Genesis 13:5-14:16; Matthew 5:27-37; Psalms 6:6-10; Proverbs 3:9-10
OT: “Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other… After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”” (Genesis 13:10-11, 14-17 CSB)
When it became necessary for Abram and Lot to part ways, Abram gave Lot the first choice. It is interesting to see how Lot made his choice compared to Abram. Lot, only concerned with his well-being looked around and chose the land, that to his understanding, would bring him the most benefit – leaving the dry and rocky lands for Abram. Then, because Abram placed His faith in God’s word – knowing that God would provide for him no matter where he ended up, the Lord gave Abram all the land that he could see. How many times do we quickly take what looks good in our eyes before honoring the Lord and waiting to see what He will give us.
NT: “But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37 CSB)
Leading up to this, Jesus spoke about adultery, divorce, and making oaths (swearing). All 3 of those things have to do with vows and honoring your word. Then Jesus makes this statement: “let your ‘yes’ be ’yes’ and your ’no’ be ’no.’” In other words, mean what you say and say what you mean – and when you say something, let your words stand… let your words have weight… let them have mass. If you say something, honor it, even if it brings you hurt. And because your words do have weight, honor the Lord by asking Him for His wisdom before you hastily commit to something.
Proverbs: “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10 CSB)
The Hebrew word translated here as ‘honor’ is the word kabad. It is the same word that is translated in other passages as “glorify” and is the root word for the Hebrew word for ”glory.” It means to be heavy or weighty. Solomon is saying, give weight to the Lord with your possessions. That has a double meaning: First, realize that your possessions are not your own, therefore give weight to how the Lord directs you to manage your possessions. Second, when you set aside a portion of your possessions for the Lord’s use, don’t let it be a small portion – let it be weighty. If you truly honor the Lord I this way, you will not experience lack and you will have a constant flow of the resources you need. Does this abundance always get manifested in material things? No. There are millions of people around the world that truly honor the Lord with what little they have, and they don’t have much in material possessions – but their lives are full of peace and they overflow with joy.
Jamie Hicks 