In this present post I will argue that a life of self-sufficiency atrophies the faith of the one given to its deceitful charm. This means, as we will see afterward, that the very thought of divine dependency will terrify that person as it terrified Lot.
Lot’s decision
Time and again the Scriptures testify that a person’s decision will always be followed by its corresponding side effects. Hence, bad decisions will always engender deleterious offshoots. This is clearly exemplified in the life of Lot. He chose for himself the plain of Jordan and went as far as Sodom. It is important to notice that the plain of Jordan was not part of the choice Abraham proposed to Lot. When the proposal took place the two men were located between Bethel and Ai, facing the plain of Jordan. Lot had only to lift up his eyes to see the plain (Genesis 13:10). Therefore when Abraham said: “If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left”, the plain of Jordan was not included in the deal. On the left as on the right was the land of Canaan, not the plain of Jordan. In fact, from the very beginning, Abraham had rejected the plain of Jordan. He had chosen the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:3,4).
The sinful lifestyle of the plain
As I have mentioned in my previous post, in the plain of Jordan the amoral life of an individual didn’t bear on his prosperity. Therefore the place was teeming with sinners. But as we all know, the time came in which God was going to judge the inhabitants of the plain, and He was going to do so because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their sin very grave (Genesis 18:20). It must be noticed that God’s wrath didn’t come on these two cities only, but on all the inhabitants of the plain as the angel attest: “Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain” (Genesis 19:17). So the plain and all its inhabitants were about to be destroyed (Genesis 19:29).
The incredulity of Lot
Before the actual destruction, God sent two angels to warn Lot:
Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12,13)
But then comes the following verse:
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” (Genesis 19:14)
Here we must focus on what his sons-in-law perceived: “But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.” The amazing thing here is that while Lot told his sons-in-law to get up and get out of this place, he himself remained in that corrupt land, went to bed and slept calmly as the following words attest:
When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” (Genesis 19:15)
Here Lot was still in bed. No wonder his sons-in-law thought he was joking. He was telling them to get out of this place while he himself was remaining there. The problem with Lot is that he didn’t truly believe the message he preached. I suggest the same inconsistency might happen to us at times. Here the pertinent question is the following: Does our life back-up the message we preach, or does it transmute it into an apparent joke?
Then comes verse 16, a verse attesting once more the incredulity of Lot. Here the angels had told him twice to flee from the plain, but Lot was still unconvinced:
And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:16)
Here it seems Lot was not going to move an inch. The angels had to take him by the hand and escort him outside, together with his wife and two daughters.
Then comes the third warning:
So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17)
Here again the incredulity of Lot is confirmed. Listen to what he said:
Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.” (Genesis 19:18,19)
The fear of the mountains
As I have been saying all along, a life of self-sufficiency will degenerate our faith. The process might be slow but it will be nevertheless invasive. Lot was afraid of the mountains because it was a land of divine dependability and he was used to manage everything on his own. “I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.” (Genesis 19:19) It seems Lot had forgotten that his uncle had dwelled in these mountains all along and that God had taken care of him all these years. To hide ourselves in the cocoon of human capabilities might not always be propitious. It might backfire on us and mislead us into thinking that everything is fine when it is not. The real test resides in the following question: Are we ready to take a daring plunge of faith? None of us has an excuse, for the opportunities to do so cannot be exhausted and there are thousands of needs that can only be met that way. Do we dare to rely on God? Abraham dared and was called the friend of God.
A last observation
Before closing I would like to point out that Lot’s salvation was due to Abraham’s faithfulness:
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” (Genesis 19:29)
God didn’t remember Lot, He remembered Abraham. And it is this remembrance that caused God to send Lot out of the midst of the overthrow. Yes! Lot was spared but as through fire: his sons-in-law perished with the inhabitants of Sodom, leaving him with no descendants, which was regarded a curse in those days. Added to it, Lot lost his wife. To choose the ease of the plain will never result in blessings. It is told of Lot that he lived in oppression and torment (2 Peter 2:7,8). This and nothing else is the legacy of the plain, but the man who follows the example of Abraham will be blessed as father Abraham was.
(For more about Lot you may want to read my post entitled: “Opting for the easy way”)
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