Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” Genesis 13:8-15, NLT.
Abram was one of three sons of a man named Terah, a migrant craftsman likely selling idols of the Moon god and others. The Terah family moved from present day Iraq to Haran in what is now southeastern Turkey. It was here that things changed for son, Abram.
In a communique from God, Abram was told to “pack the U-Haul” and head off to parts unknown, eventually ending up in the environs of Jerusalem (Bethel and Ai). Abram’s nephew, Lot had joined the Abram family, and at this stage of their journey, their respective flocks, servants, and resources had grown too large for them to remain together.
At this point the text gives us insight into the character of Abram. Genesis says that Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen had begun to fight over land, grazing, and herds at which time Abram said, “Let’s not let land be a source of dispute between us. You choose where you want to live and I’ll take land in the opposite direction.” This is what meek people do.
I imagine Abram could have pulled rank on Lot. He is, after all, the uncle of Lot and also much older. Lot must have felt a little beholden to Abram for his hospitality and love – being taken, after the death of his father, into Abram’s family with full rights and privileges. Nevertheless, Abram takes the leftovers. “You get to choose first, Lot.” There is no hint of a power-play in this transaction.
You could say that Abram was meek in two ways. In the first case, he subjugated his own will to that of God. He went where God took him and resisted any temptation to go elsewhere. In the second case, he subjugated his own will to that of Lot. Rather than taking what appeared to be the best land, he took what was left, trusting God’s promise to him.
Being meek is counterintuitive. Everywhere we look today, we see the message that self comes first. “I do this, that, or the other because I’m worth it.” Meekness is willing to sit at the last table because that is where Jesus will be.
Prayer:
God of the meek. You have called us to live a life of meekness that refuses to yield to the pull of power, greed, selfishness, or arrogance. A life that gives way for the other in the way that Abram did for Lot. Please help us to learn meekness, and thus model what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Amen.
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