Abram became rich; but we don't hear of any altar--in fact, we hear
of no altar at Haran, and we hear of no altar in Egypt. When he came
up with Lot out of Egypt, they had great possessions, and they
increased in wealth, and their herds had multiplied, until there was
a strife among their herdsmen.
Now it is that Abram's character shines out again. He might have
said that he had a right to the best of everything, because he was
the older, and because Lot would probably not have been worth
anything if it had not been for Abram's help. But instead of
standing up for _his rights_, to choose the best of the land, he
surrenders them, and says to the nephew:
"Take your choice. If you go to the right hand, I will take the
left; or if you prefer the left hand, then I will go to the right."
Here is where Lot made his mistake. If there was a man under the sun
that needed Abram's counsel, and Abram's prayers, and Abram's
influence, and to have been surrounded by the friends of Abram, it
was Lot. He was just one of those weak characters that