Genesis chapter 13. Genesis 13, I'll begin reading in verse one.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 13:1-18

Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and lot with him to the south. Abram was very rich in livestock and silver and in gold. And he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

So Abram said to Lot, please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right.

Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted his eyes and saw 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 you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan. and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward. For all the land which you see, I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.' Then Abram moved his tent and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. Well,

Introduction and Chapter Overview

in Genesis chapter 12, at the very beginning, we see the call of Abram. God calls Abram first out of Ur of the Chaldeans. He then settles in Haran for a time, and then after the death of his father, Abram is called by God to go to the land of promise, and those promises are given specifically in verses one to three. Notice in chapter 12, now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you.

And in you, all of the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram dutifully walks through the land of promise, and then in chapter 12 and verse 10, we see that there's a famine in the land, so he goes to Egypt. Now he returns from Egypt back to the land of promise, or to Canaan, and he's with Sarah, his wife, and with Lot. So we'll look at the return to the promised land in verses 1 to 4.

Secondly, the main focus of the chapter is on the separation of Abram and Lot in verses 5 to 13. And then the chapter ends with the word of the Lord to Abram in verses 14 to 18. But remember, it was because of this famine that was in the land, they left Canaan, they go down to Egypt. And then in verse 1 of chapter 13, then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and lot with him to the south.

Now the south there is the Negev, it's the southernmost part of Israel. It's the southernmost part of Judah. That's what it means he went to the south. And from there, he then goes north in the land of Israel, or the land of Canaan, when he arrives between Bethel and Ai.

But the fact that he was even able to leave Egypt peaceably is an evidence of the blessing of God. Remember, while he was in Egypt, he had Sarai tell a lie concerning his relationship to her. She said that Abram was his brother, or was her brother. And this caused some friction and some tension with Pharaoh.

Pharaoh was obviously upset about this. According to chapter 12, verse 18, Pharaoh called Abram and said, what is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say she is my sister?

I might have taken her as my wife. Now, therefore, here is your wife. Take her and go your way. So it is incredible and an evidence of divine blessing that he was even able to leave Egypt peaceably.

But then notice as well, he leaves even richer than when he had gotten there. Notice in verse 2, Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. So as he moves along his way, even though his faith is wanting and waning to some degree there in Egypt, the Lord nevertheless conveys these blessings upon him. So

Return to the Promised Land

he then journeys from the south of Canaan, as I said, up to Bethel. And notice what he does when he arrives there. In verse 4 it says, "...to the place of the altar, which he had made there at first, And there Abram called on the name of the Lord. This is a conspicuous pattern in the life of Abram.

He is a worshipper of God. Yes, I caught it the moment that I said it for the two guys that are smiling. They pick on me because I say conspicuous pattern a lot. Actually, he picks on me, he just laughs at me, or laughs about the situation.

Apparently, there was a sermon on baptism, and I had mentioned several times that it was a conspicuous pattern in the Book of Acts, and Isaac has never let me forget that, and so I still say it in other contexts, and then I catch myself right when I say it. Anyways, there's a conspicuous pattern in the life of Abram. He was a worshipper of the living and the true God. Now, John Calvin says, it was therefore proper that invocation or calling upon the Lord should be conjoined with the altar.

Because by the sacrifices offered, he plainly testified what God he worshipped. This is important because the Canaanites worshipped as well. They would have had altars. They would have had temples.

They would have had sort of competing religious sites. And so what Calvin is emphasizing here is that Abram is showing his commitment to the God of Israel. He plainly testified what God he worshipped in order that the Canaanites might know that he was not addicted to their common idolatries. So he, along with Sarai and Lot, returned to the land of Canaan.

And

Separation of Abram and Lot

that brings us now to the separation of Abram and Lot. And the text tells us what the problem is in verse 5. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together." I mean, that's a curious problem, isn't it?

Chapter 12, Abram goes from the land of promise to Egypt because of a famine. Now there's a bit of a difficulty because they've been so blessed by God Almighty that the land cannot sustain both of them. The problem in chapter 13 is due to their riches, their possessions, their great amount of wealth. And notice the particular strife that breaks out among the herdsmen with reference to Abram and Lot.

Verse 7, there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. probably indicating why there wasn't an abundance of land in terms of the ability for the land to sustain both Abram and Lot. They had great possessions, plus Canaanites and Perizzites were still in the land, so they didn't have sort of free reign at that particular time. And so now Abram functions as the peacemaker.

Remember Jesus said in the Beatitudes, blessed are the peacemakers? Well, Abram is the peacemaker in this particular chapter. Lot shows something about youthfulness that is not always characteristic of good things. And the text is conspicuous.

We're not moralizing. Because the way that Moses writes this particular chapter, he wants us to glean a negative impression from Lot. He doesn't want us to think Lot's the worst person on the face of the earth. He doesn't want us to think that Lot is a miserable, hell-bound sinner.

But the narrative is shaped in such a way that Abram comes out as the hero, and Lot comes out as the impetuous youth.

Abram's Generous Proposal

Now notice the proposal by Abram, verse 8. So Abram said to Lot, please let there be no strife between you and me and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brethren. The strife between the herdsmen could eventually find its way up the ladder into Abram's and Lot's life. When he says that we are brethren, he means Israelites, he means of the same family, the same clan.

Technically, Abram is his uncle and Lot is his nephew, but brethren in that sense of familial unity. Now notice the instruction of Abram in verse 9. He says, is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me.

If you take the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. Now, this is an incredible thing that Abram does. God has promised to give him this land.

And in essence, he is now offering this land that God has given to him to Lot. because he wants to be a peacemaker. He doesn't want there to be strife. He doesn't want there to be this competitive spirit between the two. And what he engages in here is extremely generous.

Notice, very specifically, what he says, is not the whole land before you. Please separate from me. If you go left, I'll go right. You go right, then I will go to the left.

Calvin said Abram, for the sake of appeasing strife, voluntarily sacrifices his own right. This is a trait that is sadly lacking, not just in the world, but in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are all too much inclined to demand upon our own rights and upon our own sort of justice. He says, Abram, for the sake of appeasing strife, voluntarily sacrifices his own right.

He says, for as ambition and the desire of victory is the mother of all contentions, so when everyone meekly and moderately departs in some degree from his just claim, the best remedy is found for the removal of all cause of bitterness. In other words, there are times in our lives that we ought to readily and happily concede to others. We ought to defer to others. We ought to give to others so as to avoid strife and contention.

Bruce Waltke says, the magnanimity of the patriarch of the clan and the uncle of the orphan is truly remarkable. The social superior, Abram, humbles himself before the inferior, Lot, to preserve peace, thereby proving himself the spiritual superior. So you've got Abram bending over backwards, offering the entirety of the land to his nephew Lot, so that they don't embark in strife and contention with one another. Now certainly the New Testament repeats this theme in many, many instances.

And I think it's helpful for us to reflect upon that. Romans chapter 12. Again, it's not moralistic. if the author in the particular passage wants us to glean this moral lesson. And I'm certain that Moses does want us to learn from Abram on how to conduct ourselves, and learn from Lot on how not to conduct ourselves.

Notice in Romans 12, beginning in verse 9, Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. Now notice, in honor, giving preference to one another. in honor, giving preference to one another. That's precisely what Abram does when he says to young Lot, look at the land, take whatever it is you want. If you go left, I'll go right.

If you go right, I'll go left. I want you to have it because I don't want to argue and fight with you over this. Abram, in honor, gives preference to one another. Notice 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the great love chapter. 1 Corinthians chapter 13, beginning in verse 4, love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely.

Now note the next clause, does not seek its own. So Abram evidences that sort of love. He does not seek his own, rather he seeks the benefit and the comfort and the blessing of his nephew Lot. Turn over to Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." So the emphasis is on this worthy walk, walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. What ingredients are necessary for that worthy walk? In other words, what does it mean to look, or what does it look like when one walks worthy of the calling with which they are called?

Well, they have lowliness, they have gentleness, they have long-suffering, they bear with one another in love, and they endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Philippians 2, probably one of the best illustrations of this sort of Abrahamic faith or Abrahamic practice when it came to divvying up the land with his nephew. In Philippians 2.1, therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded. having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. You see this recurring emphasis? Why do you think the Bible tells us this so much? Because it's not our natural inclination.

It's not the way that we leave the womb. It's not the way that we play in the schoolyard with other children. One of the first words a kid learns is, mine. He doesn't learn, here, or please take this, he learns mine, and he learns it with a degree of vehemence and earnestness.

And you see, even as we experience the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that mine attitude doesn't naturally dissipate. And so we have this call to humility and this call to showing deference to one another in so many instances in Holy Scripture. Look at 1 Peter 5, where the actual age thing is brought to pass. Because Lot is the younger man.

Abram is the older man. Abram's showing generosity. Lot, rather, as we'll see, is showing the exact opposite. Well, here in 1 Peter 5.5, likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders.

Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. That's an emphasis over and over again in the Bible.

And again, it's something that we need to hear because at times, and I don't want to sound too mean or vicious, but at times we're more like Lot than we are like Abram. And if we go back to Genesis chapter 13,

Lot's Choice by Sight

we see the choice made by Lot in verses 10 to 13. And he's got the disposition or the mindset or the ideals that are absolutely contrary to what is manifested there by his godly uncle Abram. Notice, he views the plain of Jordan in verse 10. Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere.

And I love the way Moses does this. He continually points out he's making a bad choice. He does this twice. He's making a bad choice.

Moses is writing from the vantage point of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has already occurred. But he's telling us about Lot at this particular juncture. And he's telling us that Lot is gazing at the plain of Jordan. He sees how well watered everywhere it is.

And then parenthetically, of course, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Because after that, it wouldn't be that lush and beautiful and well watered. And then at the end, verse 13, the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. This is what I mean.

Moses embeds into his writing here the particular view we ought to have with reference to Abram and Lot. He's not giving us some ambiguous vagaries and asking us to just suspend any moral judgment. No, as we read the chapter, we root for Abram, and we are a little irritated with Lot, and that's Moses' design. That's the very thing he's trying to instigate or provoke from us as he writes.

But notice the attractiveness of this land to the physical eye. Lot really is exhibiting that practice of walking by sight and not by faith. Abram walked by sight when he was in Egypt. He feared Pharaoh, he feared the Egyptians, and he concocted the lie that Sarai was his sister rather than his wife.

He feared man. But he's back in the promised land now. I don't think that has magic. I don't think it has any hocus pocus.

But what we're supposed to appreciate is he's back in the promised land. He's back with Yahweh. He's back worshiping. And he's back walking with faith.

And he's able to survey the land. And he's able to say it a lot so that we can sacrifice or rather prohibit this strife and contention. Go ahead and pick whatever it is you want. But Lot is judging based on the physical lie.

It is well watered everywhere. It's like the garden of the Lord, probably a reference to Eden. And then it's like the land of Egypt as you go towards Zoar. Now the text doesn't specify that Lot went with them to Egypt, but it does.

He did go. And he appreciated the luxury that he enjoyed there in Egypt. This is kind of like the children of Israel when they leave Egypt and they sort of reflect back and they say, but we had the leeks and the melons and the garlic and we had all these good things. The Nile was very sufficient to keep Egypt very well watered.

It was far more lush. It was far more blessed in terms of agrarianism, apart from the blessing of Yahweh. It did yield good things, and that's what He is seeing, and that's what He appreciates. Now, there is that reminder concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We, the reader, have an insight that Lot doesn't have. This is divine commentary. This is divine narration. This is foreshadowing for us so that we can conclude, yeah, he made the wrong choice.

That's going to come to full fruition when we get to Genesis chapter 19. That's going to be absolutely manifest at that point. And so Moses is reminding us of this proleptically. Calvin said, Lot, when he fancied that he was dwelling in paradise, was nearly plunged into the depths of hell.

I think that's a most perceptive statement. When he fancied that he was dwelling in paradise, was nearly plunged into the depths of hell. He's walking by sight. He sees the well-wateredness.

He sees that it's like Eden. He sees that it's like that land of Egypt as you go towards Zoar. Now, inevitably, verse 11 follows. He's already made this judgment.

He's already surveyed the scene with the physical eye. He's not thinking in terms of his soul. He's not thinking in terms of the inhabitants of Sodom. He's not thinking in terms of the promised land.

He would certainly have heard from Abram that God's going to give us this entire land of Canaan. No, everything is trumped now by what he sees. Verse 11, then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. Now, it's difficult to know if the plain of Jordan, as referred to here, is actually still in Canaan, if it's outside of Canaan, or it's just on the edge of Canaan.

And Waltke again says, it is not entirely clear whether it, the plain of Jordan, is part of the promised land, the edge of the promised land, or possibly just beyond it. It is, however, contrasted with Canaan in verse 12. Notice in verse 12, Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. So, again, Lot has been Abram's traveling companion.

Abram received this promise of land from God Almighty. Lot knew this, and Abram offers it to him, and what does he do? He rejects the promised land, and he chooses Sodom. just because it was well watered, and it looked like the Garden of Eden, and it was sort of like Egypt as you travel towards Zohar. He's walking by the physical eye, he's not walking by faith.

Now notice as well, something intriguing in verse 11. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. You'll notice, not that east is bad in scripture. You can't make that sort of deduction.

But it is intriguing. When Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden, there are a cherubim stationed with a flaming sword on the east. When Cain departs, he goes eastward. The tower builders come or journey in the east, with reference to Genesis chapter 11.

Gordon Wenham makes the observation. He says, though offered a share of Canaan, Lot here is depicted as turning his back on it. Eastward describes his direction of travel, but it may echo Adam, Eve, and Cain, who went east after sinning, and the men of Babel who journeyed in the east before commencing their ill-fated tower. The very direction Lot takes suggests divine judgment, and apprehension is reinforced by the remark, he can't toward Sodom.

Note, too, the deliberate contrast between Abram living in the land of Canaan and Lot in the cities of the plain." In other words, brethren, it's a very, very stark contrast between one walking by faith and one walking by sight. You have Abram walking by sight when he's in Egypt. Praise God, he's recovered and he is now walking by faith. And that faith moves Abram to a large-hearted generosity, to a desire for peacekeeping, to an ideal of giving all of the good stuff. to allot his nephew so that they don't have dissension and discord and contention.

And then you've got Lot, who is leaving the very presence of the Lord, who is exiting from the land of promise, and who in many respects is going as far from the presence of the Lord, not only geographically, but ethically as one could go. And so the text is drawing that contrast for us and showing us that Lot is not handling himself in a good way at this particular point. He needs all those passages that we just read and reflected upon in the New Testament. We all need those sorts of passages to guard our hearts against the sort of impetuousness, or is it impetuosity, that causes us to reach out and grab things without having due regard for the implications involved.

We need to walk by faith. We need to consider the Word of God, the will of God, the mind of God, as it's revealed to us in the Scripture. Now, there will be instances, to be sure, where it may not be as stark a contrast. You know, sometimes people today say, well, how do I know the will of the Lord for this particular thing?

Well, the general rule is if something's not condemned by God as sin, you're free to choose it. However, there are oftentimes prudence or wisdom issues connected with various choices. And the people of God are supposed to reflect first on explicit passages. In other words, explicit passages are passages that tell you certain specific things, like, do not murder.

That's an explicit passage. There's implicit or implied or good and necessary consequences that we need to also be on the lookout for. We need to search the scriptures to find those things so that we don't walk in a manner that is consistent with Lot versus Abram. Again, the divine commentary in verse 13 indicates that all that he has done is wrong.

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. And that doesn't even need to be proleptic. That doesn't even need to look forward to the incidents involved in Genesis 18 and 19. We're not sure how long the time frame was there.

But they're already wicked. It wasn't, you know, all of a sudden they just started practicing sodomy and perversion and all these sorts of wickednesses. They were already engaged in such activities. And that statement specifically there in verse 11, when it says that he chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, Lot journeyed east, they separated from each other.

Then verse 12, Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. I mean, that's a terrible commentary. If we didn't have second Peter, I think we'd have a whole lot even lesser view of lot. Not whole lot lesser.

You didn't smile. A whole lot lesser view of lot. There it is. You say, what does Peter tell us?

Something that Moses doesn't indicate. I mean, I think we should blame it. I don't think Lot's an unconverted goat. He's not a wicked, God-hating reprobate.

But what does Peter tell us? That the wickedness of Sodom vexed his righteous soul day by day. He didn't make peace with their wickedness. He may have thrown his tent out in their vicinity, but he didn't enjoy or gain or engage in the sorts of perversion and the activities that were rampant there in Sodom.

His righteous soul was vexed day by day. Peter tells us that, and we ought to appreciate that, because we don't see it necessarily here. I mean, later on, when it's time to get out of Dodge, what does Lot do? Lot lingers.

J.C. Ryle, in his Holiness, he has a sermon or an essay on lingering lot. He doesn't just say, OK, I want to go. No, he lingered.

And then he says, but can I have Zoar? He's always trying to sort of trade with God to sort of keep his stock. And that's not good. Peter tells us his righteous soul was vexed day by day. necessarily see that in the narrative of Genesis.

I'm thankful that Peter tells us that he had that sort of a struggle. So that's the separation between Abram and Lot.

The Word of the Lord to Abram

Now notice how the chapter ends on the word of the Lord to Abram. And I want us to see first the goodness of God. The goodness of God. You've got Abram giving a land grant to Lot and Lot making his claim.

And then you've got Yahweh giving a land grant to Abram and Abram making his claim. It's as if the Lord knows specifically, well it is the case, the Lord knows specifically what Abram needs to hear at this particular time. And this is grace, this is kindness. Notice in verse 14, and the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are.

Meredith Klein said after Abram's land grant and Lot's claim came Yahweh's land grant and Abram's claim. John Calvin, I think, makes this perceptively beautiful. He says, when it is said, therefore, that the Lord spoke, the circumstance of time requires to be noted, as if he had said that the medicine of God's Word was now brought to alleviate his pain. And thus he teaches us that the best remedy for the mitigation and the cure of sadness is placed in the Word of God.

Certainly, Abram would have been sad on this occasion. He, in essence, had adopted Lot. I mean, Lot's father had died and Lot had been with Abram. Abram was a faithful uncle who loved this young man, kind of treats him like an heir, if you will, and now there's this separation and he goes to this place that is exceedingly wicked.

So yeah, there's sadness and there's grief in the heart of Abram, but as Calvin says, what is it that will ultimately bolster his soul? It's the word of the living God. That's the remedy that we stand in need of. Now notice as well,

Amplification of the Land Promise

there's some amplification in terms of the promise. Go back to Genesis 12, and notice verse one, now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." Now certainly he goes to Canaan and in chapter 12 there he does traverse the land, but now God is showing him more of its extensiveness. Later in chapter 15, he will name the specific geographical boundaries that mark the promised land. But here it's beautiful.

He says, lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, and westward. for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. So the extensiveness of it in terms of geography and in terms of Abram's posterity, look to the north, look to the south, look to the east, look to the west, all of that is yours. Now some suggest he got up onto a high point and he was able to see for many miles in every direction. Well, the New Testament will flesh out this promise for us.

It wasn't simply the land of Canaan that Abram saw on that day. It was the entirety of the world. Remember that these promises are linked specifically to the seed of Abraham. The seed of Abraham is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the one who has all authority in heaven and earth over all the nations.

He tells the apostolic church to go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Why? Because he is the inheritor of the world. And that north look, that south look, that east look, that westward look included the entirety of the world.

We'll see that in more detail when we close tonight. So we've got this promise of land and you've got promise of seed. Go back again to Genesis 12. Verse 2, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.

Now the fact that God's going to make him a great nation indicates seed. Now seed is not there in Genesis 12 too, but the concept is, in order to have a great nation, A great nation is made up of a lot of individuals. So there is that seed promise, but it's even more developed here in verse 16. Notice he says, and I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

Now, what is God saying to Abram?

The Seed Promise and World Mission

He is saying that there's going to be a lot of saved people. There's going to be a lot of sinners that come out of darkness into marvelous light. In fact, Jesus Christ is going to conquer men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. In fact, the scripture, the book of Genesis, uses other metaphor with reference to the seed of Abraham.

Remember, there's that seed of Abraham, the individual, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a collective nature in terms of that seed. The descendants of Abraham are those who believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are connected to Christ by grace through faith, and according to the Apostle Paul, that means Abraham is our father.

But notice in verse 16 in Genesis 13, dust. Dust, right? You get a bit of dust. Well, there's dust on the tables.

When it gets real windy, I don't know, through these cracks, you get this dust on the table. Dust is minute, it's small, but there's a lot of it located in a small place. But also we see in the book of Genesis, that the descendants of Abraham are called the stars of heaven in Genesis 15, 5. The descendants, the seed of Abraham, will be more numerous than the stars of heaven.

You've looked up into the sky before and you've seen a lot of stars. It's an amazing thing, right? But it's not just stars, it's not just sand, but it's dust, but it's also sand. In Genesis 32, 12, the descendants are called the sand of the sea.

In other words, what is God the Lord saying through or to Abraham? He's saying that there's going to be a lot of people saved by Jesus Christ. In other words, this is the impetus for world missions. This is the impetus for evangelism.

This is the impetus for gospel preaching. This idea that there's going to be 10 or 11 people in heaven is not a biblical concept. There are a great multitude that no man can number, and it all comes back to these foundational promises made by God to Abram concerning the seed of Abraham, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. And all those who by grace believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are considered, in a collective sense, that seed.

So the promise of the seed is given here, and then notice his command to walk the land. This is probably a legal activity. Arise, verse 17, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you. This was a symbolic way for the one to claim the land.

Meredith Klein says, this was probably a symbolic legal right by which one stake claim to real estate. Then he says, a walk of faith indeed, because this was in fact a walk of faith. He is inheriting the promises of God vis-a-vis land and sea. This is going to be duplicated or replicated through Isaac, through Jacob.

It's going to be protected throughout the old covenant peoples until the fullness of the time comes. God sends forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. And then, of course, Abram's response in verse 18, he moved his tent, went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. So he receives the Word of God and he responds by worshiping the God of the Word.

Well,

Application: Abram and Lot Contrasted

in terms of a couple of practical thoughts before we close. The first, the contrast between Abram and Lot. Just to tease this out a little bit. Abram was generous and Lot was selfish.

And it's just that simple and it's that clear. I'm not saying every older man is generous and every younger man is selfish, but all of us need to take heed that we follow the example in this particular passage not of Lot and his impetuousness, but rather of Abram and his generosity, his peacemaking attitude, his desire to defer to others, his desire to give preference to others, not this, oh, it's mine and you can't have it and you need to leave and my herds and my flocks and all of my stuff is going to get what they need and just tough on you. He doesn't do that. And he actually had the right to do that.

That's what's even more incredible. You see that with our Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, if ever there was one who deserved to be praised, who deserved to be worshipped, who deserved to be glorified, it was Christ. And yet, what does Christ do in the upper room with his disciples?

He takes off his outer garment, wraps himself with a towel, and gets down at the feet of the disciples and washes them. Brethren, those aren't there just so we can say, boy, that's a good thing for other brethren to practice. We need to look at our own hearts and examine our own souls and see if that kind of deference or giving preference to others is actually within us. As well, Abram worshipped in the promised land.

Lot refused the promised land. Again, it's easy to Monday morning quarterback, we're not there, we don't know the situation. Hindsight is always 20-20. Lots of low-hanging fruit at this particular time.

But let's just go ahead and pick it. Because the bottom line is, He refused the very land that God promised to give to Abram. Just incredible, isn't it? I mean, if God promises you a good gift, you really shouldn't say, no, I don't want it.

I'm going to go hang out by Sodom. That's not a place that you want to hang out. And then Abram experienced the presence of the Lord in the promised land. Lot would almost be destroyed by the judgment of the Lord in the cities of the plain.

I mean, he's just jeopardizing his future happiness and his state. He does become the father of the Moabites and the Ammonites. I mean, Lot's history is a difficult one for many to get their heads wrapped around.

Fulfillment: Land and Seed in Christ

Now, in terms of the fulfillment of the promises of God to Abram, the physical land, remember that the covenant made with Abraham. Our paedo-baptist brethren like to tell us, it's the covenant of grace. No, it's not. It displays, it manifests, and it furthers the promise of God vis-à-vis the covenant of grace, but there's a conditional element involved in the Abrahamic covenant which is not gracious.

You had to be circumcised in order to occupy the land. That's a condition. That's something one has to do, one has to obey in order to reap the benefits of the particular covenant. So the Abrahamic covenant operates on two levels, is how I would argue.

The promise of the new covenant or the promise of the covenant of grace is always going through there to be sure, but there's a physical element. There's a physical aspect with reference to the Abrahamic covenant. Abram had two sons, the scripture tells us, in Galatians chapter 4. One was the son of promise and the other wasn't.

And in terms of the other one wasn't, there's a physicality about it. There's circumcision, there's land, there's obedience to the various ceremonies involved in Israel's history and calendar. But in terms of the physical land, Joshua 22 tells us God delivered. You can turn there.

Joshua chapter 22, an important passage for sort of a contra-dispensationalism. Dispensationalists believe that the land promise has not been fulfilled. I'm sorry, Joshua 21. For dispensationalists, the land promises are to be fulfilled in the future in a millennial kingdom.

But if we read Joshua 21 properly, then we see the land promises were fulfilled. Joshua 21, 43, which by the way, this is the outline of the book of Joshua. So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers.

And not a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel all came to pass. So if you look at verse 43, it summarizes chapters 13 to 21 in the book of Joshua.

Verse 44 summarizes chapters 1 to 12 in the book of Joshua. Verse 45 encompasses the whole book. What God promised, God brings to pass. So the land promises are fulfilled in terms of the physical nation of Israel.

But that promise in terms of the spiritual seed, that promise in terms of the land with reference to the land of Canaan that's spiritual in terms of salvation, Romans 4.13. Romans 4.13, I think, is a great divine commentary on the significance of Genesis 13.

Romans 4 and the Heir of the World

Romans 4.13, for the promise that he would be the heir of the world. Again, not Palestine or Israel or Canaan or the promised land, but the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. This is precisely why in the Old Testament you have passages like these. Now, I'm going to give you just a couple, but there are many, many, many more.

This idea that there's going to be a comprehensive blessing of God upon a great multitude of sinful people. In Psalm 2.8, God says to Christ, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. One of the servant songs in the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 49.6, indeed he says, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the Gentile that you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth.

You hear that? What do you think they were thinking? They were thinking of Abrahamic promise coming to fruition through Messiah, coming to fruition through the seed of Abraham that's going to come and be the champion of Israel. Now again, these are just a sampling of the multitude of promises.

I love this one in Isaiah 49. It's too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. In other words, the Father says to the Lord Jesus, that's not enough display of how glorious you are. I'm going to give you as a light to the Gentiles.

The whole world is going to bask in the glory of the Redeemer. And then Matthew 28, 19, make disciples of what? Of the Jews? Of the nation of Israel?

No, of all nations. Romans 4.13, for the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Revelation 5.9, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Now, the metaphors employed in the book of Genesis, dust, sand, stars, indicates what Revelation 7, 9 tells us, a great multitude which no one can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

I'm not suggesting every single human being will be saved. That is a heresy called universalism. But at the same time, the Bible doesn't envision just a handful of people that are going to make it into heaven. There's a great multitude that nobody can number, that no man can number.

And I think at times the church loses sight of this. We actually get it into our heads that Islam is winning. We get it into our heads that atheism is winning. We get it into our heads that the Democrats are winning.

They're not winning. Christ must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. That's the testimony of Scripture. There is a lot to be hopeful for with reference to being God's people in this present world.

And then in terms of the seed,

Galatians 3 and Abraham's Seed

you can turn to Galatians. You're close, so turn to Galatians just to see this seed promise and how it's fleshed out. spiritually speaking, in the New Testament. Notice in Galatians 3.26, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now, we need to appreciate that Paul is not obliterating the distinctions between ethnicities. He's not obliterating the distinction between the sexes. He's talking about redemptive benefit.

In terms of redemptive benefit, the Jew has no more of it than does the Gentile. The man has no more of it than does the woman. All persons in Jesus Christ are equal benefactors with reference to the every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So he's not suggesting that we get rid of all those ethnicities.

For Paul himself would have Timothy circumcised so as not to offend a Jewish audience. Well, Paul, didn't you say in Galatians 3, there's neither Jew nor Greek? Ask Timothy about that one. No, that's not what he means in this passage.

The same with the male-female thing. He's not obliterating the God-ordained distinctives between men and women. He's not doing that. Why else in Ephesians 5 would he say, husbands are the head of the wife, wives are to be submissive to the Lord.

Notice that they didn't say, well wait a minute, Paul in Galatians, you said we're all one in Jesus Christ. You all get that. There's a way to have solidarity without compromising distinctiveness. Men and women are men and women.

They have different callings under God, different equipment, different specification, different design, and yet they enjoy the same redemptive benefit in our Lord Jesus. That's the point in Galatians 3. But that's not my point, just wanted to bring that out. Notice in verse 28, there's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither slave nor free, there's neither male nor female, for you're all one in Christ Jesus, and, here it is, If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

Isn't that a beautiful thing? All these things in Genesis, way back in Genesis chapter 12. I mean, all the way back in Genesis 3.15 and these early chapters of Genesis. See how the Bible coalesces.

See the coherence. See the beautifulness of it. See the consent of all the parts. See how it works.

It is that God is, in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. And we, as Gentiles, ethnically, are Jews, spiritually, because of Jesus Christ. Go to Romans chapter 2 to validate that. Romans chapter 2.

Verse 28, I made a point when we looked at Genesis 12, 3, that to take that out of its context, its biblical context, and apply it to the modern state of Israel is unfounded. It is illegitimate. It's not applicable to ethnic Jews. It's applicable to spiritual Jews, to the Israel of God, the church of Jesus Christ.

Notice in Romans 2, 28, for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. but he who is a Jew, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God. Turn to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9. What's Paul's point in Romans 9 to 11?

What do we do with this Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God? What does that mean for Jews? You got to think that when you read Romans 9 to 11. Paul is dealing with ethnic Jews at this particular point. in terms of what's happened.

All these Gentiles have come into the church, they are owning the promises of God, they're yea and amen, and the Lord Jesus Christ, was God cut off the Jews? Is there no more dealings with the Jews? Verse 6, but it is not that the word of God has taken no effect, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel. What do you mean there's a distinction in Israel?

Yes, there's a distinction in Israel. Jacob and Esau were quite different and distinct. Isaac and Ishmael are quite different and distinct. Just because they were in this didn't mean they were the same.

And that's Paul's point. It is not that the word of God has taken no effect, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel. nor are they all children, because they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." This is Jesus' point in John chapter 8.

He's combating the Jews, and they're saying, oh, but Abraham's our father. And Jesus says, if Abraham was your father, why are you trying to kill me? You're not of Abraham. Not all Israel is Israel.

There's these two groups. There's the children of promise and there's the children of the flesh. And we cannot assume that all the children of the flesh are the children of promise. One final text, Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians chapter 3. Verse 1, finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, not canines, not the vicious white devil that attacked my dog a week ago.

That's not what he's talking about. Beware of dogs is Paul's condemnation of Judaizers. Judaizers were those who taught that you need to believe the gospel plus get circumcised. You need to believe the gospel plus subscribe to the ceremonies of Moses.

You need to believe the gospel plus do this particular work. So Paul calls them dogs. Don't miss the irony. Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs.

Jews would pray, thank you God, that you didn't make me a gentile, a slave, or a woman. There was an arrogance about them. There was a nationalistic pride. That's Jonah's problem, was nationalism.

He didn't want the redemptive benefits of the God of Israel. spilling over to those heathen in Nineveh. That was offensive to Jonah. He didn't want that. That's why he's upset.

He says this, but I knew that you were good, and I knew that you would be merciful, and I don't want those Ninevites to prosper. I mean, just a... an unfortunate sort of display, I shouldn't say an unfortunate specimen of a human being, probably reveals a lot more of us than we could even imagine. But here Paul's point, beware of dogs, these Judaizers, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation. See, they're after circumcising people.

That's wherein they boast. But Paul says what they're doing, it's not only not circumcision, it's actually become mutilation. Because if you're doing this particular ritual in order to commend yourself to God, it is to mutilate a person. That's, I mean, his language in Galatia, in the Galatian letter, is even more severe and harsh in terms of these sorts of people.

But back to the text. He says, we are the circumcision. And I think the NAS has true circumcision, and I think that's a good, good interpretation. For we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

You see what he's saying? Where's Philippi? It's not in Canaan. It's not in Judah.

It's not in Galilee. It's not in the Promised Land. It's a Gentile city. And Paul is telling these Gentiles that we're the true circumcision.

What's that mean? It means what he says in Galatians 6, or Galatians 3. Those who believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ are the seed of Christ, and hence the seed of Abraham. So this promise does not progress based on ethnicity, but it progresses based on the grace of God.

It comes to fruition in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the promise there in Genesis 13 means that there'll be a great number, a great multitude, which no man can number in that heavenly Canaan. So I think that should encourage all of us to have a proper and a biblical eschatology. No, I'm kidding. It should encourage all of us in terms of prayer, and in terms of witness, and in terms of the missionary enterprise.

Christ must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. Well, let's close in prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that these foundational promises in the book of Genesis are brought to fruition and final realization in our Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you for including us in this blessed lot. Thank you for your great salvation.

Thank you for the forgiveness of sins and that righteousness that you have given to us that avails with God. We pray that you would go with us now, watch over us in the remainder of this week, and be glorified in the life of this local church. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15; 11:2; 12:1-3; 12:10; 12:18; 13:2; 13:4; 13:5-6; 13:7; 13:8; 13:9; 13:10; 13:11; 13:12; 13:13; 13:14; 13:16; 13:17; 13:18; 15:5; 18:1; 19:1; 32:12
• Joshua 21:43-45; 22:1
• Psalm 2:8
• Isaiah 49:6
• Matthew 28:19
• John 8:39
• Romans 2:28-29; 4:13; 9:6-8
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
• Galatians 3:26-29; 4:22-23
• Ephesians 4:1-3; 5:22-23
• Philippians 2:1-4; 3:1-3
• 1 Peter 5:5-7
• 2 Peter 2:7-8
• Revelation 5:9; 7:9