Genesis
13
1 And Abram
went up out of
had, and Lot
with him, into the south. And Abram went
up out of
he and his
wife. A
special mercy that either of them returned, considering the
sin they had committed and
the peril in which they had been placed. And all that
he had. Referring principally to the souls, "domestiei"
(Peele), acquired in
And
relates to him, but is now
reintroduced into the narrative, the present
portion of the story being
connected with his fortunes) with him into the south
(sc. [namely] of
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in
silver, and in gold.
And Abram was very rich. Literally, weighty; used in the sense of
abundance
(Exodus 12:38; I Kings 10:2; II Kings 6:14). In cattle. Mikneh, from kana,
to acquire by purchase, may
apply to slaves as well as cattle (compare
ch. 17:12-13, 23). In silver and gold. Mentioned for the first time in
Scripture;
implying an acquaintance among the
Egyptians with the operations of
mining and the processes of
refining the precious metals. Compare the
instructions of
twelfth dynasty, as having built
for himself a palace adorned with gold
(see 'Records
of the Past,' vol. 2. p. 14).
3 And he went
on his journeys from the south even to
where his tent
had been at the beginning, between
the place of
the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram
called on the name
of the LORD. And he went on his journeys. Literally, in his
journeyings or stations (compare ch.11:2; Exodus 17:1;
Numbers 10:6, 12). The
renderings καὶ ἐπορεύθη
ὅθεν η΅λθεν - kai
eporeuthae hothen aelthen - and he
went on his
journeys - (Septuagint)
and reversus est per iter quo venerat (Vulgate)
imply without warrant that he
used the same camping grounds in his ascent
which he had previously
occupied in his descent. From the south even to
(see
ch. 12:8), unto the place where his tent had been at
the beginning. Before
his emigration into
probably he had not encamped for
any length of time, if at all, but to a spot
between
unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at
the first. After entering
the promised land. In reality
it was the second altar he had erected (see ch.12:7-8).
And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Professed the true and
pure
worship of God (Calvin); preached
and taught his family and Canaanitish
neighbors the true religion
(Luther). See ch. 12:8; 4:26.
5 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. And Lot
also (literally,
and also
to
(literally, going with
Abram), had (were) flocks and
herds and tents. The
uncle's prosperity overflowed
upon the nephew. Rosenmüller includes in the tents
the domestics and
servants, qui in tentoriis degebant (compare 1 Chronicles 4:41).
And the land was not able to bear them. Literally, did not bear,
i.e. support
their households and flocks. That they might dwell together. In consequence
partly of the scarce pasturage,
the land probably having not yet sufficiently
recovered from the drought, but
chiefly because of their increasing wealth.
For their substance (see ch. 12:5) was
great, so that they could not
(literally, and they were
not able to) dwell
together.
7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and
the herdmen of
dwelled then in the land. And
there was a strife (originating doubtless in
the scarcity of pasture, and having for its object the possession of the
best wells
and most fertile grounds) between the herdmen of
Abram's cattle and the
herdmen of
and the Perizzite - the highlander, or
dweller in the hills and woods of
(Josephus,
Bochart); in the open country and in villages, as
opposed to the
Canaanites,
who occupied walled towns (Kalisch, Wordsworth; a
tribe of
wandering nomads (Murphy), the origin of whose name is lost in obscurity
(Keil), who, though not mentioned in chapter 10, are
commonly introduced
with the Canaanites (ch. 15:20; 34:30; Exodus
3:8, 17), as dividing the land
between them, and are probably to be regarded as the remnant of an early
Shemite race
displaced by the Hamite invaders of
here is an explanation of the difficulty of finding pasture - the land was
occupied
(see ch. 12:6) - dwelled
then in the land.
8 And Abram
said unto
between me and
thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen;
for we be brethren. And
Abram said unto
of collision between his nephew and himself. Let there be no strife, I pray
thee,
between me and thee, and (i.e. either identifying
himself and his nephew with
their subordinates, or fearing that the strife of their subordinates might spread
to
themselves, hence, as) between my herd-men and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
Literally,
men brethren (compare ch. 11:27, 31; Exodus 2:13;
Psalm 133:1).
Abram
and
· by nature,
· by relationship, and
· by faith (see ch. 11:31; II Peter 2:7).
Abram,
the Peaceable Man (v. 8)
“Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee.” Abram had a
nephew who attached himself to his fortunes and shared his fate. Food,
fodder, and water became scarce. The flocks of
more than the land can sustain; the herdsmen of each strive together.
Servants
will often be more bitter towards the servants of a rival of their
master, than those immediately concerned. Pathetic is the appeal of the
patriarch for the maintenance of peace.
I. IT
IS A MOST DESIRABLE THING TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH
OTHERS. We are commanded to do so: “As much as lieth
in you live
peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18) We may not sacrifice any good
principle for the sake of ease, but we are to strive to maintain peace. In
matters
of faith a man may have to take up at times such a position that others
will speak
ill of him, but in regard to the neighborly life he must by all
means cultivate
amity and concord. Little is ever gained by
standing on “our rights.”
Scandal
is always the fruit of quarrelling. The worldly-minded are sure to
plume themselves on their superior goodness when the spiritually-minded
contend. In many homes there is jangling, sneering, and strife; scathing
remarks like hot cinders from Vesuvius fall
carelessly around. Tyrannous
tempers become like tornados, and moodiness kills like the choke-damp of
an ill-ventilated mine. Among nations there should be maintenance of
peace. The common sense of most should “hold the fretful
realm in awe.”
In
the Church strife should cease. It will when each sect seeks to make men
Christ-like and not uniform bigots.
II. THERE
ARE ALWAYS MEANS OF MAINTAINING PEACE
WHEN IT IS DESIRED. Abram acted most
unselfishly with this view;
he yielded his claim to a choice.
an advantage. Lot looks towards
and reaching to
whence he had lately come, is in him; he chooses
pastures he has to take its awful corruption. Abraham turns away in the
direction alone left to him. He has his tent, his altar, the promises, and his
God; he will live in peace. His Father will
not forsake him; indeed
God
very speedily renews His promises to Abraham, and thus the
unselfishness
of a peaceful man is met with an appropriate reward.
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.
Is not the whole land before thee? The
view of
giving
to the left hand (sc. thou wilt go),
the Hebrew term being in the accusative after
a
verb of motion (Kalisch, p. 344) - then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart
to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
The
Magnanimity of Abram (v. 9)
I. WHEN IT WAS EVOKED.
1. On
returning to the
nature of the patriarch became
obscured and enfeebled, and he himself
became the subject of timorous
emotions, the deviser of guileful
machinations, and the perpetrator of
unworthy actions; retracing his erring
footsteps to the holy
soil, he seems as it were immediately to have
recovered the nobility
and grandeur of soul which he had lost in the land of
Ham. When saints
wander into sinful ways they inflict a hurt upon their
spirits from which
they cannot recover till they seek the good old paths.
Sublime
deeds of spiritual heroism are not to be expected at the hands of
believers who conform to
the world.
The
true champions of the faith, who
by their personal
behavior can illustrate its godlike character, are only to be
found among those
who walk as strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and
do not stray from
God’s commandments.
2. After
having committed a great sin. The recoil which Abram’s spirit
must have experienced when, in
the light of God s merciful interposition,
he came to perceive the
heinous nature of the transgression into which his
fears had betrayed him in
lofty elevation of soul to
which he soon afterwards climbed upon the
heights of
backslidings. The memory of the matter of Uriah had its influence in
ripening the piety of David, and the recollection of the judgment-hall of
Pilate
assisted Peter to a height of spiritual fortitude he might not
otherwise have attained.
3. After an experience of rich mercy. After all, God’s
kindnesses to Abram
and Sarai
were the principal instrumentalities that quickened the better
nature of the patriarch; and so it is generally
in proportion as we meditate
upon and partake of
Divine mercy that our hearts are ennobled and
enabled. It is the love
of God in Christ that constrains a saint to holy and
unselfish deeds.
II. HOW IT WAS OCCASIONED.
1. By the danger of collision between himself
and
had arisen between his nephew’s
herdsmen and his own was liable, unless
promptly extinguished, to
communicate its bad contagion to himself and
discerned a method of avoiding so
unseemly a calamity, and, with that
self-forgetful heroism which ever
characterizes noble souls, had the fortitude
and
magnanimity to put it into execution. It indicates an advanced stage of
Christian maturity when what might prove
temptations to sin are, by
spiritual discernment
and unshrinking self-sacrifice, transformed into
occasions for holy
acting and suffering.
2. By the necessity of separation which had come on
him and
necessity was owing:
(a) To
their increasing wealth. If the present history shows that good men
may become
rich, and sometimes in dubious ways, it also reveals that
wealth has its dangers. The character of
prosperity;’ while if
Abram escaped corruption through wealth, that wealth
was
indirectly the power which deprived him of his kinsman. It is a poor
bargain when one grows rich at the expense of
his better nature, as did
Lot; or even, like Abram, at the expense of affection.
Better remain poor
and keep
friends than become rich and lose friends!
(b) To
the quarrels of their servants. Though possibly occasioned by
devotion to their
masters’ interests, the contention of the herdsmen was
wrong. Not
even for the sake of employers should workmen and
dependents become
involved in strife. And still less should masters and
mistresses become
entangled in the wranglings of employees and
domestics. Better
part than fight!
III. BY WHAT IT WAS PRECEDED.
1. By a solemn act of devotion. Suitable at all
seasons, prayer is specially
needful and becoming in
times of danger and trial like those in which the
patriarch was situated. Nothing is
better calculated to soothe the troubled
heart, to allay
irritation, to prevent strife, to enable the assaulted spirit to
resist temptation, to
grace the soul for arduous duty and magnanimous
self-renunciation, than COMMUNION WITH
GOD! Had Abram’s
discernment of the growing danger to
which he and
Abram’s contemplation of the necessity of yielding
land their influence in taking
him back to
2. By an
earnest deprecation of the rising strife. If the Spirit s fruits will
not flourish in the stagnant
marsh of a dead soul, neither will they in the
breast of an angry Christian. A peaceful mind and a quiet heart are
indispensable
prerequisites to grace’s motions. Heavenly virtue cannot
prosper
in an atmosphere of wrath and contention. But where saints
cultivate a gentle and forgiving
spirit it is not uncommon to find them
strengthened to perform deeds of holy
valor. The conciliatory disposition
of the elder of the two
travelers was an admirable preparation for, almost a
foreshadowing of, the magnanimous act
that followed; as the perpetuation
of the strife or the
indulgence of anger on the part of Abram would have
rendered it impossible.
IV. IN WHAT IT WAS DISPLAYED.
1. A sublime act of self-renunciation.
(a) In
preferring Lot’s interests to his own, though
and a
dependent on himself, and in a manner only in the land by sufferance;
in this exemplifying the very spirit which
Christ and his apostles afterwards
enjoined upon New Testament believers (Matthew
20:26; Romans 12:10;
Philippians 2:3); and:
(b) in renouncing
he did when
he gave
of
self-abnegation appears when it is remembered that already God had
given
him the land, so that he, and not
quarter he
should turn, and that this concession of his rights was intended
to disarm
of
peace. (Ephesians
4:3)
2. A signal illustration of self-resignation, in
which, when he beheld the
meanness of
there was neither a display of
feeling towards his nephew nor the uprising
of a pang of discontentment and
regret at the result, but
the most humble
and self-satisfied
acquiescence in what he knew to be the allotment of
Heaven.
·
LEARN:
1. That soul-wealth is greater than material prosperity.
2. That a man becomes spiritually rich in proportion
as he practices self-
renunciation.
3. That the higher
one rises in true spiritual greatness, the less is he
affected by the loss of earth’s goods.
The
Separation between Abram and
Return to
very different. He was very rich. Lot is with him,
and the sojourn in
had far more depraving effect upon his weaker character than upon that of
his uncle. We should remember when we take the young into temptation
that what may be comparatively harmless to us may be ruinous to them.
The subsequent misery of
I. The ROOT OF IT LAY IN WORLDLY WEALTH LEADING TO
CONTENTION. “They
could not dwell together.”
II. THE DIVERGENCE OF CHARACTER IS BROUGHT OUT IN
THE COMPLICATION OF EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
simply selfish, willful, regardless of
consequences, utterly
worldly. Abram
is a lover of peace, a hater of strife, still cherishes the family
feeling and
reverences the bond of brotherhood, is ready to subordinate his own
interests to the preservation of the Divine order, has faith to see that
sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
III. LESSONS OF
WAIT UPON GOD, and can be learned in spite of infirmities and
errors.
Abram
could not forget what
not put riches first. He had seen that that
which seems like a garden of the
Lord
in external beauty may be0 a cursed land after all. There are people of
God who pitch their tents towards Sodom still,
and they will reap evil
fruits, as
religious associations. In doing so we cannot be too careful where we
pitch
our tent.
10 And
it was well
watered every where, before the LORD destroyed
Sodom and
Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the
Circumspexit; with a look of
eager, lustful greed (compare ch. 3:6). The same
expression is afterwards used of Abram (v. 14), where perhaps also the element
of satisfaction, though in a good sense, is designed to be included. And
beheld
all the plain. Literally, all the circle, or surrounding region
(כִּכָּר,
from
כָּרַר, to
move in a circle; compare arrondissement,
Fr.; kreis or bezirk,
perichoros - neighboring - (Septuagint, Matthew 3:5); now called El Ghor,
the low country (Gesenius). Of
of the two river sources (Josephus, Jerome); but, according to modern
etymologists, derived from יָרַד, to go down, and
signifying the Descender,
like the German Rhine, from tin-hen,
to run. The largest
rising at the foot of Antilibanus, and passing, in
its course of 200 miles, over
twenty-seven rapids, it pours its waters first into the
into the sea of Galilee, 653 feet, and finally into the Lacus Asphaltites, 1316
feet below the level of the Mediterranean (cf.
Genesis 7. p. 282). It is now called Esh-Sheri'ah, i.e.
the ford, as having been
of old crossed by the Israelites (Gesenius). That it was well-watered everywhere.
Not
by canals and trenches, as old interpreters imagined, but by copious streams
along its course, descending chiefly from the mountains of
Lord destroyed - the same word is used
for the destruction of all flesh in what
is styled the Elohistic account of the Deluge (ch. 6:13, 17; 9:11,
15; compare
'
Quarry on Genesis,' p. 423) -
the garden of the Lord. Paradise in
Lange, Keil);
though by some this is deemed unsatisfactory (Quarry), and the phrase
taken as - hortus amae-nissimus
(Rosenmüller), and in particular
which was a land of rare fecundity (fertility - Grotius,
Junius). Like the land of
machines (Deuteronomy 11:10-11) - as thou comest
unto Zoar - at the southeast
corner of the
The
Choice of
I. THE EXCELLENCE OF
1. Beautiful. Viewed from the
gilded with the shimmering radiance of the
morning sun, the
was a scene of enchanting loveliness; and in
yielding to the fascinations of
the gorgeous panorama that spread itself out
on the distant horizon it
cannot be affirmed that
universe loves beauty, as His works attest
(Ecclesiastes 3:11), and hath
implanted the like instinct in the soul of man. Hence, so far from being a
signal of depravity, the capacity of admiring and
appreciating mere physical
and
external grace and symmetry betokens a nature not yet completely
disempowered by sin; and so far from its
being wrong to surround oneself
with
objects that are pleasing to the eye, it is rather incumbent so to do,
provided always it can be accomplished without sin.
2. Productive. As there is no sin in having elegant mansions, fair gardens,
and fine pictures to look upon, so neither is
there evil in desiring fertile
fields instead of barren rocks to cultivate.
Sentenced to eat bread in the
sweat of his brow, the Christian is not thereby
required to prefer a tract of
moorland to a farm of rich alluvial soil. Monkish
asceticism may enjoin
such self-mortification on its devotees; Christianity
invites men to enjoy the
good things which have been freely given to
them by God. The well
watered
fields of the
were the bleak Judaean
hills.
3. Suggestive. Already it had recalled to his memory the luxuriant plains of
scarcely fail to inspire a devout mind with lofty
thoughts, pure emotions,
and holy aspirations, so leading the entranced
worshipper from nature up
to nature’s God. Since the human soul
cannot choose but be insensibly
affected for good or evil by its material as well
as moral environment, it
is
well, when Divine providence gives us the
election, that we select for our
abodes scenes and places that shall elevate and
refine rather than
deteriorate and depress.
II. THE DRAWBACKS OF
1. Bad neighbors. The inhabitants of the Jordanic
Pentapolis were sinners
of an aggravated type.
And while it may not be possible to avoid all contact
with wicked men (1 Corinthians 5:10), it becomes
God’s people to
keep as far aloof as possible from the
ungodly., and especially from
transgressors like the Sodomites. Mingling with and marrying into the
families of the ungodly ruined the antediluvian
world. The chief injury
done to the
separation between it and the world. Separation from
and nonconformity
to the world, and much more the wicked
portion of it, is the duty of
believers (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 6:17).
2. Moral contamination. Though
prevent the gradual deterioration of his nature through the evil
influence of
his neighbors.
There is a contagion, for good or evil, in example which is
well nigh irresistible. “He that walketh
with wise men shall be wise; but the
companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
3. Bitter sorrow. Precisely in proportion to the eminence of his religious
character would this be inevitable. The
immoralities and infidelities of the
Sodomites would plunge him
into grief, if they
did not cause “rivers of
water” to run down his eyes. And so it
eventually came to pass (II Peter 2:8).
III. THE SINFULNESS OF
1. Avaricious
(greedy) in its origin. Thus it was a sin against God. Had no
drawbacks attended it, had it in all other respects
been commendable and
prudent, the lust of cupidity out of which it
sprang would have condemned
it. Few things are more frequently and emphatically
reprehended in the
word
of God than the inordinate desire of
possession (Luke 12:15;
Ephesians 5:3;
Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 13:5).
2. Selfish in its character. Thus, besides being a sin against God, it
was an
offence against his uncle. Had Abram and
equality, religious principle should have dictated to Lot the
propriety of
either
returning the right of choice to Abram, or himself selecting what he
believed to
be the inferior quarter
(Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3);
but Abram was
precedence of one who was younger;
relationship, deserving of his nephew’s honor;
benefactor, and, as a consequence, worthy of
acknowledgment and
gratitude at the hands of one whom he had enriched;
and, what was more
important for the settlement of the question, the
actual heir and owner of
the land, to whom accordingly belonged the
prerogative of claiming not its
fattest portion only, but its entire domain. All these
considerations rendered
3. Dangerous in its issues. As such it was a sin against
himself as well as
against God. Even though evil should not come of it, it
was not open to
Lot, as a good
man, to establish himself where injury to his spiritual
interests was
possible. That he did
not reckon the moral bearings of his
choice was an aggravation rather than an
extenuation of his sin. He had
time to calculate the chances of material prosperity; he should also have
counted up the moral hazards before he elected to drive his flocks
and
herds to
·
LESSONS:
1. All is
not gold that glitters; hence the supreme unwisdom of
judging
either things or persons according to appearance.
2. In
every man’s lot there is a crook; hence the propriety
of moderating
our desires concerning everything.
3. It is
possible to pay too dear a price for material prosperity. “What shall
it profit a man if he shall gain
the whole world and lose his own soul?”
(Mark 8:36)
4. It is
a poor outcome of piety which prefers self-interest to the claims
either of affection or religion; the man who
loves himself better than his
neighbor is still
devoid of the spirit of Christ.
5. In the long run the spirit of selfishness is certain to
overreach itself and
accomplish its own ruin.
11 Then Lot
chose him all the plain of Jordan; and
and they separated themselves the one from
the other. Then
the plain of Jordan. Allured by its beauty and
fertility, and heedless of other or
higher considerations. And
ch.11:2).
And
they separated themselves the one from the other. Literally, a man
from his brother.
The
Parting of Friends
(v.
11)
I. THE SADNESS OF THIS PARTING. It
was a parting:
1. Of
kinsmen (men, brethren).
2. Of
kinsmen in a foreign land.
3. Of
kinsmen by their own hand.
II. THE CAUSE OF THIS PARTING.
1. The
difficulty of finding sustenance together.
2. The
danger of collision if they kept together.
III. THE MANNER OF THIS PARTING.
1. After
prayer.
2. In
peace.
3. With
magnanimity on the part of Abram.
4. With
meanness on that of
·
LESSONS:
1. It is sad when brethren cannot dwell together in unity.
2. It is
better that brethren should separate than quarrel.
“Then
but a matter of prudence, a,
choice of pastures, yet it stamped his
after life.
He was a godly man. We miss the point if we think of him as
careless. The
lesson is for God’s people. At first guided by
his uncle, but time came
when he must act alone. Pastures
of
the herdsmen. God uses little things to work
his will. In every life there are
times when choice
must be made. Perhaps
definite and distinct, e.g. leaving
home, or choice of a profession; perhaps less
marked, as in the choice of
friends and associates, or the habits
imperceptibly formed. We must be thus
tried; needful for our training (James 1:12). There is a sevenfold blessing
“to
him that overcometh” (Revelation chapters 2and 3).
I. THE EVIL
OF
not? The fault lay in the motive, the lack of spiritual thought in a secular
matter. He broke no positive law, but looked only to
worldly good. The
evil of
how he could best serve God (compare James 1:14).
II. THE EFFECT OF
1. It
brought no real happiness.
(a)
His soul was vexed (II Peter 2:8).
(b)
His
life; fretting at evil which he had not resolution
to escape from.
2. It brought real injury.
(a)
His character was enervated
(declined in strength and vigor
(b)
From dwelling in plain he migrated to the city.
(There he formed
connections which
expected his compromise - CY - 2024)
(c) He became irresolute (uncertain how to
act or proceed),
(d) When warned to flee, he lingered. (I recommend Spurgeon
sermon
“Hastening Lot” - # 321a - this website - CY - 2024)
(e) His prayer for himself only. He was saved “so
as by fire”
(1 Corinthians 3:15).
We are tried
daily, in the valley or on the mountain. We cannot
avoid trials; nor is it good for us if we could. The one way of
safety:
“Seek
first the
widespread — of seeking first the world; thinking not
to neglect God,
but putting Christianity into corners of the life. What saith the
world?
Ø Haste to be rich, or great;
Ø take thine ease;
Ø assert thyself;
Ø be high-spirited.
And the customs of society and much of education repeat
the lesson.
But what saith Christ?
Look unto me. Not only at
stated times, but always.
This is the
cause of much turmoil, of many spiritual sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10),
there is a want of thoroughness in takingChrist
as our guide.
preserved but Christ advises us to “Remember
How narrow the
line between
12 Abram
dwelled in the
of the plain, and pitched his tent toward
settlement within the gates, or at least in the immediate neighborhood, of the
wealthy cities of the laud; in contrast to his uncle, who remained a wanderer
throughout its borders, sojourning as in a strange country (Hebrews 11:9).
And
(with this purpose in contemplation), he pitched his tent toward (i.e. in
the direction of, and as far as to)
Going
towards
1. An
inviting journey.
2. A gradual
journey.
3. A sinful
journey.
4. A dangerous journey
Going
to
I. HOW IT MAY HAVE LOOKED TO
1. As a matter of business it was good.
2. In its moral aspects the step
was dangerous. But —
3. Doubtless at first
perhaps:
4.
would
have opportunities of doing good to the Sodomites.
II. HOW IT MUST HAVE LOOKED TO THE SODOMITES. It must
have:
1. Surprised them to see a good man like
so bad.
2. It led
them to think adversely of a religion that
preferred worldly
advantage to spiritual
interest.
3. Rendered them impervious (impenetrable) to any influence
for good
from
·
LESSONS:
1. It is perilous to go
towards
2. It is useless
preaching to Sodomites while gathering wealth in
13 But the men
of
exceedingly. But (literally, and) the
men of
their wickedness is more
specifically detailed in chapter 19, q.v.) - before the
Lord -
literally, to Jehovah = before the face of Jehovah; ἐναντίον τοῦ
θεοῦ - enantion
tou Theo - opposite, adverse, against, Yahweh (Septuagint), see ch. 10:9; an
aggravation of the wickedness of the
Sodomites - exceedingly. Their vileness
was restrained
neither in quantity nor quality. As it passed all
height in
arrogance., so it burst all
bounds in prevalence.
The
Choice of
I. WHAT
1. His
own worldly circumstances; and,
2. The
suitability of the
II. WHAT
1. The reverence due to his uncle.
2. The greater right which Abram had to the soil of
3. The danger, in parting with Abram, of separating
himself from
Abram’s God.
4. The risk of damage to his spiritual interests in settling in
the
·
LEARN:
1. That while it may be right, in life’s actions, to take our worldly
interests
into
account, it is wrong and dangerous to take nothing else.
2. That no amount of purely worldly advantage can either
justify or
recompense the disregard of the higher interests of the soul.
3. That though good men may oftentimes find reasons for neglecting the
soul’s interests, they cannot do so
with impunity.
or
The
Place and the People
(vs.
10, 13)
1. The physical beauty of the
2. The moral corruption of its inhabitants.
·
LESSONS:
1. The weakness of nature as a moral educator.
2. The true design
of nature as a moral educator.
14 And the
LORD said unto Abram, after that
him, Lift up
now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou
art northward,
and southward, and eastward, and westward:
And the Lord said - speaking probably with
an articulate voice; the third occasion
on which the patriarch was
directly addressed by God. The narrative, however,
does not affirm that there was
any actual theophany - unto Abram - who could
readily recognize the voice which
had twice already spoken to him. After that
administered consolation to
the troubled heart of the patriarch (Calvin),
though Divine revelations are
rather wont to be made to minds already quiet
and sedate (Lyra). Lift up now thine
eyes. Perhaps a studied reference to the act
of
to suggest the greater
satisfaction which would be imparted to the soul of
Abram
by the survey about to be made. And look from the place where thou art.
Between
from which a commanding view
of almost the entire country could be obtained.
Northward - towards "the hills which divide
direction of the dark mountain wall
of
leads from the central hills of
very "circle" into
which
literally, towards the sea. Compare
the view from the stony but fertile plateau
between
15
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy
seed for ever. . For
all the land which thou seest - i.e. the entire
country, a part
being put for the whole - to thee will I give it. To avoid an
apparent conflict
between this Divine declaration and the words of Stephen (Acts 7:5), it is
proposed by some to read the next clause as epexegetic (and additional
explanation)
of the present (Ainsworth, Bush); but the land was really given to Abram
as a
nomade chief, in the sense that
he peacefully lived for many years, grew old,
and died within its borders (Clericus, Rosenmüller, 'Speaker's Commentary'),
while it was assigned to his descendants only because it had been first
donated
to him. And to thy seed. Not his
bodily posterity alone, to whom the terrestrial
over that
better country, even an heavenly, of which the land of promise was a
type. For ever. 'Adh 'olam (see
on Genesis 9:16) = in perpetuity; i.e.
(1) to the close of that olam or period which was already
measured out in
the secret counsels
of Jehovah for the duration of the seed of Abraham
as a people, "quum terra in seculum
promittitur, non simpliciter
notatur.
perpetuitas, sed quae finem accepit in Christo" (Calvin); and
(2) unto eternity, in so far as it was a promise of a spiritual
inheritance
to Abraham's believing
children. Thus as the promise did not preclude
the expulsion of unbelieving
guarantee to existing Jews a return
to the earthly
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.
And I will make thy seed as the
dust of the earth. "As the land shall
be great for thy people, thy posterity, so thy people shall be great or
innumerable
for the land" (Lunge). Afterwards the seed of Abram is likened to the
stars of
heaven for multitude (ch. 15:5). 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 I will give it unto thee. Arise. According to a common
mode of Oriental
speech, pleonastically (needlessly redundant)
affixed to verbs of going, going
forward, and of setting about anything with impulse (Gesenius,
p. 727;
compare ch. 22:3; Job 1:20). Walk through the land in the
length of it and
in the breadth of it. To be understood not as a
literal direction, but as an
intimation that he might leisurely survey his inheritance with the
calm
assurance that it was his. 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
Then - literally, and, acting immediately as the
heavenly voice directed -
Abram removed - or rather pitched (compare v. 12) - his
tent, and dwelt -
settled down, made the central
point of his subsequent abode in
(Wordsworth) - in
the plain - בְּאֵלֹנֵי
= oaks (Gesenius) or terebinths Celsins);
see ch.
12:6 - of Mamre - an Amorite chieftain who
afterwards became the friend
and ally of Abram (ch. 14:13, 24), and to whom probably the grove belonged -
which is in
a town of great antiquity,
having been built seven years before Zoan, in
(Numbers
13:22).
As it is elsewhere styled Kirjath-arba, or the city
of
(ch. 23:2;
35:27), and appears to have been so called until the conquest
(Joshua 14:15), the
occurrence of the name
of post-Mosaic authorship (Clericus, et alii); but it is
more probable that
Kirjath-arba on the arrival in the
country of Arba the Anakite,
perhaps during
the sojourn of Jacob's descendants
in
Hengstenberg, Keil,
Kurtz). The place is called by modern Arabs El Khalil,
the friend of God. And built there an altar unto the Lord.
Magnanimity
Rewarded,
or
Divine Compensations
(vs. 14-18)
I. A REVELATION GIVEN. Immediately on
approaches, the appearance
of the heavenly Friend compensating for the
loss of the earthly
kinsman, as often happens in the Divine dealings with
men and saints. The revelation now afforded to the patriarch
was:
1. Personal. Essentially
a self-revealing God, only through the medium of a
person can Jehovah give a full and clear unveilment of Himself. Of this
description was the theophany
accorded to the solitary flock-master on the
of the person and character of the unapproachable Supreme.
2. Gracious. The
dignity of Him who thus appeared to the patriarch, the
all-sufficient and self-existent Deity, and the character of him to whom such
revelation was vouchsafed, the father of the
faithful, but still a mere
creature, and, apart from Divine grace, exposed to
just condemnation,
attest its stupendous condescension. Yet “such honor have all the saints” to
whom, notwithstanding their personal insignificance and deep
unworthiness, the supreme Deity has approached and unveiled himself in
Christ.
3. Opportune. At the time when it was made the patriarch’s heart, we can
imagine, was the seat of mingled emotions.
Saddened by the loss of a
kinsman who had been long his companion, and
perhaps pained by the
recollection of that kinsman’s avarice, dejected as he
realized his solitude
among hostile neighbors and in a foreign land,
though, doubtless, also
sustained by a consciousness of having acted well in
parting with his
nephew, the patriarch was much in need of Divine
consolation and succor.
And so are Christ’s visits to his people ever seasonable (Luke 24:15;
John
6:20) and
suitable to their wants.
4. Comforting. This was proved by his subsequent behavior. Plucking up
the stakes of his tent, he resumed his
travels, and at his next encampment
built an altar for the worship of the Lord. It is a good
sign that gracious
visits to needy souls are having their desired effect
when those souls are
able to attend to the ordinary but necessary
duties of life, and to preserve
their relish for the public and private rites of
religion.
II. A LAND GRANTED. For the loss of the
receives an express donation of the entire
promises to reward His self-sacrificing followers
in kind as well as quantity,
and in the life that now is as well as in that
which is to come (Matthew
19:29; I Timothy 4:8)). The grant made to
Abram was:
1. Magnificent. The grant of a land; of the
instance, and in the second of the better country,
even an heavenly, of
which the earthly
is made to believers in the gospel (Matthew
5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:22;
II Timothy
2:12).
2. Certain. The
complete isolation of the patriarch, the occupation of the
land, and especially the barrenness of Sarai, were all calculated to make the
Divine
donation of the country before him but a doubtful gift after all. And
so sometimes to Christians may the heavenly
inheritance appear highly
problematical. But the ground of certainty for them is
precisely what it was
to Abram, the word of the living God; and as Abram staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief, so neither should they.
3. Perpetual. To thee, and to
thy seed forever, were the
terms in which the
earthly
of Abram according to the flesh existed as a separate nation
they should
occupy the
is a perpetual inheritance in the sense that
“the world is his,” while heaven
is an eternal country from which he shall go no more out.
III. A SEED PROMISED. The magnanimity of the patriarch had
deprived
him of a brother’s son; the grace of God rewarded him by promising a child
of his
own. No man ever comes
off a loser who makes sacrifices for God.
The seed promised was to be:
1. Numerous. A multitude instead of one; exemplified in
the untold millions
of Abram’s natural descendants. So God delights
to reward His people,
returning to them a hundredfold for what they give to
Him (Matthew
19:20; Ephesians
3:20).
2. Spiritual. An offspring united to him by bonds of grace in lieu of a
kinsman connected with him by ties of blood; a
prediction realized in the
myriads of his believing children. Another principle which
regulates the
Divine
compensations bestowed on saints is to take the less and give the
greater, to
remove the material and impart the spiritual (John 16:7; 19:26).
3. Eminent. If
unborn seed of Abram should be distinguished in
the annals of both Church
and world for riches of a more enduring
character and wisdom of a nobler
kind; a prophecy fulfilled in
always been more distinguished for intelligence
and capacity than for
numbers; in
characteristics have ever been rare spiritual illumination and high moral
potency;
and in
wisdom and knowledge,” and “in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:3, 9)
LEARN:
1. That
God is the ever-present though unseen Spectator of noble deeds.
2. That
every act of self-sacrifice performed for His sake elicits His
approbation.
3. That
while he who keeps his life shall lose it, he who, for Christ’s sake
and the gospel’s, loses it shall ultimately find it. (Matthew 16:25)
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