Where to pitch your tent ?

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, which was watered everywhere... And Lot chose for him all the plain of the Jordan ; and Lot went east. And they parted from one another, Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tents to Sodom." Genesis 13. 10-12

Pastures and wells are not enough to feed and water all the herds of Abraham and Lot. Their shepherds argue. We must separate. Abraham, though older, lets Lot choose and agrees to take what his nephew will leave him. Lot thinks of his flocks ; he chooses the well watered plain of the Jordan ; this leads him to pitch his tents near Sodom. In this city "men... were wicked, and great sinners before the Lord" (v.13). Then, knowingly, he settled in the city with his wife and two daughters. What is the consequence of his choice ? A life filled with inner torment, a lamentable end (2 Pi. 2. 7, 8).

Abraham remains on the heights where the LORD promised to bless him. What is the result of his decision ? God confirms and completes the two promises he has already made to Abraham : a family will be born from him and he will possess this country (Genesis 13.14-17).

From the time of Abraham's arrival at Shechem, God had promised him the land of Canaan, but without mentioning its dimensions ; he now shows him the whole extent of the country. God also said : "I will give this land to your seed" (Gen. he adds now : "forever" (v.15).

As for the offspring, God had promised : "I will make you a great nation" (Gen. 12: 2) ; here God makes this promise even more magnificent by comparing the number of Abraham's descendants to the dust of the earth (v. 16).

Abraham settles around Hebron, one of the oldest cities in the Near East still inhabited. There he built an altar to the Lord (v. 18), a place of communion.

The question of where to pitch your tent is particularly important. For young people looking for a job, for couples who start a family, but also throughout our Christian life. May it be the love for the Lord that guides our response to this question, because the quality of our Christian life depends on it !

Source (Pleasing the Lord)