As much as life confronts us with constant decisions, our decisions mold our life and give birth to offspring according to their own kind. Hence, bad decisions spawn bad decisions and will continue to do so until they are forsaken and replaced by better progenitors.
A deceiving aspiration
There are many things that can mislead us and cause us to choose poorly when time comes to select a course of action. One of these influencers is the desire to avoid trouble, danger, or assiduous work. By its very nature that inclination can hoodwink us and make us believe that ease is a blessing and the avoidance of risks a goal in itself.
That we arrive to such pipe dreams is somewhat amazing, for the Scripture makes it plain that ease and indolence are not found on the way of the Crucified. Yet we find ourselves searching for these empty pearls, making perilous decisions on the process which are doomed to lead us amidst confusion and losses.
Lot, our first example
The Bible is full of examples of wise and foolish decisions. I have written at length about the wrong decision Lot made when he chose the ease of the plain:
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other” (Gen. 13:10,11).
At the time, Lot thought his decision would make life easier, but it turned it into a perpetual agony. Before long, he found himself immersed in a sea of afflictions, vexations, and misery. Added to it, his decision destroyed his family from inside out.
Lot’s bad decision engendered another bad decision
While Lot was dwelling in the plains, he permitted his daughters to be betrothed to men from Sodom, a decision opposing God’s counsel:
You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly” (Deut. 7:3,4).
In absolute contrast, Abraham opted to stay away from the ease of the plain and from the seekers of ease and chose a pure lineage:
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:1–4).
While Abraham was taking wise decisions, Lot was opting for the easy way regardless of the consequences. The result proved to be an absolute fiasco. Lot’s sons-in-law perished with the inhabitants of Sodom, leaving him with no descendants, which was regarded as a curse in those days. But Abraham was blessed and the desire of his heart prospered. The twelve patriarchs, among others, were the long-term result of his wise decisions.
The wrong decision of Lot’s daughters
Walking in the spirit of their father, Lot’s daughters opted for the easy way as well. They took things in their own hands and searched for a convenient solution.
Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth.32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day” (Genesis 19:30–38).
Through incest, the two daughters of Lot got pregnant and gave birth to two sons, namely, Moab (the father of the Moabites) and Ben-Ammi (the father of the Ammonites). Eventually these two Semitic peoples became the archenemies of the people of Israel.
Obviously, we are not to do evil that good may come. Lot’s daughters tried to give to their father what God had taken away. The result was an absolute catastrophe. Just to show that good intensions are not sufficient. One must keep the divine rules.
The legacy of Lot
When we do things the wrong way there is no blessing on it. The easy way never yields good results. It is fruitless, lifeless, and counterproductive. It leads to poverty and shame. No wonder the Scripture says: “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1).
Lot and his daughters opted for the easy way and a curse came on their descendants.
I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults of the people of Ammon, with which they have reproached My people, and made arrogant threats against their borders. 9 Therefore, as I live,” says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah— overrun with weeds and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My people shall possess them” (Zephaniah 2:8,9).
Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Juda is like all the nations,’ 9 therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. 10 To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:8–11).
These two portions of scripture explain in clear terms what the legacy of these bad decisions has been. Let us learn from the testimony of the Scriptures and follow the example of Abraham, whose legacy was blessed and prosperous.
Conclusion
Obviously, what I shared here is only the tip of the iceberg. The Scriptures are loaded with stories attesting that opting for the easy way is a misleading approach, which eventually backfires on the lackadaisical seekers.
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