Abraham - Faith Tested - Part 3

Let’s ask ourselves: Are we separated unto the Lord, or are we playing with the world? Are we walking by faith? Abraham comes through this conflict with flying colors. Faith brought him out; faith brought him in; faith brought him back; and faith brought him through.

It comes as a surprise to some people that faith is always tested. God sees to it that every Christian is tested in his faith because the only way faith can grow is through testing. Testing is the exercise for the muscles of your soul. True faith is always tested by the Lord. Now when the Lord tests you, He knows just how long and just how much. I have often said that when God puts us into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and He keeps His hands on the thermostat. He knows how long and He knows how much.

In Genesis 12, Abraham is tested by circumstances and there he failed. There was a famine in the land, and Abraham went down to Egypt and he got into trouble. God did not stop him. God said, "Abraham, you'll have to reap what you sow," and he did. In fact, for the rest of his life, he paid for some of the decisions that he made. Now in Genesis 13, he’s going to be tested by people. In this case, it’s going to be Lot and Lot’s herdsmen. When God called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees, He told him to get out of his country and get away from his kindred and from his father's house. Well, he didn't do that totally. He took Lot with him. Lot was his nephew. Lot’s father had died and so I don't doubt that Abraham felt sorry for the lad and said, "Well, you come along with us." Lot was a saved person. We're told that in 2 Peter 2. Lot was a born-again person. He was saved, but he was not the kind of a Christian, the kind of a believer that Abraham was. He did not walk close with the Lord, and Lot created some problems. Since Abraham and Sarah did not have any children, I suppose Lot was sort of a substitute son for them. At any rate, Lot was there and God could not do much more with Abraham until Lot was gone. God has to prune us. God has to take out of our lives even good things, but in this case, Lot was in the way.

Now we're going to find out in Genesis 13 that a crisis comes along. There is a conflict between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen, and between Lot and Abraham. A crisis does not make a person; a crisis reveals what a person is made of. And so as we read Genesis 13:5-18, we're going to see the contrast between the spiritual man and the carnal man. Now what is a carnal person? Well, it’s a person who is saved but sick, not walking with the Lord, not healthy spiritually.

Notice the contrast. First of all, Abraham is a peacemaker; Lot is a troublemaker. Genesis 13:5: "Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell 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. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, 'Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please, separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.'" Abraham was a peacemaker, and Lot was a troublemaker.

Now what caused all of this trouble? Well, you might say the land was part of the problem. There’d been a famine; there perhaps was not enough food in the land. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were there, which means other people were using the land. Or perhaps the problem was that their workers, the herdsmen, were not good people. Or perhaps Abraham was the trouble. We have all kinds of suggestions. But I think the answer is simply this: Lot’s heart was wrong with God. Abraham said, "Look, we are brethren. We belong to each other. We're not just brethren in the flesh—you are my nephew—but we are brothers in the Lord."

James 4 explains what was going on. Turn there in your Bible, James 4: "Where do wars and fights come from among you?" Now he's writing to Christian people, and we have to confess that Christian people have their conflicts. Christian couples in a marriage will have conflict. Christian parents will have conflict with their children. There are conflicts on church boards, perhaps between pastors and church members. Now what causes this? "Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?" Oh, we are at war with each other because we are at war with ourselves. "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." Twice he's used that word in James 4. When I want to please myself, then I'm going to do everything I can to do that particular thing, even if it hurts you. And of course, that's selfish, isn't it? "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" Here are three wars. We are at war with each other because we are at war within ourselves. And we are at war within ourselves because we are at war with God. "Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Now Abraham was the friend of God. He’s called the friend of God in the Bible. Abraham was the friend of God; Lot was the friend of the world. Lot’s heart was wrong. He had lustful pleasures down inside. He was interested in the things of this world. Now where did he get that from? Egypt. You see, Abraham was really to blame. Abraham took Lot down into Egypt, and though they took Lot out of Egypt, they never took Egypt out of Lot. And the cause of all this trouble was the fact that Abraham was a spiritual man; Lot was a carnal man. Abraham was a peacemaker; Lot was a troublemaker. They could not dwell together. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" You get a spiritual wife and a carnal husband, you're going to have conflict. You get spiritual parents and carnal children, you're going to have conflict. You have a spiritual pastor and worldly board members, there's going to be conflict. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" says Psalm 133, but there cannot be that unity unless there is a fullness of the Spirit of God.

You see, we get into the world gradually. We become friendly with the world. "Friendship with the world is enmity with God," James 4:4. And then we get spotted by the world, James 1:27. And before long we love the world, 1 John 2:15. And then we're conformed to the world, Romans 12:2. And Lot had the world in his heart. Now if you want to know what kind of an attitude Abraham had, look at James 3, just before James 4. The end of James 3:13: "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth." You see, Lot was operating on the basis of this world's wisdom, Abraham on the wisdom of God.

Lot was operating on the basis of this world's wisdom, Abraham on the wisdom of God. So here's contrast number one: the spiritual man, Abraham, is a peacemaker. The carnal worldly man, Lot, is a troublemaker. There's a second contrast. Abraham is walking by faith; Lot is walking by sight. Look at verses 10 and 11: "And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere." Now here’s a parenthesis: "(before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord," that’s Eden, "like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar." You see, they took Lot out of Egypt and never took Egypt out of Lot. He started measuring everything by Egypt. He had gotten a taste of the world and now he's measuring everything by the world. He lifted up his eyes. He is walking by sight and not by faith.

Now it's an interesting concept. Paul tells us in Colossians 3: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above." The problem was Lot didn't lift his eyes up high enough. Had he lifted his eyes up higher, he would have seen the Lord. Now Abraham had no problem with Sodom. Sodom was no temptation to Abraham because he had his eyes fixed on something different. Hebrews 11 tells us about that, verse 10: "for he looked for," or he waited for, "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Verse 13: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." You see, Abraham was looking at the glory of God. He was living in the future tense. He measured everything on earth by heaven; Lot measured everything by Egypt.

Now this is what creates conflict. You get a wife who's a Christian, but she wants to keep up with the neighbors, and she has a worldly attitude, and she has to impress people, and you have a husband who's spiritual—there's going to be conflict. You have children who want to live for the world and live on the world and in the world, and you have parents whose hearts are broken and they're praying for them—there's going to be some conflict because the world gets in. And wherever the world comes, there's going to be enmity. "Friendship with the world is enmity with God."

Now Abraham walked by faith, but Lot walked by sight. "Then Lot chose for himself," and God let him do it. God did not intervene. Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated from each other. He's journeying east, he's going toward Ai, which is the heap of ruins. And you're going to find that Abraham doesn't go in that direction. You see, Abraham had an altar; we don't read that Lot ever had an altar. And Lot did not have the same vision that Abraham had. He was not looking at that heavenly city. He wasn't measuring the present by the future. He was living in the past. "Oh, if I could just go back to Egypt." Well, here are Sodom and Gomorrah, they’re the next thing to Egypt and so I’ll choose that.

Now there's a third contrast. Abraham was the separated man, and Lot was the compromiser. Notice now, Abraham was a separated man living by faith, therefore he was a peacemaker. Lot was a compromising man walking by sight, therefore he was a troublemaker. Look at verses 12 through 18: "Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom." He's moving there gradually. First he pitches his tent as far as Sodom. Chapter 14:12, he lives in Sodom. And then in Chapter 19:1, he’s sitting in the gate of Sodom, apparently one of the officers of the city. Now Lot gradually moves into Sodom. He has no altar. He has no spiritual vision. And now he has no tent. He moves out of the tent and ceases to be a pilgrim and a stranger and he becomes a resident and he gets himself into trouble. He loses his tent; ultimately he lost his testimony.

You know, we always do this gradually. We don't go into the world usually by one great big leap. We do it gradually, as I’ve mentioned. Friendship with the world, James 4:4. We get spotted by the world, James 1:27. We start to love the world, 1 John 2:15. Then we get conformed to the world, Romans 12:2. And like Lot, we end up being condemned with the world, 1 Corinthians 11:32. What does that mean? We don't lose our salvation. God doesn't do that. We lose everything else. He lost his testimony; he lost his reward. He was saved yet so as by fire.

Well, it’s a serious thing to take the wrong step, isn’t it? Lot was a compromiser, but Abraham was the separated man. Verse 13 says: "But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord." If you want the commentary on that, you read Ezekiel, and you read Ezekiel 16:49-50. God says, "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride," there’s the pride of life. "Fullness of food," there’s the lust of the flesh. "Abundance of idleness," there’s the lust of the eye. "Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit." No need to go into details on the abomination of Sodom—you know what it was. Now here is what Lot moved into. He moved into pride instead of humility. He wouldn’t live in a tent; he had to have a townhouse in Sodom. He moved into idleness, and idleness usually leads to sin. He moved into fullness of food—luxury. And of course, he was surrounded by all kinds of iniquity. Now Lot’s soul was vexed by this, and rightly so. But Lot should not have been there at all.

Well, Lot is separated now from Abraham. And verse 14: "And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him." That’s interesting now. God is talking to Abraham after Lot is gone. Abraham is the friend of God, James 2:23, and friends talk to each other. "Lift up your eyes now." You see in verse 10, Lot lifted up his eyes by sight, but now God says, "Lift up your eyes by faith and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth." Remember he had no children. Perhaps he was trusting that Lot would be his descendant. Now Lot’s gone. "I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Lift up your eyes and look." He’s saying, "Abraham, you have learned how to respect boundaries. Unlike Lot, you're not moving into sin. You've learned to respect boundaries; now I will give you horizons. Look as far as you can look and I will give this to you. Lift up your eyes and look; lift up your feet and walk." Verse 17: "Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." You see, he’s walking by faith. Same thing God told Joshua: every place where the sole of your foot is going to tread, I’ll give it to you. Go in and claim it now. This encourages me.

The separated person sometimes is criticized; he's laughed at. Lot had no altar, but Abraham had an altar. Lot had no vision; Abraham had vision. Lot had no tent; Abraham had his tent. Lot had no testimony; Abraham had his witness. Notice verse 18: "Then Abram moved his tent," there’s his testimony, "and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord." This is Abraham’s life: the tent and the altar. The tent says, "I’m a pilgrim," and the altar says, "I belong to God." One balances the other. The tent says, "I don’t belong to this world," the altar says, "I belong to the next world. I belong to God." Lift up your eyes and look. Lift up your feet and walk. Lift up your heart and worship.

Notice the two names in verse 18 of Genesis 13. Mamre means "fatness," and Hebron means "fellowship." That’s where Lot should have been: enjoying the fatness, the richness of the Lord, not the artificial goodies in Sodom, but the richness of the Lord by the altar of God in Hebron, and Hebron means "fellowship."

Well, let’s ask ourselves: Are we separated unto the Lord, or are we playing with the world? Are we walking by faith? Are we peacemakers or are we troublemakers? Abraham comes through this conflict with flying colors. Faith brought him out; faith brought him in; faith brought him back; and faith brought him through.

[Interview]

Thanks for joining us. Now, let’s drop in on a conversation with Back to the Bible CEO Arnie Cole and Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe.

Warren, in your study of Abraham, you described faith as a journey, and a good part of that journey is about waiting and being patient. Why is patience such an important lesson for us?

Well, the Bible tells us that faith and patience go together. There are a number of references in the Word of God. Hebrews tells us faith and patience enables us to receive the promises. If you don't learn patience, you won't learn anything. Those of us who have raised children—children by nature are impatient. But Christians are that way. "Lord, I want this to happen now." But you know, I have looked back over my own life—I know you’ve done this too—God was never too early and He was never late. Never. We thought we had to do this right now. No, He didn't want it right now. He had it planned for later. So when it comes to praying and serving God, don't look at the calendar too much. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."