到目前为止，亚伯拉罕对神经历中的一切，都是外面的。亚伯拉罕蒙了神的呼召，并且答应了神的呼召，往神所要他去的地方。那完全是外面的。随后，亚伯拉罕第二步的经历是凭信而活，为着生活信靠神。他凭信而活所面临的第一个试炼是严重的饥荒，藉此他学习在吃的事上信靠神。不论古今中外，所有的人，不管他们的成就、教育、地位如何，都关心谋生的事。谋生完全在于吃，在于粮食供应。在圣经和人类历史中，神多次用吃的事控制人类。你不要骄傲，因神一旦拿去粮食的供应，你就只得俯伏说，“神阿，帮助我！”
亚伯拉罕来到神所要他在的地方之后，他必须学的第一个功课，就是在吃的事上信靠神。他在这次试验中失败了，下到埃及。在埃及那里，他学了信靠神的功课。在学了这功课之后，他回到伯特利和艾的中间。紧接着在同一个范围，吃的范围，有另一个功课，就是罗得的牧人和亚伯拉罕的牧人相争。这些牧人为他们的生计相争，为着更好的生活彼此争斗。他们不愿别人夺去他们的生计。亚伯拉罕在第二个试炼中得胜了，因他在第一个试炼中学了功课，知道神在他的日常生活中是主宰一切的。亚伯拉罕认识那呼召他的神是至高的神，天地的主。他不需要操心自己的生计，因为他知道那呼召他的会顾到他的生计。
四王与五王之争也与生计有关。按照历史，人类之间一切的战争都与这事有关。创世记十四章十一节指明，四王和五王之争就是为着这个目的。亚伯拉罕不惧怕四王，他勇敢的出去与他们争战，杀败了他们，恢复了粮食的供应。
直到创世记十四章末了，亚伯拉罕一切的经历都是外面的，都是一些外面的祝福、看顾和供应。亚伯拉罕下到埃及的时候，神在外面看顾他，赐给他牛羊和仆人。他胜了四王也是外面的，连麦基洗德带给亚伯拉罕的也是外面的。亚伯拉罕所经历的一切，到此为止都是外面的。在没有听到这话之先，你也许以为在十四章末了，亚伯拉罕必定在对神经历的顶点。不错，就一面说，他是在顶点，但这是他初阶经历的顶点。在十五章以前，亚伯拉罕所经历的都是初阶的。在十五章开头，神才来把他转到对神经历的更高阶段。
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Seed and Land (1) – Gen. 15:1
Up to this point, everything in Abraham’s experience of God was outward. Abraham received God’s calling and responded to it, going to the place God wanted him to go. That was entirely outward. Subsequently, Abraham’s second step of experience was living by faith, trusting God for his livelihood. The first trial he faced in living by faith was a severe famine, through which he learned to trust God in the matter of eating. Regardless of time or place, all people, no matter their achievements, education or status, are concerned with making a living. Making a living is entirely about eating and the supply of food. In the Bible and human history, God has often used the matter of eating to control mankind. Do not be proud, for once God takes away the supply of food, you can only prostrate yourself and say, “O God, help me!”
After Abraham arrived at the place God wanted him to be, the first lesson he had to learn was to trust God in the matter of eating. He failed in this test and went down to Egypt. There in Egypt, he learned the lesson of trusting God. After learning this lesson, he returned to the place between Bethel and Ai. Immediately following in the same realm — the realm of eating — there was another lesson: the strife between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen. These herdsmen strove for their livelihood, fighting each other for a better life. They did not want others to take away their means of living. Abraham was victorious in this second trial because he had learned the lesson in the first trial, knowing that God is sovereign over everything in his daily life. Abraham realized that the God who called him is the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth. He did not need to worry about his living, for he knew that the One who called him would care for his livelihood.
The conflict between the four kings and the five kings was also related to livelihood. According to history, all wars among mankind are related to this matter. Genesis 14:11 indicates that the war of the four kings and five kings was for this very purpose. Abraham was not afraid of the four kings; he courageously went out to battle them, defeated them, and recovered the supply of food.
Until the end of Genesis 14, all of Abraham’s experiences were outward, consisting of outward blessings, care and supply. When Abraham went down to Egypt, God cared for him outwardly, giving him sheep, oxen and servants. His victory over the four kings was also outward; even what Melchizedek brought to Abraham was outward. Everything Abraham experienced up to this point was outward. Before hearing these words, you might have thought that at the end of chapter 14, Abraham must have been at the peak of his experience of God. In one sense he was at a peak, but this was the peak of his initial stage of experience. Before chapter 15, everything Abraham experienced was elementary. At the beginning of chapter 15, God came to turn him to a higher stage of the experience of God.