We see this in time, we give God the first moments in our day and he blesses the rest. We see this with our gifts, we give away what we have and he blesses the rest. Abram‘s calling was to be a blessing to others - he had to learn that it is impossible to out give God.
God wanted to bless through him.
Where can you intentionally prioritise God today?
