Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Today we were speaking about Abraham and I'd like to go on, look a little more at what God has given to us in connection with Abraham, shall we Read in the 13th chapter, beginning at the fifth verse. We will read more later, but just this part of the chapter, Genesis 13, verse five. And Lord also, which went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
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 herdsmen of Abrams cattle and the herdsmen of Lots cattle, and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwell then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we be brethren.
Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou will take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Even like under the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan. And Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves, the one from the other. And Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, And Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. And the Lord said unto Abram, After that Lot was separated from him.
Lift up now, thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art.
Northward and southward, and eastward and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall I 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 thee. Then Abraham removed his tent, and came and dwelled in the plain of Mamra, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.
Well, we noticed yesterday about God calling Abraham from the Ur of the Chaldeans.
How at first he only came part way about then how God worked in his heart, and we saw how that after his father had died, he then left Heron and came all the way into the land that God had purposed for them. It shows us, as we remarked, how God sometimes has to use trials in order to stir up in our hearts more response to His claims, so that we might be more yielded to Him.
But then later on when there was a famine in the land, how Abraham, discouraged by the famine, went down into Egypt and there we know how that there was departure. He didn't have his tent, that is, he lost his Pilgrim character. He didn't have his altar because he had not the same approach into the presence of God.
But he did prosper down there. He denied his proper relationship to his wife.
He didn't acknowledge that she was really his wife. He didn't deny any relationship. But as we noticed, he denied the relationship that he he was really as she was really his wife. And so you know what an important thing it is for us to realize that we are a heavenly people. We're a spouse. The church is the bride of Christ. And Paul said, I have espoused you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Sometimes we can say, yes, I know I belong to the Lord, I'm one of his children. But are we walking in this world as those who recognize that our home is up there, that we are to form part of the glorious bride of Christ associated with him up there in another day?
Well, Abram denied this and bought down there in the land of Egypt. He became very wealthy.
He seemed to prosper and get along very well, and so that when he decided to leave the land of Egypt and go back into Canaan, why he had, as it tells us, he had men, servants and maidservants, and she she ***** and camels. And it tells us in the second verse of this 13th chapter he was very rich in cattle.
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In silver and in gold.
So it is sometimes when we get away from the Lord, we may prosper materially, but to prosper materially is not always the best thing for us. Sometimes it can be a great hindrance to our souls because those things get hold of us. And the Bible says the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.
And it's so easy for us, perhaps unaware to ourselves.
To set our hearts on things down here, and it tells us, set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Well, we noticed too how Abraham was restored and he came back out of Egypt. He came to the very point where he had left.
That place where he had his tent and his altar at the beginning. And so we could say that it is very beautiful to see that he truly was restored. We also see that Lot came along with him. A lot seemed to be one who locked in the faith of others and not in his own personal faith. And you know every one of us who professed to know the Lord is our Savior and perhaps who profess to walk in the truth.
Are going to be tested sooner or later as to whether we really have our eyes on the Lord.
Or whether we are just doing it, perhaps because of friends or relatives, some influence that has been brought to bear upon us. And with Lot, it appears that the influence of Abraham had a great effect upon him. But no matter how much we may be helped by some other, who is walking by faith, and we can help others when we're walking by faith.
Let us remember that each one of us must give account of himself.
God and you and I need to be personally before the Lord. Are we reading His Word for ourselves? Are we in prayer before Him? Are we holding personal communion with Him? Are we in the path where we are because we believe it's the path of obedience to the Lord? Or is it just because it's a nice group of people or our friends and relatives are there? Sooner or later we're going to be tested.
Well, so the testing came in Lot's life.
It tells us here that they had come back and were now both of them so very wealthy. And here it tells us the land wouldn't bear them so they could dwell together. And there was a strife, a jealousy arose between them. Isn't this often true?
Very often we can trace our departure away from the Lord to something that came in some kind of strife, some kind of jealousy, some kind of feeling, and that started it. And then how something else happens and here we find Abraham and Lot become separated one from another. All how we need to watch those things.
That so naturally rise in our hearts.
It tells us in Peter, laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and evil speakings, there's so many things that can grow like weeds in our hearts. And if we allow them and if we don't judge them, they may not seem very great at first, but they always lead to other things. The breakup of the first family in the world was through jealousy. We know that it was because.
Cain was jealous. He was jealous because God had accepted Abel and he had rejected him and it made him very angry. His countenance fell. So angry he was that he actually slew his brother. All how true it is, as the Bible says, and jealousy is cruel as the grave. Well, here was this strife, but it's nice to see here the spirit that Abraham showed.
Abraham was the one that felt this most.
We don't read about Lot being too much disturbed over the strife.
He wasn't walking near enough to the Lord to be concerned for if you notice in the end of the seventh verse it says and the Canaanite and the parasite dwell then in the land. In the 12Th chapter and the sixth verse, the end of the verse it says in the Canaanite was then in the land. It is when Abram came into the land first.
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There were enemies in the land, but Abraham went on in faith. He pitched his tent, he built his altar, and he went on counting upon God, even although there were enemies in the land. And the enemy is always busy to hinder our spiritual progress. But why does it tell us that when this strife came about, it says the Canaanite and the Perazite dwell then in the land?
All because the world looks on and sees this sort of thing.
How sad it is when the world has to witness that these things exist among those who profess to know the Lord. It tells us, you know. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another. But where was the evidence of it?
When they saw these two men who professed to be men of faith and they couldn't even dwell together, they couldn't go on in the path of faith together. Well, I believe God mentions this and there seemed to be more attention paid in the fact that it tells us that not only the Canaanite but also the Perazite and dwell then in the land.
Abram was exercised, he was concerned about it, and he said to.
Lot, let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we be brethren.
Isn't this very gracious on the part of Abram? Because in reality, Abram was Lot's uncle.
He was the older one and he could have said to lot, well now I'm going to have first choice because I'm the older one and he might have easily taken a position like that because we're told to respect age. And he could have easily said, well, I, I'm the older one and so I'm going to have the first choice. But isn't it nice to see here that I believe we could say that?
Abraham committed his cause to the Lord.
He just knew that the Lord was going to take care of him. Like the Scripture says, commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and he shall bring it to pass. And I believe that when he took this gracious attitude, he was sure that God would take care of his interests.
God would protect him, and He most certainly did. He doesn't fail a trusting heart. He tells us trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. So he didn't say, well I think I know which is the best part of the land to dwell in. I'm going to choose it. No, he just left the whole matter in the Lord's hands and he said lot. You can take first choice.
And he said, if you go one way, I'll go the other.
And so he gave Lot the opportunity. But what did Lot do? Well, Lot, as we have noticed before, was not really walking in personal faith. And we also mentioned on Lords Day, and I call attention to it again, that Abram, even loyal man of such wonderful faith.
When he had failed and gone down into Egypt because of the famine.
He had given Lot a taste of some things that hindered Lot in his later life. And if I get away from the Lord, I may have an effect, a very adverse effect on some other Christian, and I might get restored. But perhaps the harm I've done to someone else will not be corrected.
And this is a very sad thing. This often takes place because none of us liveth to himself, and none of us dieth to himself. So poor Lot had got his first taste of those things that he was going after through his Uncle Abraham taking him down into Egypt. And so it tells us that when he lifted up his eyes and looked on the land of the valley of.
Plain of Jordan, I should say, down towards Sodom and Gomorrah. He said that just looks like Zoar down in Egypt. When had he seen Zor down in Egypt? When Abram took him down and there was the effect that he had. We know of another case in the New Testament and we remember how Barnabas was the uncle of John Mark and we find how that when Barnabas wanted.
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John Mark and he wasn't spiritually up to it. It caused a contention and a Barnabas, the uncle of John Mark took John Mark along with him. And we know that there were some lost time in John Marks life too. Thank God John Mark was afterwards restored because God is gracious.
But these things I'm sure blessings for us from which we can all learn.
So he decided to go down and it tells us they separated themselves, the one from the other. It's a sad thing when God's people, as I say, cannot walk together. But the scripture also says how can two walk together except they be agreed. There needs to be a mutual agreement to follow the Lord.
To live for him.
And there wasn't this mutual agreement with these two. Abram now restored desires to go on for the Lord, but Lot didn't. And so there wasn't that happy unity of heart. It's a it's a nice thing to see when there is, like in the early disciples, it says the multitude of the disciples were of one heart and one soul.
They were united in their desire to give the Lord His rightful place.
They prayed together, they served the Lord together, and they had fellowship together.
And continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, but here.
We see a coldness of heart coming in. We see strife coming in. We see them.
Separating one from another and poor lot going down towards Sodom. I want you to notice he didn't go to Sodom all at once. He started that in that direction. It tells us in the.
11 Verse. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom. That little expression he dwelled in the cities of the plain seemed to show that there was not stability in his Christian or in his pathway.
Why you can't dwell in more than one city at a time. And instead he dwelled in the cities of the plain. He was sort of unsettled in his path.
And he was going, as we see, in the wrong direction. He was heading towards Sodom. But you know, we don't really.
Just all of a sudden do something that is disastrous in our lives, There's usually something that leads up to it. Just like there was with Peter. It tells us that he was asleep when the Lord told him to watch. It tells us that he was boasting.
When he should be asking the Lord for help, it tells us that he was following a far off. It tells us that he was warming himself by the world's fire. And all these were just steps leading up to what finally happened when in the company of the world, he denied his Lord. But it didn't all happen at once. Departure doesn't come into our lives suddenly if we.
Get self confident if we allow strife in our hearts.
If we're looking away from the land that God has given and looking in the wrong direction and setting our hearts on.
Wrong things, our feet will soon follow, and one thing will lead to another. And this was the course of lot. I say he didn't get to Sodom all at once, but he finally got there, because that was the direction he was traveling. And so it tells us what kind of people were there. The 13th verse. But the man of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord.
Exceedingly.
God was greatly displeased with those wicked cities, and later on, as we know, He rained fire and brimstone upon them. Then I might just mention, in this day of the breakdown of morals, in this day when we see a marriage almost beginning to disappear, this is a solemn warning from God. Now that was the sin that was.
Being carried out there in Sodom and Gomorrah.
The idea of morality and marriage was gradually disappearing. God speaks of the days of Noah and says they ate and they drank and they planted, they build it, they married and were given in marriage. That's the way he speaks about the days of Noah. But when he talks about the time of lot, he says they ate and they drank, they planted, they build it, but it doesn't say they married and gave in marriage.
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The marriage ceremony and the marriage sanctity was really disappearing. Now this is a solemn warning, and it tells us in June that God showed just what he thought about that sort of thing by bringing down the awful judgment of what is called eternal fire upon those cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Let us be warned about the moral laxity of the days in which we live.
God has set certain standards of morals in His Word, and it's not for us to look lightly upon them. It's not for us to join hands with the new morality, as it's called, of our present day. God hasn't lowered His standards just because men have. Well, this was the direction in which Lot was traveling. Was He a real believer? Yes.
If you read in Peter it says that righteous man.
Dwelling among them vexed his righteous soul from day-to-day.
With their unlawful deeds, he was a true believer. He even remonstrated with the people and told him not to do so wickedly. But he dwelled among them. He, he seemed to, shall I say, be quite content to make that his dwelling place, a place for his family, a place for his interests. And as we know later on, he lost everything.
In Sodom he had a saved soul but a lost life.
Well, now they were separated and I'm sure that Abraham must have felt this because Abraham must have thought a good deal of Lot and he was the one who had come with him from her of the Chaldees. And they had been companions in their measure in the pathway of faith for some time. And I'm sure that Abram must have felt this. Any true hearted Christian can't help but feel it when.
He separated from other real Christians.
If it doesn't bother you to be separated from other real Christians, there's something wrong, because it tells us we're taught of God to love one another. We may not always be able to walk together because we have to be obedient, and Abraham couldn't walk with Lot in his disobedient path, but he did feel it, and we'll see afterwards how very kind he was and what nice thoughts he had.
Toward a lot, even though he couldn't go along with him.
This was all very beautiful and showed the reality of his faith.
So on the 14th verse. And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward, and eastward and westward, for all the land which thou seest. To thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. You know, God knows in our lives the times when there's special discouragement.
He knows the time when perhaps some friend has perhaps deserted us or has left the path so that we can't walk together. The Lord knows about those situations. And isn't it lovely here that just at this time when Lot is separated from him, the Lord appears to Abraham and encourages his heart? For the Bible tells us that God is the God of all encouragement.
And so he comes here at this point to encourage the heart of Abram and says, as it were, Abram.
I know if you look around you're going to be disappointed because you've lost lot and he was your companion. A body said look up, look up. He said lift up now thine eyes and he said look from the place where thou art, because you might say, well, I can't really look up to the Lord until there's been a change in some things in my life or something. Oh, isn't it very beautiful to see that the.
From the place where thou art, in other words, right now.
If there are any of us here who are discouraged or something has come to make you feel cast down and sad.
Why look up and realize how richly you really have been blessed in Christ?
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How richly Abraham had been blessed he was to look in every direction N SE and West, and as far as he could see everything belonged to him and to his seed after him. And how richly have we been blessed? Well, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ, and we have been, we have been blessed with the unsearchable.
Of Christ and so Abram here at this point was encouraged by.
How much was really to be his, and to his seed after him. And the Lord told him also that he would make his seat as the dust of the earth, and that is, he could count upon God to undertake for him and for his cause. Well, this must have been a real encouragement, and makes me think of the little hymn that says.
In season the sustaining word Thou gives to our hearts to know.
And very often, in some time when we feel specially cast down, the Lord.
Bring something in His word to cheer our hearts.
It tells us in the 16th Psalm the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yeah, I have a goodly heritage and that Psalm is prophetic of the Lord Jesus and we couldn't say that his pathway in this world was a pleasant pathway as far as circumstances were concerned, because he was despised and rejected of man.
Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief. So why does it say the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places?