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Abram and Lot Separate - The Book of Genesis (2024) · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. After these things, the word of the
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  Speaker 1: Lord came unto Abraham in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abraham,
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  Speaker 1: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis
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  Speaker 1: 15.1 Dear Heavenly Father, when the season comes, help me
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  Speaker 1: to make the choice to separate and move on when
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  Speaker 1: a relationship must transition and come to an end. when
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  Speaker 1: I must choose a new location to move to, I
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  Speaker 1: will not only look at the outward appearance, but will
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  Speaker 1: look intently at the new land and opportunity to make
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  Speaker 1: sure your spirit and presence are there. As I continue
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  Speaker 1: to move in sync with your commands, I thank you
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  Speaker 1: that you will continue to bless me and send words
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  Speaker 1: of encouragement through various people, like Abraham. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: multiplication is in my future. I declare that you will
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  Speaker 1: not depart from me nor leave my side until you've
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  Speaker 1: accomplished your covenant and promises through me. Thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: that you are for me like you were for Abraham
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  Speaker 1: in the book of Genesis. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks
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  Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
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  Speaker 1: the Bible come to life, Stay tuned for The Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Abram and Lot separate. Before this story, we learned about
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  Speaker 2: how Abram was called by God to leave his country
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  Speaker 2: and God would bless him, make his name great, and
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  Speaker 2: make him into a great nation. Yet, In Abram's heart
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  Speaker 2: was imperfections, fears, and faithlessness. Now we will learn about
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  Speaker 2: 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: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. Yesterday, we looked at the
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  Speaker 3: story of Abram leaving his home and journeying to a
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  Speaker 3: new land, to Canaan. When he left, he brought with
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  Speaker 3: him his wife, Sarah, and also his nephew, Lot. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we're going to cover a lot of ground, starting with
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  Speaker 3: Lot and Abram and how their stories differ. You're about
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  Speaker 3: to see Lot's story. Though he was with Abram, he
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  Speaker 3: took a decidedly different direction. It's a sad story about decisions,
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  Speaker 3: being seduced by the apparent beauty of a place while
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  Speaker 3: neglecting to see the wickedness, the toxic wickedness that was
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  Speaker 3: brewing beneath the surface. We contrast that with the choices
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  Speaker 3: made while seeking God and depending upon Him. You'll also
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  Speaker 3: hear how Abram is coming into his own as a
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  Speaker 3: wise man who worships God and who cares more about
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  Speaker 3: honoring the Lord than receiving honor to himself. Finally, we'll
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  Speaker 3: see how Abram has learned, at least for now, to
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  Speaker 3: wait on God's timing and to plead with him, to
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  Speaker 3: plead with God for answers when the promise of descendants
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  Speaker 3: is still not fulfilled. It's a lesson for how you
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  Speaker 3: can approach God, how you can approach God honestly, asking
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  Speaker 3: for the desires of your heart, even as you wait
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  Speaker 3: faithfully on his timing. Now, here 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 regions. 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 army,
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  Speaker 2: and had them swiftly take over the enemy. With quiet
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  Speaker 2: tact and swiftness, Abram took back Lot, his possessions, his people,
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  Speaker 2: and drove the rest of the enemy out to the
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  Speaker 2: north to be killed. Afterwards, Abram was met by a
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  Speaker 2: mysterious king and priest named Melchizedek. He brought Abram bread
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  Speaker 2: and wine, then blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram from
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  Speaker 2: the Most High God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
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  Speaker 2: Blessed be the Most High God, who delivered your enemies
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  Speaker 2: to you. Melchizedek spoke of Abram's God in a land
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  Speaker 2: that did not know him, and was a priest of
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  Speaker 2: God before priests existed. Melchizedek's blessing mirrored that of God's,
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  Speaker 2: and Abram was astounded. Of all the possessions Abram had,
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  Speaker 2: he gave Melchizedek a tenth. This interaction between Abram and
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  Speaker 2: Melchizedek would be important for years and years to come.
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  Speaker 2: Shortly after, Abram was approached by the king of Sodom.
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  Speaker 2: The king desired to reward Abram for his victory and
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  Speaker 2: offered Abram the spoils of war. Yet Abram knew the
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  Speaker 2: wickedness lying beneath. He saw the king lying through his teeth.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that the king wanted Abram to be indebted
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  Speaker 2: to him. Abram, in a moment of honor, said, I
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  Speaker 2: 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. But
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  Speaker 2: I am faithful, and I will bring judgment on the
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  Speaker 2: nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out
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  Speaker 2: with great possessions. This he spoke of regarding the captivity
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  Speaker 2: of Egypt. As for you, you shall go to your
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  Speaker 2: fathers in peace. You shall be buried in a good
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  Speaker 2: old age. The night had continued, and Abram awoke to
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  Speaker 2: a burning flame between the pieces of flesh. And just
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  Speaker 2: as God had provided a covering for Adam and Eve
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  Speaker 2: in the garden with the furs of an animal, and
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  Speaker 2: protected Noah from the flood using the ark, so God
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  Speaker 2: provided a promise to Abram there. That day the Lord
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  Speaker 2: made a covenant with Abram, saying, I give this land
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  Speaker 2: to your descendants. And God would not depart from Abram's
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  Speaker 2: side for the rest of his days, nor would he
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  Speaker 2: 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 and strive. Finally, we see Abram pleading with God
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  Speaker 3: for his promises to be fulfilled. He is yet without descendants,
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  Speaker 3: and rather than taking matters into his own hands, he
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  Speaker 3: goes before God. I love the honesty of his interaction
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  Speaker 3: with God and the Lord's gentle and loving response. Here
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  Speaker 3: is what Genesis 15 verses 2 through 6 says. But
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  Speaker 3: Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me since
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  Speaker 3: I am childless and the heir of my house is
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  Speaker 3: Eleazar of Damascus? Abram also said, since you have given
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  Speaker 3: me no son, one who has been born into my
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  Speaker 3: house and is my heir. Then behold, the word of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord came to him saying, this man will not
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  Speaker 3: be your heir, but one who will come from your
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  Speaker 3: own body shall be your heir. And he took him
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  Speaker 3: outside and said, now look toward the heavens and count
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  Speaker 3: the stars if you are able to count them. And
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  Speaker 3: he said to him, so shall your descendants be. Then
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  Speaker 3: he believed in the Lord and it was credited unto
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  Speaker 3: him as righteousness. God comforts Abram and adds to the promise.
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  Speaker 3: He will give him more than he could ever even fathom.
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  Speaker 3: How gracious of God to not only reaffirm the promises
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  Speaker 3: he'd made to Abram, but to point to the night
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  Speaker 3: sky as a reminder of that promise. You can just
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  Speaker 3: imagine how every time Abram grew discouraged or tired and
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  Speaker 3: felt that his faith was giving way, he looked up
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  Speaker 3: into a brilliant night sky lit up with the stars
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  Speaker 3: and remembered God's promise. In response, Abram offers a sacrifice
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  Speaker 3: and the Lord makes a covenant with him then and there.
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  Speaker 3: This is where we leave Abram for today. Once again,
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  Speaker 3: his story offers you a wonderful example of faith and
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  Speaker 3: submission to God and the timing the Lord brings. Oh,
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  Speaker 3: that we would trust in our Lord so fully as Abram.
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  Speaker 3: Dear Father in heaven, thank you that we can trust
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  Speaker 3: you and seek you for wisdom in every aspect of
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  Speaker 3: our lives. We are so grateful for Abram's story and
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  Speaker 3: how it teaches us to always live by faith and
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  Speaker 3: not sight and to trust in his promises always. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: app and make prayer a priority in your life. If
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  Speaker 3: someone's life. And if you want more resources on how
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  Speaker 3: to tap into God's power for successful Christian living, be
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  Speaker 3: sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless.