The Story

Abram came back from Egypt to the land of Canaan, and he was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold. He travelled back to Bethel, to the place where he had built an altar before, and there he called on the name of the LORD again. His nephew Lot was still with him, and Lot also had flocks, herds, and tents of his own.

Soon there was a problem. The land could not hold both families and all their animals. Abram’s herdmen and Lot’s herdmen began to argue about the grass and water for the animals. Other peoples — the Canaanites and the Perizzites — lived in the land too, so the arguing was not a good witness.

Abram could have pushed to get the best land for himself. After all, he was the uncle, he was older, and God had promised the land to him. Instead, Abram did something kind and unselfish. He told Lot there should be no strife between them or their herdmen, because they were family. Then he let Lot choose first: if Lot went one way, Abram would gladly go the other way.

Lot lifted up his eyes and looked over the plain of Jordan. It was well watered everywhere, green like the garden of the LORD and like the rich land of Egypt. So Lot chose the whole plain of Jordan for himself and travelled east. He pitched his tent toward Sodom — and the men of Sodom were very wicked sinners against the LORD. Abram stayed in the land of Canaan.

After Lot had gone, God spoke to Abram again. God told him to lift up his eyes and look north, south, east, and west, because all the land he could see would belong to Abram and his family forever. This is what God said: "For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever." God promised that Abram’s seed — his descendants — would be as many as the dust of the earth. Then God added: "Arise, walk through the land", in the length of it and in the breadth of it.

Abram did not lose anything by being unselfish. He moved his tent to the plain of Mamre in Hebron, and there he built another altar to the LORD who had blessed him.