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Abram and Lot Separate - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: After these things the word of the Lord came unto
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  Speaker 1: Abraham in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abraham, I am
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  Speaker 1: thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15.1 Dear
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  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, when the season comes, help me to make
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  Speaker 1: the choice to separate and move on when a relationship
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  Speaker 1: must transition and come to an end. When I must
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  Speaker 1: choose a new location to move to, I will not
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  Speaker 1: only look at the outward appearance, but will look intently
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  Speaker 1: at the new land and opportunity to make sure your
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  Speaker 1: spirit and presence are there. As I continue to move
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  Speaker 1: in sync with your commands, I thank you that you
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  Speaker 1: will continue to bless me and send words of encouragement
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  Speaker 1: through various people like Abraham. I declare that multiplication is
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  Speaker 1: in my future. I declare that you will not depart
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  Speaker 1: from me. nor leave my side until you've accomplished your
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  Speaker 1: covenant and promises through me. Thank you, Lord, that you
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  Speaker 1: are for me like you were for Abraham in the
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  Speaker 1: book of Genesis. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making
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  Speaker 1: prayer a priority in your life. To hear the Bible
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  Speaker 1: come to life, stay tuned for The Bible in a Year,
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  Speaker 1: brought to.
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  Speaker 2: You Abram and Lot separate. Before this story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: about how Abram was called by God to leave his
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  Speaker 2: country and God would bless him, make his name great,
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  Speaker 2: and make him into a great nation. Yet, in Abram's
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  Speaker 2: heart was imperfections, fear, and faithlessness. Now we will learn
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  Speaker 2: about how Abram and Lot separate and go their own ways,
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  Speaker 2: and how God's faithfulness to Abram saves Lot from danger.
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  Speaker 2: Then we see a promise made by God that would
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  Speaker 2: change the course of history, inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. Yesterday, we looked at the story of
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  Speaker 3: Abram leaving his home and journeying to a new land,
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  Speaker 3: to Canaan. When he left, he brought with him his wife, Sarah,
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  Speaker 3: and also his nephew, Lot. Today, we're going to cover
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  Speaker 3: a lot of ground, starting with Lot and Abram and
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  Speaker 3: how their stories differ. You're about to see Lot's story.
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  Speaker 3: Though he was with Abram, he took a decidedly different direction.
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  Speaker 3: It's a sad story about decisions, being seduced by the
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  Speaker 3: apparent beauty of a place while neglecting to see the wickedness,
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  Speaker 3: the toxic wickedness that was brewing beneath the surface. We
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  Speaker 3: contrast that with the choices made while seeking God and
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  Speaker 3: depending upon him. You'll also hear how Abram is coming
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  Speaker 3: into his own as a wise man who worships God
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  Speaker 3: and who cares more about honoring the Lord than receiving
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  Speaker 3: honor to himself. Finally, we'll see how Abram has learned,
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  Speaker 3: at least for now, to wait on God's timing and
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  Speaker 3: to plead with him, to plead with God for answers
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  Speaker 3: when the promise of descendants is still not fulfilled. It's
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  Speaker 3: a lesson for how you can approach God, how you
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  Speaker 3: can approach God honestly, asking for the desires of your heart,
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  Speaker 3: even as you wait faithfully on his timing. Now, here
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  Speaker 3: is today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Abram and Lot both increased in riches and influence, so
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  Speaker 2: much so that their livestock, servants, and warriors could no
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  Speaker 2: longer inhabit the same land. To keep their people from
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  Speaker 2: warring against one another, Abram proposed they separate. Separate from me.
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  Speaker 2: If you take the left, then I will go to
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  Speaker 2: the right. Or if you take the right, then I
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  Speaker 2: will go to the left. Lot took Abram up on
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  Speaker 2: his generous offer and looked out at the Jordan Valley
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  Speaker 2: and saw that it was full of fertile plains in
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  Speaker 2: the direction of Zohar. The plains were watered everywhere and
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  Speaker 2: reminded him of the old stories of the Garden of Eden.
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  Speaker 2: Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley and everything east of them.
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  Speaker 2: He then took his flocks and servants there, then parted
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  Speaker 2: with Abram and settled in the land of Sodom. Though
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  Speaker 2: the land was beautiful, Lot had wandered into a city
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  Speaker 2: filled with all kinds of evils. Men and women plagued
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  Speaker 2: with a wicked and debased culture lingered there, and Lot
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  Speaker 2: later on would find himself in great danger. Abram looked
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  Speaker 2: to the west towards Canaan. God, who had promised fruitful
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  Speaker 2: land to Abram, met him there and spoke. Lift up
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  Speaker 2: your eyes and see where you are, north, south, east,
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  Speaker 2: and west. Every piece of land you see I will
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  Speaker 2: give to you and your descendants forever. From you I
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  Speaker 2: will fill the earth with my righteousness. So Abram moved
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  Speaker 2: his tent and settled by the oaks of Mamre. beside Hebron,
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  Speaker 2: and there he worshipped the Lord with a full heart.
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  Speaker 2: Towards the east, a great war spread like a plague
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  Speaker 2: across the region. The four kings of the cities in
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  Speaker 2: Sodom and Gomorrah rebelled against the confederation of five kings
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  Speaker 2: ruling over them. War, bloodshed, theft, and rape burned through
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  Speaker 2: Lot's land like a wildfire. A fierce and brutal battle
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  Speaker 2: traveled towards the valley of the Dead Sea. The four
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  Speaker 2: rebel kings clashed against their overlords, with thousands of men
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  Speaker 2: behind them. Running into battle, the armies of Sodom and
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  Speaker 2: Gomorrah were gripped by the tar pits below the valley,
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  Speaker 2: trapped and slaughtered slowly by their enemies. While some were
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  Speaker 2: mercilessly torn apart, others fled to the hills to die
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  Speaker 2: slowly in shame. In the aftermath stood Lot, helplessly robbed, beaten,
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  Speaker 2: then kidnapped by the Confederate kings. They had taken everything
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  Speaker 2: he owned, including all of the women and children under
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  Speaker 2: his care. Lot was now totally consumed by the wicked
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  Speaker 2: land he had chosen as a home and a slave
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  Speaker 2: to the people he chose to dwell with. One of
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  Speaker 2: Lot's spies escaped the Confederate kings and ran towards the
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  Speaker 2: west where Abram lived in peace with his allies, Mamre, Escol,
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  Speaker 2: and Aner. The word of Lot's captivity came to Abram
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  Speaker 2: and there was no time wasted. Abram assembled 318 of
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  Speaker 2: his trained men and prepared them for battle. Together they
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  Speaker 2: traveled a great distance to retrieve Lot. Abram's land was
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  Speaker 2: at peace. This was not his war. yet God was
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  Speaker 2: grooming him to be a hero. Abram did not storm
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  Speaker 2: the valley on horseback, nor did his army charge into
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  Speaker 2: battle with the horns of war behind them. They waited
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  Speaker 2: for the dark quiet of the night. Abram divided his
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  Speaker 2: army and had them swiftly take over the enemy. With
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  Speaker 2: quiet tact and swiftness, Abram took back Lot, his possessions,
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  Speaker 2: his people, and drove the rest of the enemy out
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  Speaker 2: to the north to be killed. Afterwards, Abram was met
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  Speaker 2: by a mysterious king and priest named Melchizedek. He brought
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  Speaker 2: Abram bread and wine, then blessed him, saying, Blessed be
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  Speaker 2: Abram from the Most High God, the Creator of heaven
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  Speaker 2: and earth. Blessed be the Most High God, who delivered
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  Speaker 2: your enemies to you. Melchizedek spoke of Abram's God in
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  Speaker 2: a land that did not know him, and was a
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  Speaker 2: priest of God before priests existed. Melchizedek's blessing mirrored that
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  Speaker 2: of God's, and Abram was astounded. Of all the possessions
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  Speaker 2: Abram had, he gave Melchizedek a tenth. This interaction between
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  Speaker 2: Abram and Melchizedek would be important for years and years
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  Speaker 2: to come. Shortly after, Abram was approached by the king
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  Speaker 2: of Sodom. The king desired to reward Abram for his
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  Speaker 2: victory and offered Abram the spoils of war. Yet Abram
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  Speaker 2: knew the wickedness lying beneath. He saw the king lying
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  Speaker 2: through his teeth. He knew that the king wanted Abram
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  Speaker 2: to be indebted to him. Abram, in a moment of honor, said,
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  Speaker 2: I have fought for the Lord, owner of heaven and earth.
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  Speaker 2: I will not take even a sandal strap from you,
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  Speaker 2: lest you think it is you who has made me rich.
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  Speaker 2: So Abram allowed his allies to take their share, but
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  Speaker 2: he took nothing and returned home. after rejecting the reward
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  Speaker 2: from the king of Sodom. the Lord then visited Abram
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  Speaker 2: in a vision. Again, he made a promise to Abram saying,
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  Speaker 2: I am your shield and I will provide you with
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  Speaker 2: a great reward. Abram Filled with sadness, looked to God, saying,
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  Speaker 2: O Lord, you say you want to bless me and
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  Speaker 2: my descendants, yet I remain childless. Shall I be forced
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  Speaker 2: to give all that I have to a servant of
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  Speaker 2: my household? Shall he inherit my land? God, with tender
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  Speaker 2: love and compassion, spoke gently to Abram. Look to the skies.
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  Speaker 2: See how the stars are countlessly scattered throughout the universe.
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  Speaker 2: Your descendants will be just as these stars, great in
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  Speaker 2: number and abounding in beauty. Abram, despite the doubt and
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  Speaker 2: anguish in his heart, believed God. It was this faith
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  Speaker 2: that God counted as righteousness. It was this faith that
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  Speaker 2: God would bless him with. Again, God spoke, saying, I
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  Speaker 2: am the one who brought you out of Ur and
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  Speaker 2: the land of the Chaldeans. I brought you out to
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  Speaker 2: give you this land to take possession of. because I
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  Speaker 2: am the Lord. Abram, still in faith, asked how he
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  Speaker 2: would take possession of the land already inhabited by so
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  Speaker 2: many people. God responded with a task. Bring me a
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  Speaker 2: female calf who is not given birth, a goat and
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  Speaker 2: a ram all three years old, along with a dove
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  Speaker 2: and a young pigeon. So Abram brought all of what
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  Speaker 2: the Lord asked for, cut them in half and arranged
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  Speaker 2: the halves opposite of each other. The birds he did
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  Speaker 2: not cut in half, though. Blood scattered all around Abram,
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  Speaker 2: and his hands stained in red. Abram fell into a
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  Speaker 2: very deep sleep, and a dreadful darkness came over him.
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  Speaker 2: God met him in his sleep, saying, Know for certain
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  Speaker 2: that your offspring will be sojourners and strangers in a
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  Speaker 2: land that is not theirs. There they will be servants,
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  Speaker 2: and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
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  Speaker 1: But I am faithful.
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  Speaker 2: And I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve,
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  Speaker 2: and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. This
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  Speaker 2: he spoke of regarding the captivity of Egypt. As for you,
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  Speaker 2: you shall go to your fathers in peace. You shall
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  Speaker 2: be buried in a good old age. The night had continued,
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  Speaker 2: and Abram awoke to a burning flame between the pieces
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  Speaker 2: of flesh. And just as God had provided a covering
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  Speaker 2: for Adam and Eve in the garden with the furs
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  Speaker 2: of an animal, and protected Noah from the flood using
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  Speaker 2: the ark, so God provided a promise to Abram there.
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  Speaker 2: That day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
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  Speaker 2: I give this land to your descendants. And God would
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  Speaker 2: not depart from Abram's side for the rest of his days,
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  Speaker 2: nor would he forsake his children.
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading opens with two men who are greatly prospering
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  Speaker 3: in the land God has brought them into. Abram is
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  Speaker 3: older and wiser, and he sees the potential for conflict
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  Speaker 3: even within a family over land and prosperity and property,
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  Speaker 3: and as he and Lot both grow in riches and
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  Speaker 3: in influence. So he gives Lot the first pick of
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  Speaker 3: which land to settle, and he agrees that he will
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  Speaker 3: take what Lot does not choose. Lot sees the beauty
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  Speaker 3: and the glory and the riches of the land near
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  Speaker 3: the Jordan River, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
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  Speaker 3: were located. This is the land he chose. Perhaps he
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  Speaker 3: was blinded by the abundance and lushness of the area,
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  Speaker 3: but for whatever reason, he did not take into account
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  Speaker 3: the wickedness, the vile wickedness of the people in that area. Abram,
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  Speaker 3: on the other hand, went to God, and God showed
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  Speaker 3: him where he would settle. So we see the contrast
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  Speaker 3: of acting based on our own wisdom, as Lot did,
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  Speaker 3: versus seeking God's counsel and guidance in every aspect of life.
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  Speaker 3: The difference could not be more pronounced. Abram was blessed
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  Speaker 3: and continued to grow in riches and influence. But Lot?
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  Speaker 3: It wasn't long before Lot was in deep, deep trouble.
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  Speaker 3: Wars and rebellion threatened Lot's very life, and he was beaten, robbed,
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  Speaker 3: and kidnapped. Abram steps in as the hero and comes
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  Speaker 3: to the rescue of his nephew. We see Abram not
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  Speaker 3: as a nomadic traveler, but a warrior who comes in
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  Speaker 3: and conquers the enemy, driving them out of the land
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  Speaker 3: and restoring his nephew Lot. This wasn't Abram's war, but
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  Speaker 3: he intervened. As a result, Abram has an encounter with
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  Speaker 3: a high priest named Melchizedek who worshiped Abram's God. This
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  Speaker 3: priest blesses Abram and astounds him as his blessing reminds
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  Speaker 3: Abram of the blessing God has given him. There is
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  Speaker 3: another lesson we learn in this story, and that is
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  Speaker 3: with Abram's interaction with the king of Sodom, who tries
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  Speaker 3: to align himself with Abram. But Abram, rather than accepting
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  Speaker 3: the glory and the honor, trusts in the Lord. He
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  Speaker 3: turns back to the Lord. We can be tempted to
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  Speaker 3: accept praise from other men for our victories, but Abram
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  Speaker 3: reminds us that God is the source of our strength.
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  Speaker 3: He is our victory and the one for whom we
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  Speaker 3: live today. and strive. Finally, we see Abram pleading with
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  Speaker 3: God for his promises to be fulfilled. He is yet
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  Speaker 3: without descendants, and rather than taking matters into his own hands,
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  Speaker 3: he goes before God. I love the honesty of his
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  Speaker 3: interaction with God and the Lord's gentle and loving response.
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  Speaker 3: Here is what Genesis 15 verses 2 through 6 says,
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  Speaker 3: But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me
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  Speaker 3: since I am childless and the heir of my house
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  Speaker 3: is Eleazar of Damascus? Abram also said, since you have
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  Speaker 3: given me no son, one who has been born into
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  Speaker 3: my house and is my heir. Then behold, the word
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  Speaker 3: of the Lord came to him saying, this man will
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  Speaker 3: not be your heir, but one who will come from
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  Speaker 3: your own body shall be your heir. And he took
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  Speaker 3: him outside and said, now look toward the heavens and
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  Speaker 3: count the stars if you are able to count them.
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  Speaker 3: And he said to him, so shall your descendants be.
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  Speaker 3: Then he believed in the Lord and it was credited
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  Speaker 3: unto him as righteousness. God comforts Abram and adds to
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  Speaker 3: the promise. He will give him more than he could
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  Speaker 3: ever even fathom. How gracious of God to not only
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  Speaker 3: reaffirm the promises he'd made to Abram, but to point
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  Speaker 3: to the night sky as a reminder of that promise.
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  Speaker 3: You can just imagine how every time Abram grew discouraged,
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  Speaker 3: or tired, and felt that his faith was giving way.
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  Speaker 3: He looked up into a brilliant night sky, lit up
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  Speaker 3: with the stars, and remembered God's promise. In response, Abram
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  Speaker 3: offers a sacrifice, and the Lord makes a covenant with
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  Speaker 3: him then and there. This is where we leave Abram
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  Speaker 3: for today. Once again, his story offers you a wonderful
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  Speaker 3: example of faith and submission to God and the timing
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  Speaker 3: the Lord brings. Oh, that we would trust in our
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  Speaker 3: Lord so fully as Abram. Dear Father in heaven, thank
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  Speaker 3: you that we can trust you and seek you for
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  Speaker 3: wisdom in every aspect of our lives. We are so
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  Speaker 3: grateful for Abram's story and how it teaches us to
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  Speaker 3: always live by faith and not sight and to trust
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  Speaker 3: in his promises always. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go, I
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  Speaker 3: want you to know that I would love to send
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  Speaker 3: you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every
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  Speaker 3: single day. So visit jackgraham.org to sign up for your
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.