Today’s story is one of separation; of the tensions and potential pain that come with growth. It challenges us to approach changing relationships and circumstances with wisdom and love for others - even though, instinctively, we might be fearful and concerned to protect ourselves.
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The original words from Hebrew scripture can be found here. It is paraphrased below:
Abram left Egypt and went into the Negeb with his wife and all his posessions. His nephew Lot went with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.
He journeyed on by stages: from the Negeb as far as Bethel; to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai; to the place where he had made an altar at the beginning. There, Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Now - Lot also had flocks, herds and tents. The land could not support both of them; their possessions were so great that they could not live together. There was strife between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s.
Abram said to Lot:
“Let there be no strife between you and me or between our herders. We are family. The whole land is open to you - separate from me! If you go left, I will go right; if you go right, I will go left.”
Lot saw that the plain of the Jordan was well-watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt in the direction of Zoar. So, he chose all the plain of the Jordan and journeyed east. In this way, they separated.
Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram:
“Raise your eyes now, and look around north, south, east and west. All the land that you see, I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count its particles, your offspring also can be counted. Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
So, Abram moved his tent, and settled by the oaks of Mamre at Hebron. There, he built an altar to the Lord.
Separations can be hard at the best of times.
We have all experienced them, to some extent or other, over the last 18 months. We may have experienced very hard separations - some resulting from the pandemic. When separation is caused by conflict, other tensions arise. This can have lasting consequences.
If you have been impacted by a separation, give yourself some time to care about how you feel.
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Abram is a well-to-do nomad and Lot his well-to-do nephew. Conflict arises between their respective workforces, in relation to the resources they are trying to share.
Abram sees how this might escalate and cause division in the family, so he proposes they split up. As elder statesman and uncle of Lot, he has the right to choose where to settle. Instead, he gives Lot the choice.
He is humble, not asserting his right to anything. And he is generous. Lot chooses the most fertile land to support his family and flocks, as well he might!
What is it that enables Abram to hang back? It could be that his sense of self-worth, sustained by something bigger than possessions, sustains him. His growing relationship with and faith in YHWH, his Lord, is an important part of that confidence. Acts of altar-building, calling on the name of the Lord - that is, worship and prayer - punctuate the story.