So after finishing Revelation last week, I decided to start again at the beginning of the Book. Don’t you just LOVE that no matter how many times you’ve read through the Bible, God always has something fresh and new to show you in its pages?! I love God a lot, just sayin…
Anyway, I began reading this morning in Genesis 12, where God called Abram to “leave and go” and Abram, in his trusting obedience, left and went. In the same chapter, I read about how Abran’s fear caused him to tell a half-truth about Sarai being his sister. Then in chapter 13, I read about how Abram and his nephew Lot parted ways because the land couldn’t sustain both of their flocks and herds, and their herdsmen were quarreling about it. Abram decided they should part ways and he allowed Lot to choose what portion of land he wanted to move to, and then he would then go in the opposite direction. Lot chose the whole plain of Jordan and “lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom, while Abram lived in the land of Canaan (verse 12).
I continued on into chapter 14, where it talks about certain kings of the cities around where Lot was living went to war against each other, and subsequently, Lord was taken captive. “The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom…” Wait a minute…I thought I read that Lot moved “near” Sodom, now he’s IN Sodom?!! Wow…(I spent a few minutes pondering.)
As I continued to read on in chapters 15 through 17, I read about God’s covenant with Abram; about Sarai’s lack of faith when she gave Hagar to Abram to secure descendants; about the covenant of circumcision given to Abram by God. Then in chapters 18 and 19, it spoke of three visitors coming to Abram, telling him of the destruction to come upon Sodom. Knowing his nephew was there, Abram began trying to keep this imminent destruction from taking place. Well, the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and “Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city”, where prominent men of prestige hung out. When Lot saw them, he “went to meet them” and said, “my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house…”. HOUSE?!! I thought Lot was living in a tent (13:12).
At this point God began to show me, through these passages about Lot’s life, the progression of sin that can take place in a life.
In Genesis 13:8-9, Lot was faced with a choice of where he wanted to dwell.
- He chose to live near Sodom, despite the reputation of the men there being “wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord (Genesis 13:13).
- He went from living in “tents” near Sodom, to being in a position of prestige, living in a “house” IN Sodom.
- He had developed friendships with people of the city (Genesis 19:6).
- He was so intent on saving his reputation with his visitors that he was willing to offer up his virgin daughters to the vile men of the city.
- When Lot found out he had to leave the city, he sent word to guys his daughters were pledged to marry. He had become so much a part of that city that he was allowing his daughters to marry men from there rather than marrying men from their own people.
- When the time came to leave Sodom, Lot “hesitated” to leave and had to be taken by the hand and led away (Genesis 19:16).
- Lot ended up losing his wife in Genesis 19:26 because she looked upon the city and its destruction.
As I was thinking through this, the Spirit reminded me of James 1:14-16. Check out how well it describes Lot’s progression in sin.
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away
by their own evil desire and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin,
when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”
~~James 1:14-16~~
Lot’s primary focus, when choosing where he was going to live, had little to do with God and much to do with where his flocks and herds would best prosper. That’s exactly what James 1:14 talked about – “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed”. The ultimate outcome of his poor choices did indeed end in “death”. He lost his home, he lost his wife, and ultimately, because of the sinful incestuous relationship he had with his daughters, two nations (the Moabites and the Ammonites) were born and remain enemies of Israel to this day.
Wow…faced with a simple decision and having the wrong focus, caused such a slippery slope of destruction in Lot’s life. It makes me wonder what choices I will be faced with today that, if I don’t keep God front and center in my thoughts, have the potential to carry me down a similar slippery slope. Sobering thought, isn’t it?