ABRAM AND LOT SEPARATE IN CANAAN

GENESIS 13

Abram’s unfortunate journey to Egypt in a time of famine leaves us certain that Canaan is the only land for Abram and his family (Gen. 12:10–20). Despite the fragility of its ecosystem, the Lord could and would sustain Abram’s family there. But had Abram arrived at this same conclusion? That answer comes to us very quickly in the account that finds Abram and his nephew parting company (Genesis 13). The Lord had so richly blessed these two families that they were no longer able to live together. A dispute over grazing land had begun between Abram and Lot’s herdsmen, requiring selection of separate regions in which to live. The question was, where would each family go and what was the reason behind their choice?

When it came time for Abram and Lot to choose their respective territories, Abram encouraged Lot to select first. Lot quickly turned his eyes toward the well-watered “plain of the Jordan” and made his choice of an area associated with Zoar, Sodom, and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:10).11

In relating the event, the biblical writer particularly emphasized the quality of the land selected by Lot. First, we learn that the cities were “well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt” (Gen. 13:10). The Garden of Eden and the land of Egypt are both noted for their abundant and predictable water supply. All other matters aside, this would be the land to choose—a land rich in water. But Abram had just had an experience that suggested there was more to God’s promises than fresh water. He had left the Promised Land, which had been stricken by famine, hoping to find greater security and abundance in Egypt (Gen. 12:10–20). That trip nearly ended in disaster. The fact that he gave Lot the opportunity to select first, coupled with the fact that he had abandoned a quest for land rich in water, suggests that Abram had grown in his understanding that the Lord was sufficient, at least with the issue of survival. Lot elected to move to an area of land with predictable water resources, but Abram trusted the Lord to take care of him and his family on a land that did not have predictable water resources.

Pottery from the site of Bab edh-Drah, which some identify as Sodom.
© Dr. James C. Martin. The British Museum.

Byzantine chapel built over the traditional site of Lot’s cave near Safi in present-day Jordan, which could be the ancient location of Zoar.

Note again that the land Lot selected required him to travel east. In the book of Genesis, this is never a good sign.12 After the decision to mutiny, Adam and Eve moved east from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Cain was forced to move east after murdering his brother (Gen. 4:16), and those who conspired to build the Tower of Babel did so after moving east (Gen. 11:1–2). So while this move of Lot seemed to be a logical move in the right direction of abundant fresh water, it proved decidedly to be a move in the wrong direction. The predictable water supply of the Jordan plain was used by a populace whose wickedness was so intense that the Lord brought about their complete destruction within a short time (Gen. 18–19).

The site of Numeira, which some believe to be ancient Gomorrah, on the southeast side of the Dead Sea.

Abram had learned some lessons in Egypt: the Lord is faithful to his promises no matter what deterrents came upon the Promised Land. Abram would no longer pursue a life where abundant water and idolatry enjoyed one another’s company. Instead he would remain in the Promised Land confident that his all-powerful King would provide for all his physical needs.

When Abram and Lot separated to their specific areas, they did so for a reason. Abram gave Lot the first choice. Lot walked by sight and mistakenly concluded that the water-rich areas of Zoar, Sodom, and Gomorrah would be to his benefit. Abram walked by faith and remained in the unpredictable and limited water resources of the hill country and Negev, trusting in the Lord’s provision.

Lot moves to the cities of the plain