“So, Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. And he went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there previously; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. And the land could not support both of them while living 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. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time. So, Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are relatives! Is the entire land not before you? Please separate from me; if you choose the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.” Lot raised his eyes and saw all the vicinity of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt going toward Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the vicinity of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. So they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the vicinity of the Jordan, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked sinners against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:1-13 NASB)
Wait a minute! Before you put this down, let me tell you that all of us, that’s right, all of us will experience separation in our lifetime. There is the separation between parents and their children when they leave the house and go on their own. There is the separation from youthful days to those days where arthritis and rheumatism are no strangers. There is the separation that occurs when one relocates, leaving home to go to school, or when one separates due to job necessity. There is the separation of those who choose the path of the righteous and those who wander down the road of the unrighteous. There is separation, regretfully, when young adults are grown and thinking they can do what they want, so going to church becomes a rarity or left in the rear window of the past. When we stop working like the ant and join those who are not working who have said, “I ain’t,” there is separation from prosperity, and one may experience adversities that could have been avoided. There is separation between those who have gone home to be with the Lord and those of us who remain, still holding on to God’s unchanging hand. At least I hope that is the case. There is more!
More! Thank God there is the separation from what we used to be and what we are presently and what we shall be! Right? I’m sure you can name some other types of separation that you have experienced in life, and that agree that you will have to face some type of separation in the future. Therefore, let us pull some lessons from the passage above that describes the separation between Abraham and Lot, his nephew. They may be beneficial to you and perhaps help you provide wise counsel to someone else at just the right time. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, only seven pieces of wisdom. You can search for some more wisdom, as the Holy Spirit leads you, to add to what I am providing below, as sent by the Lord this morning.
- Realize that all separation does not occur because of unsolvable strife. In the verses above it was all about the land not being able sustain both Abraham and Lot.
- Realize that all separation is not anchored in anger. Don’t forget that anger can be resolved by quick reconciliation. Peace can be attained when two parties work on it!
- Separation, in many cases, is intended to serve a good purpose.
- Don’t just see the attractiveness, the positive traits of the options to where you might separate, consider the negative things that are also. Lot saw the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere. It was like the garden of the Lord and like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. Lot saw the grass that was greener on the other side. But he did not look close enough. Read number 5.
- Make sure you don’t separate to the wrong place. Lot settled where the people of were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the Lord. That is a setup for a step down. For even though you think you, as a righteous person, can handle where you are separating to, the ways of the people in that place or in that crowd will rub off to you to some extent.
- Stay with God and God’s ways, wherever you go in terms of separation. I remember the church covenant instructing us to join another church quickly if and when we relocated. We need to stay with God, regardless of what type of separation occurs. Whether it is a part of growing up, or a part of going through life on our own, we need to stay with God.
- Never stop being concerned about the one you separated from. Look out for their well-being. (Note: Other than Abram letting Lot choose first in the text above, I actually took this one from the chapter in Genesis where Abraham tried to change God’s mind when He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of Lot.)
Aren’t you glad that when you came to Christ that you separated from the world; realizing we are in the world, but not of the world? Let me close with the verse below that gives you the ultimate good news about separation, from the Christian’s perspective. Have a tremendous Tuesday! Be God-conscious and Christ-centered! Help someone else by sharing the wisdom above if the circumstance arises. Be blessed!
“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King