Old Testament Reading: Genesis 13

“So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.’ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.’ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.” (Genesis 13, ESV)

New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:1–10, ESV)

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Introduction

I do love that passage we have just read from Paul the Apostle (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). I love it because it is both honest concerning the sorrows of life, but it is also hopeful and courageous. 

Paul refers to his earthly body as “a tent”. And he admits that while in this tent “we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.” When he says “heavenly dwelling” he refers  to the body we will receive  at the resurrection — our “resurrection body” is our heavenly tent or dwelling. And again he says, “For while we are still in this tent”, that is, our earthy body, “we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

If you know anything about the life of Paul, you understand why he said “we groan”. Paul had a hard life (at least we know that it was hard after he came to confess that Jesus was the Christ!). He knew what it was to suffer. This suffering caused him to grown. And this suffering also increased his appetite  for the life to come. Paul longed to put on his “heavenly dwelling”. His longing was not to be “unclothed” — that is, simply released from this earthly body, but to be “further clothed” — that  is, clothed with his spiritual, resurrection body which is ours in Christ Jesus — “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” Anyone Christian who has known suffering in this life (and all will, at some point) can identify with the words of Paul.

But notice that he was not without hope. Twice he says, “we are always of good courage.” Once in verse 6, and then again in verse 8 we read, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:8–9, ESV).

The word translated “courage” means, “to have confidence and firmness of purpose in the face of danger or testing—‘to be courageous, to have courage, to be bold’” (Louw Nida, 305). It carries with it the idea of standing firm and unmoved in the face of danger and difficulty. Paul was saying, even in the midst of all this suffering, which does indeed cause us to groan, we are not moved. We are not shaken. Our hope, joy and peace have not been taken  from us. In  fact, despite all of the difficulties of this life, “we are always of good courage.”

My question is, how can this be? How can a person live with such courage in the face of difficulty? I believe that Paul provides the answer when he says in verse 7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

The Apostle Paul often used “walking” as a metaphor for living the Christian life. Take, for example, these series of statements found ins letter to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 4:1: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. Ephesians 4:17: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Ephesians  5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:8: “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” And lastly, Ephesians 5:15: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.”

The Apostle John also loved to use the metaphor of “walking” to describe the Christian life. 1 John 1:6: “If we say we have fellowship with [God] while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 2:6: “whoever says he abides in [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” And lastly 2 John 6: “this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” (2 John 6, ESV)

Not only is “walking” a very common metaphor for the Christian life, it is also a very appropriate metaphor. For the Christian life shares many things in  common with walking. 

Walking is active. It is something you must choose to do. And so it is with the Christian life. We must choose to follow Christ — to love and obey him — daily. 

Walking is a common activity. Most people find themselves walking throughout  day. Almost everything we  do involves walking, to one degree or another. And so it is with the Christian life. Our faith in Christ and our devotion to him ought to permeate all that we do. The Christian’s devotion to Christ

Walking is a methodical activity. It involves taking one step after another. And so too the Christian life.  The Christian life is usually mundane.  It involved living moment by moment, day by day, week by week, in obedience to Christ. The mature and faithful Christian is not the one who decides to sprint with religious fervor from time to time, but the one who walks in faithful obedience to God day by  day.  

Walking is also an enduring activity. Unlike sprinting, walking can usually be done for a long period of time. And so to the Christian life. The Christians is to endure to the end. 

It is no wonder, then, that walking is such an often used metaphor for the Christian life in the pages of Holy Scripture. But remember, Paul was able to live with such courage in the face of difficulty, not because he walked, but because he walked by faith.

Paul’s faith was no generic faith. His faith was not like the faith that many have today — faith, but faith in nothing in particular. Have you noticed that this kind of faith is popular in the world today. The world says, what matters is that you believe in something! No, when Paul said that he walked by faith he meant that his faith was in God. His trust was in Christ. His belief was in God’s word. What God has revealed, that he believed! And this is why that passage we read from2 Corinthians 5 has the words “we know” peppered throughout it. Paul walked by faith, meaning that he believed what God has said, and lived his life accordingly. He walked (lived his life day by day) in light of what God has said. Paul received God promises, his revelation, his law as true. And he lived his life, moment by moment,  day by day, thought by thought, word by word, according to what God has said. This is what it means to walk by faith. I means to walk, trusting always in God and believing what he has said.    

And remember, not only did Paul walk by faith, he also was determined to walk, not by sight. Paul’s attitude was, when I take a step, when I make a choice, when I think a thought or say a word, I wild so being informed, not by what I see with my natural eyes, but what I know to be true from God’s word. Brothers and sisters, I don’t have to convince you of this truth. Our natural eyes will often betray us. We will go down the wrong path if we choose to live according to what we see with our natural eyes. 

This is why Paul, despite his tremendous suffering, was able to honestly say, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

So far this has probably felt more like a sermon on 2 Corinthians 5 than an introduction to Genesis 13. But there is a connection, for Genesis 13 has a lot to do with walking by faith. 

In Genesis 12:1-9 God called Abram to walk away from his “country and [his] kindred and [his] father’s house to the land that [he would] show [him]” (Genesis 12:1, ESV). God also gave Abram his word. He promised to make him into a great nation, to bless him and make his name great, so that he would be a blessing. God said, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3, ESV). The rest of that passage describes how Abram walked by faith, and not by sight. The word of God alone compelled Abram to go. Nothing that he saw with his natural eyes compelled him. “By faith Abraham obeyed… And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8, ESV).

In Genesis 12:10-20 we learned that Abram was not perfect in faith. In fact it seems that, having been threatened by a severe famine, and being driven by fear of the Egyptians, Abram walked by sight and not by faith. But God was faithful to preserve him and to bless him nonetheless. 

In Genesis 13 we find another story which is instructive to the life of faith. Here we observe three things: One, Abram was restored. Two, Lot was driven by lust. And three, God was still faithful to keep his promises.  

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Abram’s Restoration

First of all, let us recognize that after Abram’s stumbling in Egypt God restored him. This we see in verses 1-9.

In verse 1 we read, “So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb [that is, the southern part of Canaan]. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 

Abram went down into Egypt where he struggled in the faith. He was driven by fear. He  sought to take control of the situation and acted, not in simple obedience to God, but according to human cunning and wisdom. But God was  faithful to preserve him and to bring him back up in to the land that he had promised t him at the beginning.

Notice that when Abram came back into the land he was more wealthy than when he left. The text says that he was “now… very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Material wealth is not always a sign of God’s blessing and grace. Sometimes those who are blessed of God  —  those who are recipients of God grace in Christ Jesus — are materially rich, and sometimes they are materially pour. And it must also be admitted that sometimes those who are cursed of God are materially rich, and sometimes they are materially pour. There are righteous and unrighteous  rich, and there are righteous and unrighteous pour. This we know for sure! But in this narrative the material wealth of Abram is clearly a sign of God’s blessing upon him. Abram received grace from God. God’s favor towards him was clearly unmerited. Though he was faithless when he went down into Egypt, God was faithful to keep his promises to bless him. 

In verse 3 we read, “And he journeyed on from the Negeb [this is, from the south of Canaan] as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai” (Genesis 13:3, ESV). This screams “restoration”. Abram came back from Egypt and went right back to the heart of Cannan where he had pitched his tent in the beginning. 

In verse 4 we are reminded that, not only did Abram pitch his tent there, he also had built an alter to the LORD. And there “Abram called upon the name of the LORD”, just as he had done at the beginning. The significance of Abram’s  worship of God at the alter, as well as the alter worship of those who went before him and would come after him, can hardly be overstated. This is so very significant that Abram worshipped at the alter. There he called upon the name of the LORD.  There he took the name of YHWH to himself. There he worshipped the LORD and called upon  him for wisdom and strength.

Friends, when the LORD calls us to himself, he calles us to worship him. This the only appropriate response to God’s call. If we are known him, we must worship and serve him, for he is God and our LORD. And when we respond to the call of God we must know that it will involve worship, not only of the personal and private sort, but public worship. This is what  Abram did. When he responded to the call of God — when he began to walk by faith and notify sight — he worshipped the LORD publicly. His life was centered around the alter.

In verse 5 we learn of a problem. The problem is very different from the one that drove Abram down into Egypt, but is meant to be compared with it. Remember that Abram was driven down into Egypt by a “great” famine. Now he has another problem — the land is not able to support his “great” wealth. I used the word “great” here to describe both problems, because that is what the Hebrew text does. The same Hebrew word appears in 12:10 where it is translated “severe” — “the famine was severe” , and in 13:3 where it is translated “rich” — “Abram was very rich in livestock”. The Hebrew word simply means “great, weighty, or heavy”. Abram was tested with a “great” famine, and now his “great” wealth is causing a problem for him. Both situations are to be viewed as a test. 

Verses 5-7 read, “And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land” (Genesis 13:5–7, ESV).

Abram’s response to this problem is what is to be noted. Verse 8: “Then Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen” (Genesis 13:8, ESV). Abram was certainly more powerful than Lot, and yet he did not use his power against him. Rather, he sought peace. Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9, ESV). Abram is an example to us in this instance. We too should be eager to pursue peace. 

And in verse 9 Abram spoke to his nephew Lot, saying, “Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left” (Genesis 13:9, ESV). 

This Abram is very different from the Abram who, when going down to Egypt, took matters into his own hands and acted according to human cunning as he attempted to manipulate and control the situation by his own strength. Here Abram is found walking by faith. He knows the promises of God. He is not afraid, therefore, to humbly and self  sacrificially give Lot first pick of the land. He simply trusted that LORD would keep his promises. The land would belong to his descendents. How this would come about,  he did not know. Here he is found walking by faith and not by sight. 

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Lot’s Lust

Secondly, let us see that Lot’s faith was in this moment being tested. Lot, instead of walking by faith in the promises of God, seems to have driven by a lust for prosperity. While Abram as founding walking by faith and not by site, it appears that Lot began to walk by sight and not by faith.  

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” (Genesis 13:10–13, ESV)

When Abram gave Lot the first pick of the land we are told that “Lot  lifted up his eyes and saw”. Now, there is noting inherently wrong with lifting up your eyes to look at something. But it the whole narrative suggests that Lot made his choice, not in light of the promises of God, and not out of concern to remain closely allied with Abram, the blessed man, but based upon worldly appearances. 

 “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere”. It looked like the garden of the LORD, that is, the garden of Eden. It reminded Lot of Egypt. No doubt, Lot remembered the severe famine that had threatened them not long before. And I’m sure that he reasoned to himself, we have made such tremendous gains. I will go now to a land that is more like Egypt — a land with a stable water supply that is less vulnerable to drought. 

Notice that “Lot journeyed east.” This language is to remind us of the language of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden. They were banished from the garden to the east. The language is ominous, therefore. 

Then we read, “Thus they separated from each other.” This too is ominous language. Abram was blessed of God. The  promise of God was that those associated with him would be blessed. But Lot was content to separate from Abram. 

Abram settled in Canaan, right smack in the land  that was promised to him, but “Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.” Lot traveled to the east to the very fringes of the land of Canaan, and eventually he sojourned to the south as far as Sodom. He separated from Abram, and the separation was significant.

In verse 13 we find another ominous statement: “Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Genesis 13:13, ESV).

Again, I will say that there was nothing particularly evil about Lot moving away from Abram for the sake of their livestock and for the sake of their peace. But the story about Lot is concerning. It gives the impression that Lot was walking, not by faith, but my sight — that he was being driven by his lust — that there was something about the land and the people to the east that appealed to his senses. And so decided to journey much farther away from Abram then  was necessary. Had Lot believed the promises of God — that Abram was blessed by God and that he would be a blessing to all who were allied with him, and that to Abram the land would have been given — I doubt he would gone so far away. 

The narrative of Genesis will eventually prove that Lot’s choices were poor choices. In chapter 14 Abram will have to come to Lot’s rescue after he is taken captive by conquering kings. And in chapter 19 God himself will rescue Lot before destroying the cities of Sosom and Gomorrah, for their wickedness was very great. 

I think it is clear that in this passage Abram is restored in his faithful walk, but Lot stumbles. He was driven by a lust for worldly things. He began two walk by sight, and not by faith. 

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God’s Faithfulness

Lastly, notice that in the midst of it all God remained faithful to his promises. In verses 14 we read,  “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.’ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.” (Genesis 13:14–18, ESV)

Consider a few things about this portion of the text:

One, whereas in the last section Lot lifted up his own eyes to see that the Jordan Valley was well watered, etc., here it is “the LORD [who] said to Abram…‘Lift up your eyes and look…’” Both men lifted up their eyes to look, but Lot looked on his own initiative and with natural eyes only.  Abram, by the grace of God, looked with eyes of faith.

Two, notice that God again restated his promises to Abram, but in greater detail than before. This is now the second time that the promises originally made  to Abram in 12:1-3 have been repeated. The promise is still the same, but God is here more specific. He tells Abram to look “northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring.” He also specifies that this land will be theirs “forever.” Abram had already been told that he would become a great nation, but here the LORD said, “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.” This was quite a promise for God to make to an old man with no children married to a wife who was barren. 

I suppose it is worth pausing for just a moment to ask the question, has God been faithful to fulfill these promises made to Abram some 4,000 years ago? The answer is, certainly he has!

Abram did become a great nation — the nation of Israel. 

His descendents eventually did take possession of this land. It would be Joshua who would lead them into it after the death of Moses. In fact, in  Joshua 21:43-45 we read, “Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

But what about the promises concerning the land being Abram’s “forever”, and his descendents being “as the dust of the earth”? Concerning the promise regarding the dust of the earth, consider King Solomon’s prayer in 2  Chronicles 1, where says, “O LORD God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth”. Evidently Solomon saw that promises as having been fulfilled in his day. But both of these promises are fulfilled most fully when  we consider that the true children of Abraham are all who have  the faith of Abraham, and that they will inherit, not only Cannan, but the new heavens and earth. Understood in this  way — which is the way the New Testament speaks concerning the fulfillment of these promises — truly, Abrams descended areas numerous as the dust of the earth, and the land is theirs  forever and ever. 

The book of Revelation is where we see the ultimate fulfillment to these promises. In Revelation 7:9 John wrote, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And in Revelation 21:1-3  we read, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”

The third thing to notice about this portion of the text is that after walking the land, Abram again settled “by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.” This entire episode begins and ends with Abram worshipping the LORD. Brothers and sisters, if God has called us to himself it is so that we might glorify  his name.   

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Application  

This sermon has been  a bit long. And so as we turn our attention to application I will simply ask you to reflect upon what was said at the beginning and to ask yourself, am I walking by faith or by sight? 

If you are quick and careless in this reflection I doubt you will come away with much at all. But you take the time, and if you prayerfully put this question to yourself, I’m certain that the Spirit of God will press you with the Word of God. Are you walking by faith or by sight?

First of all, does your “walk” even look like a walk? Are you active, constant, methodical, and enduring in your pursuit of Christ? Or does your”walk” look more like periodic sprints,  or worse yet, sleepy slumber? Are you walking as a Christian in this world?

Secondly, are you walking by faith? Are you trusting daily in God and in the Christ he has sent? Are you living in light of his word? Are you trusting in his promises, keeping his law, and living according to his truth? 

Or thirdly, are you walking by sight? Has grown enamored with this world and the things of this world? Like Lot, have you begun to make discussions being driven by the appearance of things  rather than in simple obedience to the commands of Christ? 

Brothers and sisters, I am sure of it. If we are walking by faith and not by sight, then we will find ourselves living a life of worship. We, like Abram, will be found constantly at the alter.  “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”