Gen 13:1
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South: After being kicked out of Egypt, Abram heads back east. This seems to be an unfortunate translation. Abram didn't go South. If you look at the NET Bible translation notes, the literal translation of this verse is “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.” The Negev is in the southern part of Judea.
Here's a map of Abraham's travels.
Gen 13:2
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold: The riches include all the livestock he had before going to Egypt, in addition to everything God had given Abram in Egypt. Must have been a lot, and it soon becomes a problem.
Gen 13:3
And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai: This place was a mountain, along the Jordan river, between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. From there, Abram had a view of the entire region.
Gen 13:4
to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD: After having so much trouble in Egypt, Abram came back to the place God had told him to go. Instead of trying to resolve the situation on his own, Abram goes back and calls out to God. This is ALWAYS the answer.
Gen 13:5
Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents: This is the problem. Lot also was increasing in his wealth. Now you have two people with herds, servants, etc...
Gen 13:6
Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together: Both Lot and Abram were gathering wealth, and the land couldn't support both of them together. The two groups start quarelling once resources become more scarce.
Gen 13:7
And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land: This is the unfortunate state of man. We just get to fighting. Whether the reasons are valid or not isn't the point. When groups of people meet, more often than not, there's strife. And there wasn't only Abram and Lot, there were also the Canaanites and Perizzites. Their situation was a time bomb.
Gen 13:8
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: And to stop the fighting before it got too bad and war broke out, Abram did the best thing here and separated the two groups.
Gen 13:9
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.": Not only does Abram step in to be the peacemaker, he gives Lot the choice of land. Lot can choose wherever he wants, and Abram will go the other direction.
Gen 13:10
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar: The plains of Jordan were watered in much the same way as the Egyptian land near the Nile. The overflowing of the Jordan river left the land fertile, so Lot chose to go in that direction. It seems that Lot was worldly, evidenced by the fact that later, Lot needs to be rescued by angels because he had a house in Sodom.
Gen 13:11
Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other: When Lot went east, he didn't set up his tent in the plains. He went to Sodom. This was a fleshly decision, and pretty selfish too. Instead of trying to work out something where Abram and Lot could both take advantage of the fertilized land, Lot "chose for himself all the plain of Jordan."
Gen 13:12
Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom: Abram doesn't have the same attraction to worldly things as Lot. Abram stays in the land of Canaan, but Lot goes to Sodom.
Gen 13:13
But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD: Even though the people of Sodom were wicked, that didn't stop Lot. Now, I'm not saying anything bad about Lot. Most of us would probably do the same thing. Put yourself in his shoes. He's been wandering around in the land of Canaan for a while, experienced a famine, went down to Egypt and got kicked out, then back to Canaan, then strife between himself and Abram. I'd be tired of it too, and settling down in a place with good vegitation might be very appealing to me instead of having to work so hard just to survive.
Gen 13:14
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward: God came to comfort Abram after Lot left. Abram and Lot had been together for many years, and I imagine that Abram was saddened. John Gill says that to the north was Mount Lebanon, the south was Edom, the east was the plain and river of Jordan, and the west was the Mediterranean sea. When you hear the modern day so-called Palestinians chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," they are talking about the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea, or in other words, the complete eradication of Israel.
Gen 13:15
for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever: Consider this word forever. It literally means for eternity, or always. The Literal Translation translates it: "For all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your seed always." Based on this, how can there possibly be people teaching that the Church has replaced Israel? Surely there can't be people teaching that, right? Well, you'd be wrong. There are people that teach it. But how? They simply say that forever doesn't mean forever. It means "a long time." Take Joseph Benson's commentary for example. "... the expression עד עולם, here rendered for ever, often signifies only long continuance." Nonsense! If the Bible makes plain sense, seek no other sense, or you end up with nonsense.
Gen 13:16
And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered: This prophecy has really come true already. There's no way to know the number of Abraham's descendants throughout history. Just as no man can number the dust particles, no man can count the descendants of Abraham. There are too many. Abraham's descendants aren't just the Jews. He also fathered the Arab nations.
Gen 13:17
Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you: This was partially fulfilled, but will reach complete fulfillment when Jesus returns and sets up His millennial kingdom (Rev 20:2-7).
Gen 13:18
Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD: God had just told Abram to walk through the land, and here we see Abram move his tent, as instructed. And instead of building a house, Abram builds an altar. This is in direct contrast to Lot, who chose the worldly things. Abram chose to act by faith and stayed in the wilderness as God had commanded.
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