Genesis 13:1-14:16: A Life of Faith

Genesis 13:1-14:16: A Life of Faith

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Genesis, and today the next passage we come to is Genesis 13:1-14:16, so I’ll be reading a selection of verses from that passage. It says,

1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 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. 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. 9 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.” 10 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.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. 14 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, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 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. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 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. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Let’s pray: Father, we thank you for the gift of your Word. And we pray what Jesus prayed in John 17—sanctify us in the truth, your word is truth. We understand, from this, that your Word isn’t just true but the very standard of truth itself. So please use your Word by your Spirit to sanctify Your people. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen. 

It seems like there are some things that people make complicated that really don’t have to be that complicated. Relationships, personal finance, parenting, dieting, exercise—you name it, it seems like we often find a way to overcomplicate it. And I believe that’s especially true when it comes this idea of faith. If someone asked you to explain to them the meaning of “faith,” how would you respond? What does it mean to have faith? You know, it seems like the word “faith” nowadays often ends up being this incredibly vague term. I know I hear people use the term faith in all sorts of different ways, and I’m often not sure what they mean or sure that they’re sure what they mean.

However, in the Bible, faith is simply believing what God tells us. That’s the simplest definition I can come up with—“believing what God tells us.” Or, we might say, trusting God promises or taking him at his word. So, biblically speaking, that means we can’t just have faith in something simply because we want it to be true. There has to be a word from God or a promise God’s made that’s behind our faith. Having “faith” apart from a word or promise from God is actually not biblical faith at all but rather presumption. In order for our “faith” to be more than presumption, it has to be rooted in something God’s said or a promise he’s made. 

And it’s important for us to understand that because faith is absolutely foundational to our relationship with God. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please [God].” If you picture the Christian life as a journey, faith is the very ground upon which we walk as we travel on that journey. It’s the means by which we receive all of God’s blessings and by which we even come into a relationship with God in the first place. In order to become a Christian, we have to put our faith in Jesus to save us from our sin because of what he accomplished on the cross in paying for our sin. 

However, that’s just the beginning…because God not only invites us to be saved through faith, he also calls us to a life of faith. Faith is not only the way we become Christians but also the lifelong pattern according to which we live as Christians. The Christian life is a life of faith. So, what, then, does that life of faith look like? Well, that’s what we’ll be discussing this morning as we look at Genesis 13:1-14:16. The main idea of this passage is quite simple: Abram lived a life of faith. Abram lived a life of faith. Abram, by the way, would later become known as Abraham. Same guy. But for now, he’s just Abram. 

Now, to remind you of the context here, God made an important promise to Abram back at the beginning of the previous chapter. Remember, we said that faith is believing what God tells us, right? Well, here’s what God told Abram in Genesis 12:1-3: 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 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.” And it actually gets even better, because after Abram obeyed God by leaving the city where he was living and venturing out as God had told him to do, God adds an addendum to his original promise. He appears to Abram again and says in verse 7, “To your offspring I will give this land”—talking about the land of Canaan. So that’s the muti-faceted promise God made to Abram that serves as the foundation for the rest of Abram’s life and really for the entire book of Genesis. 

Now, as we saw last week, Abram didn’t always exemplify the life of faith. He started out strong by leaving his hometown and venturing out in faith, but he then stumbled in a pretty significant way. When a famine in Canaan forced Abram to travel to Egypt, he told a pretty big lie in Egypt about Sarai supposedly not being his wife but rather being his sister. And it totally blew up in his face with the result that Abram and his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot had to leave Egypt in disgrace. Thinking in terms of a modern parallel, I can just picture the three of them in a car headed out of Egypt with Abram at the steering wheel and Sarai staring out the passenger-side window and Lot in the backseat fidgeting with his fingers and the awkward silence that must have filled the vehicle until Sarai finally says, “Well, that went well.” So, Abram was far from perfect and had a pretty significant lapse of faith while he was in Egypt. Yet, in his subsequent behavior, as we’ll see in our main passage today, Abram was still quite exemplary in his faith overall. 

And as we work our way through this passage in Genesis 13-14, I’d like to draw your attention to four characteristics of a life of faith. Abram lived a life of faith, and these are four characteristics of his life that we see in this passage. 

Returning to God after Lapsing into Sin

First, returning to God after lapsing into sin. Returning to God after lapsing into sin. After Abram totally blew it in Egypt, here’s what we read in Genesis 13:1-4: 1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 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, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 

So, Abram didn’t wallow in sorrow or discouragement or guilt as a result of his lapse of faith in Egypt or let that incident keep him from seeking God. Instead, we see in verse 4 that he returned to the altar he had previously made at Bethel and “called upon the name of the Lord” once again. And the location’s pretty significant. The altar at Bethel represented a time in Abram’s life when he had an incredibly close relationship with God and had experienced God’s presence in a glorious way as he worshiped and offered sacrifices at that altar. So, by retracing his steps back to that altar, Abram was essentially trying to get back to that close relationship with God and renew his connection with God and rekindle his love for God. 

So, let me just ask: What about you? Have you strayed from God with the result that you’re now in need of returning to where you used to be spiritually? Perhaps you need to go home this afternoon and consider the words of Jesus in Revelation 2:4-5, where he says to the church of Ephesus, 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Brothers and sisters, don’t let your sins overshadow God’s grace. Remember that, as Romans 5:20 says, “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” So, whenever you fall down, let the knowledge of God’s grace lift you back up and get you headed in the right direction once again. Recognize your sin and grieve over you sin, but don’t wallow in it. Repent of it, and move on. Stand on the promise of 1 John 1:9 that, “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That’s one key feature of a life of faith—and one that we certainly see in Abram back in Genesis 13. 

Passing the Test of Prosperity

Then, a second characteristic of the life of faith that we see in Abram is passing the test of prosperity. Passing the test of prosperity. Verse 2 tells us, “Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Part of that wealth had been in Abram’s possession for a long time—since before God had originally called him to leave his hometown. Then, through all of Abram’s shenanigans in Egypt, he actually left Egypt with a considerable amount of additional wealth. Those of you who were here last week may remember that when Pharoah took Sarai to be his wife, Genesis 12:16 states that he made Abram a very rich man, and gave him “sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” Some of these possessions, like camels, were things that only ultra-rich people had back in that day. In today’s world, Abram would have probably been flying places in a private jet and driving around in a Lamborghini. He was one rich dude. 

And that’s a good reminder for us that it’s not unspiritual or ungodly to be rich. In fact, many of the godliest men in the Old Testament were quite wealthy. However, the Bible warns us that material wealth can be very hazardous to us at times. It presents us with unique dangers and temptations. In many ways, material prosperity is actually one of the most difficult tests we can face in life. And maybe that’s surprising to you. I think, many times, we often view various forms of adversity as the most difficult tests people endure. And don’t get me wrong: there are many kinds of adversity that are incredibly difficult, and I in no way want to minimize them. However, from what I’ve seen at least, it seems as though Christians, by and large, do a lot better in the midst of those kinds of tests than in the midst of the test of prosperity. 

Think about it: when those of us who are Christians experience adversity, we’re well aware of how desperately we need God and are usually driven to cry out to God for help with the result that the seasons of the greatest adversity in our lives often end up being the seasons of the greatest spiritual growth as well. But that’s not usually the case with prosperity, is it? Instead, material prosperity often has a way of dulling our sense of how much we need God and causing us to drift away from God and leading us into spiritual complacency and self-sufficiency. If we’re not careful, wealth and prosperity can have a corrupting effect on our lives. And it may not even be very apparent, at first. We might seem to be doing just fine on the outside. But, like wood that’s infested with termites, we might not be okay at all on the inside. 

That’s why there’s no shortage of warnings in the Bible related to wealth. Just to give one example, in 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Paul warns us, 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 

And, returning to Genesis 13, we can also see this tendency with Abram’s nephew, named Lot. As we’ll see in a few moments, Lot devotes himself to the pursuit of material wealth, and it eventually leads him away from God and into what can only be described as tragic spiritual ruin and destruction. Yet, Abram is quite different. Although Abram was incredibly wealthy, he didn’t let that wealth draw him away from God. Instead, as we’ve seen in verse 4, “Abram called upon the name of the Lord” at his altar in Bethel. And then, as we’ll see at the end of the chapter, Abram settles in a place called Hebron and builds another altar to the Lord there so he can continue calling on the name of the Lord. So, just be aware that it takes great faith to pass the test of prosperity. And, make no mistake: that’s a test I believe the vast majority of us face as American Christians. Will we be found faithful? Just ask yourself, how has your relationship with God been affected by prosperity? 

Exhibiting Open-handed Generosity 

Moving on, a third and closely related characteristic of a life of faith is exhibiting open-handed generosity. Exhibiting open-handed generosity. Genesis 13 records that Abram and Lot were so wealthy that the land in which they were dwelling couldn’t support both of them. It says that there was strife between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. So, we read in verses 8-12, 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. 9 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.” 10 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.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 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, Abram’s generosity is particularly remarkable if you consider the culture back then. In ancient culture, Abram, as the older man and the uncle of Lot, would undoubtedly be viewed as entitled to have the first pick. Yet, he didn’t exercise that privilege but instead invited Lot to pick the land he wanted first and was willing to take what remained. That’s quite the change from the way Abram had conducted himself in Egypt, isn’t it? Instead of being shrewd and self-serving, Abram’s now remarkably different. 

And the reason is very simple: Abram had faith. He was trusting God’s promise from chapter 12 that, one day, not just part of the land but the whole land would be given to his descendants. Don’t miss that. God had promised Abram that his offspring would one day possess the entire land, including both the Jordan Valley that Lot chooses and the land of Hebron that Abram chooses and a whole lot more land as well. As one commentator writes, “Abram knew that even if he gave the land away a thousand times, it would [still] go to his descendants.” And, in case Abram needed any reminding, God reaffirms his promise to give Abram this land in verses 14-17 of our main passage—and is actually much more specific in this reaffirmation of the promise than he had been in the original promise.

In a similar way, those of us who are Christians are likewise able to exhibit open-handed generosity as we, like Abram, trust in the promises God’s made to us. Not only has God promised to provide for all of our earthly needs, he also promises us unfathomable treasures in heaven—as 1 Peter 1:4 says, “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” So, brothers and sisters, should we not be the most generous people on the face of the earth? When you consider the immeasurable wealth we possess that we’ll get to enjoy for all eternity and the blessings we enjoy even now—every spiritual blessing in Christ, as Ephesians 1 says—what difference do a few dollars of earthly currency make? For a Christian to be stingy with money is kind of like a billionaire trying to negotiate a lower price the Dollar Tree. There’s no need for that, and it’s actually kind of ridiculous. 

If you really understand the treasures you possess in Christ, you’ll stop being stingy and instead exhibit the open-handed generosity toward others that Abram exhibits to Lot in Genesis 13—and hopefully an even greater generosity. And it’s all rooted in faith. Just as Abram’s generosity rested on the confidence that God would fulfill his promise in giving him the entire land of Canaan, our generosity rests on God’s promises to us both of earthly provision and of a heavenly inheritance. 

Engaging in Bold Endeavors for God

Then, a fourth and final characteristic of a life of faith is engaging in bold endeavors for God. Engaging in bold endeavors for God. We’re not going to read the whole story, but in Genesis 14:1-16, there’s a big battle among the kings of the region. And it says “kings,” but really these are petty kings that are each over a single city. So, it’s not an enormous war, but it does involve an alliance of five kings fighting against an alliance of four kings. And Lot, who’s now living in Sodom, becomes caught up in this conflict and is actually captured and taken away. We then read in verses 14-16, 14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. 

So, Abram shows surprising ability in leading his men into battle under the cover of night and rescuing his nephew Lot. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t really get the picture of Abram as a mighty warrior prior to this event. But, apparently, even at age 75-plus, Abram’s packing some heat and goes all Rambo on these four kings who kidnapped Lot. It’s pretty incredible. I mean, after this, Abram must have been something of a legend in that region probably for generations. I imagine everyone in the region got the message loud and clear, “Don’t mess with that guy. Like, he’s crazy. And don’t mess with his family either.”

But that’s really part of a life of faith—engaging in bold endeavors for God. In the words of the eighteenth-century missionary William Carey, faith enables us to “expect great things from God” and therefore “attempt great things for God.” “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” You see, just like Abram, we also have a rescue mission that’s been set before us—only our rescue mission, of course, is spiritual rather than physical. God’s called us to spend our lives, risk our lives, and even give our lives if necessary for the sake of the gospel. 

He’s called us to a faith-driven boldness in spreading everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. This boldness is “faith-driven” in the sense that it’s not something that we try to whip up out of nowhere but rather a boldness that rises out of the faith we have that God’s Spirit dwells within us, that he’ll never leave us nor forsake us, that he’ll give us the right words to say to people at the right time, that his words will never return to him empty but will accomplish his purposes, and that, regardless of what happens to us in the course of telling people about Jesus, our future is secure. It’s faith in God and in these specific promises God’s made that drives our witness. This faith enables us to overcome the fear and timidity we often feel and to relinquish our desire for control and wholeheartedly embrace the missionary calling we’ve been given. 

So, what specifically is God calling you to do? What conversations is he calling you to have? Which neighbor is the Holy Spirit prompting you to invite over for dinner? Which coworker is he laying on your heart to set up an evangelistic Bible study with? What other bold steps is he calling you to take? Friends, our time on this earth is short, and eternity is long. Let’s make good use of the time God’s given us to labor for the advance of the gospel. 

Conclusion

And as we think about Abram rescuing Lot in Genesis 14, it’s also worth noting that that’s essentially what Jesus has done for us. Jesus didn’t sit around in heaven idly waiting for us to deserve to be rescued. He left the glories of heaven on a mission to rescue us from a mess of our own making. He entered the fray and engaged in a cosmic battle against the forces of evil that eventually resulted in him being crucified on a Roman cross. You see, unlike Abram, Jesus didn’t just risk his life—he gave his life on the cross. Yet, it was all a part of the plan—because when Jesus died on the cross, he died to atone for our sins. He endured the punishment we deserved—not just physical death but the full wrath of God the Father against sin. Jesus suffered that wrath so we wouldn’t have to. So the very death that at first appeared to be a tragic defeat was actually an incredible victory—as was soon demonstrated when Jesus resurrected from the dead three days later. 

And Jesus now invites us to receive the benefits of all that he accomplished by putting our trust in him. As we’ve already discussed, the only way we can be forgiven of our sin and enjoy eternity with God is through faith in Jesus. That’s the faith we need before we even think about living the life of faith that we’ve talked about this morning. And that faith in Jesus to rescue us doesn’t even have to be great faith as long as it’s true faith—because it’s not the greatness of our faith but rather the object of our faith that saves us. 

I once heard it explained in this way. There were two men who wanted to get across a raging river that was at the bottom a 100-foot-deep gorge. The first guy was a man of great faith. So he looked around and saw an old rickety bridge—you know, one of those narrow Indiana Jones style bridges comprised of half-rotten planks of wood that look like they could break at time. And this rickety bridge was swaying in the wind a hundred feet above the raging river. But, remember, this was a man of great faith. So, he confidently strutted out across that bridge. However, when he was about halfway across, the wood broke, and he plunged to his death into the river. 

That left the second man who still wanted to get across the river. However, unlike the first man, who had great faith, this had man had very weak faith. And seeing the first man fall made this man even more terrified. But he walked a little way to another part of the river and discovered another bridge—a massive interstate highway bridge that looked like it had been built very recently. However, this man’s faith was so weak that he was still scared out of his mind. So, he couldn’t even walk across that bridge. He had to crawl the whole way across. But guess what? He made it to the other side. It took him a while, but he eventually made it to the other side safely. 

And that shows us that it’s not the greatness of our faith but rather the object of our faith that saves us. So, it’s okay if you don’t have great faith—as long as you have true faith and as long as your faith is directed toward Jesus. That’s the critical thing. Is your faith directed toward yourself and your own efforts to be worthy of God or to gain God’s favor, or is your faith directed toward Jesus? Can you say with the nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon that “My faith rests not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is, in what he has done, and in what he is doing for me”?