The Story of God: The Test of Prosperity
June 5, 2016
What comes to mind when you hear the term wealth? Having a great deal of money? Having everything you’ve ever dreamed of? Generally speaking, we all have an image of what being wealthy consists of: for most of us it’s being prosperous enough to afford a large home with all the modern amenities, to have enough capital to travel and enjoy the things we like to do; to have a number of diversified investments that guarantee our wealth is secure, and to have your family and health so you can enjoy these blessings. But as good as it may be to “be well of,” being prosperous carries with it it’s own temptations. Years ago, Becky’s Uncle Jake, a Pastor in North Dakota, who has since gone home to be with the Lord, shared with me something about prosperity that has always stayed with me. He said, “Most Christians can handle adversity, but very few can handle prosperity.”
As we return to the story of God today, we are going to see one of the challenges prosperity brings and how two men responded to the test of prosperity in two distinctly different ways. And as we look at their responses, we will take a closer look at how faith plays a role in facing the test of prosperity.
1. Abram’s Return: So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 13:1-4 There are three observations about Abram’s return we need to note:
The first is a reminder that when Abram originally left the land of promise, he did so because of a severe famine. It was a time of adversity. Now upon his return, Abram had become a wealthy man. Abram had been faithless, but God was faithful and prospered him more than he ever deserved.
The second, is that when Abram returned, he back-tracked over his original trail, and eventually Abram came back to where he had built an altar to the Lord.
And the third observation, Abram once again called on the name of the Lord. Abram had came full circle: He returned to the land of promise, to the altar of worship and to prayer. Abram’s return was a return to faith.
His journey is not unlike the journey many of us take. Many adults start out in life with a small measure of faith in God. Perhaps your mother and father took you to Sunday School. You learned about God and heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. But then like Abram, you somehow lost your way. Like Abram, you no longer worshiped, no longer called on God, and life just led you on a course of its own. But somewhere along the way, God intervened and you returned to the God of your youth. Like Abram, you’ve returned to faith. You now call on God in prayer. You worship Him once again. And that’s a great thing… But before we move on in Abram’s story, God would have us think about the people around us. There are many around us who started life with a measure of faith, but over time lost their way. And just as God intervened in your life to draw you back to Him, He may want to use your story to bring a neighbor or friend back to Him. God is always working to bring people to faith; and your story may just be the catalyst God can use to return your friend or neighbor to faith… just like Abram. So let’s get back to his story where we now see a conflict brewing.
Here is where the story reveals: 2. Prosperity’s Dilemma: Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. Genesis 13:5-7
Up to this point, we haven’t heard too much about Lot, other than when God called Abram to leave his country, his people and his father behind, Lot was eager to get out of town himself. Perhaps he saw life in Ur as a dead end with not a lot of prospects. Perhaps he had a heart for adventure. Whatever the case, Lot went with Abram to Canaan; Lot went with Abram to Egypt; and Lot had now returned with Abram to the promised land. And wherever Lot went, God also prospered him!. Lot also had flocks and herds and tents – and tents. Lot’s prospects had increased greatly. He too was now a man with of great wealth.
Now as a result, there were too many flocks, too many herds, too many tents, too many people and too many Canaanites and Perizzites all fighting over the same watering holes. Herders were now quarreling with each other, and it was only a matter of time before a fight would break out with the locals. Here’s the dilemma: The Prosperity of Abram and Lot had stretched the local resources to the limits. Previously, famine had sent them running to Egypt, now prosperity created a new kind of test. How would they respond? Here now is where see a contrast between Abram and Lot.
3. Grace and Greed: So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. Genesis 13:8-13
Two contrasting responses to the test of prosperity: Abram’s response was one of grace. In an amazing stroke of generosity Abram gives up his rights to the land and offers Lot the pick of the land. Abram is motivated by his renewed faith in God. He puts peace ahead of property. He puts relationship ahead of real estate. He treats Lot as an equal and proposes a solution to their dilemma – a solution that allows Lot to be his own man and make his own choice.
By giving Lot his choice of territory and accepting the outcome, Abram had a humble perspective on his prosperity. He knew that all he had acquired had come from the Lord. Abram was content in his faith and it freed him to be generous.
But this was not the case for Lot. Lot’s choosing the most fertile territory reveals his true character: He’s only looking out for number one… Lot had nothing when he left Ur, but now he was a wealthy man. And he had Abram to thank for that. But does he express his gratitude? Does he acknowledge the source of his blessings and insist that Abram choose the best land? No. Lot chooses greed over gratitude. He choses wealth over family. He chooses to trust in himself, rather than to trust in God. I wonder how we would respond if we were in Lot’s shoes? Tim Keller says that greed is one of the hardest sins for us to recognize. Why? Because all of us have we’ve grown up in the most prosperous culture in history. Being prosperous in and of its self is not sinful. It’s greed that’s sinful.
It’s greed that says I get my significance by what I own.
It’s greed that tells me that I won’t be satisfied until I have that one more thing.
It’s greed that robs my security and makes me anxious about my retirement account.
It’s greed that enslaves us to our possessions and diminishes our relationships.
And It’s greed that leads us to trust in ourselves and rather than trust in God.
As Jesus said, “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Abram had learned this truth, Lot had not.
But what about us? We need to wrestle with this. Where do you get your sense of identity? Do you get it from your relationship with God or from what you own? Is your sense of security tied up in your financial investments or God’s investment in you? Do you make your decisions based on your faith in God, or what you think is best for you? This is a tough test. Prosperity can make us think more highly of ourselves then we ought. There are two ways to respond to prosperity: Grace or Greed
Abram was generous, Lot was not. Are you more like Abram or more like Lot?
One person has said, “The remedy for greed is generosity.” Abram was generous. What made him that way? I would say this: Generosity flows out of a heart that’s been changed by the grace of God. I have always said, “The more you grow in your knowledge of God, the more you will become like Him. At the core of God’s character is His goodness, and the evidence of His goodness is His abundant generosity.” He has given us His best: His one and only Son. He has given us forgiveness. He has given us a future. He has given us a place in His family. He has given us His peace. He has given us new life. He has given us His presence. Our God is a generous God!
This is what Abram was learning and it allowed him to TRUST IN God’s timing on His promise. THIS TRUST freed Abram to be generous with Lot. So Lot went east and pitched his tents near the wicked city of Sodom. With greed as his guide, he now places himself, his family and his future in jeopardy… But Abram places himself, his family and his future in God’s hands.
And what happens next? Abram’s faith is rewarded with 4. The Lord’s Promise The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord. Genesis 13:14-17
As gracious as Abram was to Lot, God was abundantly more gracious to him. Here God gives Abram two images of His abundant grace. The first image is of the horizon: “Lift your eyes to the north and south, east and west. All the land you see I will give you and your offspring forever.” The second image is of dust: “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust then your offspring could be counted.” God promises Abram that there’ll come a day when his offspring will be so numerous that no one will be able to count them. But right now, God is giving Abram the land as far as his eyes can see.
Not only that, but now God rewards Abram’s faith with something tangible: “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” I love what God does for Abram here. To walk the length and breadth of the land symbolizes his legal acquisition of it. Lot may be pitching his tents in the east, but now everywhere Abram steps, the land now belongs to him. This is what Hebrews 11:6 tells us about faith: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Abram’s faith in God has pleased Him and He now rewards Abram by giving him the land. Do you remember the original call of God to Abram, “go to a land I will show you”? God is now delivering on His promise to Abram. So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord. Gen. 13:17
So what can we learn from God’s story today?
- Like Abram we can lose our way, but we can always return to faith in God
- There are two ways to respond to prosperity: Grace or Greed
- Its faith that frees us to be generous
- God’s blessings to us are greater than we can ever imagine