THE KING’S BUSINESS
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A s m uch as “ lieth in” him , for his p a rt, i. e. (fo r it tak e s tw o to m ak e a q u a rre l), h e w ill "live p e a c e ab ly w ith all m en ” (R om . 1 2 :1 8 ). “ Is n o t th e w ho le la n d b e fo re th e e ? S e p a ra te thyself, I p ra y thee, from m e ; if th o u w ilt ta k e th e le ft hand , th en I w ill go to th e rig h t; o r if thou w ilt d e p a rt to th e righ t h an d , th e n I will go to th e le ft.” A differen t A b ram from th e one fleeing to E g y p t; a fra id fo r his life; deceiving th e P h a ra o h ; an d a ccep ting his gifts! T h e re how small, h e re how g re a t h e seem s! W h a t m a d e th e d if ference? F aith . By faith h e com m itte d his case. In leav ing L o t to choo se h e le ft th e L o rd to choose. It is alw ays g re a t p e a c e to h av e th ing s com e ab o u t w ith o u t o u r in terference. W h en w e h av e k e p t our m ou th s shu t an d ou r h a n d s in our pockets, to go,, o r stay, to get, or lose, h as b e en equally satisfactory, b ecau se then , a t least, “th e L o rd h a th d o n e it.” A b ram m igh t have said, “ I am o ld e r” ; .“you a re d e b t o r” ; o r “ th e L o rd g av e m e th e la n d .” L o t w as th e Jew this time. R a th e r A b ram w as a Jew plu s g race a n d faith, a v e ritab le Moses, o r Paul (E xod . 3 2 :3 1 , 3 2 ; Rom . 9 : 3 ) . T h e g re a t a re n o t th e m ighty, n o r th e m agnificent, b u t th e m agnanim ous. Som e one gav e L uther, w ith scarce a k reu tz e r to his nam e, a n um b e r of g o ld pieces; h e g av e m o st of th em to a p o o r fellow he m e t an d w en t hom e chuckling, “W ell, I’v e m ad e one m an h a p p y .” Mr. L incoln, w hen S e c re ta ry Chase, one of his severest critics a n d o p pon en ts, resigned his office in a huff, m ad e him C hief Ju s tice of th e U n ited S tates, b ecau se he w as th e m an fo r th e place. 3. The meanness of Lot. “L o t lifted up his eyes,” etc. (v . 1 0 ). E dersheim says, “A s th e two sto o d on th a t h ighest ridg e b e tw e en B ethel an d Ai, th e p ro sp e c t b e fo re th em w as in d e e d un riv a led , . . . th e fair-
h e tra c e d it to th e gods. P e rh ap s Sarai sav ed herself b y revealing h e r tru e relation sh ip , a n d P h a ra o h fe a red A b ram ’s m igh ty P ro te c to r. It is n o t a p le a san t p ic tu re to see m a jestic A b ram b ro u g h t so low as to confess his d e c ep tio n to th e K ing of Egypt. T o tru st G o d an d sp e ak th e tru th b ring s a n o th e r rew ard . N ot P h a ra o h b u t Je h o v a h d e liv e red th e p a tria rch , a fte r all. P h a ra o h sent him aw ay lo a d e d w ith b enefits; b u t it was no t to A b ram ’s cred it th a t P h a ra o h cou ld say, “ I h av e m ad e A b ram rich” (G en . 1 4 :2 3 ). ( 2 ) “A b ram w en t u p ,” etc. (ch. 1 3 :1 ) “ in to th e S o u th ,” i. e., he w en t n o rth to th e region o f C an a an called “ th e S o u th .” “U n to th e p la c e w here his te n t h a d b e e n a t th e beg inn ing . . . un to th e p la c e of th e a lta r an d called on th e n am e o f th e L o rd ” (vv . 3, 4 ) . H e h a d no a lta r in Egypt. W e d o n o t re a d th a t he th e re called on th e n am e o f th e L o rd , o r th a t th e L o rd called on him. N ot till h e re tu rn ed to th e G o d a p p o in t ed p la c e ; n o t till he re sto red his a lta r a s a t “ th e first” h a d he an y sense o f access a n d D ivine fellow ship. But h e called an d w as h e a rd . B ackslid ers if th e y com e b a c k a re tak en b a c k (Je r. 3 :1 2 ; 1 Jo h n 1 :9 ). II. Abram Departed From Lot. 1. The purpose of God. A b ram w as first se p a ra te d from C h a ld e a (A c ts 7 :1 ) , th e n from his k in d red (G en . 1 2 :1 ), save L o t; fo r th e lan d w as to b e A b ram ’s, n o t to b e sh a red w ith a n o th e r; an d th e n a tio n w as to b e A b ram ’s seed, an d no o th e r; an d th e p rincip le to ta l sep a ra tio n from th e w o rld u n to th e L o rd w as to b e exemplified. 2. The magnanimity of Abram. (1 ) T h e re w as a strife fo r p a stu r age (v . 7 ). P ro b a b ly L o t w inked a t it; b u t A b ram d e p lo re d it an d sa id : “L et th e re b e no strife ,” etc. (v. 8 ) , fo r “ th e se rv an t of th e L o rd m u st n o t striv e ” (2 T im . 2 :2 4 ) .
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