DECISION MAKING - GENESIS 13

“ Success and failures in life boils down to decisions. Decisions are relatively
small and trivial but collectively our decisions guide the directions of our life “
* Philosopher Albert Camust - “ life is a sum of your choices “

Where we stand today is precisely because of those decisions

~ in life we ignored signs, chapter 13 of Genesis give us a warning sign (decision

making)
“ while we are free to make choices in life, we are not free from the
consequences of it “

- when Abraham was called in chapter 12, God didn’t give many details (walk
of faith)
- Abraham lived in a sophisticated City (ex. New York/ Paris) but he make
decision to leave the land together with his family and Lot.
- There’s a famine (taggutom) in the land to test his faith but he disobeyed
God and take shortcut and go to the Egypt (lie to represent his wife as his
sister but God save Abraham from much embarrassment)
He learned from lesson and build an altar signifying his commitment
and worship to God who called him

* Gen 13: 1-2

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he
had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in
livestock and in silver and gold.

* Gen 13:5-7
5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and
tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for
their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay
together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The
Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

* Gen 13: 8-9 (seperation)

So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and
me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. 9 Is not the
whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the
right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Instead of making Lot go further away from the land God gave to him, he was
generous enough to share it.

{world view}
- why would anyone want to give their rights?
A clearly expression of Abraham’s growing faith in God. Abraham knew God’s
hand were much bigger than so he waited for God to bless him.

~ Lot was a grabber

Instead of giving the rightful share cause Abraham was the one with him
when his father died. He was motivated by greed without hesitation (he took the best
part)

* Gen 12:10-11
 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.) 11 So
Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the
east. The two men parted company:

~ lot has no interest in God’s promises , no faith in Gods provision. He couldn’t see
from his limited perspective the future destruction of the very city he was going to
immigrate.

“Anything will make it happen, if I make it happen” world’s motto

There’s a two dimensional perspective in his decisions:

1. He never consulted God in his decision. Proverbs 15:22
- when you leave God outside of the decision making you are headed foe a disaster
2. Lot did not build an altar
- A man who was weak in his devotions and worldly in his desires will inevitably be
wrong in his decisions
- lot chose himself (self-centered,self-seeking choices)

Motivated by greed Lot made a biggest mistake in his life.

One compromise would lead to a serious of compromises resulting to a
downward spiral of disaster (sin that will lead to death (seperation from God)

1. Sodoma and Gomorra - a sinful city, it represent the world

- Lot did not only live in the city, he became part of it
Gen 19:1( sat in a gate of the city (leaders ancient time)
- Gen 19:1-4 (young/old people from Sodoma and Gomorra wants to have sex with
the two angels) living in a godless society Lot lost his ability to reason out.
-Gen 19:14 - if we Christians live a double standard mind life and participate in the
style of the world & compromise on our conviction and then go out and share the
Gospel (we lost our credibility)
2. Lot’s wife is so obsessed from the lifestyle of Sodom’s and even though the
city was destroy.
3. The tragic story of incest of his daughters where their dad get drunk and
sleep with him.
- Each of them gave birth to a son through this sexual relationship the end result of
that is the two became the greatest enemies of Israel the Moabites & Ammonites

“ We are free to make decisions in life but we are not free from the
consequences “ - Lot learned it in the hard way.

LOT WAS A BELIEVER! 2 PETER 2:7-8

and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved
conduct of the lawless(for that righteous man, living among them day after
day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and
heard)

- Lot was a believer, supposedly a righteous man who was stone apart by worldly
desires and guilt conscience. He was tormented on the inside and deep anguish. But
in the midst of that he never reversed or undo his wrong choices, he continue in that
direction of disaster.
“ If you compromise and live according to the world you will never be at peace,
torment in your soul will continue and spiritual anguish will prolong until you quit that
double standard living and give the full control to the Lord”

* After Abraham made his decision ,God reaffirmed His promise to Abraham.
(Divine compensation) Gen 13:14-17

Difference between Abraham and Lot:

- Lot took his own initiative to look while Abraham waited for the Lords blessing and
that made all the difference.

“Abraham gave away the real estate and God says him, all the land east, west,
north& south including the part that Lot took will be Abraham and his descendants
property.

When we honor the Lord and walk with Him in His way, He bless us more than
we can imagine.

Mat 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.

- When we surrender all we have on the Lord we are no longer centered on

ourselves. It must be centered on Christ.

* World Desires
Grab everything you can that comes your way before anyone does it.
* Bible
Hold everything with an open hand put your security on Gods promises.

(Abraham knew by faith the land was his for God promise it)

* Gen 13: 17
Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
~ Ancient custom you walk around the perimeter of the land to symbolically signify
the land, the property now belongs to you

Canaanite still occupy the land,Sarah was still barren (baog) but Abraham based his
confidence on the promise of God. If God give you a promise it has your name
written on it, no one can take it away from you, no power in this world can shut a door
that God has opened it and no force can steal the destiny and inheritance God has in
mind for you.

You don’t have to make things happen your way but you can confidently wait
on Gods timing and for Gods plan to unfold in your life.
“Striving in your own strength and making things everything work is the way of the
world”

Abraham have no regret to lose gaining away prime real estate.He chose to
honor God and God blessed him according to His Riches and Glory. Abraham
become patriarch,the father of faith through whom all the nations of the world
will be blessed.