When Abraham left his native country at the call of God, and came into the land of Canaan, he took his nephew Lot with him. For some time they remained together, Lot accompanying Abraham in all his journeyings. From the 12th chapter of Genesis we learn that they passed through Canaan, and went down into Egypt; our present lesson tells of their return to Canaan.
"And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made here at the first; and there Abram called on the name of Jehovah." (Genesis 13:2-4)
Abraham a Preacher
We see that Abraham did not forget his mission in the land, which was to preach the Gospel. Bear in mind what was said concerning the expression, "called on the name of the Lord." In the Hebrew the words are exactly the same as those in (Exodus 34:5), where we read that the Lord descended in the cloud to Moses upon the mount, and "proclaimed the name of the Lord."
Now it is evident that this is correctly rendered; because it is exactly what the Lord did on that occasion, as we learn from the succeeding verses; and it is equally evident that it would be most improper--absolutely impossible--to render the expression, "called on the name of the Lord," as in (Genesis 12:8; 13:4). Therefore we are justified in giving to the term in these instances the same rendering that it has in Exodus, where we know it is correctly rendered. So we render the last part of (Genesis 22:4) literally, thus: "And there Abram proclaimed the name of the Lord," or, which is the same thing, "preached in the name of the Lord."
Division in the Church
"And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle, and the herdmen of Lot's cattle; and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before you? separate yourself, I pray you, from me; if you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you will depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." (Genesis 13:5-9)
We have termed this a division in the church, for Abraham's large family was emphatically a church--a congregation of believers. Abraham was "called out," which is the literal meaning of the Greek word commonly rendered church; and we have seen that his sole business in the land of Canaan was to proclaim the name of the Lord, and to establish the worship of the true God.
The immense wealth that God gave him contributed to this end; it was simply a means of supporting the workers. Rightly used, as it was, it gave Abraham prestige among the people of the land, and assured him a hearing wherever he went. But while possessions bestowed by the Lord, "for it is He that gives the power to get wealth," (Deuteronomy 8:18) are designed as a great blessing,[1] they may, and often do, prove a source of trouble and backsliding from God. A blessing misused and its source unrecognized, always becomes a curse; for a curse is simply the wrong side of a blessing.
So the first trouble in the church in the land of Canaan, even as it was in the church in the days of the apostles, (See Acts 5:1-10; 6:1) was over the matter of the division and distribution of funds. In the case before us it was Lot that made the mistake, and Abraham who acted strictly according to Christian principle.
The Secret of Abraham's Generous Conduct
This is found in the last five verses of chapter 13, together with (Genesis 15:5-6).
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever. And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto you. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord." (Genesis 13:14-18)
"And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall your seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:5-6)
Abraham remembered the promise of God, that the whole earth was to be given to him and to his seed; therefore he could afford to be generous. The man who has everything can always be generous; in fact, we should expect him to be. Now the same promise applied equally to Lot, for "they which be of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham." (Galatians 3:9)
We are also included in the promise; for "Christ has redeemed us from the curse,... That the blessing of Abraham might come on [us] through Jesus Christ." (Galatians 3:13-14)
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
The early Christians not only gave liberally, but "took joyfully [even] the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance." (Hebrews 10:34)
It was this knowledge that made Abraham so generously courteous. He looked for a better country, that is, a heavenly, and whatever of temporal possessions he might have were only an incident. He knew that he was but a sojourner in the land; then why should he strive for the possession of any portion of it?
All men are but sojourners, equally with Abraham, and if they recognized that truth there would be no wars. Who would not think it most foolish, even in small children, to fight for the possession of soap bubbles? Yet the greater part of mankind is engaged in equally foolish and profitless work.
"The world passes away, and the lust thereof; but he that does the will of God abides for ever." (1 Timothy 6:17)
It is useless to contend over that which we cannot hold, even if we succeed in seizing it. As to the everlasting possession that God gives, the fact that God himself gives it to us shows that it is not to be gained by strife and contention; and nobody can take it from us, even though they kill us. Moreover the inheritance is inexhaustible, therefore we may be very "ready to distribute." (1 Timothy 6:18)
All Things Common
If Lot had been as mindful as Abraham was, of the purpose for which God had sent them into the land, he would not have separated from Abraham in the way he did. It might indeed have been necessary for them to separate for the more extensive proclamation of the name of the Lord; but it would not have been over a division of property.
Lot was a righteous man, and he did not allow his wealth to corrupt him, for his character remained pure even in Sodom; but he allowed the cares of this world to prevent him from being a missionary, and so he eventually lost all that he had. Earthly possessions are for no other purpose than to be used in the propagation of the Gospel; whoever uses them to this end will always have "all sufficiency in all things, ... being enriched in everything to all bountifulness." (2 Corinthians 9:8,11)
But those who attempt to hold them for their own personal use, will finally lose everything. They may be saved, as Lot was, yet it will be "so as by fire." (1 Corinthians 3:15)
On this basis, and on this only, can men have all things common, as was the case in the early church. "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." (Acts 4:32)
And as a matter of course, "Neither was there any among them that lacked." (Acts 4:34)
Modern Socialism aims at an equal distribution of property, but it is radically defective, and can never succeed. Its principles, while they seem to many to be Christian, are directly opposed to Christianity, as everything must be that leaves Christ out.
• The Christian way is for each one to say that what he has does not belong to him, but is given him in trust, to be used for the benefit of the world;
• The human way is for each one to say that he has a right to what belongs to somebody else, and that the world owes him a living.
The former method will provide everybody with all he needs all the time; the latter loads some down temporarily with that which they cannot use, while others are destitute, and at last leaves all empty-handed, for their riches take wings of fire, and in smoke fly away towards heaven.
So we say that if Lot had not allowed his wealth to tie him up, so that he could not continue in the missionary work, but had remembered that it was not his, his life would not have been the total failure that it was.
Opulence and Sin
"Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere,...even as the garden of the Lord; ... Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, ... and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom ware wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." (Genesis 13:10-13)
Now read what God afterwards said to Israel--the church--when they had lost the missionary spirit, and had become like the heathen round them: "Behold this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16:49)
While it is true that wealth is a blessing from God, if received as from Him, the majority of mankind, who are poor, have no reason to complain; because poverty is a still greater blessing than wealth.
"Hearken, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him?" (James 1:5)
Jesus said unto His disciples: "Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:23)
Better, infinitely better, poverty in this world, with the heirship of heaven and earth, than to have the whole world and lose our souls.
Look abroad over the world in history or at the present time, and see where the simple virtues are most prevalent, and where vice most abounds. The inhabitants of tropical and semi-tropical lands, where abundance of food grows almost spontaneously, and people can live with scarcely any exertion, are invariably of looser morale than their brethren of lands where severe toil must be put forth in order to enjoy the products of the earth. This does not apply to the natives of those regions, whose desires are moderate, so much as to those who go there because of the ease with which wealth may be gained. It is in the North, where the climate is severe, and the earth in many places yields but a scanty supply, that the Word of God finds freest course. Compare the Scandinavian countries with Italy and Spain.
In the early history of the United States, and especially in the Colonial period, when the population was mostly confined to the North-east, where the land is rocky and responds only to the most patient industry, the simple, sturdy virtues were predominant. But when wealth began to multiply from the rich farming lands and the mines of the far West, and when money literally flowed from the ground, in the oil regions, dissolution and crime increased in proportion. There is no other country on earth where wealth is so abundant, and no other country has degenerated as the United States has in the last few years. When wealth accumulates, men always decay.
"They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. ... But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." (1 Timothy 6:9,6-8)--Present Truth, July 25, 1901--International Sunday-school Lesson for August 4--Genesis 13:1-18.
E.J. Waggoner
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