Sometimes our best intentions result in unintentional discord and disharmony. Abraham is well-known for his devotion to God and his willingness to be obedient to God’s call. But there are several instances where his human faculties got in the way of his spiritual faith and it brought humiliation and heartbreak. For instance, when he lied to Pharaoh in Egypt about Sarah being his sister. Even though she was his half sister, his intention was to pass her off as being unmarried and was blessed with many livestock and servants because Pharaoh thought he was her brother (Gen. 12:10-20). But unbeknownst to Abraham at the time, an even bigger mistake was made earlier. When his father Terah left Chaldea, he also brought his son Nahor and his other son Haran’s orphaned child, Lot. Apparently there were a few things that concerned Abram about leaving Lot with his father, so when God called him to move on, without asking God he took his nephew Lot with him as he headed out for Canaan and Egypt. This would turn out to be a big error. No sooner had they returned to Canaan from Egypt, when Lot and his herdsmen begin to quarrel and fight with Abram’s herdsmen. So Abram had to step in and offer Lot the opportunity of choosing the best grazing land and he’d take the more sparse area. After Lot left, Abram thought his nephew was now out of his hair. But then he got word that Lot and his family had been carried off into captivity by the king of Babylon. So Abram had to round up a 318 volunteer army and go rescue his nephew. Things when well for awhile, until three visitors told Abram that the city where Lot and his family chose to live was so wicked, that God was planning to destroy it. So again Abraham has to rise to the occasion and tried to save Lot and his family through prayer. He bargained with God to save the city, but was unsuccessful because not even 10 righteous men, enough to start a synagogue, could be found among its citizens. But these same visitors went to Sodom and warned Lot to get out, which he did just in the nick of time. But it was not without cost, because Lot lost his disobedient wife in the process. Then in desperation while camping out in a cave, Lot’s two daughters decided that since their mother was gone, the only way to continue the legacy of their father was to get pregnant with him through incest. They were successful in that regard, but their idea was a bad one. One daughter gave birth to a son named Moab, and the other daughter to a son who became known as Ammon. They eventually became the heads of the Moabites and Ammonites, which ended up being enemies of their grand uncle Abraham’s descendants through Jacob. Had Abraham left his nephew back in Haran with his father Terah, he may have saved himself and Israel all the trouble that followed. Sometimes we may do things that sound good or look good, but no doubt it will always be best if we ask God first for guidance. No pun intended, but that may end up saving us a Lot of trouble.