Dr. Dean Alley PhD: Alright, Chaplain Dean Alley, I had a moment. You made it. It's Friday. Here we are again. We're gonna start up again because I don't know what happened there, but it just went in it just started going crazy. I think what I did was I opened the window to YouTube and it showed me watching it. So it had a voiceover going on, and that's certainly not what I wanted to do. So remember we we left off. Let's just jump in. We're gonna go to thirteen. I I was I went I got ahead of myself last time, and I basically tried to do thirteen and realized hey, I didn't do twelve, so I had to go back and do the twelve, and I did that yesterday, I'm doing twelve thirteen. Again, line by line, precept by precept. pulling out a and and and executing what we can and looking at it because there's a lot of great stuff in these verses and then we need to need to understand exactly what's going on. So there this is south of Canaan, as they're leaving Egypt. So he's he's thrown out of Egypt by Pharaoh because of what? Sarai, which was his wife, he told him that it was his sister, which was a half truth. So the half truth was Simply put that she was his stepsister. So the reason he wanted to say I wasn't his wife is because I guess he must have had an inkling that they would kill him and take his wife. So by saying it's his sister that gave him some capability of not being killed. So but he did it was he he lied, it was a half truth and when Pharaoh found out about it and he obviously had belief system in God because he said, Get out of here. Go, go, why would you do this to me? And he didn't he didn't kill him or anything. He just boom. But you know he's being protected because this is the father of the Israelites, right? So when we look at the first part, we we we look where Abraham and Lot they return out of Egypt. This is the first recording of ri the first rich people in the Bible. And he was. He was a very rich individual. there was some strife and discord came will come between with a Abraham and his herdsmen and with Lot's herdsmen. So they get into a little disagreement. And then Abram meekly refers to Lot to choose his country or which part, where do you want to move to? Lot chooses basically Sodom, which is neck it's it's it's e it's east of the Dead Sea and Abraham chooses Hebron, which is west of the Dead Sea. So then God renews his promise and then he rem he he he then removes to himself to Hebron and there he builds an altar and then he he's giving thanks. Remember that's a big thing in in that culture. is building all offers to God and altar you know, there's paganist altars being built too and that's the things that anger God 'cause if you go back to the mosaic, which we haven't got there yet, we learn that that's you'd the you'll have no other gods. He's a jealous God. And people just didn't heed his warnings and essentially that's the reason why Israel was basically, you know, destroyed several times. by the Assyrians, by the Egyptians, by the Alexander the Great, Rome, Babylon, Assyrian, all these different kingdoms conquered them and God allowed it to happen because of what was going on. Israel was far, far from God and he just let you know, take And obviously there's the long term plan for Israel, which we know. They'll have a chance because we know that what did they do? They crucified the Christ, and they will have one more chance in the tribulation. But that's a later conversation. So let's look. And Abram went up, where'd he go? To Egypt, and he and his wife and all that he had and lot, so Lot's with him into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle and silver and gold. So he had a lot of money. And he had well not money but silver and gold and went and he went on his journey from the south even to Bethel unto the place where his tent had been. What does that mean? That's where he stayed before when he went down. That's usually what they did. They went back to the the locations they stayed before, kind of backtracked because it it was profitable, maybe it was water, better grazing, I don't know. But That's typically what they did. So he goes back to Bethel and H I or A I, some people say, unto the place of the altar which he had made. there was a there at the first, and then and Abram called on the name of the Lord. So he's gone back to the same place. He's calling on the name of the Lord, and Lot also which would went with him with Abraham and his flocks and his herds and his tents. And the land, then it goes on to say, and the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together for their substance. This is where the argument comes into play. the strife starts coming up and they can't dwell together and they're arguing about who's gonna get the water hole, who's gonna get this, who's gonna get the food, whatever it is. could be whatever. So, they had some strife discord between the two of So they were they were having problems. And With that strife between the herdsmen, Abraham's cattle and his herdsmen, Lot's cattle and them, and the Canaanite and pez pre Perserite dwell then in the land. which gives us that's the land that we know that Abraham's gonna choose. But here it is. And Abraham said unto Lot, let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee. And between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we be what? Brethren. So he's extending the olive leaf, if you will, of the situation. So it is not the whole land before thee. Is not the whole land before And he says, basically, separate thyself, I pray thee, for me, and I will take the left hand and you go to the right. Or if you depart to the right hand, I'll go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plains of Jordan that were well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So before the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, you know, Lot It's first choice. So he chose to go to basically He'll he'll go the way of Sodom Gomorrah, even as the garden the Lord like the land of Egypt, and thou comest until Zor and So Zor was just east of Jordan, and it was a city southeast of the Dead Sea, and it was grouped with Sodom and Gomorrah. So it's kind of a little little area that had a little five little cities in there. Because he didn't just destroy one city, he destroyed destroyed at least five of those cities in there. So that's important to point out here. So let's see, he lifted his eyes, well watered, and then he said. and Lot chose him all the plains of Jordan and Lot journeyed east. Remember I said he went east of the Dead Sea. And then obviously the promised land, which is Canaan, is where Abraham went. We know the ending of the story that that's the promised land. At this point he doesn't even know that. This is all new to him. And then Lot chose the plain, and then Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot Dwelled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent, just what they did, towards Sodom. And but men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. And the Lord said unto Abram, After Lot was separated from him, so apparently Sodom and Gomorrah was there, I guess. And it was probably full of Canaanites and sip wicked people. I'm not sure. let's see if I can find it. So we know that. yeah, it gets it was a Cain, yeah, it was a Canaanite city at the time. and it was paired with another city called Gomorrah. So Sodom and Gomorrah, they're kind of together, and they were they were in the area of the Dead Sea and the Jordan, and and we know what happens to those guys, they get destroyed. But that's where he goes, and they were they were very sinful. And the Lord said unto Abram, after That Lor Lot was separated. Lift him up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art northward and southward, eastward and westward. In other words, look around. Take a look around, Abra Abram, and I will make thee thy seed as the dust of the earth. So let me say this about that. So we we definitely get the sense that You know, God uses different points of analogies to talk about Abram. So in this one it's the dust of the earth. He compares him to the dust of then the other one will be we see a little bit later will be the stars of heaven. He compares the the the the nation. And then he c then the sands of the sea is numbered. So those are three identicals that we learn that it's referen referenced in terms of using that type of language. And notice it was the dust, it was the stars, and it was the sand in the sea. So he's using, you know, different parts of geographic to explain there's a lot of sand. You look at sand, you can't count sand. Stars, we can't count how many stars. You know, and then the dust of the earth. And in the number of so we only know how much dust is in the earth. So it's it's important to point that out because we we learn that in fourteen he gets the prophecy and the prophecy and the Lord said unto Abram after a lot is separated and lift him up thine eyes from this he's so he's seeing the prophecy of what he's gonna give him and then we see where he is getting the message. So God's telling him, Hey I'm making this land for you in the future. This is what's going to be. And then the last part of that where he says eastward and westward is another command he's giving. And then we see essentially that the promise is given in 15, for the land which thou seest to thee will I give and to thy seed forever, and I will make thy seed the dust of the earth, as we said. That's another promise that man can number. and dust of the earth That's a command. Let me double check. So 17, arise and walk through the land in the length of it. So walk around, look at it. Take a look at it. Be understand it. Be intimate with it. You know, that's his command. He's telling him hey, go go look around, look at your land, and in the length of it. So walk around, see it, the breadth, the length, and for I will give it. unto thee. So he's gonna give this to Abram. Then Abram removed his tent, and he came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord. Remember they always use altars to give thanks to God. So when we look at thirteen, the first four verses, and I didn't spend a whole lot of time I should have, but They're leaving the southern Cana Canaan and they're leaving Egypt in the beginning. He came from the south, so he had come originally and from the southern parts of the land. Now he goes north north northeast to down in Egypt. And then let's see here. So there was a repentance piece here that I did I missed in the beginning of thirteen. I didn't say. this is the whole The whole piece here is He he's basically saying in these four verses, it's weak faith and repentance. He's repenting because what do you do? He he lied. He had a little teeny lie, right? So every believer is weak in faith, wanders. And when we're weak we'll wander and we don't repent and return to God, or we need to repent and return to God. so, you know, they were separated from Egypt, which was The world of ungodliness. They repented and began their journey back to the promised land. And then this is where we learn in then verse six, and picking it up in six, or excuse me, five, they they faced a threefold problem, right? So number one, there was an unwise desire to stay together, even when the land was could support them both. So it was a All this land can support but it was wise at the time for them to separate. it was a severe conflict between the herdsmen and the workers. So they were fighting. So, you know, sometimes there's a fight going on. What do you do? You try to break it up, right? So and then the other is poor godly influence. So there was not a whole lot of influence of godliness there and a poor testimony to the world. So those are three full things in that discord. That they were dealing with. And Abram sought to solve it, and by doing that, he suggests to keep the peace, right? That's what he says. He said, Let's not have what is this not this by where do you say it? let's not strife. He says it's seven, and there was strife, and then he said, the very next verse he said unto Lot, let there be no strife. So he's trying to be a peacemaker. So he suggests the need to keep the peace, and then he offers to give the land. the best land. So he had the first choice, the best land. And then he said to Lot, sacrificing his own right to choose first. So he was he was basically saying, hey man, this is your you pick what you want. So Lot Lot was misled a little bit by the lust of the eye, by what he saw. He saw the great appearance of this all this land. he started getting a little selfish, right? Thinking, hey, I get to choose this first. I'm I'm the guy, right? So he lifts up his eyes and he looks for the best land. Selfishly, Lot looked focused in his eyes, right? Upon what he believed that appeared to him that looked the best. And the selfishness that Lot chose all of the land for himself. So he's thinking he's got the best land. So then when we pick it up where Abraham dwelt, so Abraham dwelt in and lived where he could prosper. And he wanted to be sp spiritual. Lot where he could prosper in the world. So you have Abram that wants to be connected, you know, meditating, being spiritually, and then you got Lot who wants to be even more rich and he's of the world and he's looking to be settled where the people of of of wickedness was. And I mean, did they know that Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked? Look, I don't know. But We know the Bible says it was a wicked place. And there's five little cities there, two of them that were connected, Sodom and Gomorrah were two different places. and they were very wicked or were wicked and very sinful. That's what the Bible tells us. So Abraham, his faith was renewed. when or after a separation from the world, how by Lord the Lord's word, lift up thine eyes now. This is what he's telling him. Separate from the world. Lift up your eyes now. And then he says, What a threefold reward. He gives him the land, he gives them the seed, and then he says, the right to walk around that land upon that he was given by God. So we see that in Abraham, Abram's faith, what continues. And he obeyed God. He did what God asked him to do. He worshiped in Hebron, right? He built the offer, right? So We start looking at, you know, the difference between the two of them, and again, that was through eighteen. I think that was it, right? Three eighteen, yeah. So selfishness and greed in the world. Certainly not a place that we want to be in. We don't want to dwell there. we never must we we must never mislead by appearance by the lust of the eyes, right? So there's a couple of thoughts here we need to think about in these in this these verses. Thought one, Lot ignored the ungodly behavior of Sodom and Gorg, didn't care. He went in in blindness, went there anyways. He must have denied that they were ungodly, and they would influence the spiritual life of his dear family, which we know it does. So he chooses for himself. He's selfish in the in this context. And then there's two s there's two striking points here is the people or people move for all kinds of reasons. They're either seeking a better position, a better job, maybe they're seeking a better, better scenery, maybe more money, larger house, maybe there's reasons. you know, you we could go on. But the believers, when believers move, they must always look from the spiritual impact of the move. Basically, a number of fellow believers in here. So you're picking an area, it should be an area of believers. Look, look for those people. The availability of Bible centered churches that preach Christ. the moral spiritual atmosphere. What does that atmosphere feel like? How about the community? So these are just suggestions when you're moving somewhere. W back in the day when I was unchurched, it was all selfish. But God fixed that and brought me to my knees. So again, moral spiritual atmosphere, your communities, you know, I know I went to like the post office and I went to different places and asked, you know, how are the schools, how's this, you know? Just getting a sense of the community. and the worldly places that exist that tend tempt children. So you wanna look to make sure that there's nothing out there that's going to create even bigger things. That is gonna be difficult. So we should never be misled by the appearance of the lust of the eyes, by what it what looks. You've heard the old saying, beauty is only skin deep, you know, I mean it's really what's inside. There's far more to life than the physical material. I I know that when I do marriage counseling, I always spend a lot of time on I do like five or six sessions, but I make sure that you understand the person you're looking at today, 50 years later, is not going to look the same. And they need to understand that. So what you see in the eyes today, and beauty's only skin deep, because it's not going to last forever. But it's far more than any kind of going back to the topic of bright lights or pleasure, possessions, positions, wealth of the world. These are things that do not satisfy the soul. me I know I give you a give you a lot of reasons for that. God and the things of God, things such as purpose, meaning and significance are such are such things such as love, joy, peace, good faith, discipline, maybe control. The fullness of life comes from God. Nowhere else, folks. It's not gonna get it, you're not gonna get it from the short life that you're living today. what kind of decisions, where you live, who should marry, who to fellowship with, all these things come into play. And every decision we make as Christians, we make a life, we make it in a life that should be considering God in everything. Remember I've said before, if something I'm doing, is it honoring God? Am I honoring God by what I'm doing right now? or what I'm thinking or what I'm reading, what I'm watching. But it's the same way when you're getting ready if you're gonna move to a new area. Am I going to honor God by finding these things that are better for us than going into a a a situ like just if I'm gonna move to Las Vegas. I I mean come on. What is that's the capital of gambling. Gambling's a sin, right? so That's an example I and maybe extreme, but I just point that out because it's worldliness and don't let the lust of the eyes take over on you. And then, you know, when we think about the promises and the covenant, it was what? Abraham's faith. It was Abraham's faith that was rewarded with this land. And he was separated from Lot and there was a major crossroads in Abraham's life right there. And one one of the turning points in his pilgrim or his journey in faith. And Abram was facing a need, apparently a tremendous need, you know. And anyway, so it's important that we know that faith is important, steadfast obedience to the commands of God. What are the commands? They're in the Bible. I read I read you a couple. now those So the context here again, now we went we've gone from one through thirteen. The context is the creation, first man, the first family. We've had sin. we are now moving into where Israel is going to have the father of a great nation, which is going to be Israel, and it's through Abram. and he's obedient to God and We're gonna see this as we go on in chapter fourteen. It's gonna talk about some things. And as he's going, he's amassing servants, he's amassing wealth, he's amassing different things that are contributing to his to his substance. and he needs people to help manage some of the things that are going on. So, anyways, I I just I throw that out there, but his faith continued, Abraham continued to obey God and he worshipped God. He did that altar and giving thanks. And just note that when he built that altar, it was both for worship and a testimony to the s to the surrounding people. By what he was doing, he was letting people know and a witness to the only living true God is who he was he was thanking with his graciousness. And that's what we have to do. We have to just look around. Be thankful. There's always something to be thankful for. Anyways, Chaplin Dean Alley, I had a moment. I hope you have a great weekend. Take care.