Here we find Abram is right back to where he started, Genesis 12:9, back in Genesis 12, he thought he would go on his own accord, Genesis 12:10, and because he went, it forced him to lie. He had a lack of faith for God and so because of the famine he went to where the food was instead of trusting God to supply his needs.
As always with sin, there is a price to pay, his sin led others to sin and so Abram placed himself into a place of temptation where it let to even an ungodly king rebuking him, Genesis 12:18. God could have looked after Abram during the time of the famine but he had to learn the hard way, I guess that real faith takes time to build.
Abram is now in the Negev is the south, which was Edomite country, he has become very wealthy, with livestock, silver and gold, Genesis 17:12-13 / Genesis 17:23. He eventually makes it back to his camping area which was between Bethel and Hai.
Having put his sin behind him, he offered his sacrifice and got on and now he’s back to where God wants him to be. Although the text doesn’t tell us, I believe we can safely assume that the famine if now over, and he is his livestock can now settle in the Canaan.
It’s obvious that the land wasn’t fully recovered from the drought, because it wasn’t able to support both Abram and Lot. It’s clear Abram is doing God’s will because trouble is now brewing between the herdsmen, but it must be noted there was no trouble between Abram and his nephew Lot. Notice when the Canaanites and Perizzites saw them arguing this wasn’t a good example of God’s people.
This is the first real mention of wealth in the Bible, but the difference was Lot’s wealth possessed him, he chose wealth, but Abram didn’t let his possession possess him. This is seen in Abram allowing Lot to choose and so, he yielded to Lot out of love, his rights didn’t obsess him, Philippians 2:4. Abram trusted God and graciously gave Lot the choice because he knew that God would look after him.
Lot makes his choice and picks the whole plain of Jordan, he obviously chose by sight and not by faith as Abram did, 2 Corinthians 5:7 / Jeremiah 17:9. Notice that Lot pitched his tents near Sodom, this is later going to prove to be a bad mistake for him and his family. Those who lived in Sodom were wicked and totally lived in a way opposite to what God requires of people.
Maybe Lot thought he would be fine if he just lived on the outskirts of Sodom but as we shall see later, he eventually moved into the city, surrounded himself with sin and would need rescuing.
Notice after Lot left, God tells Abram to explore the land and get a feel for it. I can imagine Abram thinking to himself, but all this land can’t be his because Lot has now possessed some of it, and so, the Lord once again renewed His promise to Abram to give him the land of Canaan. He also renewed His promise that his descendants would be as the dust of the earth. Remember the Messiah would eventually come through his linage, Genesis 3:15.
It was at this time that Abram moved to the area of Hebron which means communion, at the time it was known as Mamre which means vision. Abraham possessed his land by faith.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."