Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray after these things. The word of the
Lord came unto Abraham in a vision, saying, fear not, Abraham,
I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward Genesis
fifteen one. Dear Heavenly Father, when the season comes, help
me to make the choice to separate and move on,
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when a relationship must transition and come to an end.
When I must choose a new location to move to,
I will not only look at the outward appearance, but
will look intently at the new land and opportunity to
make sure your spirit and presence are there. As I
continue to move in sync with your commands. I thank
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you that you will continue to bless me and send
words of encouragement through various people Like Abraham. I declare
that multiplication is in my future. I declare that you
will not depart from me nor leave my side until
you've accomplished your covenant and promises through me. Thank you, Lord,
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that you are for me like you were for Abraham
in the book of Genesis. In Jesus name, Amen, thanks
for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
the Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the Bible.
In a year brought to you by Bible in a
(01:32):
Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Abram and Lot separate. Before this story, we learned about
how Abram was called by God to leave his country,
and God would bless him, make his name great, and
make him into a great nation. Yet in Abram's heart
was imperfections, fears, and faithlessness. Now we will learn about
(02:04):
how Abram and Lot separate and go their own ways,
and how God's faithfulness to Abram saves Lot from danger.
Then we see a promise made by God that would
change the course of history. Inspired by the Book of Genesis.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Hello, I'm pastor Jack grayeb with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. Yesterday we looked at the
story of Abram leaving his home and journeying to a
new land to Canaan. When he left, he brought with
him his wife Sarah and also his nephew Lot. Today,
we're going to cover a lot of ground, starting with
Lot in Abram and how their stories differ. You're about
(02:46):
to see lot story. Though he was with Abram, he
took a decidedly different direction. It's a sad story about
decisions being seduced by the apparent beauty of a place
while neglecting to see the wickedness, the toxic wickedness that
was brewing beneath the surface. We contrast that with the
choices made while seeking God and depending upon him. You'll
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also hear how Abram is coming into his own as
a wise man who worships God and who cares more
about honoring the Lord than receiving honor to himself. Finally,
we'll see how Abram has learned, at least for now,
to wait on God's timing and to plead with him,
to plead with God for answers when the promise of
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descendants is still not fulfilled. It's a lesson for how
you could approach God. How you can approach God honestly,
asking for the desires of your heart, even as you
wait faithfully on His timing. Now Here is today's reading.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Abram and Lot both increased in riches and influence, so
much so that their livestock, servants, and warriors could no
longer inhabit the same land. To keep their people from
warring against one another, Abram proposed, they separate, separate from me.
If you take the left, then I will go to
the right. Or if you take the right, then I
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will go to the left. Lot took Abram up on
his generous offer and looked out at the Jordan Valley
and saw that it was full of fertile plains in
the direction of Zor. The plains were watered everywhere and
reminded him of the old stories of the Garden of Eden.
Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley and everything east of them.
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He then took his flocks and servants there, then parted
with Abram and settled in the land of Sodom. Though
the land was beautiful, Lot had wandered into a city
filled with all kinds of evils, men and women, plagued
with a wicked and debased culture. Lingered there, and Lot
later on would find himself in great danger. Abram looked
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to the west towards Canaan, God who had promised fruitful
land to Abram, met him there and spoke, lift up
your eyes and see where you are, north, south, east,
and west. Every piece of land you see, I will
give to you and your descendants forever from you. I
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will fill the earth with my righteousness. So Abram moved
his tent and settled by the oaks of Mamory beside Hebron,
and there he worshiped the Lord with a full heart.
Towards the east, a great war spread like a plague
across the region. The four kings of the cities in
Sodom and Gomorrah rebelled against the confederation of five kings
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ruling over them. War, bloodshed, theft, and rape burned through
Lot's land like a wildfire. A fierce and brutal battle
traveled towards the valley of the Dead Sea. The four
rebel kings clashed against their overlords, with thousands of men
behind them. Running into battle, the armies of Sodom and
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Gomorrah were gripped by the tar pits below the valley,
trapped and slaughtered slowly by their enemies. While some were
mercilessly torn apart, others fled to the hills to die
slowly in shame. In the aftermath stood Lot helplessly, robbed, beaten,
then kidnapped by the confederate kings. They had taken everything
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he owned, including all of the women and children under
his care. Lot was now totally consumed by the wicked
land he had chosen as a home and a slave
to the people he chose to dwell with one of
Lot's spies, escaped the confederate kings and ran towards the west,
where Abram lived in peace with his allies Mamory, Escorl
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and an Air. The word of Lot's captivity came to Abram,
and there was no time wasted. Abram assembled three hundred
and eighteen of his trained men and prepared them for battle. Together,
they traveled a great distance to retrieve Lot. Abram's land
was at peace. This was not his war, yet God
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was grooming him to be a hero. Abram did not
storm the valley on horseback, nor did his army charge
into battle with the horns of war behind them. They
waited for the dark quiet of the night. Abram divided
his army and had them swiftly take over the enemy.
With quiet tact and swiftness. Abram took back Lot, his possessions,
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his people, and drove the rest of the enemy out
to the.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
North to be killed.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Afterwards, Abram was met by a mysterious king and priest
named Melchizedek. He brought Abram bread and wine, then blessed him, saying,
blessed be Abram from the most High God, the creator
of heaven and Earth. Blessed be the most High God,
who delivered your enemies to you. Melchizedek spoke of Abram's
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God and a land that did not know him, and
was a priest of God before priests existed. Melchizedek's blessing
mirored that of God's, and Abram was astounded. Of all
the possessions Abram had, he gave Melchizedek a tenth. This
interaction between Abram and Melchizedek would be important for years
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and years to come. Shortly after, Abram was approached by
the King of Sodom. The king desired to reward Abram
for his victory and offered Abram the spoils of war.
Yet Abram knew the wickedness lying beneath. He saw the
king lying through his teeth. He knew that the king
wanted Abram to be indebted to him. Abram, in a
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moment of honor, said, I have fought for the Lord,
owner of heaven and earth. I will not take even
a sandal strap from you, lest you think it is
you who has made me rich. So Abram allowed his
allies to take their share, but he took nothing and
returned home after rejecting the reward from the King of Sodom.
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The Lord then visited Abram in a vision.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Again.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
He made a promise to Abram, saying, I am your shield,
and I will provide you with a great reward. Abram,
filled with sadness, looked to God, saying, O, Lord, you
say you want to bless me and my descendants, Yet
I remain childless. Shall I be forced to give all
that I have to a servant of my household? Shall
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he inherit my land? God, with tender love and compassion,
spoke gently to Abram. Look to the skies. See how
the stars are countlessly scattered throughout the universe. Your descendants
will be just as these stars, great in number and
abounding in beauty. Abram, despite the doubt and anguish in
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his heart, believed God. It was this faith that God
counted as righteousness. It was this faith that God would
bless him with. Again, God spoke, saying, I am the
one who brought you out of er and the land
of the Chaldeans. I brought you out to give you
this land to take possession of because I am the Lord. Abram,
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still in faith, asked how he would take possession of
the land already inhabited by so many people. God responded
with a task, bring me a female calf who has
not given birth, a goat, and a ram, all three
years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.
So Abram brought all of what the Lord asked for,
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cut them in half, and arranged the halves opposite of
each other. The birds he did not cut in half,
though blood scattered all around Abram, and his hands stained
in red. Abram fell into a very deep sleep, and
a dreadful darkness came over him. God met him in
his sleep, saying, know for certain that your offspring will
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be sojourners and strangers in a land that is not theirs.
There they will be servants, and they will be afflicted
for four hundred years. But I am faithful, and I
will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and
afterward they shall come out with great possessions. This he
spoke of regarding the captivity of Egypt. As for you,
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you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall
be buried in a good old age. The night had continued,
and Abram awoke to a burning flame between the pieces
of flesh, and just as God had provided a covering
for Adam and Eve in the garden with the furs
of an animal, and protected Noah from the flood using
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the ark. So God provided a promise to Abram. There
that day, the Lord made a cover with Abram, saying,
I give this land to your descendants. And God would
not depart from Abram's side for the rest of his days,
nor would he forsake his children.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
Today's reading opens with two men who are greatly prospering
in the land God has brought them into. Abram is
older and wiser, and he sees the potential for conflict
even within a family, over land and prosperity and property.
And as he and Lot both grow in riches and
in influence, so he gives Lot the first pick of
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which land to settle, and he agrees that he will
take what Lot does not choose. Lot sees the beauty
and the glory and the riches of the land near
the Jordan River, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
were located. This is the land he chose. Perhaps he
was blinded by the abundance and lush of the area,
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but for whatever reason, he did not take into account
the wickedness the vile wickedness of the people in that area. Abram,
on the other hand, went to God, and God showed
him where he would settle. So we see the contrast
of acting based on our own wisdom as Lot did,
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versus seeking God's counsel and guidance in every aspect of life.
The difference could not be more pronounced. Abram was blessed
and continued to grow in riches and influence, but Lot.
It wasn't long before Lot was in deep, deep trouble.
Wars and rebellion threatened Lot's very life, and he was beaten, robbed,
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and kidnapped. Abram steps in as the hero and comes
to the rescue of his nephew. We see Abram not
as a nomadic traveler, but a warrior who comes in
and conquers the enemy, driving them out of the land
and restoring his nephew Lot. This wasn't Abram's war, but
he intervened. As a result, Abram has an encounter with
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a high priest named Melchizedek who worship Abram's God. This
priest blesses Abram and astounds him as his blessing reminds
Abram of the blessing God has given him. There is
another lesson we learn in this story, and that is
with Abram's interaction with the King of Sodom, who tries
to align himself with Abram. But Abram, rather than accepting
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the glory and the honor, trust in the Lord, he
turns back to the Lord. We can be tempted to
accept praise from other men for our victories, but Abram
reminds us that God is the source of our strength.
He is our victory and the one for whom we
live and strive. Finally, we see Abram pleading with God
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for his promises to be fulfilled. He is yet without descendants,
and rather than taking matters into his own hands, he
goes before God. I love the honesty of his interaction
with God and the Lord. Lord's gentle and loving response
here is what Genesis fifteen, verses two through six says.
(15:07):
But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me?
Since I am childless and the heir of my house
is Eliezar of Damascus. Abram also says, since you have
given me no son, one who's been born into my
house and is my heir, Then behold, the word of
the Lord came to him saying, this man will not
be your error, but one who will come from your
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own body shall be your heir. And he took him
outside and said, now look toward the heavens and count
the stars. If you are able to count them, And
he said to him, so shall your descendants be. Then
he believed in the Lord, and it was credited unto
him as righteousness. God comforts Abram and adds to the
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promise he will give him more than he could ever
even fathom. How gracious of God to not only reaffirm
the promises he made to Abram, but to point to
the night sky as a reminder of that promise. You
can just imagine how every time Abram grew discouraged or
tired and felt that his faith was giving way, he
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looked up into a brilliant night sky lit up with
the stars, and remembered God's promise. In response, Abram offers
a sacrifice, and the Lord makes a covenant with him.
Then and there, this is where we leave Abram for today.
Once again, his story offers you a wonderful example of
faith and submission to God. And the timing the Lord brings, Oh,
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that we would trust in our Lord so fully as Abram,
dear Father in heaven, Thank you that we can trust
you and seek you for wisdom in every aspect of
our lives. We are so grateful for Abram's story and
how it teaches us to always live by faith and
not sight, and to trust in his promises always in Jesus' name, Amen.
(17:01):
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot
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