Golden Text.—“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Matt. 7:12.
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 Ai; 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. 5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, 6 and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that 7 they could not dwell together. 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; 9 for we are brethren. 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 take 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 everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. 11 So Lot chose him all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the Plain, and moved his tent 13 as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly. 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: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed 16 for ever. 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. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it. 18 And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.”
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) Who accompanied Abraham when he returned from Egypt to Canaan? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What is said of his possessions? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) To what point did Abraham continue his journey? Verses 3, 4, first part. (4) What did he do there? Verse 4, last part. (5) What is said of Lot’s possessions? Verse 5. (6) Why could not Abraham and Lot continue to dwell together? Verse 6. (7) What was one result of their large flocks and herds? What was another reason of the crowded condition? Verse 7. Note 3. (8) What did Abraham say to Lot about the strife? Verse 8. (9) What proposition did Abraham make to Lot? Verse 9. (10) As Lot looked about for a choice, what did he observe? Verse 10. Note 4. (11) Then what choice did he make? Verse 11. Note 5. (12) What is said of the dwelling-places of the two men? Verse 12. (13) What was the character of the men of Sodom? Verse 13. (14) What promise did God then make to Abraham concerning the land? Verses 14, 15. Note 6. (15) What promise was made in regard to his seed? Verse 16. Note 7. (16) What did the Lord then tell Abraham to do? What promise was then repeated? Verse 17. (17) After this where did Abraham reside? What was a leading feature of his camp? Verse 18. Note 8.
NOTES.
1. “Into the South” means into the southern part of Palestine.
2. Abraham’s Experience in Egypt.—There is an interesting similarity between Abraham’s experience in Egypt and that of his posterity, centuries later. Both went down into Egypt on account of a famine, and both sojourned there. Through the manifestation of divine judgments in their behalf, the fear of them fell upon the Egyptians; and, enriched by the gifts of the heathen, they went out with great substance.—Patriarchs and Prophets.
3. There were many inhabitants in the land besides the company of Abraham and Lot. The Canaanites occupied the lowlands and the Perizzites the mountains and hills. So says Joshua.
4. The destruction of Sodom evidently made a great change in the region then known as “the Plain.” It was compared to the Garden of Eden. Zoar refers not to the city to which Lot fled when Sodom was destroyed, but to Zor, the garden land of Egypt.
5. “Lot chose” the Plain of Jordan. He was not called to go there, as Abraham was called to Canaan, “not knowing whither he went.” One is safe among wicked men if he is called there to do them good, and is faithful to his mission. But he is not safe when he chooses their company for personal gain.
6. “Forever.”—This expression shows that the promise to Abraham has not yet been fulfilled. The natural seed did not occupy it “forever.” Moreover, the natural seed were not contemplated in the fulness of the promise; for “if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29.
7. This great number is proof that Abraham’s vision included much more than the land of Canaan, or Palestine. Such a multitude could not be accommodated in that limited region. The reference is evidently to the “great multitude which no man could number” mentioned in Rev. 7:9. And the land which Abraham saw in vision must have been the new, or redeemed, earth; for Paul says the promise to Abraham was that “he should be the heir of the world.” Rom. 4:13.
8. Abraham did not attempt to occupy the land as owner; he simply sojourned there as a stranger, buying even the place to bury his dead. Heb. 11:9. Notwithstanding his great prerogative and his popularity, he was content to bide God’s time in the matter of the possession.
See article, “The Influence of Wealth,” on page 7 of this paper.
