The story of Abraham and Lot begins in Genesis chapter 11. Abraham’s father Terah moved his family from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan, but they settled in the city of Haran instead (Genesis 11:31). After Terah died, God spoke to Abraham (at that time called Abram) and told him to go to the land that He would show him (Genesis 12:1). So Abraham took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and traveled to Canaan, the Promised Land.
When Abraham and his family arrived in Canaan, God promised to give the land to his offspring (Genesis 12:7). Abraham built altars to worship God and called upon His name. There was a severe famine in the land, so Abraham and his family went down to Egypt for a while. When they returned to Canaan, Abraham and Lot had become very wealthy with many livestock and tents. The land could not support all of their possessions, so their herdsmen began quarreling over grazing land and water. Abraham decided they should separate in order to preserve peace between them. He gave Lot the first choice of land, and Lot chose the fertile plain of the Jordan Valley near the city of Sodom. Abraham remained in the land of Canaan (Genesis 13).
After Lot left, God again spoke to Abraham and promised to give all the land he could see to him and his offspring forever. Abraham moved to Hebron and built an altar there to worship God (Genesis 13:14-18). Later, a confederacy of kings invaded the land of Canaan. They plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and took Lot and his possessions captive. When Abraham heard about it, he took 318 trained men and defeated the kings, rescuing Lot and the other captives. Abraham refused to take any plunder so no one could say they were the source of his wealth. The mysterious priest Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tithe of all he had (Genesis 14).
After these events, God appeared to Abraham in a vision and established His covenant with him. God promised to make Abraham the father of a multitude of nations, give him many descendants, and the land of Canaan forever. As a sign of the covenant, God instructed Abraham and all his male descendants to be circumcised. Abraham believed God, and God counted his belief as righteousness and justice (Genesis 15).
Ten years passed but Sarah remained childless, so she offered her servant Hagar to Abraham so he could have an heir. Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael. But this was not the son God had promised, so when Abraham was 100 years old, God again appeared to him. God promised that Sarah would have a son named Isaac. Though Abraham laughed with disbelief that he and Sarah could have a child in their old age, it came to pass just as God said. On the day that Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast. Ishmael mocked Isaac, so at Sarah’s insistence he sent Hagar and Ishmael away (Genesis 16-21:8).
Sometime later, God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Though heartbroken, Abraham obeyed. Just as he took the knife to slay his son, the Angel of the Lord stopped him, saying he had proven he feared God since he had not withheld his beloved son. Abraham sacrificed a ram caught in the thicket instead. God reaffirmed His covenant blessings because of Abraham’s faithfulness (Genesis 22).
Sarah died, so Abraham purchased the cave at Machpelah to bury her. His servant went to Abraham’s homeland and brought a wife named Rebekah back for Isaac. Abraham married again and had six more sons, but Isaac was his heir according to God’s promise. When Abraham died at the age of 175, his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave at Machpelah beside Sarah (Genesis 23-25:10).
Meanwhile, Lot continued living in the city of Sodom. The people of Sodom were extremely wicked sinners. God was prepared to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, so he sent two angels disguised as men to check out the reports and investigate Lot’s situation. Lot met the angels at the city gate and took them to his home, where the wicked men of the city came demanding to have sexual relations with the new visitors. Lot refused, but he offered his two virgin daughters instead. The angels prevented the wicked mob from harming Lot and led him, his wife, and two daughters out of the city before God destroyed it with burning sulfur. But Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Only Lot and his two daughters were spared (Genesis 19).
After Sodom’s destruction, Lot was afraid to stay in the nearby town of Zoar, so he took his daughters to live in a cave in the mountains. Since Lot had no sons to carry on the family name, his daughters decided to get their father drunk and have sexual relations with him so they could have offspring. This led to the birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi, the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites (Genesis 19:30-38). The Moabites and Ammonites were pagan nations who often opposed the Israelites, so this account shows the origin of these enemy peoples.
Though they came from the same family line, Abraham and Lot’s choices led them in very different directions. Abraham trusted and obeyed God, bringing blessings to all nations. Though not perfect, Abraham’s heart was fully devoted to the one true God. In contrast, Lot chose the fertile land for his own benefit and pitched his tent toward the evil city of Sodom. He offered his own daughters to be raped and committed incest with them. His decisions brought trouble upon his family and progeny. Abraham and Lot illustrate the divergence of righteous and wicked paths set before every believer.
The story of Abraham and Lot spans Genesis chapters 11 through 19. Key points include:
- God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go the Promised Land of Canaan.
- Abraham and Lot prospered and separated due to conflict between their herdsmen.
- After Lot moved near Sodom, Abraham received God’s covenant promise.
- Abraham rescued Lot after he was taken captive by invading kings.
- God established His covenant with Abraham because of his faith.
- Isaac was the promised son, not Ishmael who was sent away.
- God tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac.
- Sarah died, Abraham remarried and had six more sons.
- Lot lived in Sodom but was rescued before God destroyed the city.
- Lot committed incest with his daughters resulting in enemy nations.
- Abraham became the father of God’s chosen nation.
Though from the same family, Abraham and Lot made very different choices. Abraham believed God and was the father of many nations through whom the Messiah came. Lot doubted God’s ability to protect him and sought to preserve his own life, leading to tragic consequences. Abraham and Lot illustrate the diverging paths of righteousness and wickedness that God sets before every person.