10. What problem developed between the herders of Abram and Lot, and why was it important that it be resolved quickly?

¹⁰ “Now Lot, who was going along with Abram, also owned sheep and cattle and tents. So the land did not allow for them to dwell all together, because their goods had become many and they were not able to dwell all together. And a quarrel arose between the herders of Abram’s livestock and the herders of Lot’s livestock; and at that time the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling in the land.” (Genesis 13:5-7) The land did not provide enough water and pasturage to sustain both Abram’s and Lot’s flocks. Tensions and hard feelings thus developed between the herders. Such bickering was unbecoming to worshipers of the true God. If the squabbling continued, a permanent breach might result. So how would Abram handle this situation? He had adopted Lot after the death of Lot’s father, perhaps raising him as his own. As the older one of the two, was not Abram entitled to take the best for himself?

11, 12. What generous offer did Abram make Lot, and why was Lot’s choice unwise?

¹¹ But “Abram said to Lot: ‘Please, do not let any quarreling continue between me and you and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we men are brothers. Is not the whole land available to you? Please, separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; but if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’” Near Bethel there exists what has been called “one of the great view-points of Palestine.” Perhaps from there “Lot raised his eyes and saw the whole District of the Jordan, that all of it was a well-watered region before Jehovah brought Sodom and Gomorrah to ruin, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt as far as Zoar.”​—Genesis 13:8-10.

13. How is Abram’s example helpful to Christians who might become involved in a financial dispute?

¹³ Abram, though, displayed faith in Jehovah’s promise that his seed would eventually own the entire land; he did not quibble over a small section of it. Generously, he acted in harmony with the principle later stated at 1 Corinthians 10:24: “Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.” This is a good reminder for those who might get involved in a financial dispute with a fellow believer. Instead of following the counsel at Matthew 18:15-17, some have taken their brothers to court. (1 Corinthians 6:1, 7) Abram’s example shows that it is better to suffer financial loss than to bring reproach upon Jehovah’s name or to damage the peace of the Christian congregation.​—James 3:18.