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A Timely Reminder From Lot

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
3/08/2016 / Christian Living

Nearly everyone has heard of Lot. Not because of who Lot was, or anything he did, but because of the stupendous manner of the passing of his wife. As we know, she looked back on her way out of Sodom, and she turned into a pillar of salt, and the Bible used her misfortune to jog our memory of her tardiness by saying, "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32)

Lot, it seemed, was not a bad fellow. He was loved by his uncle Abraham and although he did not excel in wisdom, at least he had the good sense to hang out with Abraham.

There is nothing that Lot did that marked him out as particularly righteous, but we have to take it that he was a just, righteous man because the Bible says so:

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)" (2 Peter 2: 6-8)

In truth, Lot presents us with a spiritual paradox, in that he was confirmed as righteous and just by the Bible, yet, in his actions, and lifestyle, he exemplified someone who was not in touch with God, and had to be saved from disaster, forcefully, against his wishes.

The circumstances surrounding Lot are well known.

Abram and Lot had left Ur of the Chaldees and was dwelling in Haran, and there God called Abram; who took his family and Lot and their herds, and set off for Canaan. (Abram's name was later to be changed to Abraham after a certain incident).

Because their herds of animals had rapidly increased, and because they arose conflict between their herdsmen, Lot parted company from Abram.

Lot was given a choice and he chose the lush, fertile plains of Jordan (Abram took to the hills and country of Canaan), and he, Lot, pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Lot is innocently involved in a regional war of many kings, is carried away captive with all his property. Abram hears the news, sets off in pursuit with his armed, trained servants and rescues Lot and returns him, and his property, to his abode.

Lot prospers materially, becomes a judge in Sodom and is immersed in its lifestyle. Lot is rescued from the city by angels just before it, and Gomorrah, are destroyed with fire and brimstone, and on the journey Lot's wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. His children engaged in acts of depravity thus indicating that they were corrupted by their evil environment.

So the question arises. How did this just and righteous man Lot came to this?

You must admit that a calamitous ending for an upright man like Lot needs examination, and where possible lessons need to be learnt so that we do not repeat his, or similar, mistakes.

It is rarely the case that someone goes from good to bad, or from wise to foolish overnight. There is usually a progression, a creeping, concerted decline from one state to another and that is what occurred in the case of Lot.

Like individuals everywhere, Lot had choices to make, and we can clearly see that those choices were not the best ones, and they yielded awful results.

Lot chose the Plain of Jordan

Whatever some people may think, there was nothing wrong in Lot choosing prime grazing land for his cattle, or in seeking to locate his property away from the rugged hills and the attendant hazards and threats associated. In truth this was, however, a case of a man putting career before family, his personal and monetary interest over that of everything else.

It is also interesting to note that Lot never sought God's input in all his deliberations. Normal courtesy should have told Lot that the one to choose first was the senior partner, Abram, and in any case seeking God's face on the matter was the right thing to do. Even casting lots to see where to go would have been indicative of his wanting to do the right thing.

When decisions are made with what suits me in mind, what I want, what is best for me and does not consider the impact on others, nor give a thought as to God's will on the matter, then there is a greater chance of those decisions being wrong.

Not only did Lot choose the Plain of Jordan without due diligence, he made another ill-advised decision. He pitched his tent toward Sodom. Now this on the surface may not look to be that important, but it was, and it says much about Lot.

Like any responsible parent you would not buy a home in any district except you thoroughly check out the kind of neighbourhood the house is in, you will look at the schools for your children, you will always, surely, gauge the neighbours by the state of their lawns, how and where their cars are parked, the kinds of noise or music you hear, rowdy crowds and street gangs you will take note of, and such like.

Lot did not do any of that, and in truth did not care what Sodom was like for his family and herdsmen. His sole concern was to make money and lots of it. The Bible shows the utter folly of Lot's decision when it says, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." (Genesis 13:13)

Now here is something both irresponsible and negligent about Lot. Not only did he pitch his tent toward Sodom, and that can be interpreted that his tent had a good view of Sodom, it was arranged with the other tents to allow easy progress to that city, and it might even had meant grazing his flock towards Sodom, but Lot went one step further. He went to dwell in Sodom.

The saying goes that you can't sleep in a sewer and not get dirty, but such sentiments did not resonate with Lot. He had no concerns, no fear for his family's welfare, no hesitation in seeking residence in Sodom.

But if you look one step further you see the tactless nature of Lot's decline, and what can happen when the fascination of worldliness gets a grip on a person.

After the war with the kings, in which he was not a combatant, but was involved, and got captured, he settled back firmly in the same place as before. He was reluctant to leave Sodom even after the war.

We should note that Lot was firmly resolved that he would not let anything stand in his way of making money, and becoming, in the eyes of the world, prosperous. In truth, in this he succeeded. Lot prospered in Sodom. He became part of the aristocracy in Sodom, he was made a magistrate, a judge of some importance, and accorded all the rights, ceremonies and grandeur attached to that high office.

Lot had fallen far, and instead of going as far away as he could from the accursed Sodom, he magnified his folly even more. God decided to take Sodom and Gomorrah out, because in truth they had gone beyond the pale, and God decided, as is his sovereign right, to end their existence. Heavenly messengers came and warned lot of the impending disaster, and how did he respond? When warned to escape he lingered.

We know that Lot lost a lot; both in terms of his possessions and the great loss to his family, as well as his spiritual suffering which must have been severe.

Many conclusions can be drawn from Lot's escapades; but it is clear that:
1. He had erroneous priorities
2. He put self before family
3. He lived by sight and not by faith
4. He excluded God from his deliberations.

I wonder how many people will reflect on Lot's adventure and still not see the larger picture before their eyes. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33) is still the most effective solution to stop us making poor, wretched choices.

Enough said.

Books by this author you may wish to read.

THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book)
Volume 1 Five tough facts to be faced
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI

STAND UP TO THE DEVIL (e-book)
Volume 1 You must first identify him
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS

BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION(e-book fiction)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6

ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (Hard copy)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X78D16

ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (e-book)
http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-630-9

Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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