Bible ReadingGenesis 13:1–181. So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
[24:54]2. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
[25:23]3. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
[25:23]4. to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
[25:23]5. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
[25:23]6. so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together,
[25:23]7. and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
[25:26]8. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.
[25:34]9. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
[25:42]10. And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
[26:33]11. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
[26:48]12. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.
[26:57]13. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
[27:04]14. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,
[29:46]15. for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
[29:46]16. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.
[29:56]17. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
[29:56]18. So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
[30:18]Genesis 14:1–161. In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
[35:12]2. these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
[35:12]3. And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
[35:12]4. Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
[35:12]5. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
[35:12]6. and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.
[35:12]7. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
[35:12]8. Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim
[35:12]9. with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.
[35:12]10. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.
[35:12]11. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.
[35:12]12. They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
[35:12]13. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.
[39:28]14. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
[39:28]15. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
[39:32]16. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
[39:43]Genesis 15:1–211. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
[43:57]2. But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
[44:01]3. And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
[44:01]4. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
[45:11]5. And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
[45:11]6. And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
[45:45]7. And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
[46:08]8. But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
[46:08]9. He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
[48:26]10. And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
[48:26]11. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
[48:26]12. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
[50:00]13. Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
[50:00]14. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
[50:00]15. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
[50:00]16. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
[50:00]17. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
[50:00]18. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
[50:13]19. the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
[50:13]20. the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
[50:13]21. the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
[50:13]Observation questions- What differences stand out between Abram’s response to the land and Lot’s response to the Jordan Valley in Genesis 13?
- What details in Genesis 13:10–13 show both the attractiveness and the danger of Lot’s choice? [26:33]
- Genesis 13 says Lot pitched his tent near Sodom, while Genesis 14 says he was living in Sodom. What progression does the text show? [35:42]
- In Genesis 15, what does Abram say immediately before and after he is described as believing the Lord? What does that reveal about his struggle with doubt? [46:26]
Interpretation questions- Why might Abram have been free to let Lot choose first, even though Abram was older and had the cultural right to choose the better land? [30:13]
- Lot’s choice was not simply about land; it revealed what he believed would satisfy him. What can make good gifts—money, comfort, success, relationships, or experiences—become substitutes for God? [29:16]
- Why is “Will this draw a person closer to God or put that person on a path farther from him?” often a wiser question than only asking, “Is this sinful?” [39:06]
- In the covenant ceremony, why does it matter that God alone passes between the animals while Abram is unable to do so? How does this answer both the fear that God might fail and the fear that Abram might fail? [50:30]
Application questions- Where might you be tempted to seek the blessings of God without seeking God himself—perhaps through financial security, comfort, a relationship, a dream job, approval, or a certain lifestyle? What would it look like to enjoy that gift without asking it to carry the weight of your happiness? [54:07]
- Is there a small choice in your life that may not look openly sinful but is slowly shaping you away from God? Consider your schedule, friendships, entertainment, work, phone habits, or places you spend time. What is one wise change you could make? [37:57]
- What “Plain of Jordan” most pulls at your heart right now—the thing that seems like it would finally make life feel full? How does God’s presence change the way you see it? [33:45]
- Abram returned to the place of the altar after his failure in Egypt. Where do you need to stop hiding, return to God, and call on him again? [25:16]
- What step of obedience feels risky right now: leaving a situation that is pulling you from Jesus, serving someone in need, opening your home, joining deeper community, giving generously, or speaking about your faith? What truth about God as provider, comfort, peace, and strength speaks into that fear? [41:07]
- Which kind of doubt feels more familiar to you: doubting that God will be good and keep his promises, or doubting that you will fail too much to belong to him? How does Jesus taking sin, guilt, and shame on the cross speak directly to that doubt? [53:04]
- Since Christ has secured what we could never secure for ourselves, what would it look like for you to live this week with the freedom that God’s love is not resting on your performance? [51:31]
