The Choice That Looked Easy
The Choice That Looked Easy: an original Genesis 13:8-11 KJV devotional with biblical context and practical application.
“And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.”
Genesis 13:8-11 KJV
The most attractive option is not always the wisest one. Lot saw land that appeared well suited for his flocks. From the viewpoint of immediate advantage, the choice made sense. The following verses bring Sodom's wickedness into view, and the later account shows how serious that neighborhood would become for his household.
Read the passage carefully
Abram's offer also deserves attention. He sought an end to strife instead of insisting that every advantage belong to him. His confidence in God's promise gave room for generosity. Lot's choice should not lead us to condemn productive land or careful provision. The warning concerns a decision whose visible benefits received more attention than its moral surroundings. What looked profitable could bring influences that were costly in ways a field could not measure.
Our choices often arrive with a similar imbalance of visible and hidden costs. A job may offer more money while placing a household under destructive pressures. A friendship may offer popularity while encouraging secrecy and dishonesty. We cannot avoid every difficult setting, and faithfulness sometimes requires serving in one. We can refuse to let convenience become the only question we consider. Scripture, responsibility, and wise counsel belong in the decision.
Carry this truth into the day
Before accepting an attractive opportunity, look carefully at what it will require and what it will encourage. Consider its effect on your worship, conduct, and family obligations. Be honest about the weakness most likely to make its promises appealing. A smaller advantage with a clean conscience can be far better than a larger one purchased through compromise. Lot saw the well-watered plain clearly. We need enough wisdom to look beyond the part of a decision that first catches the eye.
Why the setting matters
After conflict arises between their herdsmen, Abram offers Lot a choice of territory. Lot chooses the well-watered plain, and the men separate.
Continue in the Word
Read further: Genesis 13 in the King James Bible.