Abram Inherits Canaan

After the deception in Egypt, Abraham was allowed to leave Egypt not only with his family and life from the King of Egypt but also along with his possessions and more. One would see Abraham as blessed, but to be cautious we refrain from attributing any cause or effect to Abraham's recent deception. Perhaps we can view that Abraham walked with God in most of his life, despite his occassional weaknesses.

Abraham's nephew Lot was still with him when they left Egypt. Both their possessions and lifestock increase to such degree that their staff were arguing. Abraham took the initiative and offered Lot a choice of the land. Lot chose the best part of the land leaving Abraham with the other part. The land Lot chose looked fertile and the was the thriving but evil city of Sodom - something that looked good, but rotten at the core.

However, as Abraham gave up the fertile land for his nephew, God made another promise, this time more detailed, that Abraham's descendents would inherit large amounts of land beyond what Abraham could see and also uncountable number of descendents.


Genesis 13

 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.[a]
 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.
13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants[b] forever.
16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.
17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre,[c] which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.