And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis 13:1-4)
In Genesis 12, Abram had received the promise that the land would be his. He built an altar to the LORD (an act of worship) and lived near Bethel, the town whose name means "house of God." But then we find him leaving this place and moving to Egypt due to a famine.
We know that God would often provide for his people during famines. Since the land now belonged to Abram, and since God had not instructed Abram to go into Egypt, he would have been better off staying in the land.
Egypt is a type or picture of the world. The Israelites were instructed to leave Egypt and go out into the desert to worship, but Pharaoh would not let them go. In Deuteronomy 17, God instructed that the King should not acquire large numbers of horses or send his people back to Egypt to acquire more. Egypt was a place that represented all that the world had to offer, and Abram left the "house of God" to live there.
After the distasteful events recorded at the end of Genesis 12, Abram left Egypt. It says in our passage, "to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai." In other words, Abram found himself right back where he started. Abram could have stayed near Bethel and gone on for the LORD. And yet after his time in Egypt, he had accomplished nothing.
How many of the children of God are saved and go on for a while, but find themselves lured back into the world? The world seems an appealing place, but the truth is that the world is appalling.
But there is hope for the believer from Abram's example. Abram was able to leave the world and go back to the "house of God." A fall into the world does not need to be fatal to one's Christian walk, service and testimony.
Lot was with Abram during his time near Bethel, in Egypt and back near Bethel. Since both men had large herds, the land would not sustain them. Abram, though he was the older, and though God had given him the land, graciously let Lot choose where he wanted to go. We read in Genesis 13:10, "And 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." And so Lot went to the plain of the Jordan. Having had a taste of the world, he developed a taste for the world. Lot's life doesn't record a restoration of walk, service and testimony, but of utter ruin, sin and degradation.
The simplest solution for all concerned would have been to never enter the world in the first place. But having entered the world, the next best solution was to leave the world. The third best solution, having left the world, was to never return to the world. Abram chose the third best solution and went on to fame. Lot did not choose the best at all, and went on to infamy.
I was talking to my boss at a time when the flu was sweeping the city. She returned from several days off sick, and said jokingly, "that's it, nobody else can get sick." I replied to her, "Oh sure, after you've had your fun." Of course, while the prospect of taking a couple days off work is appealing, the price of having the flu is too great to pay. Likewise with the world. While it may seem appealing in some respects, the price to be paid is too great.
Which will we choose? Will we refuse to enter the world? Will we choose to leave the world. Will we refuse to re-enter the world? Which will we choose?
Shawn Abigail