Title Protecting Lot/Genesis 19:12-23
Content Protecting Lot/Genesis 19:12-23
Goethe, the proud writer of Germany, wrote "Hermann and Dorothea", “The fate of a person's life and lifetime is decided in an instant. Most of us have probably wondered what to do with the important things in life. I would have wandered if it was to determine the direction of my life. Because once you make a choice, it might determine the direction of your life. Sometimes it's a decision after careful thought, but it can be wrong in the end. Therefore, in order to make a wise choice or decision, one must always cultivate good judgment and discernment.”
After conquering Canaan, Joshua gathered the Israelites together and said, “Choose whom you will serve today. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). We make choices every moment. Therefore, it is very important what criteria you choose based on.
1. Abraham's Choice and Lot's Choice
Lot was Abraham's nephew and accompanied him from Haran. When Abraham received God's blessing and became rich, Lot received the same blessing. Abraham and Lot each had so many livestock that they could not live together. Abraham's shepherd and Lot's shepherd fought to get first good grass and good wells. Abraham, the man of reconciliation, thought that it would not be virtuous to argue in front of the Gentiles, so he proposed a divorce.
“Is not the whole earth before you? leave me If you are left, I will be right; if you are right, I will be left.” (Genesis 13:9). Here we see the noble character of Abraham. The good land is that he will yield to his nephew Lot and he will choose the next best. However, Lot is drawn to the greed that only thinks about himself, and he chooses first. As a subordinate, Lot would have to be polite to yield his choices to his uncle, Abraham. Although Lot was greatly indebted to his uncle Abraham, he pursued only his own interests at the decisive moment. Lot, ungratefully, looked only at the beauty of the Jordan and did not think of his uncle's manners or courtesy.
The Bible warns against excessive greed for possessions. Luke 12:15 says, “Be on your guard against all covetousness. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Lot was drawn and chosen by selfish greed. What God requires is not what you possess, but the ontology of what you become. When Lot chose the city of Sodom, located in the fertile Jordan, he had no idea what terrible consequences his choice would have on his life. Lot chose the Jordans to settle in Sodom, the city of sin.
2. Abraham as an Intercessor
In Genesis 18, God came to Abraham and said, “How can I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is too loud. In it, people are committing great sins. Now I will go down and see if all the evil that is going on there is really like the cry that has come to me.”
Then Abraham's intercession begins. A mediator is a person who stands between two parties and arranges work, a negotiator. Intercession heals the sick (James 5:1416), turns judgment (Numbers 14:1120), and brings salvation from the enemy (1 Samuel 7:59). However, intercessory prayer is not a universal tool for answering questions regardless of the person's faith status. Intercessory prayer works when the faith of the person praying and the person who prays are in harmony with each other.
Abraham first asked, “If there are fifty righteous in the city, will you destroy it, and will not forgive it for the fifty righteous?” (Genesis 18:24). It is not known with certainty what the population of Sodom was at that time, but because Sodom was located on a fertile plain, the number of fifty would be a very small number compared to the total population. Abraham prays based on God's justice. “Will you destroy the righteous along with the wicked?” Abraham believed that it was the justice of God to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. After six pleadings, Abraham received God's promise not to destroy Sodom if only ten righteous people could be found. But there were no ten righteous people in Sodom and they were destroyed.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also mediators. In the Gospels, we can see the merciful heart of Jesus as the mediator who longs for many sinners in the world to repent and return to God. By dying on the cross for sinners, Jesus became the mediator and allowed us to enjoy peace with God. “He is our peace. He made the two one, and broke down the middle wall (Ephesians 2:14), and made peace through the blood of that cross, that all things, things on earth, things on earth, and things in heaven might be reconciled to Himself through Him. He rejoiced (Colossians 1:20).
3. God Saves Lot
God never destroys the righteous with the wicked. There were no ten righteous people in Sodom, but Lot's family was protected and saved. Lot's salvation was greatly influenced by Abraham's intercession. The prayers of the righteous are always answered by God. Although Lot lived in the city of sin, he had the spiritual discernment to discern God's messengers and was saved by obeying the angels' words. Obedience means doing, not listening. Therefore, obedience requires determination. When human reason tries to do something that is absolutely unbelievable, it is impossible to obey without determination.
At the time of Jesus, there were those who wanted to bury the dead and follow them even after being called (Matthew 8:21), and there were those who wanted to say goodbye to their families (Luke 9:61). Jesus said that it is not fit for the kingdom of God for a person who puts his hand to the plow to look back (Luke 9:62). Those who are being saved must not look back or delay. Lot's wife escaped the city of Sodom, but looking back, she became a pillar of salt.
Dear classmates! Lot was saved by the intercession of Abraham. There are those around us who, like Lot, have weak faith and have not completely left the city of sin. We must not stop intercession for them.