Why This Graciousness

THE reason for this magnanimous graciousness on the part of Abram and his conduct toward Lot we have already seen. First of all, Abram believed God’s Word that He would take care of him no matter what the immediate sacrifice might be, and would ultimately give him the land which He had promised to him. This was the triumph of Abram’s faith. But I think there is another reason suggested in the text here which is very important. We read, for instance, in Genesis 13:7, “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.”

There must be reason, since we believe in verbal inspiration, why the Holy Spirit caused Moses to insert this particular sentence in the record here. It is, indeed, very suggestive. Here were two brethren, Abram and Lot, who claimed to be worshippers of the one true Jehovah, and claimed to be men of faith; yet they were fighting and quibbling and striving with each other, and in that way were losing their testimony. There can be no reason to doubt that the Canaanites and the Perizzites were looking at Abram and Lot critically and wondering whether there would be any evidence of the reality of the faith which they both professed to have. Abram, recognizing this fact, was willing to be the least, and for the time being take a definite loss in order that his testimony might not be hindered, the name of the Lord might not be smirched, and no reproach brought upon the cause of the One in whom He claimed to trust.

This portion of Abraham’s history certainly holds a tremendous lesson for us in these days of sectarianism and separation among believers. Today too, the Canaanite and the Perizzite are still in the land and are looking critically and scrutinously at all those who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly the quibbling and the dissension and the division and the fighting among believers is construed by them as an evidence that we are not what we profess to be. May the Lord teach us from the lesson of Abram to have more charity, to be willing to be the least, and for conscience’s sake to take loss if need be, in order that the Lord Jesus may truly be exalted; “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” – Romans 14:7.

Adapted and modified excerpts from Studies in the Life of Abraham by M. R. De Haan (1891-1964)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.