Genesis13_5-7

Genesis 13:5–7 

And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

It is easy for people to suffer together, but not to enjoy success and wealth together. This was true even for Abram and Lot. One was a faithful man and the other was a righteous one. When both of them had abundant flocks, herds, and tents, strife arose between them. Although it did not originate from them personally, it affected their walking together.

When Lot and Abram became rich and wealthy, what happened around them was not within their own control. It was as though they had been swept into a great wave and wind, pushed along by their surroundings. Their herdmen fought for their own masters, and this led to a strife that affected the relationship between Abram and Lot.

What their servants did was understandable, because their substance was so great that the land was not able to bear them. It is evident that limited natural resources cannot supply such great need. Regarding natural supply, it has always caused conflict among people, families, and nations. It is a common reality of human beings fighting for their livelihood.

Therefore, what Abram experienced is not far removed from us — it is the reality of real life. It is a vivid picture from which we can learn something about God Elohim. What God arranges for us is usually found in our daily and ordinary life. And those issues are objective circumstances, not special subjective testings.

Because of this objective reason, Abram and Lot could not dwell together. They encountered a serious problem that compelled them to part from each other. They had left their own hometown together, but now they had to separate — not on account of poverty, but on account of great abundance.