5· the Generous Uncle and the Selfish Nephew

(Genesis 12-19)

Long, long after the flood, there lived a good man whose name was Abram, “the friend of God.” He was the first Hebrew. At first he lived in a large city on the river Euphrates. It was a beautiful city with fine buildings, gardens, fountains, statuary, and other things for comfort and pleasure. Abram and his people were rich. They had everything to make them happy, excepting one thing. Abram saw that in all that great city, in all that country, none worshiped God but himself. There were many temples where the people worshiped the sun, moon, stars, and many false gods. There were beautiful temples built, and beautiful music sung to the Sun-god, but no thanks were given to the great Creator of the sun and moon and man. A good deal of their worship was very wicked and cruel, and often boys and girls were burned to please the idols. Abram saw all this was false and wicked. One day God told him to leave that land and take a long journey to another land that God would show him. At last Abram reached a land so rich in vines, fruit trees, and pastures for flocks and herds, that it was called “the land flowing with milk and honey.” Here Abram and Lot, his brother’s son, lived in tents. Both were very rich in cattle, goats, sheep, servants, and silver and gold. But when the servants of Lot and Abram kept quarreling over which should have the best pasture for feeding their flocks, Abram said to Lot: “Let there be no quarrel between thee and me, and between our servants, for we are brethren. Choose the land you wish, and I will take what is left.” Abram was older than Lot, and had always been kind and generous, like a father, to him. Lot should have given his uncle the first choice. Instead of that, Lot greedily chose the well-watered plain-lands near the river Jordan, leaving to his uncle the hilly land. Abram generously let him keep them. Lot moved close to the wicked city of Sodom. Soon after, in a battle, Lot and his family and his servants were taken prisoners. Lot had not treated his uncle well, but that made no difference to Abram. He was a true friend, loving Lot even when he did not do right. So he rescued Lot and saved all the property the kings had stolen. Lot went back to Sodom, making his home this time inside the city, among its wicked people, and he grew more forgetful of God.

One day, in Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain, a great fire broke out which destroyed everything Lot had. Only for Abram’s prayer to God, Lot would have been burned up too. But for Abram’s sake, two angels came and led Lot and his wife and two daughters out of the city, telling them not to look back nor stay in all the plain, but flee to the mountains. Lot’s wife looked longingly back at the wicked cities, and was changed into a pillar of salt in the very plain upon which she, with Lot, had so much set her heart. Lot and his two daughters were saved only by fleeing to the mountain land that Lot had despised and Abram had taken. So, after all, the selfish nephew did not choose so well as the unselfish uncle, “the friend of God.”