Genesis 13 Commentary
“Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” Verse 2. Could this statement confirm the blessing of greatness? It’s difficult to argue against this observation. Abram is a man of some status!
The reader may wish to remember that some of these places existed under different names during the time of Abram. The names we have for them are the names in use during the author’s time. This is the case for Bethel. The name didn’t exist until the time of Abram’s grandson, Jacob.
Verse 4 reveals a location between Bethel and Ai as the place where Abram had built his first altar. Then we can tell Abram wasn’t great at ‘worship’ where he came from. Could we conclude that the LORD called Abram in raw form?
We can bet on it. The LORD calls us whilst deep in our sins. No one earns the ticket!
Could we also conclude the reason for calling Abram “out” as one to separate him from an environment of idol worship?
The issue of land has become complex at this stage. Don’t forget that Adam was the landlord of the entire earth. Then came Noah. But Abram has company. Further separation is required.
Verse 15 hosts another blessing: The blessing of multiplication. There is also the blessing of land ownership. Ownership and possession of what you own are two different items. The LORD never mentioned it to Adam because Adam had it all to himself!
We can see Lot’s poor choices. He settles near Sodom, next to wicked people who “were sinning greatly against the LORD.” Verse 13.
The LORD separates Abram from wickedness while Lot glues himself to wickedness!
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