Needed Bolstering Up

But his covetous eye looked upon the well-watered plains of the

valley of the Jordan that reached out towards Sodom, and he chose

them. He was influenced by what he saw, He walked by sight, instead

of by faith. I think that is where a great many Christian people

make their mistake--walking by sight, instead of by faith. If he had

stopped to think, Lot might have known that it would be disastrous

to him and his family t go anywhere near Sodom. Abram and Lot must

both have known about the wickedness of those cities on the plains,

and although they were rich, and there was chance of making money,

it was better for Lot to keep his family out of that wicked city.

But his eyes fell upon the well watered plains, and he pitched his

tent towards Sodom, and separated from Abram.



Now, notice that after Abram had let Lot have his choice, and Lot

had gone off to the plains, for the first time God had Abram alone.

His father had died at Haran, and he had left his brother there.

Now, after his nephew had left him, he moved down to Hebron, and

there built an altar. "Hebron" means communion. Here it is that

God came to him and said:



"Abram, look around as far as your eye can reach--it is all yours.

Look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and

eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee

will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed

as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of

the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through

the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will

give it unto thee."



"Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of

Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord."



It is astonishing how far you can see in that country. God took

Moses up on Pisgah and showed him the Promised Land. In Palestine, a

few years ago, I found that on Mount Olivet I could look over and

see the Mediterranean. I could look into the valley of the Jordan,

and see the Dead Sea. And on the plains of Sharon I could look up to

Mount Lebanon, and up at Mount Hermon, away beyond Nazareth. You can

see with the naked eye almost the length and breadth of that

country. So when God said to Abram that he might look to the north,

and that as far as he could see he could have the land; and then

look to the south, with its well-watered plains that Lot coveted,

and to the east and the west, from the sea to the Euphrates--then

God gave His friend Abram a clear title, no conditions whatever,

saying:



"I will give it all to you."



Lot chose all he could get, but it was not much. Abram let God

choose for him, and was given all the land. Lot had no security for

his choice, and soon lost all. Abram's right was maintained

undisputed by God the giver.



Do you know that the children of Israel never had faith enough to

take possession of all that land as far as the Euphrates? If they

had, probably Nebuchadnezzar would never have come and taken them

captives. But that was God's offer; He said to Abram, "Unto your

seed I will give it forever, clear to the valley of the Euphrates."

From that time on God enlarged Abram's tents. He enriched His

promises, and gave him much more that He had promised down there in

the valley of the Euphrates when He first called him out. It is very

interesting to see how God kept