This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.  

Scripture References: Genesis 11:27-32; 12:1-20; Hebrews 11:8-10; Acts 7:2-4; James 2:23

“Abram, the herdsmen are complaining again!” said Sarai. 

“What is it this time, Sarai?” asked Abram.

“Lot’s herdsmen are hogging all of the water!  Our sheep aren’t’ getting enough water because Lot’s shepherds won’t let our shepherds near the well!”

This wasn’t the first time Abram’s shepherds had come to complain about Lot’s shepherds.  When Abram, his wife Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, left Egypt to come back to the land God promised to Abram’s descendants, they came away from Egypt very rich.  Abram had more camels, sheep, cows, and donkeys than ever before!  And he had more servants to work for him, too!  That meant more shepherds, cattlemen, cooks, and maids and manservants than ever before!  Lot had a lot of his own animals and servants also!  The family was feeling crowded, now!  All of those people and animals meant that they needed lots of land.  And lots of water wells, too!  They had to make sure there was enough grass, garden space, and water for everyone.  Since we are in Texas, I like to think of it like this:  Abram and Lot were trying to run their own ranch on the same piece of land.  And it wasn’t working very well.

“Master Abram!  You should hear how Lot’s cattlemen talk about you!  And they take all the good land for the cattle and keep running our cattle off the good grass!  Our cattle are too scared to settle down at night!”

Soon, every day some of Abrams servants were coming to him to complain about Lot and his servants.  And the same was happening with Lot!  His servants came to him every day to complain about Abram’s servants.  I imagine one day, things became very bad among the shepherds.

“Move out of the way of this well!  We are getting water for our sheep!”

“No!  It’s our well!  It’s closes to Lot’s tent, so it’s ours!  Go find your own water!”

The shepherds began shouting and pushing.  The pushing turned into fighting!  Everyone ran to see what all of the noise was about.  When Abram arrived, tempers were hot, and tension filled the air.

“Lot, you are my family.  We should not be fighting, and our servants should not be fighting.  Especially since everyone around us are strangers, and they don’t worship the one True God!  We must work together!  For us to continue being a happy family, you and I must put space between our houses and animals.  Look out over all of this land.  Wherever you decide to live, I will live on the other side of you.  If you go left, I will go right.  If you decide you like right better, then I will go left.  I am giving the choice to you.”

Abram was being VERY generous to his nephew, Lot!  Abram was the head of the family since his father died in Haran.  The head of the family was the one who decided things in that land and that time.  And the head of the family had the right to take the nicest land!  But Abram was giving Lot the choice of even the nicest, best land! 

Lot looked around and thought about his herds and servants.  He saw off to the right side, the land was green, with rivers and a very large lake called the Dead Sea.  The left side was more brown than green.  There was a lot of sand and rocks.  It wasn’t ideal for someone with a lot of animals who had to eat grass and drink fresh water every day! 

“I will go to the right, Uncle Abram.”  Lot chose the best land for himself, even though he was younger, and it would have been easier for his aging Uncle to live on the right side.  Lot also knew that God had promised all the land to Abram and his descendants.  But perhaps he forgot about that when all he could see was what HE needed, and what HIS flocks needed.  One day, this selfish decision would cause a lot of trouble for Lot.  But Abram was trusting that God would still keep his promise to bless the earth through his family, and the promise that his children would have the land. 

Lot packed up his tents and told his herdsmen to head East, to the right.  I’m sure those herdsmen were happy to hear that!  Their job wouldn’t be so hard when it was time to find water for the flocks.  There was plenty of water everywhere in the east!  Lot set up his tent for the “ranch” and got his animals and servants all settled.  Then he looked around and saw some big cities.  He remembered Ur, where he grew up.  Ur was a big city with lots of modern advancements for that age.  He missed living in a city.  It was tiresome to always have to pack up your tent/house and move whenever the sheep ate all the grass.  You had to pack up EVERYTHING to go look for fresh grass.  Clothes, furniture, kitchen, bedrooms, and servants’ rooms and things, too!  “I’m so tired of the dust and dirt, and the continual walking around, following the animals!  I miss the city life!  Going to the market to take my wife and two daughters shopping.  I miss going to watch the races and sports competitions!  I sure do miss going to the theatre, too…” Lot thought.  The more he looked at the cities, the more he wanted to be there.  So, he moved to the city, and moved his herdsmen to work with the animals setting up another tent near one of the big cities.  That city was named Sodom.  The Bible tells us that the people of Sodom were very, very, VERY wicked, and didn’t worship the One, True God.

Lot wasn’t paying attention to that, though.  All he could see was the land, and the money it would bring him.  The land was so beautiful, it was like the garden of Eden.  Not exactly like it, but similar to how green it was, and how well the crops grew.  Lot was no longer remembering God but was only thinking of himself.  Do you know who else forgets God sometimes?  We do!  We think about our own wants, needs, and fears.  We look at everything around us and forget to look to God for our help.  Does God still love us, even when we forget Him?  Of course!  This week ask God to help you look to Him for help, even when you are tempted to look at the trouble you have, or the wants you have.  You have the Holy Spirit to help you if you have trusted in Jesus as the Son of God who died for your sins.

The day Lot left, Abram began to prepare his flocks to move to the west (the left).  That side was nothing like the garden of Eden was.  But Abram didn’t seem worried.  I imagine Sarai his wife might have been a little worried.  “Abram, why did you do that?!  You have the right to the best land!  Lot is still young.  He can make it out here in the west.  You deserve to rest at ease over in the east, with all the water and grass.  I can’t believe you did that!  You should have asked me first.  After all, I’m your wife!”

“Sarai, it will be okay.  God will take care of us!  I may be old, but I’m not on my deathbed yet!”

When the evening came, Abram was even less worried!  God spoke to him again!  This was the third time God spoke with Abram.  “Look all around you, Abram.  Look in the north, south, east, and west.  All the land you see I will give to you, and to your children, and their children.  It will be yours and your family’s forever.  I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, that’s how many there will be!”  Can you pick up a handful of sand and count each piece?  No!  There are far too many.  God was promising to give Abram so many descendants that they couldn’t even be counted!  God continued talking “Abram, get up and walk through the land.  Walk the whole length of it.  Walk the whole width of it.  It is yours, given by me.”  God wasn’t telling Abram to walk all of it right that second, because it would have taken a long time to walk, and more than one day.  But God was telling Abram to get to know the land he was given.  It was a beautiful land!  The green parts, and the dusty parts were all beautiful in their own ways.

God had told Abram that even the east was given to him.  Who had taken the east side?  Lot!  But God was reminding Abram that the promise was for him.  God would take care of Lot, because He still loved Lot and his family.  But God chose to make the promise to Abram.  Not because Abram was perfect, but because that is what GOD CHOSE!  God can do anything and bless anyone He wants.  God can use anyone He wants, also.  God wanted to use Abram, even though Abram wasn’t perfect.  God’s plan was to use Abram to send Jesus to the world.  That was God’s plan before He even created the stars, the sun, and the earth!  Isn’t God good to want to bless everyone?!  And He is good to keep His promises!

Abram finished packing with a joyful heart.  God had reminded Him of His promise, so there was no need to worry about anything.  Abram, Sarai, and their servants moved to a plain called Mamre.  When they arrived, Abram built another altar.  He made another sacrifice to God, obeying Him with a blood offering for his sins. I’m so glad Jesus was the final blood sacrifice for our sins!

Let’s pray and thank God for His goodness, and for keeping His promises.