Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.) Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Genesis 13:5-10 NLT
My youngest son is notorious for carrying heavy items and wanting to be picked up. I always tell him to drop whatever he’s lugging around before I pick him up… but yesterday, he was insistent that I pick him up with his toys in tow. I obliged, but he quickly realized it wasn’t comfortable. He had a choice to drop the toy and be held or stay on the floor with his play things. Isn’t that like us and God? Trying to hold on to things and people He wants us to let go of? It made me realize that there are seasons that God will call us to release and separate in order to elevate.
Abram went through a similar experience in Genesis 13. God instructed Abram to leave his family and land behind for a new promise. Abram followed God’s instructions and departed, but he brought his nephew, Lot, with him. Abram’s life was blessed and soon he began to acquire more livestock, silver, and gold. Along the way, Lot was blessed in proximity. It got to the point that Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen were arguing. See, resources were limited and could not support both of their large flocks of animals in the same place.
Instead of arguing or asserting himself, Abram allows Lot to choose which land he wanted and Abram takes the remainder. For Abram knows that God is with him and God’s blessing is on him. The scripture goes on to foreshadow that the land Lot chose was fertile but filled with wicked sinners and sets the background for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. After the separation, God repeats the blessings of the covenant and Abram builds an altar to worship and commemorate the promise. Lot’s choice shows us a great deal about Lot’s character. He was walking by sight and Abram was walking by faith.
Abram had to separate from Lot in order to step fully into the promise of God. What is God calling you to separate from? Perhaps it’s a person, a habit, or even a mindset. There are things that God is calling us to put down in order to take us higher. You know what the Holy Spirit has been nudging you to release. I want to encourage you to let it go and step boldly into the promises of God. There is elevation waiting for us on the other side of separation.
