Passage: Gen.. 13:5-ff
I ask you this evening, what is it that divides and dissolves more relationships than virtually anything else? Of course, I’m sure that it’s not true of each of you, so perhaps it will come as a total surprise to you that the number one item that married couples quarrel about is; and the number one reason for divorce in this country is ... MONEY.
You would think that of all the places on the planet; that Money would be less of a problem in American families than world wide, but such is not the case. Here in America, where God’s blessing has been abundant and fairly constant, we each find ourselves at one of the richest times in history. Right now, there are more wealthy people than has ever been before. We are sitting on a Gold-mine. Wouldn’t you figure that the least likely item to argue about would be money? Again, such is not the case.
Unfortunately, the home is not the only place affected by the war over wealth, but because Christians are not immune to the problem, the war often settles itself into pews, pulpits and padded carpet hallways of American Churches as well. How much it must grieve the Father when his people go to war over wealth, while evangelism, worship, instruction and fellowship often go by unnoticed. For many Christians and for many churches, when it’s time to create or balance the budget, they dig in and buckle down for war.
So what should you do? What are we to do when money becomes the battlefield? Turn in your Bible to Genesis chapter 13; where we stumble upon two relatives, in fact two households entrenched in a War Over Wealth.
1) The first thing you must do is RECOGNIZE THE BATTLE
Gen. 13:5-7a
Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.
Matthew Henry considered this passage and he observed that, "Riches not only afford matter for strife, and are the things most commonly striven about... [but] Poverty and labor, wants and wanderings, could not separate Abram and Lot; but riches did so"
Now you might say, Pastor that doesn’t apply to me, my wife and I don’t argue about money, we argue because she thinks we have money. Or you might say, Pastor, I’m aware of the problems wealth brings, but I’m not wealthy. Aren’t you?
Paul writes to Timothy and tells him what it takes to be content, in 1 Timothy 6:8 "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." If you have food and clothing that’s enough. Wealth sets in when you own a home and a car or two, and not to mention a TV or three and what about the Hobbies and the other pursuits for which we’ve purchased special equipment? Friends, like it or not, you are wealthy. And therefore we are not immune to the potential of Warring Over Wealth.
So How do you recognize the Battle? When the discussion becomes heated, and the blood pressure rises, you’re going into battle. When the voices get louder and the love disappears, the war is on. When the suggestion that strife is in the air begins to reach your ears it’s time to admit it. The Battle is on. So what can you do to stop it?
2) The second action must be to REMOVE THE REPROACH OF THE UNCHURCHED
Gen. 13:7b...
Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.
In the business community, it’s become natural and even expected in some places to have heated discussions and arguments over the cash flow. The monthly profit and loss meetings I used to attend at Wal-Mart were never easy, but they were calm and civil compared church budget time in many churches.
How is it that we fail to recognize that our pride is destroying not just us, but also it brings reproach and disgust from the community upon God himself? In the book of Romans, in the middle of the second chapter, Paul is asking the questions of consistency. You teach against adultery, do you commit adultery, you teach against stealing, do you steal? And I’d like to add my own question, you teach love and peace, but do you love and are you peaceful?
To the world around us, it doesn’t much matter what we say. It’s the actions that speak louder than words. When we fight and when we as Christians go to war against each other, Paul’s reprimand comes hard upon us in verse 24 of chapter 2. Rom 2:24 "For ’the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ just as it is written."
The key problem in this passage isn’t that Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants were fighting. The key problem isn’t that there was the possibility of trouble between Abram himself and Lot his Nephew. But the real problem was that the Canaanites and the Perizzites who desperately needed to see a real and authentic witness to God’s character and power were getting instead a clear indicator that the people who follow Jehovah-God are no different than the people who follow Ashtoreth, or Baal!
The Canaanites and Perizzites in the land, didn’t know God, and it was VITAL for them and for the sake of God’s name - that it might be kept holy- that Abram calm the passions and put out the fire. He had recognized the battle, he knew he had to remove the reproach, so how could he do it?
3) we have to RELEASE OUR RIGHTS.
Gen. 13:8
So (since the Canaanite and the Perizzite where around them) Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left."
Abram did not hesitate to offer the greatest portion of What God had given to Him. God had made the covenant with Abram and not with Lot. Lot in fact was not even supposed to be with Abram (Gen.. 12:1 "go forth from .... your relatives...") Abram’s command was to leave family behind. According to Genesis 12:4 Lot went with him when he left. The word there means he FOLLOWED. Lot took it upon himself to join Abram on his journey.
So you might think, that Abram being the one who had received the promise of owning all the land would have been a bit more defensive. He did after all have the right to say to Lot, "It’s time for you to leave, after all God gave ME this land and not you! God has given me the promises, and you have merely profited to them, You go away so that I can dwell in this land."
Abram had every right to send Lot away, and he even could have justified it based on God’s word to him, but Abram looked around him, he saw that there were others affected by the quarreling; the Canaanite and the Perizzite were living there as well. They were not obedient to the Lord, in fact, all they might have known about the Lord was what they would see in this man, Abram, who claimed to serve him.
So what should his action be? Should his action be one that legally would be correct but would cause greater division, or should he sacrifice his own interests for the sake of God’s holy name?
Abram chose the latter. He took Lot aside and instead of pointing out what divided them, he discussed what united them, "WE ARE FAMILY," he said to his nephew, Lot. "Let’s not argue, and let’s not allow this fighting to continue among our servants, we have too much wealth, let’s part ways amicably. Let’s separate as friends, because we are family. I tell you what Lot, in the interest of making sure you feel you’re getting a fair deal here, you pick whichever way you want to Go, and I’ll go the opposite direction. It will be good for you and it will be good for me. What do you say?"
With those words, and with that spirit of Humility Abram cooled the fires, and got the short end of the stick, at least from the human perspective. For we’re told, in verse 12, "Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the Valley..."
Lot went where the lush greenery would feed his sheep, and the inference from verse 10 is clear, the land where he went was great, the land where he didn’t go, was not so great. But Abram’s concern wasn’t for himself, it was for God, and he was willing to sacrifice even what God have given to him in a promise so that God’s name would be honored among the heathen.
You might think that the story ends there, but it doesn’t, because there was a fourth occurrence and I think it still speaks to us. Look at verse 14, "The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ’now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever..."
The first step is to RECOGNIZE THE BATTLE
The second is to REMOVE THE REPROACH OF THE UNCHURCHED
The Third is to RELEASE OUR RIGHTS.
Fourth: We should EXPECT TO RECEIVE A BLESSING.
Hundreds of years later Jesus would sit on a hill in Israel and say to the crowd, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
How great is the love the father has lavished upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!
(1 John 3:1)
