Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 13:8-13”
Categories: Genesis“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.’ Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.”
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“Please let there be no strife between you and me…” (verse 8) Abram loved his nephew Lot as is evident by how well he provided for him, and treated him and respectfully spoke to him. But, sometimes we need to part ways with loved ones, even those in the inner circle of our family, to avoid unnecessary tension. Sometimes it is necessary to love people from a bit of a distance, at least for a while. But as we will see in chapter 14, good ole uncle Abe was ready, willing and able to run to Lot’s aid and rescue during a time severe crisis. Just because we occasionally need a few degrees of separation between ourselves and our close companions, that doesn’t mean we have stopped loving them. It often means that we just want what’s best for them.
“Is not the whole land before you?” (verse 9) This statement has never rung more true than it does today. We have a world of opportunities positioned before us to pursue in the prosperous and free country we live in. The course of our lives, our future physical and financial welfare, and even our eternal destinies will be determined by the choices that we make on a daily basis. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) Think long, pray hard, choose well. Give the Lord first consideration in every decision you make.
“Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” (verse 9) Left or right. It seemed like such a harmless decision. Everything looked so inviting and promising when Lot “lifted up his eyes and saw the valley of the Jordan…” (verse 10) It looked like sheer paradise ("the garden of the Lord")! Like a little slice of heaven on earth! Little did he know that his choice of the lush vegetation and copious waters of the Jordan valley was the gateway for him to pitch his tent toward Sodom (verse 12), and ultimately settle within the gates of sin city (Genesis 19:1), and the catastrophes that would follow. In all honesty, out of respect for his older and more esteemed uncle, he should have given Abram first choice in the first place. It just goes to show that, even though Lot was righteous (2 Peter 2:7), he was not yet as wise and experienced in the ways of the world as he needed to be.
“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan…” (verse 10) “The objection that it would have been impossible for Lot to have seen 'all the Plain' from any vantage point near Bethel is a ridiculous quibble. Actually, there is a vantage point near Bethel, mentioned thus: ‘The Burg Beitin a few minutes southeast of the village, is described as one of the great viewpoints of Palestine.’ The place affords an extraordinarily extensive view of the whole lower course of the Jordan and of the northern end of the Dead Sea.” (James Burton Coffman)
“Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.” (verse 13) The Lord probably included this statement in the current context to indicate that Lot had made a foolish decision. The sexual perversion that still bears the name of this depraved bunch of reprobates tells us all we need to know about the nature of their sinfulness. What is even more troubling is that Lot eventually grew so comfortable with these evildoers that he came to consider and refer to them as “brothers” (Genesis 19:7) “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)
Please read Genesis 13:14-18 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
