5 And Lot also, which went
with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain
of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from
the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of
Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked
and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. (Gen 13:5-13)
We should not sit in stern judgment concerning the choice Lot made for we all
have made them in times past, and many still do so as a matter of habitual greed.
Our churches have far more Lots today than Abrahams. Many who know God well,
yet know Him not well enough to surrender their frail and imperfect wills to
Him, populate not only the pews of churches around the world, but regrettably
the pulpits, too. Many clergymen make it a point to learn who gives the greater
treasure in offerings so that they can gage the impact of their sermons to
please, and not offend, the one with deep pockets. The Apostle James elaborates
a great principle regarding that same circumstance: 2
For if there
come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there
come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and
say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in
yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren,
Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the
kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? (James
2:2-5)
Great and climactic decisions are often more easily made than the steady,
day-by-day adherence to the principles that follow in trail of that decision.
Lot agreed to follow Abram (later Abraham) from Ur of the Chaldees – to leave
familiar surroundings and possessions to go out in uncharted waters following
the command of the God of Abraham. Lot did so without so much as a whimper. But
along with perfect obedience to God comes blessings. Those blessings had made
of Abrahams nephew, Lot, a wealthy owner of much sheep. So far, Lot and Abraham
have gotten on swimmingly well. But the material blessings begin to burden
territorial concerns. Lots shepherds strive with the shepherds of Lots
benefactor, Abraham, over water rights. Perhaps less driven by concerns over
worldly concerns than Lot, Abraham calls his nephew forward and shows him the
territory round and about upon which the two are living. 7 And there was a strife between
the herdmen of Abrams cattle and the herdmen of Lots cattle: and the Canaanite
and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 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. 9 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.
The magnanimity of Abram (Abraham) is abundantly obvious from his initiation of
a resolution and his willingness to have second choice on Lots preference of
land grant. A man who acts out of the will of God rather than his own will
always demonstrate the same magnanimity of the Lord in dealing with others. So
Lot takes assessment of the choice offered by Abram – an assessment far more
inclined to worldly concerns than Godly ones. 10 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. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain
of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from
the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of
Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked
and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. What a woeful thing for men and women to choose the
attraction of the world over the important consideration of righteous conduct
in choosing with whom they will pitch their tents.
Lot chose the fertile plain of the Jordan Valley, and pitched his tent
toward Sodom. How tragic!
Three stellar points emerge concerning the character of Lot
vis avis Abram.
1
Lot lacked a devotion to God that was
demonstrated in Abrams character. Every place he went, Abram built an altar
there to the Lord. There is no record of Lot ever building an altar – even
after escaping the devastation of ill-chosen city – Sodom! But the men of
Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
2
Lot was worldly-minded. The Lord hates
a high look. . . . . him that hath an high look and a
proud heart will not I suffer. (Psalm 101:5) Did
Lot defer to his elder uncle, or did he, without hesitation, choose what he
believed was the most personally profitable for himself? 10 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.
3
Lot made wrong decisions because he
used his own reason and not that of prayerful contemplation. He LOOKED toward
Sodom. He chose the wrong side of the land to dwell in. He PITCHED HIS TENT toward
Sodom. That was also to enhance his opportunity to gain the wealth from the
filthy commerce of Sodom. We have said many times, especially to the young
among us, that sin is a direction whose grade grows steeper as we travel in the
wrong direction. In pitching his tent toward Sodom, Lot set in play a number of
further wrong decisions that would place his very family in grave jeopardy.
Finally, Lot became part of the political establishment of Sodom. He moved into
that wicked city – so very wicked we get the term sodomy therefrom – and became
an official at the gate. When the destroying Angels came to Sodom in the
gloaming of the evening, 1 And
there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and
Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward
the ground. (Gen 19:1)
Please
do not tell me that you have not made wrong decision, uninformed by prayer,
that you came to regret. Lot did, indeed, come to regret his decision to pitch
his tent toward Sodom. Decisions we make similar to that of Lot will often
have perilous consequences for our innocent children. What was the price that
Lot paid for his selfish decision to bring his family near to the very seat and
throne of sin?
Only three of Lots
family were saved. We know not for certain how many perished for we do not know
if he had sons in Sodom; but we do know Lots wife perished by looking back
perhaps in regret to the city she had loved. His two sons-in-law died in the
devastation as well, refusing to leave that sinful hotbed. (sorry for the pun).
And the two daughters of Lot, plagued with the sinful and sensuous atmosphere
of Sodom, engaged in a reprehensible relationship with their own father from
which two cursed sons were born.
We
may consider Lots decision simply unwise and uninformed. That would be a
correct assumption, for it was based on carnal considerations and not prayerful
and Godly ones.
Did God at any point send due warning to Lot of the peril of
his soul if he remained in Sodom? Yes, God sent very stark warning just as He
does to other nations and peoples who heed not His Counsel such as our own
sinful nation. Chedorlaomer, with other kings of the vale of Shittim, invaded
and defeated the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. With what result? 11 And
they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went
their way. 12 And
they took Lot, Abrams brothers son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and
departed. (Gen 14:11-12)
So Lot and his family, having been captured by enemy kings, became a once-again
burden to his uncle, Abraham. Abraham could not allow his nephew to remain a
captive and slave of the enemy, so he raised an army from among his people and
rescued Lot, his wife and daughters, and property from Chedorlaomer and slew
that king. There were two who came out to meet Abraham following the victory –
the King of Sodom, and Melchizedek, King of Salem (King of Peace). Melchizedek
is a mysterious figure that seems to meet many corresponding points in
character of our Lord Jesus Christ. He served Bread and Wine to Abraham –
perhaps the first shadow of the Communion, and Abram gave tithes of all to
Melchizedek. But what of the King of Sodom? 21 And
the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to
thyself. 22 And
Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the
most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I
will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any
thing that is thine. (Gen 14:21-23)
We are not to profit from the treasures of sin.
What hath Light to do with Darkness? We should be free of any obligation to
workers of iniquity. CASE CLOSED!
