Daily Genesis

Webers_Home · #**141** 21st November 2009, 11:45 AM

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†. Gen 12:4a . . Abram went forth as the Lord had commanded him,

Although Abram didn't "went forth" exactly when God told him to; he finally did; and that's what counts. Jonah didn't "went forth" when he was told to go either, but God prepared a large fish to persuade him to stop fooling around and get a move on; and he finally complied.

Repentance is essential to genuine piety. Lots of Bible heroes vacillated at first when asked to follow God, but later changed their minds and got with the program. But please don't ever make a pretense at following God while down in your heart you really don't. That is not a good thing. It's better to be above board than to be wishy-washy.

†. Mtt 21:28-32 . .What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said: Son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not; he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered: I will, sir; but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?

The unreliable son led his father to believe he was willing to help out in the fields; but in reality, his heart just wasn't in it.

†. Gen 12:4b . . and Lot went with him.

That was an err on Abram's part. He was told to leave his native land and to leave his father's house. He wasn't supposed to take any relatives along with him.

†. Gen 12:4c . . Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

That hardly seems like a sensible age to begin a new life; but Abram was relatively young yet in his own day, and still had 100 years of life left to go. To give a perspective on just how long 100 years is: from today in 2009, the Titanic wasn't yet built, America wasn't yet in World War I; Geronimo died in February, and Annie Oakley and Wyatt Earp were still living.

I was born in 1944. The average life expectancy of a man born that year is roughly 62. Abram lived to the ripe old age of 175 (Gen 25:7-8). So, at the time of his migration to Canaan, Abram was about the equivalent of me at 27.

Abram's wife Sarai was even perkier. She was nine years younger than Abram (cf. Gen 17:1 and Gen 17:17). But Sarai only lived to 127; forty-eight years less than her husband (Gen 23:1). The average life expectancy of a woman born in 1944 is about 67 years. So Sarai would have been the equivalent of 25 had she survived to her husband's ripe old age of 175. Precisely why Sarai's life was cut short is unknown.

†. Gen 12:5 . . Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan; and they arrived there.

From Haran (Haraan Turkey) it's well over 400 miles south to the West Bank in Palestine. You can imagine the difficulty of making such a trip what with no automobiles, no trains, no buses, no taxi cabs, no airplanes, no paved-surface highways, and no graded roads. It was all trails and dirt paths; and all on foot, or on the back of an animal, or in a cart pulled by an animal.

People traveled like that for millennia before powered conveyances were invented and became widespread. Practically all modern means of travel were invented in the 20th century AD. In only just the last 120 years or so of Man's existence has there been airplanes and horseless carriages. Man went from horse and buggy to the moon in just 80 years. The previous thousands of years before Karl Benz's production of gasoline-powered vehicles; people were very slow moving, and travel was arduous, inconvenient, and totally earth-bound.

It's significant that Abram wasn't required to dispose of his worldly goods in order to follow God. Abram later became an exceedingly rich man and God never once asked him to give it all away. Riches are bad only if they have such a hold upon a person that they must compromise their integrity to hang on to it. For that person, it's better to be poor. But it would be wrong to impose poverty upon everyone because not everyone is consumed with avarice and greed.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**142** 22nd November 2009, 07:18 PM

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†. Gen 12:6 . . Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

The Canaanites were descendants of Ham's son Canaan, the cursed grandson of Noah.

The Canaanites probably didn't have complete control of the land at this time, merely a presence, same as Abram. But they were definitely in progress of getting control. By the time Joshua invaded, roughly four hundred years later, Canaan's clan was pretty well rooted in Palestine.

Abram's welfare wasn't improved by coming out west to Canaan. His home town Ur was a modern city with accommodations. But out here on the frontier, it was rugged. Palestine in that day was no Utopia. It was more like the conditions which faced our own early day American pioneers and settlers. There were communities scattered here and there, but for the most part, it was wild and wooly.

Abram, now paying attention to God, is going where he's told and moving in all the right directions. The next two moves are preceded by altars; upon which, we can safely assume, were offered the traditional Noahic burnt offering; and were sites for making contact with God; sort of like the Temple became in later years.

†. Gen 12:7a . .The Lord appeared to Abram

Exactly how or in what form God appeared to Abram isn't specified. God's appearances aren't always visual. Sometimes an appearance is merely an audible voice; or a dream, an angel, a breeze, or even an eerie glow.

†. Gen 12:7b . . and said: I will assign this land to your heirs.

This is the very first instance of a Divine promise made to Abram regarding ownership of Palestine; and it probably bounced right off his skull like a sonar ping. But later on, God will repeat that promise again and again until it finally sinks in. Repetition is, after all, a proven aid to learning and memorization.

†. Gen 12:7c-8 . . And he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by name.

Eusebius Onomasticon, placed Bethel twelve Roman miles north from Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. The site today is represented by the modern town of Beitin, a village which stands on a knoll east of the road to Nablus; roughly 2½ miles northeast of Ramallah El-Bira.

Ai hasn't really been pinpointed yet but is identified either with the modern Haiyan, just south of the village Deir Dibwan or with a mound, El-Tell, to the north.

This is only the second time in Scripture where it's said human beings called upon God by a name. The first was Gen 4:26. What name might Abram have used to invoke God? The name Yhvh was well known by this time, and Abram addressed God by it on numerous occasions (e.g. Gen 13:4, 14:22, 15:8, 21:33, and 24:3).

God's demeanor towards Abram was sometimes that of an officer in wartime who doesn't tell his troops in advance the location of their next bivouac. Instead he orders them to march in a certain direction, only later telling them when to stop and set up camp. So Abram went where he was commanded to go; not really knowing where he was going nor why. For the time being, Abram didn't need to know the why— he only needed to know the where.

Altars were an important place to meet with God in the early days. Abel met with God that way, and so did Noah. And it was during Enosh's days that people began the practice of calling upon The Lord by name. Exactly what name, if any, men used prior to that isn't stated.

Free now from the harmful influence of his own dad's pagan ways, Abram revived the religion of his sacred ancestors and began calling upon God the same way they did; and he got his travel orders that way too. Each time he worshipped at the altars, God told him what to do, where to go next; and sometimes even shared some personal data along with His big plans for Abram's future. Abram was doing pretty much what Adam did in the garden; meeting with God in the cool of the day; so to speak. Only Abram did it differently because he was a sinful being, whereas, in the beginning, Adam wasn't; so he didn't need an altar in the garden.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**143** 23rd November 2009, 02:38 PM

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†. Gen 12:9 . .Then Abram journeyed by stages toward the Negev.

Negev is from negeb (neh'-gheb) and means: to be parched; the south (from its drought); specifically, the Negev or southern district of Judah; occasionally Egypt (as south to Palestine). The Negev is generally considered as beginning south of Dhahiriya; which is right in between Hevron and Be'ér Sheva; and as stretching south in a series of rolling hills until the actual wilderness begins, a distance of perhaps 70 miles.

To the east, the Negev is bounded by the Dead Sea and the Arabah, and to the west there is no defined boundary before the Mediterranean. It's a land of scanty springs and sparse rainfall. The character of its soil is a transition from the fertility of Canaan to the wilderness of the desert— essentially a pastoral land, where grazing is plentiful in the early months and where camels and goats can survive, even through the long summer drought.

Today, as through most periods of history, the Negev is a land for the nomad rather than the settled inhabitant, although abundant ruins in many spots testify to better physical conditions at some periods. The east and west directions of the valleys, the general dryness, and the character of the inhabitants, have always made it a more or less isolated region without thoroughfare. The great routes pass along the coast to the west or up the Arabah to the east. Against all who would lead an army up from the south, this southern frontier of Judah presented a tough obstacle in the old days. The Negev is slated for a make-over when the Jews return to their homeland.

†. Isa 35:1-2 . .The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of The Lord, the excellency of our God.

Lebanon's glory of old was timber; especially cedars (1Kng 4:33). Sharon was known for its flowers (Song 2:1) and Carmel for its orchards (Isa 33:9). How God will get timber, flowers, and orchards to flourish in the Negev should be interesting.

†. Gen 12:10 . .There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Abram fully intended to return to Canaan just as soon as the famine ended. The move to Egypt was a temporary expedient, rather than the result of irrational panic. Famine might seem to some as an excuse for Abram to return to Haran. But Abram wasn't retreating. His destiny did not lie in Haran. It lay in Palestine— period! —no going back.

I've heard more than one commentator say that Abram was out of God's will when he left Canaan and moved to Egypt. It is really impossible to know that for sure; but I'm inclined to give Abram the benefit of the doubt. Back at Shechem, Abram began the practice of erecting altars and calling on grandpa Noah's god. Each time he moved, he built a new altar. And each time he did that, God gave him new travel orders. Since the text doesn't suggest otherwise; it should be okay to assume Abram went down to Egypt under the very same divine guidance as the other places he moved to.

Later on, Jacob and his whole entourage will be forced to move down into Egypt because of famine; and they will do it under the auspices of Divine providence rather than under the impulse of human anxiety (Gen 46:2-6).

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**144** 24th November 2009, 12:49 PM

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†. Gen 12:11 . . As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai: I know what a beautiful woman you are.

Abram was about nine years older than Sarai; so she was over 66 years-old when this event occurred because according to Gen 12:4, Abram was seventy-five when they left Haran. Sarai was amazing. Even at 66+ years she drew admiring glances.

Abram's acknowledgement of Sarai's beauty appears to have been somewhat out of the ordinary. After a number of years of marriage, it isn't uncommon for men to take their wives for granted; and to stop taking notice of them after a while. Maybe Abram should have told her more often what he thought about her looks.

†. Gen 12:12 . . If the Egyptians see you, and think "She is his wife" they will kill me and let you live.

Abram is only assuming that of course. And what a great reputation the Egyptians had in Canaan! They murdered men for their wives!?! No wonder we tend to think early man was a knuckle dragger. Egypt had an active presence up in and around Canaan prior to Abram's day and perhaps the conduct of their frontier consulates was somewhat less than honorable at times. So of course the people of Canaan would quite naturally assume all Egyptians were animals just like many people today assume that all Muslims are animals because of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster.

During the US military's campaign to liberate the Pacific islands during world war two, many of the Japanese soldiers, and their dependants, chose suicide over surrender because their commanders had persuaded them to believe that the Americans would not only torture them if captured, but also dine upon their dead bodies like steak and eggs.

The suicides were not pretty. Some parents slit their own children's throats and then held grenades to their chests and blew themselves apart like shattered dolls. Many chose to leap to their deaths from steep cliffs. Others waded out into the surf and drowned themselves; and their children too. The Americans used interpreters and loud speakers in a mostly futile effort to encourage the people to come out of hiding and get some much needed food, water, and medical treatment but precious few responded. Such is the power of propaganda. One of Hitler's top aides once said that if you repeat a lie often enough, anon people will believe it's true. He was so right.

†. Gen 12:13 . . I *beseech you; say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.

Thanks to you?! Oh brother. (groan) Hel-loh-ohhh! Earth to Abram! Are you becoming senile or something? What was the very first promise that God made to you when you arrived in Shechem? There's an old saying that goes like this: Dead men tell no tales. Well, I propose a new one: Dead men engender no heirs.

There is just no way Abram is going to die at this time. He's bullet proof! Abram has to be kept alive to engender heirs so God can make good on His promise to give them the land of Canaan. No one can kill Abram at this point; not even a Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Not even The Almighty God Himself can kill Abram right now because it is too late for that. God passed His word back at Shechem that he would make of Abram a great nation and He can't go back on it without seriously compromising His own integrity. Some people might be inclined to call that a character weakness; but to those of us relying upon God to make good on His word, His integrity is the very basis of our confidence.

†. Heb 6:16-20 . . Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the manner of Melchizedek's arrangement.

So then, God's promises are God-proof.

†. 2Tim 2:13 . . If we are unfaithful, He will remain faithful, for He cannot repudiate himself.

* NOTE: Abram didn't have to beseech Sarai to tell a half-truth for him. In that culture, he was her lord and master (cf. Gen 18:12, 1Pet 3:6). This really speaks well of the old boy and reveals what a true gentleman he really was. We'll see more of that as we progress through Genesis.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**145** 25th November 2009, 02:18 PM

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†. Gen 12:14 . .When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw how very beautiful the woman was.

How did the Egyptians see she was a looker? Well, the dress code for women in Sarai's day was nothing like the totally unflattering burqas that the Taliban imposed upon women of Afghanistan.

Depicted in a wall painting in the tomb of an Egyptian nobleman named Khnum-hotpe, at Beni-Hasen on the Nile river, dating from about 1900 BC, is a Semitic troupe passing customs to enter Egypt. The women are wearing form-fitting, highly colored, sleeveless wrap-around dresses whose hems stop at mid calf. Neck lines swoop from the left shoulder to just under the opposite armpit, leaving that side's shoulder completely bare. Their hair, fastened by a thin white ribbon around the forehead, falls loosely over breast and shoulders, and there's stylish little curls just in front of the ears. Upon their feet are dark brown, half length boots. In attire like that, a woman with any physical assets at all would be very easy to notice.

†. Gen 12:15a . . Pharaoh’s courtiers saw her and praised her to Pharaoh,

Webster's has a couple of definitions for courtiers. They are people in attendance at a royal court; and they are also people who practice flattery. Apparently Pharaoh's toadies kept their eyes peeled for luscious women to add to his harem; and thus gain for themselves his favor and approval; ergo: they got to keep their jobs.

Their sighting of Sarai wasn't just happenstance. Entry into Egypt in those days was tightly controlled and the only way in was past specified check points. At one time in Egypt's past, there existed a long chain of forts, watchtowers, and strong points designed to watch over immigration and possible invasions by the Sand People from the east. The "wall" stretched north and south across the desert approximately along the same path as today's Suez Canal. Each check point was manned by armed soldiers accompanied by officials of the Egyptian government; sort of like the customs agents in the modern world today.

†. Gen 12:15b . . and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s palace.

Not good. A woman in the harems of that day would never have a home of her own nor freedom to travel. Never would she be allowed to pursue romance nor to associate with her friends and peers ever again.

†. Gen 12:16 . . And because of her, it went well with Abram; he acquired sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses, and camels.

Life is much better when you're connected. Because of Sarai, Abram was treated well. I think ol' Mordecai had that very thing in mind for himself when he entered Esther into the beauty contest in Shushan.

So Abram is getting rich. After all, his sister is in the White House. You think anyone is going to cheat him or make him pay full price for goods and services? No way. If anything, people were more than willing to give him lots of expensive gifts and deep discounts, hoping to remain in Pharaoh's good graces by doing so.

But what's going on in Pharaoh's boudoir at night? There is just no way Abram could block that out of his mind. If only he had believed God's promise, Sarai's honor wouldn't be in such immediate danger of compromise. Abram could have swaggered into Egypt totally fearless of Pharaoh and his country; and kept his wife within her own camp, safe and snug among her own people.

Sarai's beauty is handy for discussing the value of good looks. There is really nothing intrinsically wrong with enhancing a woman's appearance with a trendy hair-do, hosiery, IPEX bra, make-up, and flattering neckline; unless of course it bothers their conscience. But the important thing is that Christian women not put too high a value on sex appeal while overlooking their personalities because it's really a person's spirit that God looks upon to determine their true worth as a person rather than the shape of their legs or the texture of their skin.

†. 1Tim 2:8-10 . . It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, (too,) women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds.

Modesty is really a matter of culture. By 21st century American standards, Semitic women in Sarai's day were quite modest, exposing only their arms and shoulders and maybe a little of their calf. But here in America, it isn't uncommon for women to appear on national television wearing little more than heels and fancy underwear. Each woman is going to have to decide for herself what is appropriate according to the dictates of her own particular culture, and of her own personal conscience.

The important point is: the New Testament doesn't actually forbid women to fix themselves up and look pretty. If they want to pierce their belly buttons, wear hip hugging capri pants and a clingy tank top, it's really no big deal. 1Tim 2:8-10 shouldn't be taken as some sort of ascetic law, but be taken as a contrast between the relative values of the outward self and the inward self. I mean, if the only apparel women were supposed to wear in public are "good deeds" then there's a real risk of them being arrested for indecent exposure.

According to 1Pet 3:1-6, Christian women should put a very high priority on their personalities— most especially upon their relationship with their husband —rather than banking everything upon their appearance. A woman's appearance still counts for something, as did Sarai's, and I think we should all try to look the best we can with what we have to work with; but certainly not at the expense of who we are.

†. Pro 11:22 . . As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

I'm sure you can see right off how wasteful it would be to glam a pig. It would still be a pig and it would still act like pigs act. Same with gorgeous women who have rotten personalities. Good looks are wasted on them because inwardly they are she-devils who make their husbands miserable all the time with bickering, and stubbornness, and carping, and scorn, and ridicule, and chafing. Although we sure wouldn't recommend that Christian women in America copy Sarai's culture and begin calling their husbands lord; we would certainly urge them to follow her example and treat the poor guys with a little courtesy and respect and allow them a measure of dignity once in a while.

Some women are of the opinion that because men are men, they should be able to take abuse without complaining and whining about it. But that is a heartless, insensitive attitude. Men are human beings. They may be physically tougher than most women, but they can still get their feelings hurt by neglect, thoughtless remarks, ugly suggestions, demeaning comments, and relentless ridicule.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**146** 26th November 2009, 11:16 AM

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†. Gen 12:17 . . But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues on account of Sarai, the wife of Abram.

I, for one, don't blame Pharaoh for any of that. It was totally Abram's fault. Pharaoh and his courtiers were duped into thinking Sarai was available. How could they have known she was a married woman? However, even though Eve was duped in chapter 3; she was still culpable just the same. So, in the Bible, sins of ignorance are still sins and God retains the right to come after Man for them. In point of fact, Lev 4:27-35, and Num 15:27-29, mandate an atonement for the ignorant sinner when once he discovers he's done a wrong.

Yhvh had plans for Sarai— plans that did not center upon Pharaoh; but centered on Abram. Our hero didn't tell the Egyptians about his adventures with The Lord. All he could think about was how to survive and stay alive. ¡Error! If he had instead been a faithful witness for God, rather than looking out for his own skin, I think things would have gone much better for Abram and Sarai down there in Egypt.

But now they will be forcibly deported; in shame and disgrace. So, instead of being a positive influence for their god, they became a very bad one. God's people are supposed to believe in their god, and reflect that confidence to others. And God's people should never be reluctant to tell others about their religion even if those others appear to be pagan heathens.

†. Gen 12:18-20 . . Pharaoh sent for Abram and said: What is this you have done to me! Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say: "She is my sister" so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and begone! And Pharaoh put men in charge of him, and they sent him off with his wife and all that he possessed.

Just exactly how Pharaoh found out that Sarai was Abram's wife is not said. Probably the very same way King Abimelech discovered the truth about her in a later incident. Here's how that will go when we get there later on.

†. Gen 20:1-7 . .While he was sojourning in Gerar, Abraham said of Sarah his wife: She is my sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him: You are to die because of the woman that you have taken, for she is a married woman. Now Abimelech had not approached her. He said: O Lord, will you slay people even though innocent? He himself said to me: "She is my sister" And she also said: "He is my brother.? When I did this, my heart was blameless and my hands were clean.

. . And God said to him in the dream: I knew that you did this with a blameless heart, and so I kept you from sinning against me. That was why I did not let you touch her. Therefore, restore the man’s wife— since he is a prophet, he will intercede for you —to save your life. If you fail to restore her, know that you shall die, you and all that are yours.

Not only was Abimelech in danger of imminent death, but he and his household were already inflicted with a malady that prevented them from having children even before God said anything about it. From our point of view, it would appear that God is terribly unfair. I mean, after all, Pharaoh and Abimelech couldn't possibly have known that Sarah was married, especially when both she and her husband were telling people otherwise. But these incidents are valuable to reveal that sin is just a wee bit more complicated than Man's inadequate little sense of right and wrong is able to fully comprehend.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**147** 27th November 2009, 05:26 PM

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†. Gen 13:1-2 . . From Egypt, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed, together with Lot. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.

The word for rich is from kabad (kaw-bad') which means: to be heavy, i.e. in either a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable); causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses)

So the rich are not only wealthy, but weighted down too. Wealth can be both a blessing and a curse. It all depends. But it would be a mistake to assume that wealth and prosperity are evidence of Divine acceptance and blessing. Not so. Many among the rich are evil; and God accepts the poor just as readily as the rich.

†. Ps 69:33-34 . .The lowly will see and rejoice; you who are mindful of God, take heart! For the Lord listens to the needy, and does not spurn His captives.

†. Ps 9:18-19 . . Let the wicked be in Sheol, all the nations who ignore God! Not always shall the needy be ignored, nor the hope of the afflicted forever lost.

†. Prv 28:6 . . Better is a poor man who lives blamelessly than a rich man whose ways are crooked.

†. Ps 140:12-13 . . Let slanderers have no place in the land; let the evil of the lawless man drive him into corrals. I know that the Lord will champion the cause of the poor, the right of the needy. Righteous men shall surely praise Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence.

It is one thing to be blessed with riches as was Abram. But it is quite another to set your jaw to become rich. Selfish ambition and avarice are typically impious, covetous, ruthless and cruel. It sets aside duty to God and Man, and walks over people to get its heart's desire: money and independence. People like that will have a lot to answer for.

†. Mtt 6:24 . . No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

†. Mtt 13:22 . .The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

†. Mtt 19:23-24 . .Then Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

†. 1Tim 6:9-10 . . People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and impaled themselves with much dejection.

†. Rev 3:17-19 . .You say: "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

You know something interesting? No longer can The Church say: "Silver and gold have I none." But then again, no longer can it say: "Rise and walk." (Acts 3:6)

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**148** 28th November 2009, 01:39 PM

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†. Gen 13:3-7a . . And he proceeded by stages from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bethel and Ai, the site of the altar that he had built there at first; and there Abram invoked the Lord by name. Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support them staying together; for their possessions were so great that they could not remain together. And there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and those of Lot’s cattle.

There is a well known ratio of cattle per acre of grazing land and what with Abram's and Lot's huge herds, they just couldn't be neighbors anymore. And especially since the land was just recently recovering from a famine. Lot's drovers were squabbling with Abram's over available grass; and probably the available water too. If those men had barbed wire in that day, I'm sure they would have strung it. Then the shootin' would have really started up!

†. Gen 13:7b . .The Canaanites and Perizzites were then dwelling in the land.

How do you suppose Abram's and Lot's squabbling looked to the pagans? When God's people can't get along, the God-less become disgusted with them and they sure won't be influenced for God in a good way when Yhvh's people are fighting amongst themselves like that.

†. Acts 15:36-40 . . Some time later Paul said to Barnabas: Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

Even the holiest of men sometimes have falling outs.

†. Gen 13:8-9a . . Abram said to Lot: Let there be no strife between you and me, between my herdsmen and yours, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you?

Palestine was still pretty much a wild frontier in those days. Actually very little of it was private property. And what with no Bureau of Land Management, the land out west from Ur was pretty much up for grabs to anyone who had the moxie to take it. Abram and Lot remind me very much of early day American pioneers and cattle barons.

†. Gen 13:9b . . Let us separate.

Abram was a sensitive man. It wasn't an easy thing for him to be firm with his kin, and it was a weakness in his spiritual life from day one. He and Sarai were supposed to leave their kin and come to Canaan alone. He wasn't supposed to take along a nephew. But Abram just couldn't leave Lot behind. So now he and Lot are separating with bad blood between them. And Lot's future is very uncertain down in that God-less country away from his uncle Abram.

†. Gen 13:9c . . if you go north, I will go south; and if you go south, I will go north.

Even though there was some bad blood now between Abram and Lot, the old boy remained a gracious man. Being the senior of the two, Abram could have claimed first dibs on the land. But he waived the privileges of rank, and gave his nephew the choice. But, in point of fact, Abram made Lot a promise that he could in no way guarantee to honor; because it was God who ultimately dictated where Abram was to dwell in the land.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**149** 29th November 2009, 12:01 PM

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†. Gen 13:10 . . Lot looked about him and saw how well watered was the whole plain of the Jordan, all of it— this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah —all the way to Zoar, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.

Bethel is regarded as modern day Beitin. The geographic location is just east of Ramallan El-Bira, and roughly 14 miles west of Jericho; as the crow flies. There's high points in that area somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 feet above sea level. I've never actually seen that area for myself, but I don't think it would be too difficult to find a view of the Jordan Valley around there somewhere.

Zoar's ancient location hasn't been precisely identified yet by modern explorers. All anybody really knows about it is from Gen 19:19-30 which merely infers it was situated in a plain.

The Jordan Valley slopes downward like a ramp from an altitude of roughly 690 feet below sea level at the Sea of Galilee to a depth 1,350 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. Water is what Abraham's and Lot's strife had been all about. Well, down there in the valley was lots of water in those days. An abundance of wadis and streams still drain into the Jordan Valley from the highlands of Israel and Jordan.

In Abram's day, the Jordan Valley in the region between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee was well watered, fertile, and very appealing to a cattle baron like Lot. It had some pretty good jungles too: home to lots of fierce lions at one time.

†. Gen 13:11a . . So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward.

Today a descent down to Jericho from Beitin would be close to a 4,000 foot drop in elevation. Whooee! That'll sure make your ears pop!

†. Gen 13:11b . .Thus they parted from each other;

That must have been a weird feeling for both men. They had been together since Ur.

I think Lot actually possessed more mettle than uncle Abram: mostly because he had the moxie to go off on his own into a totally strange region with absolutely no assurance that God would travel with him. People like Columbus and Magellan had that kind of nerve: they're strong and confident. But I don't think Abram ever was like that. I seriously doubt he would have left Haran at all had not God called him to it. I believe it was only the assurance of a Divine companion that gave Abram the courage to travel far from home in that day.

†. Gen 13:12a . . Abram remained in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain,

Cities in that day didn't in any way resemble the huge sprawling metropolises of the present. We would no doubt regard them as little more than fortified hamlets. The "plain" of course being the Jordan Valley; and some of the cities in particular were Sodom, Admah, Zeboiim, Gomorrah, and Bela; which is Zoar. Jericho was in existence then too and no doubt a major population center in that region.

†. Gen 13:12b . . pitching his tents near Sodom.

Actually that was a pretty sensible arrangement. By living amongst those cities, Lot had a ready market for his livestock; and a source of goods and services he could use out on the ranch. There was something special about Sodom that magnetized him though because he eventually moved his family into town. I think Mrs. Lot may have had a little something to do with that. Not too many women enjoy rough-country living out in the middle of nowhere. Most prefer being near the conveniences of neighbors, shopping, and services.

C.L.I.F.F.
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Webers_Home · #**150** 30th November 2009, 11:45 AM

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†. Gen 13:13 . . Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked sinners against the Lord.

The precise location of ancient Sodom is uncertain. Some feel it was sited at the south end of the Dead Sea; but it's really hard to know for sure.

The author's choice of words is curious. The people of Sodom weren't just sinners; they were "very wicked" sinners; and not just very wicked sinners, but very wicked sinners "against" the Lord. Doesn't that smack of Babel? They knew full well that they were not supposed to remain in one place, rather, they were to spread out and colonize the entire planet; but under Nimrod's control, everybody deliberately and willfully disobeyed God and stayed all together. On top of that, they built a tower with the express purpose of using it as a stairway to heaven; thus probably intending to invade heaven itself and depose God.

I'm sure the people of Sodom knew all about the Babel debacle, but like rebels without a cause, and defiant adolescents, they insolently persisted in flaunting the very same resistance to God's sovereign authority as the people of Babel did. Big mistake. God is very lenient with ignorance and foolishness; but even His patience has limits.

†. Rom 2:4-11 . . Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

. . But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

Sinning against the Lord is a personal affront, and a very serious matter. People who demean the Bible, and scorn the Bible's God, have a very bleak future awaiting them down the road.

†. Heb 10:26-31 . . If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

†. Gen 13:15 . . And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him: Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever.

Oh the irony of it! If Lot went off only to the Jordan Valley to stake a claim for his own posterity, then he didn't go far enough away because from Abram's vantage he could see eastward clear across the Jordan valley and over into Moab (the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan) and far past the five cities of the Plain. So Abram, and his posterity, were promised eternal ownership of not only the highlands of Canaan, but in addition, also the whole Jordan Valley where Lot moved— and beyond.

C.L.I.F.F.
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