01.06. Canaan and the Jordan Plain
6 Canaan and the Jordan Plain
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10).
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.
For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds (2 Peter 2:6-8). The experiences of Abraham and Lot in their relationship one to the other and the experiences of Isaac and Ishmael in their relationship one to the other constitute the two main antithetical sections of Scripture in Genesis, chapters twelve through twenty-five. Both of these sections present basic, fundamental truths which must be understood if one is to possess a proper grasp of the Biblical teaching surrounding a Christian’s present pilgrim walk in relation to the inheritance lying out in the future. Our current study will be in the first antithetical section (the experiences of Abraham and Lot); our next study will be in the second antithetical section (the experiences of Isaac and Ishmael).
Journey into Egypt
After Abraham had entered the land of Canaan and passed through certain experiences at Sichem, Moreh, and on the mountain between Bethel and Hai, he continued his pilgrim journey, moving toward the south. However, the Lord had not yet commanded Abraham to traverse the land, for Lot was still associated with Abraham in his travels (cf. Genesis 12:8-9; Genesis 13:17-18). The fleshly man (Lot) cannot accompany the spiritual man (Abraham) as he moves throughout the land under the leadership of the Lord. Abraham had been called alone. And so long as Lot remained with Abraham, there could be no command from the Lord to traverse the land.
As Abraham journeyed toward the south, moving ahead of the Lord’s leadership, a great famine arose. Rather than looking to the lord and returning to Bethel, Abraham went down into Egypt for help. In Scripture, "Egypt" is always a type of the world. The spiritual man and the fleshly man sought to traverse the land together, contrary to the will of God. And, instead of the spiritual man elevating the fleshly man to his level (an impossibility), the fleshly man dragged the spiritual man down to his level.
The people of God while in Egypt are always pictured as being out of place and in need of deliverance. The descendants of Abraham during Jacob’s day were allowed to go down into Egypt, but God later raised up a prophet to deliver them. The Exodus from Egypt under Moses constitutes one of the great dual types in Scripture. This Exodus points to deliverance from that which Egypt typifies for both the heavenly seed and the earthly seed of Abraham. The One Who is greater than Moses is presently effecting a deliverance for the heavenly seed of Abraham (Christians delivered from this present world system), and He will, in the immediate future, effect a deliverance for the earthly seed of Abraham (Israelites delivered from a worldwide dispersion).
The journey into Egypt from the land of Canaan, as the journey to Jericho from any part of the land, is always down. Turning to Egypt for help in time of need is equivalent to turning to man, relying upon the world, rather than the Lord to supply one’s needs. And the Scripture states, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots; because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord" (Isaiah 31:1).
The famine had been sent to teach Abraham valuable lessons concerning the pilgrim walk by faith, and the consequences of his resort to fleshly means to escape the famine by going down into Egypt were of such a durative nature that they remain with us even to the present time -- 4,000 years later. Not only did Abraham become rich in cattle and goods while in Egypt, which later became the occasion for strife between Abraham’s and Lot’s herdsmen, but it is apparent that Abraham also acquired Hagar during this time.
Abraham subsequently fathered two sons -- one by Hagar (Ishmael), and the other by Sarah (Isaac). In Scripture, Ishmael is called "the son of the bondwoman," and Isaac is called "the son of the freewoman" (Galatians 4:30). Isaac was born fourteen years after Ishmael; and from the birth of Isaac, until today, Ishmael and his descendants have been a thorn in the side of Isaac and his descendants. The present trouble in the Middle East between the Arabs (descendants of Ishmael) and the Jews (descendants of Isaac) can be traced all the way back to Abraham’s descent into Egypt. Not only this, but the Moslem religion, a Satanic masterpiece which enslaves millions, was brought into existence through a descendant of Ishmael.
Return to Bethel
After certain problems had arisen between Abraham and the house of Pharaoh, Abraham was sent away and "went up out of Egypt." His journey carried him back to the place on the mountain between Bethel and Hai where he had pitched his tent "at the beginning." This was "the place of the altar," and here, as before, "Abraham called on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 13:1-4). Abraham had begun journeying throughout the land ahead of the Lord’s leadership, and, although he learned a number of valuable lessons during the time he was away from the mount between Bethel and Hai, these lessons were learned at a tremendous expense.
Christians, as Abraham, dwelling on the mount between Bethel and Hai are confronted with the ever-present danger of moving ahead of the Lord’s leadership and subsequently turning to the world, the arm of flesh, when problems begin to arise. The old man (Hai) is always present, and the world (Egypt) with its pseudo help is ever nearby. But our eyes are to be fixed on Bethel, not on Hai; and our every need is to be derived from the Lord, not the world (Php 4:19). God in His infinite wisdom knows what man needs, but the trouble lies in the fact that man in his finite wisdom too often thinks he knows what he needs, and acts accordingly.
Should the Christian slip and go down to Egypt for help, he, as Abraham, can return to the mount. He can come up out of Egypt and return to Bethel -- the place of the altar. He can claim 1 John 1:9 : "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But, as in Abraham’s case, journeys into Egypt are always made at an expense. The Christian can receive forgiveness and be restored to fellowship on the mount, but he cannot erase the events which transpired during the time he spent in Egypt.
Abraham’s Continued Pilgrim Journey
After Abraham came out of Egypt and returned to the mountain between Bethel and Hai there arose a strife between the herdsmen of Abraham’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. Lot had gone down into Egypt with Abraham during the time of famine, and, along with Abraham, had become wealthy in flocks and herds. Thus, even though Abraham had returned to Bethel, that which he acquired while in Egypt became the occasion for strife. In order to separate the herdsmen and stop the strife, Abraham magnanimously offered Lot his choice of any part of the land in which to dwell. Lot, lifting up his eyes and seeing the well-watered plain of Jordan, chose this site; and Abraham and Lot separated themselves one from the other (Genesis 13:5-11).
Abraham continued to dwell as a pilgrim "in the land of Canaan," and Lot began to dwell as a man of the world "in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." The Lord then spoke to Abraham and reaffirmed two aspects of the Abrahamic covenant: "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered" (Genesis 13:14-16; cf. Genesis 12:1-2). Abraham, as yet, possessed no seed to fulfill these promises. But the Word of God stands sure. That which God has promised will be brought to pass. Abraham would have a son, and the descendants of Abraham through this son would possess the land in the Abrahamic covenant and be multiplied according to the promise in this covenant.
Abraham was then told to journey throughout the land, "in the length of it and in the breadth of it." This was a command which Abraham had heretofore not received. And "Abraham removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord." Abraham was now to become more intimately associated with the Land. He was now in a position to traverse the land. And in so doing, Abraham changed his dwelling place from the mount between Bethel and Hai to the plain of Mamre in Hebron (Genesis 13:17-18).
"Mamre" means fatness or strength, and "Hebron" means fellowship. Only after Lot had been separated from Abraham does the fatness of the land, the strength to take the land, and fellowship with the Lord come into full view.
The spiritual man alone possesses an inheritance in the land. Lot was associated with the world, and, even though he was a believer, Abraham had been called alone (2 Peter 2:7-8; Isaiah 51:2). Lot is noticeably absent in any blessing or promise associated with the land (cf. Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-18; Genesis 14:18-19). Thus, Abraham could not traverse the land under the leadership of the Lord so long as Lot remained with him. But once they were separated, then the command came: "Arise, walk through the land..." From this point, Lot (representing the carnal believer) progressively became more intimately associated with the cities of the plain, and Abraham (representing the spiritual believer) progressively became more intimately associated with the land of Canaan.
Hebron
Hebron, the place where Abraham moved his tent, signifying fellowship with the Lord, was later to become the inheritance of Caleb who came out of Egypt under Moses. Caleb, along with Joshua, was allowed to enter the land and obtain the inheritance to which he had been called because he had believed the Lord concerning the land. Forty-five years before this, at Kadesh-Barnea, Caleb had told the Israelites, "Let us go up at once, and possess it [the land of Canaan]; for we are well able to overcome it [the inhabitants in the land]" (Numbers 13:30). But the Israelites refused, and during the intervening thirty-eight and one-half years spent in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan God overthrew an entire generation. Then, after the second generation of Israelites (along with Caleb and Joshua) had entered and conquered the land, Caleb was allowed to obtain his inheritance. Following this conquest of the land, Caleb said, "Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day..." And we read that "Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb...because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel...And the land had rest from war" (Joshua 14:7-15).
Abraham and Caleb in their individual relationships to Hebron set forth different facets of the same basic, overall type. Abraham was a stranger and sojourner in the land, and there was war during the time Abraham sojourned in Hebron (Genesis 14:1 ff); but Caleb actually came into possession of his inheritance in Hebron, and wars ceased. Thus, in the antitype, this part of Caleb’s experience moves to a time beyond the experience of Abraham.
Abraham’s sojourn in the land points to the Christians’ present sojourn in the land. There is a present battle, and this battle is being waged against those currently inhabiting the land of our inheritance (Ephesians 6:11-17). Our inheritance, unlike Israel’s, is heavenly; and the present inhabitants of this heavenly land are Satan and his angels. This is the reason that the Christians’ warfare is not "against flesh and blood [for that would be an earthly inheritance], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [against Satan and his angels, who rule this world from the heavens]" (Ephesians 6:12).
"It [the land of our inheritance] is no region of unreal phantoms, as many imagine; but the home of appalling spiritual energies, extreme in their hostility to the inhabitants of our planet, because they are well aware, that God is calling out and preparing a people from among us to go up and possess their Place and Kingdom" (G. H. Pember).
Caleb’s possession of the inheritance points forward to the day following Satan and his angels being cast out of the heavens (Revelation 12:7 ff) -- the day when Christians will come into possession of the inheritance for which they have fought. When Christ takes the kingdom in that coming day, He, rather than Satan, will rule from the heavens over the earth. A new Messiah, the One Whose right it is to rule and reign, will then occupy the throne. And Christians who, as Caleb, had kept the goal of their calling in the forefront -- "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" -- will then occupy positions of power and authority with Christ. Those Christians will have overcome the inhabitants in the land (Satan and his angels), and they will occupy positions of power and authority previously occupied by angels ruling under Satan. "For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come..." (Hebrews 2:5).
"There exists a government of the universe conducted by great angels and their subordinates. Many of these have fallen from their original allegiance to God and prostitute their offices and powers to corrupt His realms. It is therefore inevitable that a rearrangement shall come in that heavenly government. This will be effected by Christ and His glorified followers being invested with the whole of that heavenly authority" (G. H. Lang). In Contrast to... When Abraham and Lot separated themselves one from the other, "Lot journeyed east...dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." The day arrived when Lot moved into Sodom, and Lot later found himself seated in "the gate of Sodom" (Genesis 13:11-12; Genesis 19:1). Those who sat in the gate of a city in that day transacted business on behalf of the city. Lot, through his association with the people of the plain, became interested enough in the affairs of Sodom that he eventually took up a position among the ones who controlled these affairs.
Lot’s sojourn in Sodom and his relationship to Sodom continued uninterrupted until immediately before the destruction of the cities of the plain. When the time arrived for Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain to pass out of existence -- i.e., when the iniquity of these cities of the plain had become "full" (cf. Genesis 15:16; Genesis 18:20) -- the Lord, in the company of two angels, appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre and announced the impending destruction. After the two angels had left for Sodom, Abraham then began interceding with the Lord on behalf of the righteous in Sodom. The Lord stated that He would not destroy the city if ten righteous individuals could be found therein. But there were only four -- Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters. After they had been removed by the angels, the cities of the plain were destroyed by "brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Genesis 18:1-33; Genesis 19:1-25; Deuteronomy 29:23).
Abraham’s pilgrimage in the land is in sharp contrast to Lot’s association with the world, and, in almost every respect, a series of antithesis appears in the lives of these two men:
1) Abraham walked by faith and remained a pilgrim in the land of Canaan.
Lot walked by sight and, as a man of the world, went down into the plain of Jordan.
2) Abraham’s interest lay in the land of Canaan, the land of his inheritance.
Lot’s interest lay in the cities of the plain, and he possessed no inheritance in the land of Canaan.
3) Abraham was concerned with future, spiritual blessings.
Lot was concerned with present, material possessions.
4) Abraham looked for a heavenly city, "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
Lot looked toward an earthly city, "built" by man and later "destroyed" by God.
5) Abraham became the father of the faithful and "heir of the world" (Romans 4:13).
Lot became the father of the unfaithful, and his portion was one of "shame" (Genesis 19:30 ff).
Abraham’s experiences were comparable to those of Caleb and Joshua, who believed they could take the land. Caleb and Joshua ultimately came into possession of their inheritance (Joshua 14:12-14; Joshua 19:49-50), and so will Abraham (note that this can be fulfilled only by resurrection; Genesis 37:1).
Lot’s experiences, on the other hand, were comparable to those of the Israelites during Moses’ day who refused to believe they could take the land. They desired to choose a new leader and return to Egypt. They, as Lot, chose an association with the world rather than the land of Canaan; they, as Lot, chose a land destined for destruction; and they, as Lot, received no inheritance in the land of Canaan.
Carnal Lot -- Carnal Christians The present world system will one day be brought to an end, as Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities of the plain were brought to an end. Jesus Himself called attention to the fact that the destruction of the cities of the plain during Lot’s day constitutes a type of the destruction which awaits this present world system "when the Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:28 ff). The reference to Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters being removed from Sodom before destruction fell constitutes a clear type of Christians being removed from the earth before destruction falls. The subsequent experiences of Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters also constitute clear types of subsequent experiences awaiting carnal Christians.
Lot has his counterpart in faithless Christians who leave the high place of their calling and settle down in the world. They forsake their pilgrim journey and begin a walk by sight. This walk always leads down -- from the mountain into the valley; this walk concerns itself with earthly things built by man; and this walk will end, not in victory, but in defeat.
Because of Lot’s downward path and eventual position in Sodom -- a position among those who controlled the affairs of the city -- Lot lost his testimony for the Lord. He became involved with unbelievers in a governmental structure which awaited destruction. Thus, when it came time to leave, his own sons-in-law looked upon him as one who didn’t know what he was talking about -- trying to control the affairs of state on the one hand, and talking about the destruction of this state on the other hand (cf. James 1:8). Consequently, Lot’s sons-in-law, along with his married daughters, perished in Sodom because they wouldn’t believe Lot concerning the impending destruction (Genesis 19:14).
Immediately after Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters had been placed outside Sodom by the two angles sent to warn them, the Lord said to Lot and his family: "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed" (Genesis 19:17). But Lot, because of his worldly wisdom and manner of reasoning which he had acquired over the years through his association with Sodom, said: "Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city [Zoar] is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live" (Genesis 19:18-20). Lot had no desire to ascend into the mountain. He was unfamiliar with the mountain. His pilgrim journey had been spent traversing the plain. Thus, rather than ascending the mountain as the Lord commanded, Lot requested that Zoar (another city of the plain) be spared as a place for him to dwell.
The Lord spared Zoar and allowed Lot to enter therein. Lot was in Zoar when the Lord rained brimstone and fire from heaven upon Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain. "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26). The Scripture states, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Lot’s wife, thus, is established in the Word of God as a monument for believers today, calling attention to the consequences of unfaithfulness (cf. Luke 17:32-33).
Lot soon became afraid to dwell in Zoar, seeing that this city was no different than the other cities in which he had dwelt. He then took his two daughters and went up out of Zoar into the mountain and dwelled in a cave. This sets forth the carnal Christian’s position at the end of the age -- associated with those in the cities of the plain (a type of the present world system; cf. Daniel 3:1), but eventually dwelling on the mountain (a type of the coming kingdom; cf. Daniel 2:35) in a place of shame.
There is possibly nothing more unbecoming a Christian than to involve himself (as Lot) in the affairs of the present world system. Satan is the present ruler over the kingdoms of this world. They have been delivered into his hands (Luke 4:5-6). But Christians have been delivered out of the kingdom of Satan (which includes all world kingdoms with their governmental structures, aims, goals, ambitions) and have been placed in an entirely different realm -- "the kingdom of the Son of his [God’s] love," wherein our "citizenship" lies (Colossians 1:13; Php 3:20, ASV). We are "ambassadors" to the world; we are "strangers and pilgrims" in the world (2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Peter 2:11). These are not just mere spiritual ideas or thoughts; these are statements of fact.
Christians have no business forsaking their high calling and becoming involved in something from which they have been delivered. Lot’s end was one wherein he lost his testimony, escaped Sodom empty-handed, and ultimately occupied a position of shame on the mountain, apart from an inheritance. One cannot involve himself in the affairs of the present world system (as Lot) and, at the same time remain a stranger and pilgrim in the land whereunto he has been called (as Abraham). One cannot follow after the things of the world, the flesh, and the devil (where there is no inheritance) and, in the coming day, be approved for the inheritance. To believe otherwise, one must completely ignore the Word of God.
"Your concern is the kingdom of God, your city the one to come, your citizenship in heaven. Refrain, else you mar your witness to the world, that it is evil and lying under judgment. Are you not a stranger and pilgrim? Then meddle not with the world which you have left.
"The world is ripening for judgment, and all your efforts cannot improve it in God’s sight. Gather out of its doomed streets as many as you can, but leave the city alone. Lot cannot mend Sodom; but Sodom can, nay will corrupt Lot" (Robert Govett). The greatest tragedy that can befall a Christian today is to find himself in a comparable position to that of Lot. Such a Christian will have prostituted his high calling by forsaking his pilgrim walk and becoming involved in a world system destined for destruction. Not only will he lose his testimony among those in the world and have an ineffective ministry, but he will also enter into the presence of the Lord naked and ashamed at the end of the age.
Saved? Yes! But Abraham alone became "heir of the world."