LOT – PART 2 – A LOT OF TROUBLE FOR GOD – FOR ABRAHAM – AND FOR HIMSELF – GENESIS 13 – 14 - LOT IN SODOM
INTRODUCTION
We take up this account from where we left off last time. Because of the strife between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram they had to separate. Abram and Lot had separated with Lot going to the place of his choice, the place that held a sinful attraction for him. He moved his tent right up to Sodom. {{Genesis 13:11 so Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.”}}
SEPARATION AND FAILURE
Look at the end of verse 11 – “Thus they SEPARATED from each other.” There is tragedy here because a failing man separated from the rock of strength who was Abram. When we separate ourselves from those of spiritual strength we are on shaky ground. We choose our own devices, our own paths, and often that leads to a place like Sodom – a place of godlessness. How many Christians, young ones in particular, have separated themselves from supportive Christians only to end in ruin on the jagged rocks of the world’s hurt and shame. It all comes back to a word the bible uses over and over and that is TRUST. Trust in the Lord must not falter or we follow Lot into ruin.
I want to add the thoughts from a small article called “The Road to Failure” by David R. Reid:
[[[“High school and college students fail for a number of reasons, but one thing is common to all cases. Failure does not happen instantaneously; it is always a process. This is true of failure in the Christian life as well. Growing Christians don't suddenly "tube it". There is always the step-by-step trip on the road to failure.
The story of Lot in Genesis is the sad case of a believer who failed. Lot was definitely a believer. In 2 Peter 2:7-8 Lot is mentioned three times as "righteous". But "righteous" Lot failed to use his life for God. He travelled the road to failure. It is possible for any Christian to do the same. A Christian may either build a life that counts for God or make a shambles of his life as far as eternal values are concerned (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). How tragic and shameful it will be for a Christian to stand before the Lord and give account for an empty and wasted life (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). Although this kind of failure does not determine a heaven or hell destiny for the true Christian, there are a number of warning passages in Scripture, which should cause the disobedient believer to question seriously his commitment and make sure of his salvation. (See John 15:4-6 and Colossians 1:23, for example.) Let us, as growing Christians, make every effort to avoid the road to failure.”]]]
SEPARATION –
That is one of the most lamentable words in our language. After many married years a couple has separated with all the implied guilt and hurt and blame. A teenager has separated from his/her home because of drugs, or a wayward lifestyle. Two friends of many close years have separated because of a particular conflict, even a small one but the walls of separation are strong and indestructible in so many cases.
Satan is the father of separation. His original sin separated him from the heavenly Father and from that point his mission was separation. He caused separation of our fore-parents from God; the separation of Adam and Eve with broken harmony; the separation of brothers with the death of Abel; and a book could be filled with examples. His work of separation results in such misery and hate throughout the human race.
However Jesus came for the work of repairing that brokenness. It is called reconciliation and the great work of the cross was to bring man and God together again. There is nothing more wonderful than to be brought together through forgiveness and hope, with a union that will never ever be broken. {{2Corinthians 5:18-20 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”}}
What does reconciliation do? It brings enemies together. Paul realised that in his work of preaching the gospel, but initially he experienced it in his own life as one estranged from God while persecuting Christians and having them put to death. {{Romans 5:10-11 “If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom 5:11 Not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”}}
MOVING TO HIGHER GROUND FOR ONE; AND TO DEFEAT FOR THE OTHER
{{Genesis 13:12-13 “Abram settled in the land of Canaan while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. Gen 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.”}}
After they separated, Abram settled in Canaan and it was there the Lord blessed him. Great, wonderful promises were given to him recorded in the very next verse – {{Genesis 13:14-16 and 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, Gen 13:15 for ALL THE LAND which you see I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU and to your descendants FOREVER, Gen 13:16 and I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.”}}
Sadly not one blessing is recorded for Lot, for Lot was a lot of trouble for God, a lot of trouble for Abram, and a lot of trouble for himself. In that promise God was going to give to Abram (and descendants) all the land, even all the land claimed by Lot. We have an encompassing God.
We must not forget the fact of verse 15 just above and the word “forever”. Let us be sensible here. Why do people want to spiritualise this away? Why try to claim this is allegorical? It is no more than trying to dismiss the place of Israel that has been set in stone by God. The world may do that and hate Israel, but for Christians to do that it is greatly dishonouring. Israel IS Israel, not some allegory, or the Church. Sadly the Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin do have a lot to answer for in the dismissal of Israel, by following Augustine who began this error. God has not abandoned His earthly people and the great Abrahamic promises are eternal. Israel will always have its land and it is there – so clearly taught by scripture – that the Messiah will reign from Jerusalem in a time to come. Please honestly read Zechariah 14.
Again in verse 15 which talks about the land, well never in any shape or form has the land of Canaan/Israel, been given to the Church because the Church is a heavenly people with a heavenly inheritance, NOT an earthly one, but the Jews have the earthly inheritance forever.
RETURNING to {{Genesis 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD.”}} For the first time in scripture the evil of Sodom is revealed. They were uniformly branded as “wicked exceedingly,” and I am sorry to say this is what the Lord thinks of homosexuality. In the bible other terms are used – “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), “detestable act” (Leviticus 20:13), “indecent acts” (Romans 1:27). Those words are from the NASB. God wrote the bible not man.
In the western world, through practice and governmental legislation, homosexuality is promoted and encouraged by government laws and funding and in the education system. To oppose it is to be on the receiving end of a satanic wrath and even persecution and jail. For those reasons Christians have been battered into a tacit acceptance of this in society. That is the power the homosexual lobby has today. Satan rides high. In Australia many places would gladly welcome the whole town of Sodom to be in their midst. They would be funded by public taxes in fact.
The final statement of verse 13 is, “and sinners against the Lord.” This not only because of homosexuality for it is but a part of the whole. In all aspects they were sinners. We are moving into a deeper state of sinning in the current world. We are becoming more like Sodom all the time.
Did Lot know all this? I am sure he did. He certainly knew the intensity of wickedness that marked Sodom but he still wanted to go there. He got as close to Sodom as he could. Alarm bells should have gone off but this man was not walking with God. He was flirting with the sin of Sodom and wanted to edge closer and closer. Wilfulness is sin on a mission and Lot edged closer and closer. The world holds attractions for people, like the fishing spider that dangles a blob on the end of strands of web to allure its victims and then pounces. Sodom was alluring Lot and was about to pounce.
Again, David R. Reid - “[[Lot had the wrong perspective because he was not in communion with God. The viewpoint of any Christian who is out of fellowship with the Lord is the same - selfish, secular and short-sighted. Lot had the wrong perspective because he was not in communion with God. The viewpoint of any Christian who is out of fellowship with the Lord is the same - selfish, secular and short-sighted.
Lot just flirted with the world. This is usually the next step in a Christian's failure. At this point it's never a matter of living in "open sin". It's just a move in the wrong direction. Taking on a good paying job that involves you in unethical practices; getting involved in exciting extracurricular activities that take your time and talent away from the obvious needs of the Christian group on campus; falling in love with an "irresistible" unbeliever; all these can be "innocent" moves in the wrong direction. As in the case of Lot, it is only a matter of time before the failing Christian "moves into Sodom". By Genesis 14:12 Lot is living in Sodom.”]]
LOT GETS CAPTURED – HE WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE
Time passed and we do not hear of Lot again until after this incident:
Genesis 14:1-2 “It came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, Gen 14:2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).”}}
The forces of verse 1 defeated the armies of verse 2. Then we read the results – {{Genesis 14:11-12 “Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. Gen 14:12 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed FOR HE WAS LIVING IN SODOM.”}}
Once Abram knew, he gathered his men and went out in victory against the enemy as recorded in these two verses – {{Genesis 14:15-16 “He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah which is north of Damascus, Gen 14:16 and he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.”}}
I do not want to go into this battle and the rescue but I want highlight the part that is capitalised in verse 12. Lot who pitched his tent right up next to Sodom in 13:12, was soon living in Sodom. He was there when captured, but the sad thing is that he had already been captured by the sinfulness of Sodom. His whole soul had been captured by the deceitfulness of sin. He made his nest in the coop with sinners. No doubt Lot thought he was doing well for himself and his family when he moved to Sodom but the results showed how greatly he erred. The decisions a man makes often will affect him for all his life. In the case of some people who get converted, there are things in his or her old life life that can not be fixed; not be remedied, and by God’s grace that person has to live through that.
However it is sad when Christians slip up and have consequences for the rest of their lives. Lot’s choices affected him and ruined his life so badly.
CONCLUSION
Lot was a lot of trouble for Abam who had to rescue him. He was a lot of trouble for God who had to rescue him in the future, and he was always a lot of trouble for himself. The contents of Psalm 1 are truly relevant in this man’s life. We will look at that for a short time, the first 2 verses.
{{Psalm 1:1-2 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! (listen, linger, lounge) Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”}}
I have two messages on this Psalm, one called, “Listen, Linger, Lounge” and that describes the downward path of sinners. In Lot’s case he moved firstly to a place of great danger. He exposed himself to temptation. No doubt he listened to the tales of Sodom and sinful desire began to captivate his mind and thoughts. He then began the hankering. After listening, he lingered, just on the outside of the city, until in a short time, he entered right in and then lounged in Sodom itself. He had completed the cycle – listen, linger, lounge!
The bible is clear about the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Lot was taken over by the lust of the eyes as he viewed Sodom and then by the lust of the flesh as he entered in. That is the downward path of Psalm 1 for a man who is walking in the counsel (advice, suggestion) of the wicked; then standing and viewing the path of sinners and at last sitting with them when they have become scoffers.
What a sad contrast with Abram who was walking with God, whose delight was the Law of the Lord, and he meditated in that Law day and night, while on the other hand, Lot’s delight was the sin inside Sodom and he desired the sinful associations rather than the delights from God and His Law.
Through Abram’s intervention Lot was spared (through the grace of God Lot was spared) but what did he learn from all that? Was that the jolt he needed to turn his life around. Sometimes people get converted through tragedy and it changes their lives and sets them on the path of godliness for the remainder of their lives. Others, after tragedy and “near misses”, get even more cynical and defiant.
Did Lot learn his lesson? Sin can have such a hold. We will follow the account of Lot’s life in the next message.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
