Lot’s name is mentioned only 4 times in the New Testament. Three times in Luke 17 and once in 2 Peter 2:7. In both places the scriptures are talking about God’s judgment.
Here are the places and contexts: Luke 17: 26 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same as happened in the days of LOT: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that LOT went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember LOT'S wife. 33 Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”
That is the first three times, now here is the final mention of Lot.
2 Peter 2: 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous LOT, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.
Similar, are they not? In both places Noah and Lot are mentioned together as examples of God's wrath and judgment against sin. Luke and Peter want us to take seriously how dangerous sin is and how God rescues those who are His when He punishes those who are not. Today we will see that unlike Noah, Lot's choices brought him very close to destruction. It appears that His relationship with Abraham was critical to his relationship with God and ultimately his rescue from complete demise.
As we begin, we all know about Abraham, but who is Lot?
If the New Testament was all you had to go on, you wouldn’t have a clue as to "who is Lot?" Lot is a sort of fifth wheel with Abram in his sojourn as Abraham followed God's call, that is until we come to Genesis 13. There Lot leaves Abram and then things literally go down hill for Lot.
Let me read to you all the verses in Genesis that have the name of Lot in them:
1. Genesis 11:27 Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.
2. Genesis 11:31 Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.
3. Genesis 12:4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
4. Genesis 12:5 Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.
5. Genesis 13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.
6. Genesis 13:5 Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
7. Genesis 13:7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.
8. Genesis 13:8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.
9. Genesis 13:10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
10. Genesis 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.
11. Genesis 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.
12. Genesis 13:14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward;
13. Genesis 14:12 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.
14. Genesis 14:16 He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.
15. Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.
16. Genesis 19:5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.”
17. Genesis 19:6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him,
18. Genesis 19:9 But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.
19. Genesis 19:10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
20. Genesis 19:12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place;
21. Genesis 19:14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
22. Genesis 19:15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
23. Genesis 19:18 But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords!
24. Genesis 19:23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
25. Genesis 19:29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.
26. Genesis 19:30 Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters.
27. Genesis 19:36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
The story of Lot is a very sad story as I see it. When Lot’s dad died Abram took him with him and Lot’s life seems to have flourished. Abram showed love and care for Lot. Lot prospered as long as he stayed with Abram. In fact, Lot prospered so much that Genesis 13 tells us there was not enough room for Abram and Lot to dwell together. They had such large flocks and herds that they needed more space. Even some of their herdsmen began to have turmoil and there were harsh words exchanged between them.
Abram showed his true character when he took the lead and offered Lot a gracious choice. Lot showed his character when he made his choice. From that point on, Lot’s life took a down turn. Lot chose what looked good financially, but didn’t seem to consider the spiritual side of things. The Bible never speaks of Lot building an alter. Abram built alters to worship God everywhere he went. God prospered Abram but Abram didn’t cling to his prosperity. Abram didn’t even cling to his promised Son when God told him to offer him.
Look at what happened when Abram basically let go of his right to have the best stuff when he gave Lot the choice.
Genesis 13:10-14 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; then God basically said, It’s all yours! I give it to you and your descendants.
By giving it all up, Abram got it all. By taking it all for himself Lot lost it all.
Lot saw the riches of the Jordan valley and pitched his tents toward Sodom. He was willing to put up with the sinful cities of the plain. At first Lot pitches his tents toward Sodom. By Genesis 19, Lot is living in the midst of Sodom and even sitting at the gates of Sodom. He even chooses husbands for his daughters from the sons of Sodom. Worse than that, he becomes willing to sacrifice his own daughters to the wicked men of Sodom.
The last mention of Lot in Genesis shows a broken man, ruined by his choices for what he thought would lead to a secure and prosperous life.
Instead of building alters and seeking the will and direction of the Lord, Lot seems to have allowed the love of this world reek havoc with his family and his life.
Maybe it was his wife’s desire for this lifestyle that distorted his values.
Maybe that’s why she looked back when they were commanded to flee and not look back.
Maybe he just wanted what he thought was a better life for her and the girls. You know, living in tents with Abram and company might have gotten a bit old. Sure, you have to make concessions to have nice things sometimes. Following God when He leads you around in the desert can get to you… unless you really trust Him. Unless you are willing to let go of your own desires and let God become your only hope, your only desire, your first love above all else.
But who wants a life without bling? Wait a minute! Lot has bling! Lots of it. Too much of it in fact. Or at least so much there’s not room enough for him and Abram to dwell together with all of it.
What if this story had taken a different turn? What if Lot had said, “Thank-you Uncle Abe, but I’d rather be with you than keep all my stuff. I’d rather stay together and give up a bunch of my flocks and herds, if you don’t mind.”
What if Lot had loved Abram so much that he chose not to separate? What if he had loved the Lord so much that he sought God’s will before lifting up his eyes and looking at the well water Jordan valley. What if Lot had looked up, before looking down the valley?
John Curtis gave me a title for this lesson: Building the Bridge between You and Me.
What happens in our text of Genesis 13 is this: Abram offers a gracious offer for peace. Abram loves Lot and gives Lot the choice. Abram is seeking peace because, as he says, we are brothers.
The ball is in Lot’s court and Lot sees the opening and goes for the fast break going for the best and leaving Uncle Abe with the leftovers. In the next chapter of Genesis, Abraham will have to go rescue Lot and his family from being captured and carried away from Sodom. Abraham brings Lot back. Maybe this was a warning shot for Lot. Get out NOW! But no. Instead, Lot moves into town, into the sin filled city of Sodom where he can sit at the gates and perhaps feel safe. But he is not safe, is he?
What can we learn about building bridges of relationships from this story?
1. We need to follow the lead of Abram and extend grace and see relationships are worth sacrifice.
2. We need to follow the lead of Abram and let others have the space to go and choose.
3. We need to learn from Lot and seek first God’s guidance over what looks good to us.
4. We need to learn from Lot and move away from sin instead of toward it.
Abram saw the riches of peaceful relationships and gave up the Jordan Valley’s well watered plains. What will you give up to build a bridge of relationships with God’s people?
