Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man - Lessons on character flaws from Abraham’s nephew
So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere… like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. – Genesis 13:8-11
We are still exploring the character of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Yesterday, we saw him as an example of someone not worthy of emulation, because although he was wealthy, he was unwise; he was rich yet dumb. Today, we will also highlight some other sides of his character flaws. He can also, at best, be described as impetuous and impudent.
From our reference passage today, we can see that even when Abraham took the initiative of brokering peace to Lot, a move that he Lot should have taken in the first place, by suggesting that Lot should choose where he would prefer to stay so that he, Abraham, could head in the opposite direction of that for the sake of peace. A wiser and reasonable person in the same position as Lot would have first apologized to his uncle and benefactor about the behavior of his herdsmen. Then he would have protested that the uncle should be the first to choose where he would rather stay.
But not Lot.
On the contrary, Abraham had barely finished his invitation for Lot to choose first before he eagerly looked around and impetuously picked his choice of location, leaving his uncle to settle for the second best. Why the second best? Consider that in making his choice, Lot looked very well and appraised the two options presented by Abraham. The Bible says he “lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan” (Genesis 13:10-11).
This means that he chose the best parts of the land for himself without much thought about whether his uncle would also prefer the same place. That was the height of impudence.
Therefore, in one single decision or action, Lot revealed how impetuous and impudent a person he was through his disregard for his aged uncle, foster father, and benefactor, by choosing first ahead of him. Then, by choosing the better portion of the land for himself without thinking if his uncle, who obviously had more livestock than he did, might actually want the place for himself. In such a way, we should never behave.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of…
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight – How short-term advantage led to long-term captivity
And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. – Genesis 14:8-12
We are still considering the personality of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. If there is any indication that all we had earlier shared about him was true, particularly his immaturity as well as lack of wisdom and foresight, that was validated in the scenario that played out in our reference passage today.
Lot thought he was being smart by choosing the prime land for himself and leaving his uncle, Abraham, with the not-so-attractive second best. He could have allowed his uncle to choose first, but he took that privilege onto himself. He impetuously chose where he wanted to settle, leaving Abraham to contend with the seemingly lesser option.
However, the incidents that ensued afterwards only revealed how unwise he was, as what he considered a land of peace and abundance was only a troubled land. Despite the lush green that he saw, which made him decide to settle in that part of town, the settlement was only a time bomb waiting for the right time to blow off, and blow off it did not long after Lot settled there. A more grounded person would have known better.
For Lot, however, he only went to camp with trouble because not long after settling, a long-brewing war broke out among the kings in that region, and even though he was not part of the skirmish, Lot and all his assets were taken captive by the rampaging kings.
No doubt, when he was choosing that place to stay, he must have thought that he had hit a jackpot. But that turned out to be a calamity. He must have thought he would become abundant and prosperous in his new location, but he only became a captive instead. All because he lacked foresight. We should not be like him.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the…
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe – How worship, obedience, and honouring God with substance began
So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. – Genesis 14:16-20
Our exploration of biblical figures continues today with a focus on Abraham, the first man to tithe in the Bible and arguably recorded history.
We had earlier considered how devout Abraham was in his disposition to God and how he alone built several altars of worship to God at different turns in his evolution as a person. He was indeed a man of the altar. And as we can see from today’s passage, he was not just a man of the altar alone; he also worshipped God with his resources, as evidenced in his setting aside ten per cent from the spoil he took from war and giving that portion to Melchizedek, a priest of God.
What Abraham did was remarkable because in his days, paganism was the order of the day. People freely worshipped idols and other tokens. However, it did not take Abraham much time to recognize that Melchizedek was a priest of God. He did not just note this fact alone; he also backed his reverence with action by giving the priest of God ten per cent of the spoils he and his men gained from war.
Just like maintaining an altar of fellowship, giving is another form of worship. Abraham demonstrated what a true believer he was by doing what no one before him had done: He gave a tenth of his gains to God. By doing so, he also started a rite of paying tithes that has endured for thousands of years.
Men in the Bible: Abraham’s Earnestness and Extraordinary Hospitality
Discover how Abraham’s heartfelt and proactive hospitality sets a timeless example for serving guests with excellence.
Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. – Genesis 18:1-8
From the passage above, Abraham demonstrated to us through his earnestness how to be an extraordinary host. He was such a good example of hospitality.
When Abraham saw God and the angels with Him afar off, he wasted no time in running to them to worship and invite them to come and be entertained in his tent. He was so persuasive that his potential guests had little resistance to accepting his invitation. So they obliged him.
See what followed next:
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
If this is not extraordinary hospitality, then nothing is. Recall Abraham was a 99-year-old man at this time. Although his guests were ageless, and we cannot compare their ages to Abraham’s, the fact that at age 99, he put on this earnest show of hospitality was impressive. He hurried, rallied his wife, ran, prepared a meal, served, and waited upon his guests all in one fell swoop. And he was a 99-year-old man doing all of this because VIPs were visiting his abode.
With this, Abraham provided us with a template for being an extraordinary host. He did not settle for less. He did not just bark orders at his wife and servants to prepare the food. He was with them in the preparation, skedaddling, and at his mobilization best. His own earnestness must have convinced members of his household that these were no ordinary guests. Also, he must have shown them by his own earnestness the importance of his guests and how those of his household must also comport themselves in attending to their needs.
God Himself was so impressed with Abraham’s attitude that He decided to answer his long-drawn prayer for a child there and then. Surely, we can learn from him.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen…
Men in the Bible: A Man of Considerable Goodwill – How leadership trust made obedience possible for an entire household
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. – Genesis 17:24-27
Our meditation today shall center on the character of Abraham. He was a man of great and considerable goodwill. Why was this so?
When God told Abraham to circumcise himself and all males in his household as a sign of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants, Abraham was already 99 years old at this time. Imagine the kind of pain he must have endured for days, if not weeks, after cutting his foreskin. His whole body must have been shaking in pain, seeing that there were no pain relievers and anesthesia in those days.
As if that was not bad enough, God also asked Abraham to circumcise all the male members of his household as well. Imagine how easy it was for Abraham to inform his 13-year-old son, Ishmael, and the other male adults and youths in his house about what he was going to do to them. Circumstance them all by cutting off the foreskin of their penises. Even the most loyal of the men in his household must have been alarmed at the announcement.
On a good day, such an announcement was enough for all the males in the house to conspire to kill their master for what he was about to do to them, or, less extreme, they might have run away from the house and town to go settle down somewhere else.
However, interestingly, we did not find any account of such an occurrence. From the young Ishmael to all the male servants, everyone calmly waited their turn to be administered the painful cutting of circumcision. There was no complaint, no cursing, no revolt. Everyone cooperated and calmly endured the pain.
Let’s bear in mind that the circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his children. There was no talk of the slaves and servants being partakers. So what might Abraham have told his staff to make them cooperate? That no one rebelled and rallied the others to resist the inhuman treatment Abraham was about to subject them all to.
If there is anything, this shows that Abraham had a considerable goodwill with his staff and members of his household, such that no one refuted him or rejected his overtures for them to be circumcised, but they all bore the pain with grace. If he did not enjoy goodwill in their eyes, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, for him to get them all to participate.
The esteem with which they all regarded him helped to make the exercise bearable and the experience less stressful for everyone, Abraham more than anyone, as he would be grappling with his own pain whilst trying to rally them for their own circumcision.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
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Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
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