LESSON PREPARATION
After you have read carefully the story of this lesson answer for yourself these questions: What is the most important teaching point in this story? How can I arrange the material of the story in such a way as to bring that point into strongest perspective? Abram gave up to another what he had a perfect right to take for himself. Would Junior children generally regard that as a foolish thing to do, and, therefore, lose all the force of the lesson if too much stress should be put upon that phase of the truth? What is the Junior child’s highest conception of what must be done in order to obey the Golden Rule? What elements in Lot’s character stand out clearly in this transaction? How does he exhibit indifference toward the best welfare of his family?
The consequences of his choice come out in later lessons, and are exactly what might be expected, but, of course, these must not be touched upon in this lesson. The only point which needs emphasis here is the statement of verse 13.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
Abram was sitting in the door of his tent. Sarai, his wife, was near by and was watching him anxiously, for she could see that he was troubled, but she knew not why. They had just returned to the place near Bethel from a long journey which they took into Egypt because there had been a famine in the land of Canaan. Their flocks and herds were so many that Abram was known as a very rich man in a country where men counted their wealth by the number of cattle they owned. The dark tents of Abram’s servants stretched away over the valley and up on the sides of the low hills, for his followers were many. Lot, Abram’s nephew, also had servants and flocks and herds. His tents were there too, and the smoke was going up from many fires, for it was supper time. As Abram sat looking out over the valley, Sarai questioned softly, “What is it that troubles thee?” And Abram answered, “Thou knowest how I have thought that Lot would always be with us, as he has been all his life; but I cannot now see how that can be. To-day and yesterday, and indeed every day since we pitched our tents in this valley, as I have gone about to see how the herds and flocks were being cared for by the men, I have found quarreling and strife among the herdsmen.” “Quarreling and strife?” “Yea, thou knowest we have had none of that before, but now our cattle are so many and there are so few good pasture lands that were not already in use by the Canaanites and the Perrizzites before we came into the land, and there are so few wells or springs of water beside those that they claim, that there is constant strife between Lot’s herdsmen and ours. Each one claims every spring of water and pasture land, and so they quarrel. We cannot have this kind of thing. Brothers should live together in unity, and I must find a way to end the strife. Of course my men feel in duty bound to find water and pasture for my cattle; that is what they are told to do; and Lot’s men must do the same for his, but we cannot have them fighting about it.”
The Lesson Story
The next morning Abram asked Lot to take a walk with him, and as they together climbed a hill near by, Abram told his nephew of the quarreling among their men, and then he said something like this: “You see, we have now so many cattle that no one part of the country can give us all the pasture that we need. I had hoped that we might always live together, but I see that we cannot do so and have peace and right feeling among our servants.” Now, of course, you know that Abram might then have said to his nephew, “God has promised all of this land to me and to my children, so it is only right that I should first choose the part of the land in which I wish to live, and that is what I intend to do now.” But Abram knew a better way than that. Open your Bibles and read with me Genesis 13:8, 9. So you see, Abram gave Lot the first choice, and as they stood together on the summit of the hill they had climbed, Lot could look to the north, west, and south and could see few pasture lands, but many rugged mountains and rather barren valleys. But to the east he saw the well-watered plain of the Jordan, where the grass grew rich and green, and he said as he pointed that way, “I will take the plain of the Jordan.” Very soon they separated, Lot and his family, with his servants and cattle, going down into the Jordan valley, while Abram journeyed south over the mountains until he came to Hebron.
What did Lot really choose? Not simply pasture lands for his flocks. He chose selfishness and greed, for he took the best for himself when he knew his uncle had the right to it. He chose wicked people to be his neighbors and friends, for there were cities in the valley. Listen to what the Bible says about the people in a city near which Lot pitched his tents. (Read verses 12 and 13.)
But what of Abram? What did he choose? He chose unselfishness and generosity, and he gained something better than fine pasture for his cattle, for he knew that he had pleased his heavenly Father, and soon he heard the voice of God speaking to him, and saying (read verses 14, 15, 18).