October 30, Genesis 13
"Let there be no strife between you and me... for we are kinsmen.” - Genesis 13:8
I don't like quarreling. It makes me feel uneasy inside. Conflict raises my blood pressure. Maybe some people thrive on the adrenaline produced by a good quarrel. But it is unpleasant to me.
My grownup kids have fond memories of dear old Dad swatting aimlessly with his hand toward the back seat as the family rolled down the highway. I was trying to stop the turf wars going on in the back seat between sisters and their little brother. It's normal for children to learn to give and take in small conflicts among themselves, but I didn't want to listen to it in the close confines of the car.
Selfishness is the root of almost all strife. Many disputes are grounded in “I want mine. I want my way. Me first. I'm not getting a fair deal.” Quarreling is in the forecast when too many people are trying to get their share of an insufficient pool of resources.
Abram and his nephew Lot had just such a resource allocation dispute brewing between the men who took care of their flocks. Both men were wealthy and had been traveling together. Abram had obeyed God about leaving his country and his father's house, but he still had kinfolks with him. Did God use this strife between the herdsmen to bring about the separation that needed to take place?
Abram set a wise example of how to defuse escalating conflict. Let's take notes about how he did it. First, he reminded his nephew that relationships matter more than the material things that so often cause disputes: "Let there be no strife between you and me... for we are kinsmen" (verse 8). Then he showed the folly of contending over the resources, citing the abundance of opportunity around them: "Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me." Abram was not selfish; he was magnanimous. He gave his nephew first choice of all the surrounding territory, offering to take his people and animals in the opposite direction to put space between them: "If you take the left hand, the I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." When we trust God more than our immediate circumstances to provide for us, we don’t have to scrap and insist on getting our way or first choice every time.
Genesis 13 also tells the outcome of the separation. Lot chose to go eastward to the well-watered Jordan Valley. His choice was understandable, if inconsiderate. He moved into a neighborhood with a lot of resources to support his people and his flocks, but with some really bad neighbors in Sodom. “The men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord." This choice would eventually bring disaster and death to Lot and his family.
God affirmed Abram once again after the separation, appearing to him and promising that his descendants would possess all the land in every direction around him as far as he could see. He honored Abram's commitment to him. Abram was steadfast in his worship of God, building altars all over the land of Canaan as he journeyed.
What could you and I learn from the events of this chapter? First, let’s remember that just because people around us are quarreling does not mean that we should get involved. Abram told Lot they shouldn't have anything to do with their herdsmen's quarrel. He already knew what Solomon would say about getting involved in other people's quarrels a thousand years later: "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears" (Proverbs 26:17). We should also, like Abram, refuse to allow disputes over material things to disrupt the peace of our relationships. And we should trust God's care enough to be gentle and allow others to have their way if we can do so without compromising our relationship with God.
Strife is inevitable in a fallen world, surrounded by people who are flawed as we all are. Paul told us to live at peace with everyone, as much as it was up to us (Romans 14:19). There may be folks with whom you just can’t make peace. But maybe we can avoid some conflicts (and keep our blood pressure down) by remembering and following Abram's example when it’s possible to do so.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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