Choosing Prosperity (Genesis 13, 19)
Lot’s Choice: The Lure of the Jordan Valley
Our story begins with a young, successful man making a choice. His father had died when he was young, and he had lived with his uncle, Abram, for many years, learning the trade of a herdsman. Now, he had so many servants under him that his herdsmen were fighting with Abram’s. So Abram, in an attempt to make peace, offered Lot his choice of land to settle in. When Lot considered where he should go, he looked up and saw the beautiful, lush plains of Jordan and thought, “That looks like the garden of Eden.” So that’s where he chose, leaving Abram a land more mountainous, rugged, and difficult. But there’s one more important piece of information you need to know about the beautiful plains of Jordan: these plains were near the large cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot chose to pitch his tent near the great city of Sodom.
Lot’s Drift: Caught in Sodom’s Orbit
Lot’s decision led him into Sodom’s orbit, and he was sucked in. The next time we hear about him, he is being dragged away with the inhabitants of the city by an invading army. Abram has to muster troops and, with God’s help, rescue Lot and the other prisoners. He returned to Sodom with his possessions intact. But can you imagine what Lot went through in that ordeal? They were carrying him off, and he was facing enslavement for the rest of his life, losing all the wealth he had gained.
God’s Judgment: The Outcry Against Sodom
Lot didn’t change course. Later, we learn that God has heard a great outcry over the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord, along with two angels, comes down to destroy these cities, stopping to reveal the plan to Abraham along the way. Abraham bargains with the Lord and tries to intercede for the city. He says, “If 50 are righteous, will you destroy the righteous along with the wicked?” God relents. He will not destroy the whole city if 50 righteous are found there. Then Abraham presses further: “40? 30? 20? 10?” God yields to Abraham’s requests. He will not destroy the city if He can find 10 righteous souls there.
Lot’s Stand: A Light in the Darkness
In Chapter 19, we learn that Lot was now spending time at the city gate. It appears that he has traded his tents for permanent housing. Hanging out at the gate indicates a place of notoriety, where valued members of society would sit and discuss matters of state. When the two angels come to the gate, Lot bows low before them and begs them to stay at his house. He refuses to take no for an answer and balks at the notion that they might stay in the city square for the night. He bakes them bread, washes their feet, and does his best to take care of them. He is a shining light in that dark city, refusing to let it change who he is. He wasn’t perfect, but he cared for the stranger and sojourner like his uncle Abraham.
Sodom’s Sin: The Mob at the Door
But the city was full of wicked and evil men. The darkness of sin had covered the city, much like it had covered the earth before the flood. So a mob of evil men arrived at Lot’s door that night, seeking to take hold of the strangers and have sex with them. Lot, distressed and unnerved, tried to talk sense into them. His efforts were fruitless. The men turned violent, and he recommended that they take his two virgin daughters rather than the strangers. But they persisted—they wanted the foreigners. Just as they were about to barge their way through, the foreigners—strange men they did not know, who happened to be angels—struck them all with blindness.
The Escape: Dragged Out by Grace
The angels spoke to Lot in a hurried voice: “Do you have anyone else here—sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law? This place is about to be destroyed.” Lot goes to his future sons-in-law and tries to convince them that the city will soon be destroyed. They don’t listen. They think he’s joking and refuse to go. Back home with his family in the middle of the night, heart racing, he too is unsure about leaving. He is frozen between two worlds. This was their home—cozy, settled, established. They had raised their daughters there. They had given up the nomadic life, their herds, and living in tents. They were comfortable. So the angels, realizing that they would soon be destroyed, grabbed Lot and his wife and forced—even dragged—them out of the city along with their daughters. It was just beginning to dawn a new morning when the angels left them. They told them, “Run to the hills and don’t look back,” but Lot wanted to go to Zoar, a small town.
The Fall of Sodom: A Wife Lost
As they were walking the last bit of the way, God was sending a shower of meteors. He was destroying the whole city. Thoughts must have been whirling in their heads. Lot had spent all that time making a name for himself, trying to help the people understand what was right. All their money, their food, their possessions, and their relationships were gone. It was apocalyptic for them. Lot’s wife was struggling to let go. Her heart stayed in Sodom, and it would cost her everything. The uncertainty of what lay ahead was hard to bear. She idolized the comfort and ease of life. She loved her husband’s prominence and their relationships with the people there. Perhaps that's why she disobeyed the angels’ command and turned back to see the destruction. She could not believe this was really happening. Sadly, in that instant, she was turned into a pillar of salt. Now, Lot has lost his wife on top of everything else.
The Aftermath: A Family Broken and Redeemed
In the aftermath, a shell-shocked Lot, along with his two daughters, traveled past Zoar and lived in a cave in the mountains. To his daughters, the world had ended. Their plans were foiled, and now their father had lost any hope of continuing his family lineage. So they came up with a plan. Like the aftermath of Noah and the flood, Lot would get drunk, and his daughters would do something wicked. They slept with their father and bore two sons: Moab and Ben-Ammi. These two men would become the roots of the Moabite and Ammonite nations.
Lessons For Us:
Sin & Suffering
As we review this story, we cannot help but feel saddened by its tragedy. So much was destroyed by God. The New Testament assures us of Lot’s righteousness, and we see it in his desire to respect and honor his guests. But still, he is made to suffer. Why? Because sin is here, and sin and suffering go hand in hand. Lot and his family endured tremendous suffering because of the sins of others, not their own. This is a hugely important point. Even though Lot wasn’t perfect, he was a man of faith like his uncle, that did not free him from the suffering caused by sin.
Comfort Costs
The decision he made to settle near Sodom looked so easy and right, but it led to his greatest pains and sufferings. Lot is not that much different from us. His struggle to resist the draw of technology and comfort is our own. He was able to resist its pull and refused to be utterly sinful and wicked, but we can see in this story that his wife wasn’t that strong. She loved and perhaps even idolized the city she called home. She chose it over listening to God. Also, his daughters were corrupted. They obviously failed to trust in God, relying on their own deception and doing something shameful.
God’s Justice and Grace
As we study this story, it becomes obvious that God will judge the wicked and save the righteous. This is becoming a repeated theme that will continue throughout the Bible. God wants to save the wicked and provide them with grace, but He cannot unless they turn from their sin and repent. In the end, He promises to bring judgment. Jesus shows up in the New Testament, and He doesn’t tell us something different. He doesn’t act as though judgment will never happen again. He says it will be worse for those who refuse to listen to Him than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:15). But the Spirit reveals in the book of Acts that those who trust in the Lord and call on Jesus’ name will be saved (Acts 2:21, 38). Those who repent and are baptized will receive the gift of forgiveness and salvation.
A Call to Choose Wisely
In our lives, we will have decisions to make. We will have opportunities that seem good and right from a prosperity standpoint, but we must remember the spiritual implications.
2 Peter 2:6–10 (ESV) — 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,
God wants us to believe that the wicked will be punished. Those who oppress and corrupt, steal and violate, hate and destroy will be destroyed. They love their money and their pleasures, but they will not stand on the judgment day. Don’t let the snares and entanglements of sin wrap around you and choke out your fruitfulness. Don’t let it destroy your family. Don't believe Satan's lies. Be holy and distinct from the world around you. Trust in the Lord and lead your families in the right way.
A Final Plea: Trust in God’s Rescue
Lot suffered, but God saved him. In a sense, He dragged him kicking and screaming from the flames like a child. God wants us to believe that He will do everything in His power to help save us from ourselves and this sinful world. The picture of the angels pulling on Lot and his wife is so dramatic, but it reveals that sometimes we don’t know what’s best for ourselves. Sin can blind us. But God doesn’t look at us with disgust. He looks at us with compassion and mercy. He wants to save us. Like Abraham, Jesus intercedes and calls for us to find mercy and help to escape the snare of the devil. He gives us more grace. He lavishes it upon us. If only we will receive it, He will pull us out. We just need to trust in Him.