Last time in “Who Was Abraham?”, we saw how God appeared to Abraham and promised that He would bless the entire world through him. This time in “The Better Promise,” we continue to see how God is working in Abraham to strengthen and stretch Him, increasing his faith through every trial and every blessing.
Separate Ways
When Abraham was 75, he began the long trek to Canaan, the “promised land.” Not too long after arriving, famine plagued the land. To escape, Abraham journeyed southward to Egypt, where he became “very wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold” (Genesis 13:2).
When he returned to Canaan with his nephew Lot, they discovered that their “possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.” Quarreling arose between Abraham and Lot’s men (Genesis 13:6-7). There simply wasn’t enough room.
To keep the peace, they decided to split up. As the elder of the family, Abraham had every right to choose the prime land, but instead, he elected to trust God and believe He would fulfill His earlier promise. Abraham said to Lot, “The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left” (Genesis 13:9). Lot decided on the plain of Jordan, which was well-watered, like the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). Lot’s decision put him near the land of Sodom, an evil city that would eventually endanger Lot and his family and draw them into its wickedness.
Better Promise
After dividing the land, Lot and Abraham went their separate ways. Abraham lived in Canaan and Lot in Sodom. Lot may have chosen the more prime land, but Abraham received God’s better promise. Shortly after Lot left, God reaffirmed His covenant to Abraham, saying, “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).
Abraham’s step of faith in giving Lot the first choice of land was in deep contrast to his earlier distrust of God’s provision during the time of famine. Instead of waiting on God, he decided to take matters into his own hands by fleeing the promised land of Canaan for Egypt. Throughout Genesis, we see Abraham engaged in a spiritual tug of war between waiting on God’s promises and taking things into his own hands. Despite his struggles and his mistakes, we know Abraham as a hero of faith.
Everyday life presents us with choices, just as it did Abraham. Every day we must ask ourselves, do we choose what looks good to our flesh, or do we choose instead to trust God even if that means waiting on His promises? When we decide to look at our situation through God’s eyes and trust Him in the waiting, like Abraham we will receive the better promise.
