Abram had been accompanied by Lot in all his wanderings. But a separation must take place between them. Abram and his seed were to be kept distinct from all other races, as from him the promised Messiah was to spring.
This also was brought about by what seemed a series of natural circumstances, and probably Abram himself was ignorant of the Divine plan of God that was working in his life at that time.
The increase of Abraham and Lot’s wealth, led to a dispute between the herdsmen of their flocks. Their herds were getting so large that there was not enough grass for both herds.
The dispute proved to be an embarrassing situation, since the Bible states, "The Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.” They were probably witnesses to this "strife" between the two groups of herdsmen.
To avoid strife, Abram now proposed a voluntary separation, allowing Lot to make the decision as to where he would want to move his family.
As far as Lot was concerned it was a simple decision. As he looked eastward, at a distance he could see the mountains of Moab. At the foot of these mountains he could see the Jordan valley, which was rich with the most luxuriant tropical vegetation.
As Lot saw this “paradise”, like the part of Egypt watered by the Nile, his heart went out after it. He could think of nothing else but it’s beauty. The scene might well have won the heart of anyone whose affections were set on earthy matters.
But when Lot chose to live on the outskirts of Sodom, it caused some to question if he was a saved man. In fact, some who examine his life say they believe that he was not saved.
But the Word of God states clearly he was. Look at 2 Peter 2:7 “And delivered JUST Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.”
Look at the word “just”. The word “just” here is dikaios, pronounced as dik'-ah-yos. It means innocent, holy, right (right-eous).
Lot was not only a believer in the true and living God, the Holy Spirit records (2 Peter 2:4-10) that he was distressed daily by the evil that surrounded him in this ungodly place where he chose to raise his family.
We do not have to wonder if he was saved or not, the Word of God says he was a righteous man. But we cannot help but question WHY HE WOULD CHOOSE TO LIVE IN SUCH A PLACE.
• He is like so many professing Christians, he did not live as a saved man should live
• He did not make good godly choices
But on the other hand, Abraham lived his life in such a manner that no one would doubt his salvation.
Lot and Abraham were very different in many ways.
• The way they conducted their lives
• The way they raised their families
• The way they conducted their business
The way these two DADS lived their lives, we cannot help but ask ourselves four questions about their lives and our lives as dads.
The first question we should ask ourselves is:
I. WHERE AM I LOOKING?
That is, where am I looking to raise my children. As dads we have to look for a place to raise our children. That includes:
• Where are we going to take them to church
• What school are we going to enroll them in
• What are we going to allow them to watch on television
• What kind of music are they going to be allowed to listen to
These are all important decisions in raising children, and we dads can’t take our responsibility lightly.
• Where we choose to raise them…
• The way we choose to raise them…
…makes a big difference in the way they develop and grow.
Illus: Children are like flowers, in that if you put them in good soil they grow and develop to their full potential. But you can take a good seed and plant it in bad soil, and the flower will have a hard time surviving, not to mention reaching its full potential.
But we have some dads today, like Lot, who seem to think it does not matter what kind of environment they place their children in.
Look at Gen. 13:6 9, we read, “And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
This strife between Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen reveals a lot about these two men.
A. LOT LOOKED IN THE WRONG PLACE
He looked to Sodom for a place to raise his children.
Look at Gen. 13:10-13, we read, “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”
Did you get that? The Bible says when Lot had a choice of where to raise his family, verse 12 says, “…And Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.”
WHAT WAS HE THINKING!!!!
Only God knows the harm and the misery that has been brought to children because dads made bad decisions concerning where to pitch their tents.
Illus: A Christian dad was going to a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church. This dad had his family in church every time the church doors were open. But he allowed the devil to enter his life, and he became backslidden, and soon his whole family was out of church.
After several years of living away from God:
• His daughter who once lived a godly life, got pregnant
• One of his sons began hanging out with the wrong friends at school and got on drugs
• Another son is now in prison for stealing
• His wife is a legal dope addict, she literally lives on prescriptions
What a price this dad paid, when he chose to take his family out of a Bible-preaching church, and pitched his tent with the ungodly every Sunday at the camp grounds, beaches and the mountains.
Lot chose to pitch his tent in Sodom, but what a price he paid.
B. ABRAHAM LOOKED IN THE RIGHT PLACE
Abraham looked where God told him to look. In other words, Abraham believed that where he raised his family would make a difference.
Look at Gen. 13:14 15, we read, “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”
God was so pleased with Abraham, that God told him in verse 15, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”
There is a lot of controversy about the land of Israel, but there should be no controversy. Why? Because God settled that dispute thousands of years ago.
Illus: Israel is the only nation that has ever lived on the face of the earth, that the Lord gave the title and deed to a piece of land to live on.
Look at verse 15 again, we read, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed FOR EVER.”
HOW DID THIS WONDERFUL PROMISE COME ABOUT?
It came about because Abraham was looking for a place to raise his family, and he did not want to raise them in a place like Sodom.
Today as dads, we need to ask ourselves, “WHERE AM I LOOKING for a place to raise my children?”
We ask ourselves, WHERE AM I LOOKING, and -
II. WHERE AM I LIVING?
Lot lived in the outskirts of Sodom, one of the most wicked places he could have chosen to live.
Look at Gen. 19:1, we read, “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom…”
When the two angels came to Sodom, look where Lot was. The Bible says, “…Lot sat in the gate of Sodom…”
WHAT IS HE DOING THERE? Sometimes you find people who profess to believe in God in some strange places.
• You find some on the Lord’s Day in the shopping centers and in the grocery stores. They have six days to shop and do these things, but they choose to use the Lord’s day to do them. They should be boycotting businesses for making their employees work on Sunday where they can not attend church, but instead they support such business, and keep people from going to church. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some in the movie theaters watching movies that are filled with violence, cursing, lying, cheating, and adultery, that the godly should be boycotting. They are supporting it wholeheartedly. They should be on the outside boycotting such movies. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some enrolling in state colleges that make mockery of God’s church, God’s man, and God’s Word. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some perched in front of a television set that is broadcasting sin. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some perched around a table playing cards gambling. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some Christian young people with the ungodly at a Rock Concert. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
• You find some in liberal churches that do not preach the Word of God. Instead of preaching the Word of God, they massacre the Word of God. WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?
Lot was like some of the dads today that we see in our society. They think it does not make a difference what we are exposed to.
Abraham was a dad that understood that WHERE WE LIVE makes a difference.
But as we look at these two men we need to ask ourselves:
• Where am I looking
• Where am I living
But also, we need to ask ourselves-
III. WHERE AM I LEADING?
Everyone has someone following them. Even Jesse James had a gang follow him.
A. LOT HAD HIS FAMILY FOLLOWING HIM
But notice, they followed him to live in sinful Sodom, but he had a more difficult time trying to get them to follow him when he was leaving Sodom.
The angel of the Lord appeared unto Lot and told him to flee the city with his family. But Lot had lost his testimony and when he witnessed to his family he had no influence with them.
Look at Gen. 19:14, we read, “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”
Lot's lack of real witness and credibility in Sodom is evidenced by the fact that he and his wife and daughters had to be forcibly removed from the city by the two angels.
Because of the poor decisions this man had made, he had completely destroyed his testimony.
Only God knows the damage that has been done through backslidden Christian dads.
His sons-in-law had no confidence in following, but look what happened to his wife. The angel of the Lord specifically instructed them when they left, to not even look behind them.
Look at verses 24-26 and see what happened, “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED BACK FROM BEHIND HIM, AND SHE BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT.”
What a tremendous price this family paid by following a backslidden husband and dad.
B. ABRAHAM HAD HIS FAMILY FOLLOWING HIM
When Abraham had to lead his son Isaac to be offered as a sacrifice, look how submissive he was.
Look at Gen. 22:6-14 we read, “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
We do not have all the details of what occurred once they arrived at the place God had told him to go to, but once he got there, notice the scriptures says in verse 9, Abraham, “…bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.”
Now I want to remind you that Abraham is an old man, and Isaac is a young man. Abraham could have never bound Isaac unless he was submissive to his father. It is a wonderful thing to see a child that is submissive to their parents.
The next thing we dads need to ask ourselves is -
IV. WHAT AM I LEAVING?
Look at the legacy that Lot left behind. Because they had lived in the midst of evil, Lot became drunk and committed incest with both of his daughters.
• The first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day
• The younger also bore a son, and called his name Benammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day (Genesis 19:30-38).
There is no need to dwell on this tragic story any longer. Much of the human tragedy that we read about in the Old Testament and hear about today on the evening news, can be traced back to the children of Lot.
Abraham's legacy is well known. Some of the greatest men of the Old Testament can be traced back to this dad, that made wise decisions. The Lord Jesus’ birth can be traced back to this wonderful dad who followed the Lord.
Conclusion:
Illus: Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddle boats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail's pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.
One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the boilers. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.
God has entrusted cargo to us as well: children, spouses, friends. Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination safely. Yet when the program takes priority over people, people often suffer. How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to achieve the number one slot? How many people never reach the destination because of the aggressiveness of a competitive captain? (In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 97-98.)
Today is Father’s Day and we dads need to ask ourselves -
I. WHERE AM I LOOKING?
II. WHERE AM I LIVING?
III. WHERE AM I LEADING?
IV. WHAT AM I LEAVING?
