Monday, May 5, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Genesis 13-15
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 52
Key Verse
Genesis 14:14 — “And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.”
Devotional Thought
Abram comes up out of Egypt a wealthy man, and wealth soon becomes the occasion of his first recorded quarrel in the land of promise. His herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen strive, and the land cannot bear them both. What is striking is Abram’s response: he does not grasp, he does not pull rank as the elder, he simply says, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, for we be brethren,” and gives Lot the first choice. Lot lifts up his eyes and chooses by sight—the well-watered plain of Jordan, green as the garden of the LORD—and pitches his tent toward Sodom, a city whose men were wicked exceedingly. Sight is not the same as wisdom. The plain looked like Eden; it was actually a slimepit waiting to happen.
Then the narrative turns. Kings go to war, Sodom falls, and Lot is carried away captive with all his goods. And Abram, the man who would not take so much as a thread from the spoils, arms three hundred and eighteen of his own servants and goes after his nephew. He defeats the four kings, brings back Lot and the women and the goods, and on his return meets two kings: the king of Sodom, who offers him riches, and Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who brings bread and wine and blesses him. Abram refuses the riches and receives the blessing. He will not be made rich by Sodom, but he will be blessed by God.
After these things—after the battle, after the refusal, after the blessing—the word of the LORD comes to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” And Abram, still childless, still waiting, speaks honestly to God: what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless? God does not rebuke the question. He takes Abram outside, points him to the stars, and makes him a promise too large to count. And Abram believed the LORD, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
We live in a season of long waiting too—spring’s promises sometimes still feel far off, and the ground of our lives can seem as barren as Abram’s tent. Psalm 52 draws the contrast sharply: the mighty man boasts in mischief and trusts in the abundance of his riches, but the righteous is like a green olive tree in the house of God, trusting in the mercy of God for ever. Abram chose the olive tree over the slimepit. So may we.
Reflection
- Lot chose by what his eyes could see, and it led him toward Sodom; Abram chose by faith, and it led him to an altar. Where in your life are you being tempted to choose by sight rather than by trust in the promise of God?
- Abram refused to be made rich by the king of Sodom, saying, “lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.” Are there gifts, opportunities, or alliances in your life that would compromise your witness, even if they look like blessings?
Prayer
O Lord, most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, we come to You as Abram did, with honest hearts and open hands. You are our shield and our exceeding great reward, and we confess that we have often chosen by sight what looked green and promising, only to find ourselves pitched toward Sodom. Teach us to trust Your promise more than our eyes, and to refuse whatever would make us rich at the cost of our witness. When the waiting is long and the stars seem far, strengthen our faith, that it may be counted to us for righteousness. We praise You, for Your mercy endures for ever. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 52:1 — “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.”