When Abram left his homeland in response to God’s call, his nephew Lot chose to go with him on his pilgrimage. Genesis 13:1-18 records that God blessed Abram to the point that he “was very rich in cattle [the primary measure of wealth in that culture], in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2). Lot also “had flocks, and herds, and tents” (Genesis 13:5). They both became so wealthy with their extensive livestock herds that they could not dwell close together. In order to avoid strife between their herdsmen, Abram offered Lot the choice of where he would like to live. Of course, Lot should have deferred to Abram, his senior, and because he owed his own prosperity to his connection to him. However, he showed no gratitude to his benefactor and selfishly wanted what he considered the best land available.
Read Genesis 13:10-12. What rational factors could have led Lot to make the decision that he did?
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However easily Lot could have justified his decision to move to the city, things didn’t turn out so great for him there, and when Abram heard about what happened to him, he didn’t say, “Well, too bad, Lot. You reap what you sow.” Instead, he came to his rescue (see Genesis 14:1-24).
Sometimes in our quest for more stuff, we don’t learn our lessons well. Lot moved right back into Sodom! But in His great mercy, God sent messengers of warning to Lot and his family, letting them know of the pending destruction of these cities.
Read Genesis 18:20-33. What did God tell Abraham was the reason for His visit to earth? What was Abraham’s response to the news that God was planning to destroy these wicked cities?
Because of Abraham’s concern for Lot and his family, he bargained with God to spare the cities if righteous people could be found in them. He started with 50 and went down to 10. In harmony with His character of love, God never stopped granting mercy until Abraham stopped asking! God and the two angels personally delivered Lot, his wife, and two daughters. But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Lot entered Sodom a wealthy man and came out with almost nothing. How careful we need to be about the kind of decisions that we make, especially thinking only of short-term gains in contrast to the big picture (see Mark 8:36-37).
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