Genesis 13:5-18

Compiled notes with my BSF group

LET US NOT QUARREL AND PART IN PEACE (Genesis 13:5-9)

When Abram and Lot ran into a disagreement that could not be settled, Abram proposed to not continue to quarrel and part in peace.

We see that throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to maintain peace and unity.

Do not take our dispute to those who do not know the ways of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:1–8)
When we have a dispute, seek Godly men to help us solve the dispute. Do not open ourselves up to the judgment of ungodly men. In this passage, Paul is shaming the Corinthians about their inability to deal with disagreements in a Godly manner. Paul is reminding the Corinthians to stop airing dirty laundry in public. Be a family of Christ and handle issues with God's love and guidance.

Keep the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1–3)
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, by being completely humble, gentle, patient, bearing with love for one another."

Be kind and compassionate (Ephesians 4:31–5:2)
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


LOVING THE WORLD HAS ITS CONSEQUENCES (Genesis 13:10-13)

Lot chose worldly and put his family in danger
Lot chose the whole plain of Jordan because he liked how flourishing it looked. He did not at all seek God's will in making this decision.

In making this choice, Lot brought his family near Sodom, where "the men were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD" (Genesis 13:13). We learn in Genesis 19 that the sins of this city was so horrid, God destroyed it. During the process, Lot lost his wife (who was turned into a pillar of salt -- Genesis 19:26). And though Lot and his two daughters were spared from the destruction, their lives were so destitute thereafter that the two daughters conned their father into having an incestuous relationship so that heirs could be born (Genesis 19:30-38).

John 14:27
If we loved the world, we would have no peace.

Ephesians 4:17–20
If we loved the world, we would be darkened in our understanding and be separated from the life of God. We would be ignorant because of our hardened heart. We would give ourselves into every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

James 4:4
If we loved the world, we would be adulterous. Why? We are to love God and ONLY God. By loving the world, we are not faithful to God. Loving the world is idolatry. And in God’s eyes, idolatry is adultery. Worse, any kind of idol worship is an abomination. This is why if we chose to love the world, we chose also to become an enemy of God.

1 John 2:15–17
If we loved the world, the love of the Father is not in us. We will be taken over with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And if we loved the world, we, too, will pass away with the world and not have eternal life with God.


LOVE GOD AND RECEIVE HIS LOVE (Genesis 13:14–18)

Abram may seemed to have lost out on giving Lot the choice of land. However, we should know by now that God takes care of those who follow Him faithfully.


God promised Abram, "All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted" (Genesis 13:15-16).
Through God, Abram received not just a great amount of land but also countless number of offspring.

As we make decisions in our lives, we really need to keep things in perspective -- in God's perspective.

God made this world. He made the flourishing land. He also made the desert. If God led us into the desert, do we need to worry about survival? Will He not provide? If it was not God's will for us to head into the flourishing land, would we thrive in such a flourishing environment? Jonah tried to run away from his calling, and no matter where he went, he met resistance.

Store up treasures in Heaven, not on Earth
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21)

A good example of this advice is illustrated here in Matthew 19:21–22:
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

This young man could not part with his worldly possessions and therefore gave up his heavenly inheritance. Sounds silly? If we hold on to something more tightly than our hold on God, we, too, are that young man.

Die in our sins so that we can live in Christ
"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39).

We are not of this world. We belong in Heaven with God. Thus, on Earth, there is no home. This is why Jesus said, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Luke 9:58).

Here on Earth, our ONLY goal is to preach the Gospel. We are not here to build mansions and buy sports cars. We are not here to accumulate wealth and comfort. We are here to spread the Good News so that ALL souls can be saved. 

Do not be the rich young man of Matthew 19:21-22
To save us, Jesus LEFT HIS THRONE IN HEAVEN TO LIVE AS MAN. And not just that, HE WAS TORTURED AND BLED FOR US. Compared to this, NOTHING we do in Jesus' name can be considered us giving up anything. 

Jesus LEFT HIS THRONE! For what? For us, who are sinful creatures, who have done NOTHING to deserve salvation! We should be grateful. From deep down inside, we should be grateful. And if we are grateful, we would understand what it means to stand for Christ. We would understand the importance of sharing the Good News with everyone. And if we are grateful, we would NEVER think that the things we do for Christ is us giving anything up! We do the things we for Christ because we love Him, because we are thankful for what He has done for us. 

We love, and we are thankful BECAUSE GOD LOVED US FIRST.

Followers of Christ will be rewarded for our works
"We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).

Christians will not be at the judgment of the Great White Throne. However, we will be judged at the Bema Seat of Christ. It is a time where we are rewarded for the works we have accomplished in God's name while we are on Earth.

Clearly, we want to stand confident and unashamed before Jesus at His Return (1 John 2:28)!