And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now 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. (Gen 13,14-15)

God told Abram he would give him land. Which seemed strange, because he didn't own anything in it yet. He lived here and used the pastures for herds, but only as a wandering caravan, a guest. Moreover, it was never entirely certain if the whole situation would change - what if they were attacked by foreign invaders or a tribal war broke out? Abram therefore sought peaceful coexistence with the surrounding tribes and made treaties with them. However, as a foreigner, he did not have the right of first choice for the country, he still had to act with regard to the others, which brought restrictions. Regarding the necessity of wandering with the herds, it was a permanent complication, but he had somewhat learned to live with it. But now that Lot has pulled away, his radius of action shrinked even more. Lot has chosen the best areas for grazing, and Abram will never want to clash with his interests.

At this moment, when his mind was overshadowed by the clouds over their entire current situation and future (how good it would be if I could finally have MY land, he thought), he heard God's voice in his spirit. "Look around where you're ..."

That was when Abram stood on the plateau, and in the east below he saw the lowlands to which Lot had descended and which would be forbidden for Abram not to provoke conflict with a close relative. And now God is saying to him - "... and look in all directions!"

When the two do the same... Now it's Abram who has a desirable look on the ground, but different from the one Lot had before. There is no pure desire for material blessings in this, he is rather to enjoy all that God gives him — after all, to do what God encourages together with Him is always a blessed act.

God seemed to overlook Lot's choice of the best country as a meaningless episode, as if it hadn't happened at all or had no effect on the one who stays with God. He now tells Abram: my promise to you persists, and no man, great or small, good or bad, near or far, can cancel or change it.      

Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) (Gen 13,10)

Old stories and fairy tales are often based on the principle that a person is guided through life according to how his heart is focused. The people of ancient times did not learn the world rationally in the first place - this approach began to be apparent first from the time of Greek philosophy, but it took another millennium and more before the age of reason, the Enlightenment, prevailed. In ancient times, however, unlike today, the wisdom of life was far more important than the scientific interpretation of the world. People were looking for the causes and consequences of their action - it had a direct impact on them, so they needed to understand it. A traditional proverbs were born, a wise old man, the most venerable man in the village, became a sought-after mentor, but he was not a kind of scientist, but rather a man with a broad life experience.

It is good to have this in mind when reading the Bible, because it was written in a similar surroundings and these (from today's point of view) unscientific truths compose its message - not a description of the process of galaxy formation or DNA analysis. At that time people really weren't looking for them and they wouldn't even be able to understand.

But we learn a lot, a lot, about the human heart in the Scriptures! Now that Abram and Lot had made their choices, it did not come like a bolt from the blue. Abram generously offered Lot the choice of where he would settle, and Lot grasp the opportunity to win ungenerously and inconsiderately.

Their attitudes, like ours, had been formed years before and were the outcome of a long process. As a result, Abram, who walked with God and learned to live so that he could dwell near him, was becoming a better man. Lot, who believed in the same God but never fully surrendered to him, was living a life similar to that of other people. His goal was not to glorify God, but to enjoy  life. Therefore, he chose an area where this would be easier to achieve. Abram thus remained in the mountain areas, where life was more difficult, while Lot descended into the fertile lowlands. Just as Eve "saw" the tree of knowledge with desirable eyes, Lot "saw" the beautiful, desirable land. And like her, he was blind to the fact that there was a big "but".

If we look at their choice as an allegory of spiritual attitudes, we will understand that Abram's heart, which sought and followed God, led him to the heights of life, while Lot's heart led him to the swamps of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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. (Gen 13,9)

Who should have had the right of first choice here? Of course, Abram. It was his expedition to which he took Lot. Lot thus owed Abram practically all he had and had followed him on his journey from Ur to Haran, Canaan, Egypt, and back. Their herds grew, prospered, all thanks to Abram's thoughtful guidance and the blessings that rested on him — despite all the failures he had committed.

Abram wanted to prevent quarrels from escalating into a dispute between him and Lot. If he decided to take such a step as separation, it must have been obvious that Lot was inwardly no longer one with him. If he were, there would have been a mutual will for peace, but their relationship changed.

Lot was younger (it was an important factor for the decision who should have had the first say at the time) and, like the one who had so far benefited from the Abram-run business, should have yielded. Abram showed his generosity and offered him a choice. He knew very well that he could lose the best places for herds and prosperity, in other words: his revenues would now be smaller than Lot's. Still, he behaved nobly, even though he must have known that the generosity would cost him a lot, a lot of money.

It's the same in life - a self-centred person who is not generous is usually more successful in the short-term (even when driving on the road...). Who is more willing to compromise usually loses. Nowadays many parents teach their children not to give in, but to try to push through at any cost. Yes, it certainly works for a while, just as when behind the wheel. But often a hard blow comes later. It is a strange phenomenon that such a person cannot even be fully happy (which he usually does not realize in his condition). If everyone wants to win recklessly, in what world will we only be doomed to live?

Lot neither worried about how virtuous his steps were, nor inquired of the Lord. He chose a better piece of land and moved on. Logically, he was to be the one to come out of the situation as the winner and Abram as the looser. But the subsequent paths of both of them showed the case was actually the opposite.

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. (Gen 13,7-8)

When a crisis arose, Abram, as older and more mature, was ready to deal with it first. That is certainly because he felt a greater degree of responsibility. But his words "let there be no strife" also seem to contain a reflection of the previous sentence of Scripture: "the Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land." As if Abram saw that it was not just a matter of who of the two would get better pastures and do better. They both live their lives in front of the surrounding tribes and their dispute threatens to outgrow and become a public theater, a demonstration of their lives and their God for them. Let there be no strife... Abram wants at all costs to avoid fight in the family, which at the time was also the "family of faith", and does not exercise his supremacy, so as not to embarrass Lot, not to prevail over him. He could have done so - perhaps only by referring to the fact he was older, which put him in a much more important position in ancient societies than it is today.

For many people, disputes are a trap because they lose their minds, fall into anger and escalate the situation. The words and deeds are difficult to be taken back and the damage is long-lasting and far-reaching. For others, however, disputes are a trap because they always consider them a bad thing, run away from them, and believe that this is the only right (Christian) attitude. Isn't Abram's attitude a proof of that?

It's not. Abram showed a will to make peace where he eventually lost profits, property. It is obvious that at that moment there already existed something he valued more than material security and money. He was ready to bear the loss if it brought about good things. Something that can't be bought with money.

It is certain, however, that Abram would not have been prepared to retreat if the compromise with Lot included things rarer than gold: if he had have to sacrifice morality or even faith in his God. It had not always been the case to the same extent, but slowly and surely, it was these things that were becoming more and more important to him.

So even Christ was able to become a lamb where we are naturally wolves, and a lion where we tend to be sheep.

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. (Gen 13,5-7)

Abram was "very wealthy" after he had returned from Egypt. But now he also recognized the other side of wealth, which initiated a contention. The property is behind many quarrels between people who would otherwise get along quite well. Shortly after the wedding, my wife and I visited an old man who had lived in an apparently happy marriage until old age and asked him for a recipe for how to keep it. I expected familiar words about conciliation, forgiveness, tolerance and mutual understanding... but his answer really shocked us: "Stay poor!"

Difficult situations bring people together and, until they do not have much, it is easier for them to hold together. Many (former) spouses would certainly testify to this, but also people who started business with an acquaintance or a relative: as long as they lead a hand-to-mouth existence, they remained together. But as soon as they got rich, disputes started. Common property can sometimes be a cause of quarrels even in the church.

The same caught up with Abram. He and Lot are now rich in not so rich a country. Their herds need more and more land to graze and it is difficult to keep them together. They have to send them to different directions, but then the advantage remains with the one who takes the better part.

So who should have the right of first choice here?

When Abram returned to Canaan, from an external point of view it was the second time his situation got worse off. His return from both Haran and Egypt was clearly a step lower - to a less developed civilization, backward cities, a much worse economy. The situation in Canaan was insecure and life struggling. That is why Abram eventually left the father Terah in Haran and used to return there. But he only came as a guest, and he knew in his heart that this place was not his home, he would not settle here.

His home... the strange feeling he had in Canaan when he returned from Egypt, despite how things looked around! When he returned from Egypt, he began to fully understand it: now, with faith in the new God in his heart, he will find no rest other than where this God sends him. Earlier, he would have seized various opportunities and chose a path that was logical or advantageous at the time. But now he realized that it was far more important for him to have inner peace and rest. And here in Canaan, no matter how far from ideal things are, he feels at home. Egypt - it was a different class... but nothing for him anymore.

It is far more important than in what place or situation a person is whether he can rest there internally. When we follow God in His guidance, He guides us with the inner voice of peace and gives us a lasting assurance that, despite all doubts about what things look like on the outside... we are right here. And if it is not the place where we can rest, we may need to think about whether it's not time to raise the anchors.

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. (Gen 13,1-2)

As we saw, Abram's spiritual path did not always lead upward. From this point of view, the Egyptian period was a stagnation, even a loss. But what was always increasing was his wealth. Obviously, before he chose God, he was wealthy rather than poor. Then he became rich in his business as he followed God's way - but the time in Egypt was perhaps the most successful for him and that quite effortless, because he sold his wife by means of a lie (Gen 12:16).

There is not always a direct connection between wealth and blessing from above. One can be truly blessed by God because he follows Him and subsequently succeeds economically. But this path does not apply universally to everyone and to all times. One can also go through periods in which he has to learn new things, and he can even be left for a time in a certain need to look for a way out and as a result he will find God in a new way for himself. We do not usually stay in such crushing periods forever. Many people would testify that it was exactly the time of emergency that led them to the best path they would have otherwise never found. In extreme cases, some were grateful that their business had gone bankrupt, for it literally threw them into God's arms and from there they set out for a journey with a liberated heart. Later they found a new way, much better than before, be it in a new business or other. If we are hidden in God, we do not have to worry. Man can never fall lower than into God's hand.

In any case, let us not be mistaken: Abram became rich in Egypt because he disobeyed God. His fortune has grown, so the Scripture speaks of him as "very wealthy." A well-known statement about knowing a person through the book he reads could be paraphrased with the wealth: "Tell me how you think about money, and I'll tell you what you are like." One can utter noble words, but in the end, the way one spends money speaks for itself. Abram has been doing very well economically, keeping his wealth from Haran and Egypt. However, we will see how his attitudes in this matter will be changing.