Generousity

Genesis 13

There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time. Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”

Genesis 13:7‭-‬11‭, ‬14‭-‬17

Abram generously let Lot have first pick and so "settled" with the "lower grade" choice, but God blessed his generosity and he actually ended up with the better end of the bargain.

In my natural self, I'm very kiasu and kedekut but God doesn't want me to stay like that. I've had to fight my ungenerous instincts for years. He calls us to be generous, so I can't just say "I'm like that, leave me be."

I still struggle with this all the time.

There Abram called on Yahweh’s name.

Genesis 13:4b

We often think of the name YHWH only being revealed to Moses at three burning bush, but Abram knew the name.

So why does it say in Exodus he didn't?

It could be that it's referring to different levels of knowing. For more info, see this web page.