Food for Friday
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. 2 Peter 2:7
When you and I get to Heaven, we will find Lot there! That may come as a bit of a surprise when we view the record of Lot in the book of Genesis. He made some huge mistakes and displayed some poor judgment, and ended his days in a huge disgrace. He is often pointed to as a prime example of how to make a failure of living. Without making too many excuses for poor Lot, I would like to examine how this Old Testament saint is far more like you and me than we realize!
We will not find Lot’s name mentioned in Faith’s Hall of Fame, as recorded in Hebrews 11. His uncle Abraham is there, one of the greatest faith heroes of all time. And against his uncle, Lot’s faith looks pretty tiny and poorly developed. But he was a man of faith; he actually did leave the comforts of Ur and of Haran and accompany Abraham to the promised land. In this he showed more faith than his sister Milcah, for example, who chose not to go. Very few Christians today are huge in their faith, capable of stepping out for God like Abraham did. But there was a time when we acted in faith, trusting Christ as Saviour and Lord. And since then, we have acted in faith in many circumstances. Giants of faith we are not, but there is a measure of faith in our lives, just like Lot.
We live in a day that is more like the days of Sodom and Gomorrah than at just about any other time in history. The sins that engulfed and damned those cities engulf and will damn our society today. Although Lot lived among those people, their filthy lifestyle vexed his soul; it really bothered him. He knew it was wrong and was disgusted by it. Can we say the same for ourselves today? In the same type of environment, in which the world takes ‘pride’ in that which God calls an abomination, does it bother us and cause us grief? Or do we shrug it off and lose our sense of disgust at the filthiness of this evil lifestyle? Are we any better than Lot was in this regard?
We are not sure why Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:10-12). Hindsight shows it was a mistake, but at the time, he saw the good prospects for his flocks and herds. It just made good business sense to move in that direction. How many of us make major life decisions based on our perception of the bottom line? Too many Christians choose the same path that Lot did, the path that would provide the most profit for him and his family.
Why did Lot get involved in the civic politics of Sodom? We can’t be sure that it was mere pride. I would like to think that Lot became a city councillor because of his desire to help make the city a better place. That would be a good motive, even though it was a wrong approach. You and I will never improve this rotten old sinful world by getting involved in its politics and affairs. But we all know Christians who try, and it never helps their testimony for the Lord, any more than it helped Lot.
The bottom line is that, despite all of his mistakes and poor judgment, God delivered just Lot. Just like He delivers us too, despite our poor record of faith and service. But like Lot, we have the opportunity to be like his uncle Abraham, if only we would put the Lord’s things first. -Jim MacIntosh