Genesis 13:3-13

He went on his journeys from the South even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the name of Yahweh. Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together: for their substance was great, so that they could not live together. There was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite lived in the land at that time. Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.

Not only was Abraham very wealthy, his nephew Lot was very wealthy too. They were so wealthy that they they couldn’t keep their stuff in the same place. Since their wealth was primarily in livestock and workers, they had to have a large area to spread out in.

Abram was wise enough to realize that the arguments that were happening between the workers had more to do with space than with any real problem between Lot and Abraham. It is so important in life that we learn to not misinterpret people’s actions. Sometimes, people are upset because they are lacking something they need, not because they have a problem
with us.

Abraham was older and he could have told Lot what to do, but he allowed Lot to choose which part of the surrounding area he wanted to go to, without any restriction. It appears to me that Abraham valued peace and love over prosperity. Lot, made the “wise” choice to get the best deal out of the situation. The Bible tells us elsewhere that Lot was a righteous man.
This is important to remember. The temptation to look at the outward and temporary can come against Christians just as it does against non-Christians.

Lot chose to go to the best land, but it also contained the worst sinners. God was later to destroy the land as we will read later. May God help us to make our choices around what God wants and not around what we want. May He give us the proper perspective to understand that it isn’t what we see now that matters but what He loves that is really important.