It has been a while since I posted last, but I had seen some interesting things in my daily Bible reading that I wanted to capture, so I figured I may as well capture it on the blog :)
I'm reading in Genesis now and yesterday I was reading in Genesis 13 and I saw an interesting principle in Abraham's actions.
In this chapter Abram (who God later re-names to be Abraham in Gen 17:5) and his nephew Lot had grown wealthy in possessions and had many flocks and herds and they were grazing too close together and it was causing conflicts between the herdsmen. So Abram proposed that the two of them separate (separation for peace-sake).
A Curious Choice
What I find to be interesting is how Abram did the separation of the land. He told Lot to choose first and whatever was left over, Abram would have. The interesting point is that Abram was clearly the older and leader of the two, yet he allowed the younger one to have the first choice of where he lived. Clearly the "where" you choose has a large impact on prosperity and ease of life - after all in real estate the keys are "location, location, location." In our normal worldview and training, the leader would choose first and choose the best for himself. Or if he wanted to be "fair" Abram could divide up the land in such a way that there were two groupings that were approximately even in their amount of "well watered plain" and hills and mountains. But Abram did neither and allowed Lot to choose first. Lot of course choose the "best" area that was "well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord" and Abram was left with the hilly/mountainous areas.
Two Signs of Faith and Wisdom
Two things then happen in the text that indicate the wisdom and faith of Abram. First off we see the spiritual dark side of Sodom who are "great sinners against the Lord." Sometimes things that look very good from a natural view are actually bad when viewed from a spiritual view. Many people when making decisions about where to live focus on the job or the material provisions of the area and don't focus on the more important spiritual question (not so much if the area is evil, but more if that is the place where God wants them to live). Secondly God appears to Abram and tells him to look around to the north, south, east and west and that all he could see (which included Lot's land) God would give to his descendants. I recognized that Abram, rather than trusting in what he could see (choosing the best looking place) or trusting in his own ability and wisdom (dividing up the land somehow equally), chose to put his trust in God, knowing that God would provide for his future and that he didn't need to fight or push or struggle to make it happen. Abram chose not to worry about his future provision or place of living, but rather to trust in God who he knew would take care of him.
Amen! Lord Jesus help us to trust in you completely with our future and our finances and let us find our belonging, hope and provision in you!
I'm reading in Genesis now and yesterday I was reading in Genesis 13 and I saw an interesting principle in Abraham's actions.
In this chapter Abram (who God later re-names to be Abraham in Gen 17:5) and his nephew Lot had grown wealthy in possessions and had many flocks and herds and they were grazing too close together and it was causing conflicts between the herdsmen. So Abram proposed that the two of them separate (separation for peace-sake).
A Curious Choice
What I find to be interesting is how Abram did the separation of the land. He told Lot to choose first and whatever was left over, Abram would have. The interesting point is that Abram was clearly the older and leader of the two, yet he allowed the younger one to have the first choice of where he lived. Clearly the "where" you choose has a large impact on prosperity and ease of life - after all in real estate the keys are "location, location, location." In our normal worldview and training, the leader would choose first and choose the best for himself. Or if he wanted to be "fair" Abram could divide up the land in such a way that there were two groupings that were approximately even in their amount of "well watered plain" and hills and mountains. But Abram did neither and allowed Lot to choose first. Lot of course choose the "best" area that was "well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord" and Abram was left with the hilly/mountainous areas.
Two Signs of Faith and Wisdom
Two things then happen in the text that indicate the wisdom and faith of Abram. First off we see the spiritual dark side of Sodom who are "great sinners against the Lord." Sometimes things that look very good from a natural view are actually bad when viewed from a spiritual view. Many people when making decisions about where to live focus on the job or the material provisions of the area and don't focus on the more important spiritual question (not so much if the area is evil, but more if that is the place where God wants them to live). Secondly God appears to Abram and tells him to look around to the north, south, east and west and that all he could see (which included Lot's land) God would give to his descendants. I recognized that Abram, rather than trusting in what he could see (choosing the best looking place) or trusting in his own ability and wisdom (dividing up the land somehow equally), chose to put his trust in God, knowing that God would provide for his future and that he didn't need to fight or push or struggle to make it happen. Abram chose not to worry about his future provision or place of living, but rather to trust in God who he knew would take care of him.
Amen! Lord Jesus help us to trust in you completely with our future and our finances and let us find our belonging, hope and provision in you!
