LOT
2
Peter 2:9-18
2
Peter 2:4, 7, 9: “For if God did not
spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy
dungeons to be held for judgment; …and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who
was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men, …if this is so, then the
Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for
the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”
Do
you remember Lot—Abraham’s nephew? Chapter
thirteen in Genesis says that Abraham and Lot’s livestock and possessions “grew
so great that they could not stay together.”
Their herdsmen quarreled with each other about where their livestock
would graze.
Abraham
decided that instead of fighting, they should go separate ways. He offered Lot first choice where to live. Lot chose to live in Sodom. Then, Abraham settled down in the opposite
direction.
Lot
chose poorly! The opening Scripture says
that Lot “was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men” when living in
Sodom. Genesis 14:12 shows that four
kings “seized all the goods of Sodom …and “carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and
all his possessions.” (This was before
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham).
“The
Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials” is also in the opening
Scripture. Abraham’s faith was “credited
to him as righteousness,” is recorded in Genesis 15:6, Galatians 3:6 and James
2:23. Before God destroyed Sodom,
Abraham begged for the lives of the righteous to be spared (Genesis
18:23-32).
So,
why did God spare Lot? Genesis 19:1 and
12b-13 shows that two angels came to Sodom.
Lot invited them to come home with him. They declared the awful news
after dinner: Get your family out of Sodom, because God sent us here to
“destroy this place.”
Take Home Nugget
Lot chose a very dangerous place to
raise his family. Giving into sinful
temptations leads people into suffering, disappointment, pain and even
death. It was only because Lot was
Abraham’s nephew that God spared Lot’s life—by sending
two angels who insisted that he leave immediately.
Whew!
See
how scary it is when people play around with their “flesh” nature? Soon, we lose sight of what’s righteous. Getting sucked into sinful behavior is so imperceptible,
we barely recognize what happened! We
cannot climb out of that pit on our own.
Yielding to God’s indwelling Spirit is the only way to conquer evil and live
righteously.
Let’s
put our lives in God’s hands. Then we
can live righteously, claim His promises and rest in His grace.
Holy Father, strengthen me to go
where Your Spirit leads. Forgive my mistakes, test my heart and work out poor
choices to my good, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Adapted from “A Worldly
Heart” from Dr. Charles Stanley. Christianity.com. Daily Inspirations. October 10, 2015. www.intouch.org.
J.D. Griffith
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