Tests of Faith - Pt 3

Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. (Genesis 13:8-13 ESV). Abram’s second test involved giving Lot the choice of land in which to settle. It would require him believing God would take care of him even when it seemed he was not being treated fairly. Lot surveyed the land and chose what he believed to be the best land, leaving a less desirable land to Abraham. Hasn’t that happened to you before in a similar fashion? I think all of us can relate to being slighted, even after we have been magnanimous and sacrificial. How often have you gone the extra distance in service or giving and received nothing in return? Certainly this was a test for Abraham. Someone has pointed out that life seems to be arranged backwards. We are called upon to make our most important choices at a time when we have the least amount of experience to guide us. Because of this, we so frequently hear expressions of regret like, "If only I had known," "If I had it to do over again…" But it is this very quality of life which reveals the inability of man to handle life by himself. Evidently Lot and Abram went out on a promontory overlooking the valley and Lot lifted up his eyes. It is quite obvious he only looked in one direction. He had been out looking around before! Without hesitation now, he looked to the east and saw the well-watered plain below like the garden of the Lord in the midst of the desert. He saw the Jordan River cutting through its great gorge, the deepest point on the face of the earth. On either side of the Jordan, the lush green grass was growing, and the variety of palm trees made the whole place a veritable garden, and he was greatly attracted to it; it was by far the best land. But the passage suggests there were some things that Lot did not see. Although the Jordan valley was there before his eyes, he did not see the significance of its name. The word Jordan means "death." The river descended out of the living waters of Galilee, dropping far below sea level into the Dead Sea, from which there is no outlet. Outwardly it was fair to look upon, spiritually it meant the place of death, and this Lot failed to see. Then it is specially pointed out here that the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners before the Lord. Lot saw the profitableness of these cities, but he did not see their moral corruption. It should not be missed that when we seek to be treated “fair” we often miss the blessing of God’s grace. Grace cannot be fair. Fairness demands our death; grace gives us life!