Genesis 13 Cutting the Cake

A friend of mine told me how his mother kept him from arguing with this brother about who was getting the bigger piece of pie or cake when it had to be cut in two. One child got to cut the cake, and the other one to pick the piece he wanted.

After Abraham left Egypt he headed again toward the land of Canaan with Lot his nephew. By this time Abraham and Lot had acquired large flocks, so they were having difficulty living together side by side. In addition, their herdsmen kept quarreling with each other.

Abraham told Lot that he could have whatever land he wanted; Abraham would live on the remainder.

Lot surveyed the landscape and chose the more fertile and desirable land, from outward appearances. At the time Lot did not know that the people of Sodom were extremely wicked. He moved to their land, and almost lost his life as a result.

Abraham did not complain about having been given the less desirable land. In fact, after Lot leaves, the first thing we read is that the Lord speaks to Abraham. The Lord promises to give all of the land “from where you stand to the north, south, east, and west” to Abraham and “your descendents forever” (13:15).

The Lord also promises to make Abraham’s descendents as like the dust of the earth. There would be so many that nobody could count them.

You and I often falter at the promises of God. We have difficulty believing that He is in control and will really bless us as He has promised. We fear that we will get the smaller piece of pie, or perhaps no pie at all.

In this account Abraham let Lot choose first. Then God blessed Abraham even more.

What a great God we serve. You and I can trust Him today for no matter what comes our way.

“Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you”
-1 Pe 5:7