24 JUNE GENESIS 13

Returning to the Altar – Separation and Promise

After a lapse in Egypt, Abram returned to where he had first called on the name of the Lord. His journey reflects the grace of God that welcomes us back to the place of devotion, even after moments of fear or failure.

Genesis 13:1–4 (NIV) "So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord." This return to Bethel marks a return to spiritual priorities. Abram did not allow his misstep in Egypt to define his walk with God. Instead, he re-established fellowship and resumed his faith journey at the altar. As both Abram and Lot grew in wealth, so did their logistical challenges. Their possessions became too great for the land they shared.

Genesis 13:5–7 (NIV) "Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarrelling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time." Abram, walking in maturity and humility, proposed a gracious solution.

Genesis 13:8–9 (NIV) "So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.’" Though senior, Abram gave Lot the first choice, reflecting both trust in God’s provision and the fruit of a peace-making spirit. Lot’s choice, however, was driven by what he saw with his eyes.

Genesis 13:10–11 (NIV) "Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company." Lot chose based on appearance, not discernment. He moved toward Sodom, a city already notorious for sin.

Genesis 13:12–13 (NIV)"Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord." The text subtly warns that prosperity without spiritual anchoring leads toward dangerous ground. Yet, immediately after Abram allowed Lot to choose, God reaffirmed His promise.

Genesis 13:14–17 (NIV) "The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 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. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’"

This reaffirmation did not come before Lot left, but after. Separation from Lot symbolised spiritual realignment. When we yield our rights and release what is not part of our destiny, God expands the horizon of His promise. Abram responded not by building a city, but by building another altar.

Genesis 13:18 (NIV) "So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord." His journey was still marked by tents and altars, detachment from the world and devotion to God. Mamre, meaning “strength” or “fatness,” becomes the setting where Abram settles deeper into God’s will and promise.