LOT'S LOSSES (PART 2)
TEXT
"And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters." (Genesis chapter 19 verse 30, King James Version).
This was the lot of Lot, a man who at the beginning had so much wealth while he lived with his uncle, Abraham. The Bible records as follows:
"And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 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." (Genesis chapter 13 verse 5)
How come that such a man that was so blessed could end up in a cave with his two daughters? The answer is not far-fetched. He forsook the grace that upheld him when he separated from Abraham, his uncle. You may refer to yesterday's devotional where I dealt with this in detail.
Let's examine some of the mistakes that Lot made in life, so that we might take caution and avoid making similar mistakes in life. Firstly, we note that Lot was a very sensual fellow. It seemed that his association with Abraham had little or no effect on his spiritual life. This is without prejudice to the fact that 2nd Peter chapter 2 verses 7 and 8 referred to him as "just" and "righteous". That's another issue altogether!
For instance, when he was to be separated from his uncle, apart from his discourteous behavior of choosing before his elderly Abraham, the Bible says that he chose by sight the plains of Jordan because "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" (Genesis chapter 13 verse 10). He probably was a man that had an inclination towards his senses. Too bad!
Another thing that I noticed with Lot was that he pitched his tent towards Sodom (Genesis chapter 13 verse 12), knowing that "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly" (Genesis chapter 13 verse 13). Seeing that evil communication corrupts good manners, Lot shouldn't have done so. Any wonder that when the angels of the Lord were in Sodom on inspection, they met Lot right in the city? To choose to be in the company of sinners is a bad choice, except where the Lord allowed it for ministry's sake.
Again, I believe that Lot wouldn't have lost some of his daughters, his wife and his belongings, had he had enough spiritual insight to understand God's mercy and warning. The Bible reveals that in the battle of the kings in Genesis chapter 14, while he lived towards Sodom, his family, himself and his belongings were taken into captivity (Genesis chapter 14 verse 12). Eventually, they were rescued by Abraham. (Genesis chapter 14 verse 16). This was God's mercy to him.
To me, this should have served to warn Lot about Sodom and to return to the guidance and oversight of his aged uncle, Abraham. But this was never to be the case. While the narrative of his rescue from captivity by Abraham was given in Genesis chapter 14, it was in Genesis chapter 19 that the angels went to the city of Sodom to rescue him. This proves that he went back to Sodom to continue to dwell there. It seemed that this was probably because of his desire for independence from his uncle or because he had become much embroiled or embrangled with the life in Sodom that he couldn't separate from it. Perhaps, his daughters had at that time gotten married to the men of the city. All together, this was Lot's bane!
Time would fail me to talk about the unrighteous effects that the life in Sodom had on Lot and his two daughters whilst in the cave, which resulted in the progenitors of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Genesis chapter 19 verses 31 to 38). We know that the Moabites and the Ammonites were a very corrupt and abhorrent race before the Lord.
May we learn from these mistakes of Lot to avoid falling into the unpleasantness of losing favor with God and with men.
PRAYER:
May I never be cut off from grace, let alone be comfortable with the company of sinners, in Jesus name.