Seeds of Wisdom

IMPORTANT DECISION FOR PEACE

Genesis 13:8-9 – “So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife and disagreement between you and me, nor between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, because we are relatives. Is not the entire land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left.”

Deciding to bring peace in a conflict, which may cause you to lose substantially is often a very painful experience. But it may be a wise thing to do to end strife. Abram did it for his nephew, Lot. Both of them had become so rich that they could not afford enough grazing land for their cattle, so their herdsmen had to constantly fight. Abram had to take the initiative to broker peace, in which he asked the younger person to be the one to choose first which part of the land he should take, while he would take whatever was left. This is a display of uncommon humility on the part of Abram and attests to his character as a man of peace. Which culture of ours will ever give the younger person such a priority?

Given his carnal nature, Lot quickly cashed in on Abram's simplicity and took the better part of the land, leaving the semi-arid Canaan for Abram, his mentor and benefactor. Abram must have felt bad about it, but he was happy he paid the price for peace as a child of God (Matthew 5:9). Thus, God came down to comfort Abram with blessings upon the land and the prosperity of his descendants. On the other hand, Lot lost everything, including his wife. Choices and decisions made to allow peace to reign and for the name of God to be glorified, though painful, will be abundantly rewarded by God. Today, we have seen how God has transformed the desert of Canaan into a fruitful land.

Further Reading: Genesis 13:1–18, Genesis 19:1-23

Prayer: Pray for God to help you make concessions for the sake of peace and your glory, no matter how painful.