King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 14 notes
1And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Abraham was very rich, scripture says, but it doesn’t leave it blank but goes ahead and states the areas of Abraham's riches: cattle, gold and silver.
From Egypt, this was the testimony — a man 👨 rich in cattle and silver and God.
He sojourned in Egypt, likely left his massive wealth behind and yet came out a very rich man 👨.
Yes I perceive, that is what happened 😊...
Because the same thing happened in Isaac's era and out of it came so much riches.
Probably Abraham sold some or all of his menservants and asses he got in Egypt to lighten his journey back from Egypt.
3And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai;
4Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
In calling on the name of the Lord, what did Abraham say and with what name did he call on him 🤙?
What were his prayer topics? For such a very rich man 👨, what were his thoughts, requests?
Maybe, yes obviously he prayed concerning a seed for himself. And other generational prayers.
He, Abraham, had a need, he was broken in somewhere and it was out of that need God was to set an example of faith and faithfulness.
After having gone through what he had gone through in Egypt, he had to go back to base.
To where the place of covenant was, trusting God for alignment and guidance.
5And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
In coming they were already rich from Haran but their property was such that they could not live together.
But for their property to be so great that they could not dwell together in such a vast land. Then they indeed had gained massive wealth.
They had to go days' journey away from each other. To completely different cities to survive.
7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
That Abraham was the one who took the initiative to bring peace shows the spirit and nature of Abraham.
10And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Ei, this guy, he chose all the plain. All the good land, what was in his heart was not good.
A very shrewd businessman and did not care that it was Abraham who brought him and took care of him.
Lot was fortunate not to have an uncle like Laban who dealt very shrewdly with Jacob.
But Abraham was not so, and that was why Lot took advantage of his uncle's kindness to loot the good land.
12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
The difference between a man lifting up his eyes in the flesh and greed and choosing the best of the land and a man lifting up his eyes in response to a divine call.
15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Abraham whom the lord chose was a very good bargain and choice.
God works with different people, some disappoint him and others do just OK whiles some do phenomenally well.
Abraham was one such great example. In fact he is the father of us all.
17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
What was the significance of this gesture? Was it to survey the land?
If you look at it even today, when you receive an inheritance, you survey it and check it out.
It was more like God was saying feel free and walk through the land. It is truly yours.
Okay I get it now.. On 2nd reading, God states why he should walk 🚶 through the land.
Because he, God, will give it to him. Literally, God was saying it's yours, feel free and walk through it.
This indeed is faith. A land filled with owners and giants and Abraham walks through it knowing it is his.
What a mindset shift this is. He did business 🕴️ with them, traded together and prospered above them all, yet they did not know who he was but he knew.
He knew he was the actual 📰 landowner. He and God knew. Oh the beauty of spiritual authority and revelation. This in a sense reminds me of modern Israel.
18Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Abraham removing his tent was a faith and obedience response to God's command. Anytime God spoke, Abraham acted immediately.
I can imagine Abram, as leader of his large tribe.
His people knew that their master was very rich and not through natural means.
"Our master consults".
And so they are there one day and their master comes and says, 'we are moving tents'. "What is the reason?" they may wonder.
Then someone whispers, "He went to consult his God again yesterday and that is the new direction".
His people do not understand him but follow anyway because someway somehow his decisions in time past worked and brought great results and protection.
Especially after he goes to consult.
If indeed Abraham did all these things which he did at the word of the lord, then he is more of a priest than a nomad or a business man. I mean a man who abandons everything and carries only his family to an unknown land because his God said to do so.
And now he moves his tent because his God had told him to move through the land because it has been given to his descendants so Abraham does so.
His every move is at the whims of his God, the God of heaven. I now understand and see Abraham in a different light, he was not just a nomad or a tent dweller or business man.
That is just the aesthetics. His very life was dependent on instructions from his God.
Including even his own children from his loins and what names to give them and who to sack from his presence i.e. Ishmael and who to keep i.e. Isaac.
The God of Abraham had an agenda and he needed a willing vessel, a willing man to carry out that agenda. There are not that many willing vessels so when the gods find one they protect him and bless him greatly so his loyalty is greatly sustained because it comes with great rewards.