NOTES for Gen 13:5-18

The Lord called Abraham to leave the land of his ancestors and set out into the unknown. Abraham fulfilled God’s covenant, multiplying along the way everything with which he had left his homeland; he became “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” To the ancient mind, which connected material success with the favor of higher powers, it was perfectly obvious that the God who had called Abraham to such strange actions looked favorably upon him. This blessing also extended to those close to him, including his blood relative Lot, who likewise became wealthy. But a moment comes when their possessions grow so great that they must divide them. Lot goes in one direction and Abraham in another, each carrying with him part of the favor with which the Lord had rewarded them.

A moment comes in our lives when God’s gifts become so numerous that we can no longer keep them only for ourselves, but must carry them into the world. This is the calling of every individual Christian and of entire communities. How important it is not to close ourselves within our own success and comfort, but to carry the good news of His presence in the world, even when this means passing through the pain of separation and giving something away.