After Abram, Sarai, and Lot leave Egypt, Genesis 13 recounts the quarrel between Abram and Lot’s herders. They each had so much wealth that the land could no longer support both of them. To settle the dispute, Abram suggests to Lot that they part ways, and Abram gives Lot first choice in deciding where to settle. After making his choice, Lot moves his possessions toward Sodom while Abram settles in Canaan.

While reading this account, it is important to keep in mind that God had already promised the land of Canaan to Abram in Genesis 12. How, then, could Abram offer the Promised Land to Lot if the Lord had already determined where Abram would settle? Consider for a moment the implications of Lot’s choice in the matter. If Lot had chosen to settle in Canaan, then God’s promise could not stand with Abram, leaving us to call into question the Lord’s faithfulness to fulfill his word. And if we cannot trust God to fulfill his promises, then the entire hope of the Christian faith would crumble! There is obviously a lot more at stake here than simply where Lot would keep his herds.

How does God ensure that Lot would make the correct choice? Did God force Lot to choose Sodom so that His promise to Abram would remain true? Was Lot’s choice an example of a cosmic coincidence, where God lets out a sigh of relief that Lot didn’t hinder His plans? Or did the Lord already know which land Lot would choose when He made his promise in the first place? 

This story provides us with a fantastic demonstration of the doctrine of divine foreknowledge, or God’s omniscience.[1] From the beginning of time, God knew His plan exactly, including the way Lot would choose when put in this particular situation. What an incredible God we serve, who divinely orchestrates events and situations so that His plan will always come to fruition! We can know the Lord will accomplish his plans and promises because He is omniscient; He knows everything that has transpired, is transpiring, and will transpire, even given our human free will. Without this knowledge, God would not be God, and we could no more trust the word of the Lord than the best guess of our neighbor. But God knows you, and He has a plan for you that cannot be thwarted.

Like Abram – who sought Egypt over God for provision, who lied instead of trusting God’s protection, and who willingly tossed aside God’s promise of blessing in an attempt to save an earthly relationship – our sinful unfaithfulness leaves us broken. But despite our own fickleness, God is omniscient and unchanging, faithful to keep His promises. And just as God vowed to save and bless Abram, He has likewise promised us salvation through belief in his son, Jesus Christ! And oh, what a glorious promise that is!