We are on the first day of the New Year. I join you in praising God for all his blessings during the past year. As we enter into the New Year and treading through it, let us meditate on the Word of God for guidance throughout the New Year. Let me read a text from 1 Cor.10:12-13.
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Bible is a book of guidance. It is a book of warnings too. It gives warnings just like a traffic signal. If you obey the warnings you are safe and if you disobey, you are in peril. The passage preceding to our text describes what has happened to the Israelites. It says that what happened to them is an example for us. In the Bible history, we can see a lot of people who disobeyed the warnings and ended up in disaster. A few of them are Lot, Samson, David, Jude Iscariot, Demas etc. Very few had a come back after the fall. And one example is David. A large number never had a chance to come back. Let me bring to your attention one of those characters from the Old Testament as a warning on this New Year day. This character is none other than Lot, the foster son of Abraham. Let me read a reference about him from the New Testament which was wrote centuries after him.
“If he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” (2 Peter 2:6-9).
The reference to Lot is that of a righteous man distressed by the filthy/immoral lives of lawless men. (Valanjupoya neethimaan.)
Who was Lot?
Terah was the father of Abraham. He had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Lot was the son of Haran. He died early and Lot was under the protection of Abraham. Since Abram didn’t have any sons, Lot was his lawful heir. Terah started his journey from Ur to Canaan with the family of Abraham. At Haran he died at the age of 205 years. Abraham stayed there for some time and when Abram heard the call of God and started his journey from Ur to the land of Canaan, Lot accompanied him. On their way, they had to separate and continued their journey in two directions. What made Lot to leave Abraham and to go in a different direction? If you search the history of Lot, you will find the answer for this question.
Lot had a good beginning. He was born in a good family, nurtured by very good parents. He had a very good grandfather, and a very good uncle to nurture him. He left all his friends and started his journey with them. He started his life under good leadership. He was blessed with the following things:
(a) He shared the divine call received by his foster father.
“So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. (Gen.12:1-4)
(b) He had very good training under the stalwart of faith.
(c) He was materially blessed, more than his previous generations.
“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.” (Gen.13:5-6)
(d) He was a redeemed person. Lot became a slave to the neighbouring kings in battle; but Abraham rescued him from them.
“The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (Gen.14:12, 14)
Lot was such a wonderful personality, but he lost his track.
Illust: Shiny Wilson became Indian national champion in the 800 meters a year before the Asian Games in Delhi which was in 1982. After that and until she announced her retirement, she has won the event every time she did the course on the national scene, A veteran of four Olympics and three Asian Games, Shiny has some great moments to cherish, particularly the experience in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games where she became the first woman from India to enter the semi-final of an Olympic event. And more importantly, she was part of the relay squad which set the Asian record there and again when it improved upon that mark during the World Championship in Rome in 1987. Shiny had some bitter memories, of the day when she cut into the inner lane and was disqualified while very much in front of the field during the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. She lost her medal for changing her track.
Lot also changed his track. Where did he lose his track?
1. The criterion for his selection was material.
The first change in track in Lot’s life was his criterion for selection. There was a time when Abraham and Lot had to part with. Though Abraham, being the patriarch, could select his path and the land which he wants, he gave the first choice to Lot.
The Bible says:
“Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan… “(Gen.13:10-11).
What does it say? When Abraham was holding his possessions light, Lot had a mean, acquisitive streak. His cold calculative eyes sought out the best pastures heedless to the fact that the notorious Sodomites would be his neighbors. Morality or tradition was not at all a consideration for his selection. And the result was that his wife and the two daughters were all became totally materialistic in their outlook. Morality and spirituality became a strange thing in their family. We see the same trait in the life of Esau who lost the right of first born in Isaac’s family. (Gen.25:29-34 & Gen.26:34-35). Morality, spirituality, tradition or custom, nothing was a criterion for his selection of wives. So his became a thorn in the flesh for his parents till their death.
In the cross roads of our life, where we have to make choices, what is the criterion for us?
2. He lost the fellowship of his kindred.
The Bible says: “But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot….So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company. (Gen.13:6-11)
When Lot was after his possessions, he lost the sweet fellowship of his brethren. He was under the protective care of his uncle. He could depend on him in times of troubles. Now he is stranded in a foreign land. Nobody to care for him. I think, this is true of us too. Two days ago, I was talking to a few friends over the table during a marriage party. One of them pointed out that the fellowship and the caring nature of the parish members have diminished a lot as we became affluent these days and we are very much in a competition as to show who the number one in the parish is. This statement reminded me of a story I heard several years back.
Illust: A certain person was dead and his soul was led to hell. When he reached there, the place was so good and beautiful. The entry door was a huge one. The area was so vast, but there was none, so that he could use all the space. He remembered the preaching of Achens and evangelists in the church that the hell is a place of eternal fire and worms that do not die; a place where there is always crying and gnashing of teeth and where all kinds of sorrows and sufferings etc. But nothing of that sort was seen there. He thought the Achens and Evangelists who preached about hell would have been lying.
Since the entry door was very huge, the place was filled with people very soon. There was not enough space for all of them. There were only a few chairs to sit. So, an argument started as to who should sit on the chairs. One person said “I came first, I am the senior most and I should be allowed to sit.” Another person said, “I am older than you, so I should be given the chair.” A third person said, “I am more educated and better qualified, so I should be given that chair.” Then another person came forward and said. “I am handicapped and that chair is reserved for the handicapped”. A lady came forward and said, “I am a lady and always the ladies are given the first chance. Haven’t you heard the announcements-ladies and gentlemen”. The argument grew bigger and bigger and there started a quarrel. They started pushing each other and some even hit the other. The person who came there first wanted to escape from there. He moved to the door. There he saw Beelzebul, the door keeper for hell. As he tried to get out of the door, Beelzebu pushed him back and said; “There is entry only, no exit”
I think this is the predicament that we are in. We lost all the sweet fellowship of our brethren. Many of us feel that we miss the sweet experience of fellowship in our parish, but nobody is willing to do anything to improve the situation. We are living in a world of culture transition. We are in the era of globalization. Communication is so easy that we could see and talk to a person who is on the other side of this globe instantly; but we are living miles apart from our immediate neighbour.
Lot lost the fellowship of his brethren and he was off the track.
3. He was attracted by city culture.
The Bible says:
“Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.” (Gen.13:12).
Lot and his family were so fond of living in the city. We are also living in a metropolitan city. Given a chance to live elsewhere, most of us do not want to move. Why we prefer city rather than a village? City life gives so many conveniences to us. What are those conveniences? A few of them are:
(a) Privacy. We can maintain our privacy in city life. No need of any relationship with the neighbours. We do not know who our neighbour is and what difficulties they are going through. We do not need to share any of our facilities with the neighbours.
(b) No social control. In a village people know each other and they will enter into each others lives. There is a social control over all our behaviour patterns. Nobody could live in a village as he or she wants. But in city, nobody will interfere in our matters whether it is good or bad. We live as we want. Morality or social behaviour is not that important to us.
(c) Luxurious life. We can have all luxuries provided by the world in a city, but not in a village.
(d) Entertainments. There are more ways and means for entertainments and enjoyments of life in a city rather than that in a village.
(e) Easy to present the colourful side of our personality. Since we do not have any close relationships, transparency in relationships is not required. We can wear a mask easily before others; can show a smiling face to the person whom we don’t like. We call it the polished behaviour. The outside it seems very good, but we do not know what is inside. We can easily maintain a dual personality.
All this conveniences must have kept Lot and his family close to the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to its evil nature, God led Lot and his family out of the city by holding his hands. But they were not willing to move away from it. See what the Bible says: (in Gen.19:18-20)
“But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it?”
Even at the face of disaster, he wanted to stay as close to the city. He was so attracted to the city culture. Remember the lesson it draws to us: We are in peril when we deliberately place ourselves in proximity to evil.
4. He neglected the altar of worship.
Abraham built altars for worshipping the Lord in all places where he went.
The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. (Gen.12:7)
From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. (Gen.12:8)
So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD. (Gen.13:18)
But Lot had never built an altar, which says worship was not at all important to him and his family.
Are we taking our worship services seriously? If yes, why we have poor attendance in worship services, in the convention meetings and the special meetings in our church? Why we do not see most of our young people in the worship services? Why most of the seats of the choir are lying vacant on Sundays? Why the children do not attend Sunday school and the VBS? Why we do not have people to offer voluntary services in several areas of our parish life?
The first generation Marthomites who went in search of livelihood to different cities and continents built churches in all places where they went. Our parents who came to Bombay built an altar here in Santa Cruz? But what are we doing now in the Golden Jubilee year of the parish? Why the mission work of the parish, the social services, and the fundraising activities are lagging behind? These are some of the questions that we need to ponder on and try to get an answer on this New Year day.
5. Addiction to alcoholism.
Probably Lot has planted a vineyard in the fertile land of Sodom. He started drinking wine from his own produce. And finally, Lot was addicted to alcoholism. That made him a morally weak person. This led his children also to become immoral. That immorality gave birth to two tribes that are accursed before God.- the Moabites and the Ammonites. I cannot explain those things from this pulpit. You may please read the narration of events from Gen.19:30-38.
“Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. Let’s get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father.” That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I lay with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. “
Even the tenth generation of these accursed tribes was not allowed to enter the gates of God’s temple. Lot was late to understand that SIN SEPARATES, SIN SPREADS, AND SIN SPOILS.
Lot was off the track by giving himself to alcoholism. If we give ourselves to drinking, we will become morally weak. Our children are also going to be morally weak and vulnerable to several evil habits in their life. Parents with teenage children are to be very careful in this matter. If you keep a bar in your home, if you keep alcoholic beverages in your fridge, it gives an easy access to your children to these things. If you drink with your friends in front of your children, they do not hesitate to have the same sort of company with their friends and you will not have the moral courage to correct them.
Lot was off the track in several aspects. He was off the track in the criterion for his selection which was material only. He was off the track in the in losing the fellowship of his kindred. He was off the track in his attraction to city culture. He was off the track in his neglect of the altar of worship. He was off the track in his addiction to alcoholism.
Lot was off the track and we are also off the track in several respects. If our children are disinterested in worship services and going away from church, dashing after material things and money making, leading an immoral life, giving no consideration for spiritual values in their choices of spouses, this is one of the reasons. Let us search our hearts to find out the areas where we have moved out from the track.
As the Holy Spirit is pointing out the areas where we have moved out off the track, let this New Year service be an occasion for us to make resolutions to correct our ways, and to renew our commitment. Let us pray that Holy Spirit may empower us to carry out the resolutions that we make today to the end of our life. I wish you a blessed and happy New Year. May God bless each one of us. Amen.
