“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they could not stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot.” Genesis 13:5-7
I got a first hand look at what life for Abram, Lot and their families must have been like when I visited a cattle camp outside Rumbek, Sudan. Cattle camps are where herdsmen bring their cattle to bed down for the night. They leave the camps with the cattle early in the morning to find grazing land, then return in the late afternoon. There can be four or five thousand heads of cattle in these camps. So what did I learn from the brief time I spent in the cattle camp?
1. There are a lot of flies. They constantly buzz around you and try to light on you. The people who lived in the camp seemed to be completely unaware of the flies that were on their bodies. Do you suppose Abram, Lot and their families were surrounded by flies?
2. Cow dung was everywhere, including my shoes. You could not step without stepping in it, literally. Abram, Lot and their families had more cattle and other animals then I saw. I can only imagine the manure piles and flies.
3. It was very dirty. In fact, I find it very hard to describe. IMB Missionary Mark Kissee, said that no one had been able to infiltrate and live among the people in the cattle camps. Why? After a couple of days, the living conditions became unbearable for them. I have seen why. I could not make it a day. Which brings me to a question, “How dirty do you think the camp of Abram and Lot was?”
4. Tribal fighting is constant. The week before we were in the cattle camp there was fighting in the area. Some of the people we were with were probably involved. I read that Lot’s herdsmen quarreled with the herdsmen of Abram. They quarreled over grazing land, animals and who knows what else. So do the people in cattle camps of southern Sudan today.
5. Their wealth is in their livestock, not in money. They are very proud of their animals. Cattle are wealth. The more cattle you have, the wealthier you are. These people have no wealth by our standards. In fact, we consider them poor, but they consider themselves wealthy because of their cattle. Abram and Lot were wealthy as well based on their herds.
The trip to the cattle camp was very enlightening. I received a fresh insight into the lives of the Old Testament people of God. We need to pray for the people in these cattle camps. Pray that they can be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send someone who can reach them with the love of Jesus.
Here is a short four-minute video of the Dinka cattle camp. I hope you enjoy it.
