GENESIS 13, or, "Mo' money mo' problems"

Abram returns from Egypt, quarrels with his nephew Lot, and they go their separate ways. God promises Abram land and offspring.

Abram, Sarai and Lot return from Egypt as a result of the whole "sister/wife" fiasco with the Pharaoh. No matter though. They return far richer than when they left. Only now, they were going to suffer from having too much rather than too little. The land Abram and Lot shared could not support their combined number of livestock and herdsman. The amount of bickering and rude hand gestures increased at an alarming rate. Something had to be done.

Not wanting to argue anymore, Abram and Lot decide that they should split up. Abram allows Lot to choose which way he wants to go. He tells Lot, "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 saw that the land to the east was well-watered so eastward he went, while Abram stayed in the west.

After Lot leaves, God speaks to Abram again, telling him to look around, that all the land he can see belongs to him, and that his offspring will be an numerous as all of the grains of dust on Earth.


The song that came into my head while reading this passage: "Landlocked Blues", by Bright Eyes. This one's for you, Abe:

If you walk away I walk away
first tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing somday
so you walk that way I'll walk this way

and the future hangs over our heads
and it moves with each current event
until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
just stay in when it's lookin' this way

and the moon's laying low in the sky
forcing everything metal to shine
and the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
they argue "walk this way," "no walk this way"