Lot in Common

I am participating in a Bible study about Genesis. I forget about the old Testament sometimes. It's been billed as a dry read, and I will admit there are some chapters and books that fit that bill. I'm not a fan of reading the genealogies, even though I know they are important to people of the Jewish faith.

I participated in a Beth Moore study about the patriarchs a few years ago. I didn't think that I would like Beth Moore--she's skinny, blonde and from the south--everything I'm not. She has an uncanny ability to talk right to you, even though she's addressing a room full of southern women.

I learned a lot about Genesis during that study and I was excited to dive into the book again. I didn't realize how much mercy there was in Genesis; it's woven through all the stories. Even in the story of Adam and Eve, there is mercy.

Right now we've started talking about Abram (later Abraham). He was called by God away from his home. God asked him to walk by faith through the desert. When he left his home, he asked if anyone wanted to come with him. His nephew, Lot, said that he did. They went out from Ur, to Haran, to Canaan, then Egypt and back to Canaan.

It was at this point that their possessions were so numerous that the land could not support their cattle, herds and people. So Abram decided that it was best that they separate. He gave Lot the opportunity to take first choice of where he would settle.

Lot looked around and decided he wanted to settle in the Jordan valley, specifically Sodom. Even those who don't have a vast knowledge of the Bible know that God eventually destroys Sodom because it's such an evil city.

I don't think most people can empathize with Lot, but I can. You see, what ends up happening is that Sodom is invaded and Lot is taken prisoner. Abram hears about this and decides to mount an army and go to his rescue. Most of the other women in my small group at BSF focused on Abram's end of the journey; I focused on Lot.

There are a lot of times I choose the easier, softer way. I choose the thing (food, indulgence, etc.) that looks delicious, looks appealing, looks beautfiul but that is really not what is the right thing for me. It doesn't mean I'm not a Christian, it just means I'm human. I have foibles. I like nice things. I don't want to have to think about living without my creature comforts. I imagine that's what went through Lot's mind, too. He wanted stability, he didn't want to live in a tent, he didn't want to be subject to (what he perceived) as God's whims.

The thing is, Lot enjoyed all of those comforts of the flesh but ended up missing out on God's full blessing. After Abram rescued him and restored him in Sodom, Lot stayed put! He decided (I think) that lightning couldn't strike twice and he was still better off in Sodom. He continued, for some time, to enjoy the "creature comforts" but ended up having to flee Sodom when it was clear that God intended to destroy it.

Abram, on the other, hand, got an extraordinary blessing. God told him that he would have descendants that were as numerous as the stars, that God would always protect him. He said no to the King of Sodom, who offered him inumerable riches. He knew that even though they were flashy, they were temporal and not nearly as luxuriant as what God was offering him.

I'm Lot in so many ways. Even when God has shown me mercy, I choose to continue to live in sin. So when I read this story, I didn't focus on Abram's blessing--I focused on the mercy God showed Lot. He could have said, "well, Lot made his bed, he's got to deal with it." No, he said, "Lot is my child and I don't want to see him suffer." He could have walked away from Lot but what I love about my savior is that he never walks away from us, he never gives up on us. Even when those around us want to throw in the towel, God is always there waiting for us to turn to him.

There have been lonely, dark days in my life, where my family did turn me out (for good reason) and where I had no one to turn to. I had nobody who was interested in helping a hopeless case. But God sent a modern-day Abram in the form of a friend of mine. This friend, whom I have known since college, took me into her home (along with her husband) and gave me a place to sleep until I could get things figured out.

I am Lot because I continue to struggle with "lesser" sins today (there is no hierarchy for God when it comes to sin), but I live in eternal gratitude to the God who saw me in captivity and still was there to rescue me. I think those who have been snatched from the jaws of hell understand, in a way no one else can, what it's like to sit in God's lap. I am humbled by the love God shows me because the full weight of "while we were yet sinners, He died for us" has extra significance.

I am Lot, but every day I move farther away from Sodom.