The Book of Genesis, Chapter 13

Genesis 13:1-18

Summary

Abram leaves Egypt and goes through the desert. Abram's folks and Lot's folks get into a bit of a tiff because the land is having a hard time supporting them both, so Abram says to Lot, "Dude, we've got tons of space, you go one way, I'll go the other way, we shouldn't fight over this."

Lot heads east to the area around the Jordan, which was nice because Sodom and Gomorrah hadn't been kaplooied yet. That happens later. Abram goes in the other direction, towards (possibly founding?) Hebron.

Commentary

There's not a lot of action in this chapter, but it is an important parting of the ways. At the first, Abram and Sarai —with Lot in tow— head out of Egypt and into the Negeb. I did a little reading, and from what I can tell, the Negeb is a desert area in Israel, which is reasonably fertile. The term also refers to "the south" in general.

The group, now consisting of many herders working for both Abram and Lot, travel all the way back to the place between Bethel and Ai, where Abram built an altar to the Lord. It's kind of fascinating to me that they travel back there, because it was early in their days together when that happened, and almost seem to go back to split.

First, though, comes the strife between Abram's herders and Lot's herders. There's no real description of it, it's just stated that it happens. The bible describes the group:

"Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents" (Gen 13:5).

The fact that they have flocks, herds and tents seems to suggest that they were in fact a great many people moving together, which makes sense. It's very hard to eke out a living all on your own in the wilderness, which was pretty much everywhere at that time in history.

All of these folks living together in a place with limited resources, and conflict of some kind was inevitable. All we're told is that

"[T]here was strife between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock." (Gen 13:7)

It doesn't sound too bad, actually, it probably consisted mostly of harsh words and the occasional fistfight. Still, it doesn't pay to have people fighting each other when they ought to be tending the livestock.

This leads to the talk. Boys and girls, when two groups of herders don't love each other like they used to... well, they probably go separate ways. What did you think I was talking about? Abram takes Lot aside, and says

"Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herders and my herders; for we are kindred. 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." (Gen 13:8-9)

So Lot agrees, and seeing that the Plain of Jordan was lush and verdant, he decides to take his herders, and his tents and his cattle, and heads off in that direction. Over there happened to be Sodom and Gomorrah, and Sodom was a wicked place, but it had not yet been destroyed.

Abram moved to the Land of Canaan, where God makes an excellent promise to him. God tells Abram to look around, see the grand majesty of the land in all directions around him, because

"[A]ll the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring^* for ever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." (Gen 13:15-17)

And here, at long last, God promises Abram to make his offspring very plentiful. There's no mention of making him a nation, at least not in this chapter, there might be a little later on with a different author.

It's a very odd thought to view God as choosing favourites. I'm not used to it, though from what I understand of Old Testament God, I might hvae to get used to it. Abram is a devout man, of course, and it's understandable that if God were to pick a favourite, he might pick Abram. I guess I've always been brought up to think of God as loving all people equally, but that's a little more in the style of New Testament God, and I won't be there for awhile.

Still, moved by this promise from the Lord, Abram moves his tents to the Oaks at Mamre, and builds an altar to the Lord.