Genesis 13:9 Commentary and Bible Study

This verse has sometimes been called by the old preachers, the courtesy of faith. ‘Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me’, says Abram. ‘If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right.’ Abram is not going to settle; he is going to continue these journeyings in obedience to God. He is not interested in earthly prosperity, although he has much of it. He is unspoiled; he is prepared entirely to trust God for his provision. So he gives Lot the first choice to select a territory a region to go to. This is the humility of the man coming out again. He is not the most important person around in his estimation. In fact he is, but he doesn't look at it that way. He is going to give Lot the choice of selection, to look around and see the territory, the region that appeals to him most, and to have and to possess and to take that, while Abraham will take the second best. ‘In honour preferring one another’, instructs the Apostle Paul in the Book of Romans. Lot does not come out terribly well in this, because he seems to take that first choice without hesitation. You might expect him to say to Abram, ‘You are my uncle, my father as it were; you are the senior person; you have received the call of God. You must choose. It is unthinkable that I would take first choice of a territory and a land.’ But that does not seem to occur to Lot, and he grasps at the first choice. So we are seeing a difference there. Abram is quite laid-back about this. He is going to trust God. Lot is going to make the most of a choice to get the best territory. We do not want to over-criticise Lot because he is undoubtedly a believer. We are certain of that. Although there is a very unsatisfactory element to his life, there are also higher things in his life, and of course the great commentary in 2 Peter makes it quite clear to us that he is a just man; he knows the Lord. It also tells us that although he had moved into Sodom, an evil city, and sought influence there, yet he had tremendous vexation of spirit. His righteous soul was vexed by the things that happened in Sodom and in 2 Peter the Greek word translated ‘vexed’, used of Lot, literally means that he was filled with consternation and even fear, and apprehension. It is a very strong term. So we know he loved the Lord; he was a converted man, he walked with God. And yet he did some disastrous things and his life is a warning to us. It seems that riches did not affect Abram, but Lot’s riches certainly affected him and they turned his mind. He lusted after them, so that his wealth and prosperity changed him, and he wanted more of it, even if he had to compromise and go into the world and the cities of the plain in order to indulge himself.