Genesis 13

I.                Separation from Lot (Genesis 13:1-13)

A.    Genesis 13:1- And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 

1.     went up – to Palestine

2.     south – Negeb – a region to the south of Palestine

3.     “into the south” – should be rendered “into the South-country” for he was headed north

B.     Genesis 13:2- And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

1.     Where did Abram obtain his wealth?

C.    Genesis 13:3- And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

1.     journeys – מסע macca`, masculine noun, a pulling up (of stakes), breaking camp, setting out, journey. station, stage, journey

a.      plural indicating that his migration was made in periodic stops to rest the livestock, likely the same stops made on the southern trip.

2.     tent – אהל 'ohel, masculine noun,  nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

3.     at the beginning – תחלה tĕchillah, feminine noun,  the first time

4.     Note that most other places Abram stopped he erected an altar, he did not erect an altar in Egypt.  Maybe because Egypt was not a destination commanded by God.

D.    Genesis 13:4- Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

1.     Abram returns to his first altar which was Sichem mentioned in 12:6

a.      Shechem = "back" or "shoulder", located in a valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, 34 miles (54 km) north of Jerusalem and 7 miles (10.5 km) south- east of Samaria

2.     Significant in that this is where the Lord appeared to Abram here and apparently very important for Abram to return here perhaps to repent for his indiscretions and express his gratitude for God’s protection.

E.     Genesis 13:5- And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

1.     It appears from this passage that over the course of their journey together Lot has acquired some wealth.

2.     There is no indication that Lot’s wealth approached that of Abram for the servants are ascribed to Abram at the beginning.

F.     Genesis 13:6- And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

1.     Their substance was so great that the land could not provide for all of the livestock

G.    Genesis 13:7- And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

1.     According to Bullinger this is the first of six  downward steps:

a.      v.7 – strife

b.      v.10 – beheld

c.      v.11 – chose

d.      v.12 – pitched his tent toward Sodom

e.      14:12 – dwelt in Sodom

f.       19:1 – sat in the gate of Sodom

2.     Perizzite - פרזי Pĕrizziy, adjective meaning“belonging to a village”

a.      Joshua 11:1-9 – And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [those things], that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, And to the kings that [were] on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, [And to] the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and [to] the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and [to] the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.  And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that [is] upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.  And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.  So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them.  And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.  And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

b.      Joshua 17:15 – And Joshua answered them, If thou [be] a great people, [then] get thee up to the wood [country], and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

3.     Why does it appear that God allows the Canaanitish people to remain her now but demands that the land be vanquished in 500 or so years under Joshua? Possibly that they are pure at the time of Abram but over the next several hundred centuries are involved with a second influx of fallen angels producing hybrid Nephilim such as those before the flood (Genesis 6:4) that forces God to insist upon total destruction by Israel rather than a flood (since he made a promise never to flood the world again).

a.      We know that they appear as giants in the land when the twelve spies are sent out before the battle of Jericho

b.      God did not instruct Abram to take action against the Canaanites at this time

c.      Did God have foreknowledge that they would intermingle with the fallen angels at some future date from this time? Or had the influx already taken place?

H.    Genesis 13:8- And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren.

1.     Abram demonstrating tact and magnanimity

2.     Abram gives an example of avoiding strife, he knows what God promised him so he demonstrates faith in God by allowing Lot to take the land of his choosing.  How can we learn from this example?

a.      We know what God has promised us

b.      We need not be attached to the material things of this world, because we know the eternal reward is much better

I.      Genesis 13:9- [Is] not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

1.     The choice lies entirely with Lot

2.     Like giving children their choice of cookies, whoever gets to choose first takes the biggest cookie

J.      Genesis 13:10- And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [even] as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

1.     2^nd of Lot’s six downward steps

2.     Luther calls Lot’s surveying of the land a “work of righteousness”

3.     Rather it seems that it is one more step toward Lot’s degeneracy

4.     The Author compares the fertility of this region to that of the Garden of Eden, and of Egypt.

a.      Moses wrote this well after Sodom and Gomorrah had been destroyed, these descriptions have to have either been passed down generation to generation of reveled by God

b.      Any description of the Garden of Eden would have to be revealed by God

K.    Genesis 13:11- Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

1.     3^rd of Lot’s six downward steps

2.     Abram and Lot parted ways

a.      Clearly Lot suffered from the separation of his Godly mentor uncle Abram

b.      Lot is not the heir, separation is God’s will

L.     Genesis 13:12- Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent toward Sodom.

1.     4^th of Lot’s six downward steps

2.     Lot was attracted to the big city lights and the lure of Sodom’s wickedness

M.   Genesis 13:13- But the men of Sodom [were] wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

1.     Less than 300 years since the flood and men have already resorted to this level of wickedness

II.              Manifestation of the Land (Genesis 13:14-18)

A.    Genesis 13:14- And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

B.     Genesis 13:15- For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 

1.     An eternal covenant

2.     It seems God is referring to the physical land that Abram is witnessing, and referring to Abram’s physical seed, could there be more to this?

C.    Genesis 13:16- And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered.

1.     At this time Abram is childless

2.     God promises to increase Abram’s seed (Isaac) as the sand of the sea, if God’s Word is true (and we know that it is) where are all of the descendents today?

3.     Promise appears to be unconditional

4.     1^st of 9 passages in Genesis that speak of Abraham’s seed becoming a vast multitude, unfathomable in number

D.    Genesis 13:17- Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

E.     Genesis 13:18- Then Abram removed [his] tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which [is] in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

1.     Mamre - ממרא Mamre', "strength" or "fatness", an Amorite who allied himself with Abram, an oak grove on Mamre's land in Palestine where Abraham dwelt

a.      Genesis 14:13 - And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these [were] confederate with Abram.

Where are we in terms of time?  Abram was born when Noah was 892 of 950 years old, Shem was 360/600; Arphaxad was 290/438; Salah was 255/433; Eber was 225/464; Peleg was 191/239; Reu was 161/239; Serug was 129/230; Nahor was 99/148 and Terah was 70/205.  This is all under the assumption from 11:26 that Terah was seventy when he begat Abram, Nahor & Haran and they were born at the same time.

Therefore when Abram left Haran at age 75, Noah had died, Shem was 435 of 600 years old; Arphaxad was 365 of 438; Salah was 330 of 433; Eber was 300 of 464; Peleg was dead; Reu was 236 of 239; Serug was 204 of 230; Nahor had died and Terah was 145 of 205.  We don’t hear about these grandfathers during Abram’s journeys, did they remain if Ur, Haran or somewhere else.

Abraham lived to age 175, when he died Shem would have been 535 of 600 years old.  Shem was Abraham’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather and appears to have outlived Abraham.  Where was he during this time? there is no mention of him in scripture after chapter 11. 

Its difficult to place Abram’s birth because Genesis 11:26 says Terah lived 70 years and begat Abram, Nahor and Haran.  Does this mean they were all born at the same time or like Shem, Ham and Japeth? Or were they born in intervals beginning at Terah’s 70^th year?  Some scholars believe that Abram left Haran after his father died when Abram was 75 years old.  Since Terah lived to be 205 years old this would mean that Abram was born when Terah was 130 years old, 60 years after his 70^th year.  Scripture only says that Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran, it doesn’t say that Abram remained there until he died.  If Abram was born when Terah was 70 years old, Terah would be 145 years old when Abram left Haran.  We know Sarah was 65 when she left with Abram from Haran and died at age 127, 62 years later. Isaac was born when Sarah was 90 so he would have been a approximately 37 when he was to be offered as a sacrifice and therefore at least 37 when he was married to Rebecca for he married her after his mother’s death.  So 62 years after Abram left Haran he sent his servant there to find a wife for Isaac that would have been 207 years after Terah’s birth.  Why is that significant?  There is no mention of Terah when the servant goes to Haran because he died 2 years prior.  So was Abram born when Terah was 70 or 130 or some time in between?  That’s the million dollar question.