Probably this is because Abraham, knowing that his wife Sarah to be barren at that time, considers his brother’s son Lot as his own heir (Genesis 11:30). There is historical evidence for the existence of such practices among the people of those times. We also need to keep in mind that, God had not yet fulfilled His promises to Abraham regarding his offspring. On their way to Canaan, when they are at Haran, Terah who is 205 years of age dies (Genesis 11:31, 32). Lot continues to live with Abraham even after Terah’s death. And when Abraham leaves for Canaan obeying God’s word, Lot goes along (Genesis 12:4,5). Even when they reached Canaan, Lot continued to live with Abraham for a while. But as time passed and their flocks and herds grew in number, the land could not support the possessions of both. This started causing quarrels between their herdsmen (Genesis 13:6,7). It is only then that Abraham told Lot that they should not have disputes as they were brothers and magnanimously offered him a part of the land. He allowed Lot to choose, assuring him that he himself would go the other way (Genesis 13:8, 9). Lot picked the well-watered plain of Jordan, moved eastward and pitched his tents near Sodom. The people of Sodom were in great sin then (Genesis 13:10-13). Abraham meanwhile went to a different area and settled down. Thus Lot and Abraham separated amicably. We do not know whether they were in touch with each other after that.
(2) Nevertheless, sometime later we again hear about Lot. When the king of Sodom and Gomorrah lose a battle, his enemies take Lot captive along with many Sodomites (Genesis 14:8-12). When Abraham hears about this, he commandeers 318 trained men of his own household and rescues Lot (Genesis 14:12-16). From this incident, we understand the love that Abraham and God have towards Lot. Later, when God reveals to Abraham that His angels are about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham gets worried about Lot’s wellbeing. But not wanting to be a direct obstacle to God’s justice, Abraham asks God if He would still destroy the city if He found a few righteous men among them (Genesis 18:23-32). From this, we can infer that Abraham expected Lot and his family to have lived righteous inside Sodom and Gomorrah. True to that, Lot had not gotten himself entangled in the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the angels of God arrive at Sodom and Gomorrah, he bows down to them at the city gate itself, and even though they want to spend the night in the square, he persuades them to go with him to his house and serves them a nice meal (Genesis 19:1-3).
(3) That night, the men of Sodom surround Lot’s house and call him to bring out the angels so that they could molest them (Genesis 19:4,5). Lot goes out, shuts the door behind him and goes to the extent of offering his virgin daughters as prey in order to pacify the raging crowd to save the angels (Genesis 19:8). But they refuse and move forward to break down the door (Genesis 19:9). That is when the angels pull Lot back into the house, shut the door and strike blind the men outside (Genesis 19:10,11). Then they inform Lot that God has indeed sent them to destroy the city and advise him to gather his own people and get them out (Genesis 19:12,13). So Lot goes out and calls his sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters to get out of the city as God is about to destroy it. But they think he is joking and take no heed to his warning (Genesis 19:14). With the coming of dawn, the angels urge Lot to hurry up and leave the city with his family. But Lot hesitates for a while (Genesis 19:15,16).
(4) Due to God’s mercy on him, the angels grasp the hands of Lot and his family, lead them safely out of the city and tell them to flee far away from the plains, to the mountains (Genesis 19:16,17). But Lot pleads with them that he cannot run that far and asks their permission to take refuge in a small town nearer (Genesis 19: 19, 20). And they grant him that request (Genesis 19:21, 22). While Lot and his daughters run well and manage to escape Sodom’s destruction, his wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:21-26).
(5) It would not be an exaggeration to say that we have a lot to learn from the days of Lot. For example, many preachers of the Bible are critical of Lot’s decision to choose the fertile Sodom when he had to separate from Abraham. But that is unfair. The Bible tells us that Lot lived righteously even when he lived amongst the lawless men of Sodom (2 Peter 2:7, 8). How significant a lesson is this for us! Our Master tells His disciples – “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). Yes, we should not forget our calling for the Church is to live as God’s witnesses in this Sodom-like world. Lot serves us as a model in that regard. Truly, it is not that difficult to be righteous amidst the righteous. But we should strive to follow the path of righteousness in any environment, as Lot did. Probably the Sodomites mocked Lot, and tried to lure him into their sins, but what we know is he avoids their ways. Paradoxically he is tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he sees and hears (2 Peter 2:7,8). We too should choose such a distinguished manner amidst this sinful world. We should endeavor to live righteously no matter what our circumstances are. If Lot managed to survive upright even in Sodom, do we have any excuse for ourselves? None at all!
(6) We can recognize the intensity of Lot’s faith in God from the way he tried to save the angels from the men of Sodom. He is willing to even sacrifice his own daughters for that purpose. By that act, he actually reveals that he has learnt his faith in God from Abraham. As we know, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son Isaac when God asked him to, and thus proved his faith in the Almighty (Genesis 22:1-12). Likewise Lot is ready to lose his own daughters to save the angels sent by God. Surely it is a very hard thing for anyone to sacrifice his or her own child. Both Abraham and Lot must have suffered pain. But they put their faith in God believing He would bless them for their acts of obedience . And also serving them good was their firm belief that God is more important than anything else. Our Master tells us that such faith needs to be found in us too – “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;” (Matthew 10:37). Like Abraham and like Lot, we too should give more importance to God’s works than our worldly relationships and possessions. Thus Lot is a role model for us in this matter too.
(7) But we also see that Lot hesitates for a while when the angels urge him to leave Sodom immediately. This actually serves as a warning for us. Though Lot lived righteously, he had his home and possessions at Sodom. His sons-in-law, the ones pledged to marry his daughters were there. The thought of losing them all at once must have made him hesitate a bit. Even the knowledge about the forthcoming destruction of Sodom does not prevent that hesitation. Similarly, if we who know the destruction awaiting this present world persist in acquiring worldly wealth, relations and friends, that would definitely put the brakes on our spiritual race. How much time and effort has to be spent to gain worldly riches like land and houses! Likewise how much time is wasted by earthly friends and relationships! The time we spend on these kinds of activities is equivalent to the time spent hesitating to flee from a Sodom marked for destruction. We know that Jesus wandered the earth with no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). Apostle Paul too dedicated himself in the same manner for the Truth. We should always keep Paul’s advice in mind – “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). Yes, this world is to pass away very soon just like Sodom. So it is unwise to hesitate even a bit.
(8) The days of Lot serve as a critical warning especially to us who live during the Second Presence of Christ. Taking it a bit further, Jesus tells us that they
indeed serve as a shadow of our time period – “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:28-32). From these verses it is clear that the days of Lot shadow the days of the Second Presence of Christ, that is, the Present Times that we live in! Apostle Peter too compares the happenings of the days of Lot to those of the end times (2 Peter 2:6-9). That Lot and his family represent the Church is a beautiful type indeed! As soon as they left Sodom, it was destroyed. Thus indeed would be the state of the current world when the Church is fulfilled. In fact Peter confirms that the destruction of Sodom is a shadow of the current world’s end (2 Peter 2:6). Interesting, this second world is also to be destroyed by fire like Sodom and not by water. Moreover, in the same manner as the angels who came to Lot and warned him about the impending doom of Sodom, so does the returned and present Christ warn us, the Church about the imminence of the world’s forthcoming destruction. But the world, ignorant of this, continues its normal routine of eating, drinking and planting like the people during the days of Lot. The relatives of Lot did not believe his warnings. Likewise the world mocks our warnings indeed – They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4). As a matter of fact, when we share the Truth, many mock us in exactly the same way. The days of Lot very clearly serves as an apt shadow of our present times.
(9) Therefore, during these present times we must heed the warning of Jesus, and avoid giving importance for planting, buying and building like the people of the world do. We should realize that these activities are fruitless in a decaying world and that they delay us as they delayed Lot. As the time is very short, we should be giving priority to spending our time in witnessing the Truth to as many as possible. Using two examples, Jesus illustrates the sense of urgency that we need to exhibit. In those days, city residents who spot approaching enemy armies from the roofs of their houses would flee the city leaving behind their house and all their possessions. Similarly can’t we see the impending destruction of the world far ahead of the others? And if we were trying to flee from this world, wouldn’t we be delayed trying to carry all its earthly desires and possessions? Jesus tells us to leave them behind and run. Furthermore, the agricultural fields of those times were outside the city limits. So the people who worked there could flee from there itself without returning to the city. We too should also take flight with such speed. It would be wrong on our part to be thinking about getting the crops reaped from the fields (our earthly jobs) back to our houses (as wealth) in the city. We may live all our lives without giving priority to earthly businesses and running out spiritual race well. But we need to be cautious till the end of the race, i.e. our deaths. As Jesus says, we should keep Lot’s wife in mind and not be pulled back by the world half-way through. If so, we would be subject to destruction along with the world.
(10) Just as God lovingly rescued Lot from Sodom, so He wishes to save us the Church from the forthcoming destruction. That is why He reminds us, through the Second Presence of Christ, that the end of the world is very near. This is a blessing to us, and so we who have so much knowledge of the things to come should not hesitate. We should not let us be tempted by worldly things, earthly desires, fleshly loves and relationships. The times we live in are urgent times, and pretty soon the second world is about to be destroyed. As we saw in Grace, Blossom 20, Para 5 (last month’s issue), Christ’s Second Presence shows us that the Kingdom of Heaven is very near at the door. Therefore we should indulge in the works of God wholeheartedly with a sense of urgency. Unlike Lot’s wife who turned back half-way, if we run till the end without turning back, glory waits for us. Let God Himself bestow His Grace upon us!
(1) “It was the same in the days of Lot.” (Luke 17:28)
Lot is a man of the B.C. 1800’s. He is the son of Abraham’s brother Haran (Genesis 11:27). Together with his grandfather Terah and the family of Abraham (then known as Abram), Lot sets out from Ur, a town in the land of the Chaldeans towards Canaan (Genesis 11:31). Probably this is because Abraham, knowing that his wife Sarah to be barren at that time, considers his brother’s son Lot as his own heir (Genesis 11:30). There is historical evidence for the existence of such practices among the people of those times. We also need to keep in mind that, God had not yet fulfilled His promises to Abraham regarding his offspring. On their way to Canaan, when they are at Haran, Terah who is 205 years of age dies (Genesis 11:31, 32). Lot continues to live with Abraham even after Terah’s death. And when Abraham leaves for Canaan obeying God’s word, Lot goes along (Genesis 12:4,5). Even when they reached Canaan, Lot continued to live with Abraham for a while. But as time passed and their flocks and herds grew in number, the land could not support the possessions of both. This started causing quarrels between their herdsmen (Genesis 13:6,7). It is only then that Abraham told Lot that they should not have disputes as they were brothers and magnanimously offered him a part of the land. He allowed Lot to choose, assuring him that he himself would go the other way (Genesis 13:8, 9). Lot picked the well-watered plain of Jordan, moved eastward and pitched his tents near Sodom. The people of Sodom were in great sin then (Genesis 13:10-13). Abraham meanwhile went to a different area and settled down. Thus Lot and Abraham separated amicably. We do not know whether they were in touch with each other after that.
(2) Nevertheless, sometime later we again hear about Lot. When the king of Sodom and Gomorrah lose a battle, his enemies take Lot captive along with many Sodomites (Genesis 14:8-12). When Abraham hears about this, he commandeers 318 trained men of his own household and rescues Lot (Genesis 14:12-16). From this incident, we understand the love that Abraham and God have towards Lot. Later, when God reveals to Abraham that His angels are about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham gets worried about Lot’s wellbeing. But not wanting to be a direct obstacle to God’s justice, Abraham asks God if He would still destroy the city if He found a few righteous men among them (Genesis 18:23-32). From this, we can infer that Abraham expected Lot and his family to have lived righteous inside Sodom and Gomorrah. True to that, Lot had not gotten himself entangled in the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the angels of God arrive at Sodom and Gomorrah, he bows down to them at the city gate itself, and even though they want to spend the night in the square, he persuades them to go with him to his house and serves them a nice meal (Genesis 19:1-3).
(3) That night, the men of Sodom surround Lot’s house and call him to bring out the angels so that they could molest them (Genesis 19:4,5). Lot goes out, shuts the door behind him and goes to the extent of offering his virgin daughters as prey in order to pacify the raging crowd to save the angels (Genesis 19:8). But they refuse and move forward to break down the door (Genesis 19:9). That is when the angels pull Lot back into the house, shut the door and strike blind the men outside (Genesis 19:10,11). Then they inform Lot that God has indeed sent them to destroy the city and advise him to gather his own people and get them out (Genesis 19:12,13). So Lot goes out and calls his sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters to get out of the city as God is about to destroy it. But they think he is joking and take no heed to his warning (Genesis 19:14). With the coming of dawn, the angels urge Lot to hurry up and leave the city with his family. But Lot hesitates for a while (Genesis 19:15,16).
(4) Due to God’s mercy on him, the angels grasp the hands of Lot and his family, lead them safely out of the city and tell them to flee far away from the plains, to the mountains (Genesis 19:16,17). But Lot pleads with them that he cannot run that far and asks their permission to take refuge in a small town nearer (Genesis 19: 19, 20). And they grant him that request (Genesis 19:21, 22). While Lot and his daughters run well and manage to escape Sodom’s destruction, his wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:21-26).
(5) It would not be an exaggeration to say that we have a lot to learn from the days of Lot. For example, many preachers of the Bible are critical of Lot’s decision to choose the fertile Sodom when he had to separate from Abraham. But that is unfair. The Bible tells us that Lot lived righteously even when he lived amongst the lawless men of Sodom (2 Peter 2:7, 8). How significant a lesson is this for us! Our Master tells His disciples – “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16). Yes, we should not forget our calling for the Church is to live as God’s witnesses in this Sodom-like world. Lot serves us as a model in that regard. Truly, it is not that difficult to be righteous amidst the righteous. But we should strive to follow the path of righteousness in any environment, as Lot did. Probably the Sodomites mocked Lot, and tried to lure him into their sins, but what we know is he avoids their ways. Paradoxically he is tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he sees and hears (2 Peter 2:7,8). We too should choose such a distinguished manner amidst this sinful world. We should endeavor to live righteously no matter what our circumstances are. If Lot managed to survive upright even in Sodom, do we have any excuse for ourselves? None at all!
(6) We can recognize the intensity of Lot’s faith in God from the way he tried to save the angels from the men of Sodom. He is willing to even sacrifice his own daughters for that purpose. By that act, he actually reveals that he has learnt his faith in God from Abraham. As we know, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his own son Isaac when God asked him to, and thus proved his faith in the Almighty (Genesis 22:1-12). Likewise Lot is ready to lose his own daughters to save the angels sent by God. Surely it is a very hard thing for anyone to sacrifice his or her own child. Both Abraham and Lot must have suffered pain. But they put their faith in God believing He would bless them for their acts of obedience . And also serving them good was their firm belief that God is more important than anything else. Our Master tells us that such faith needs to be found in us too – “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;” (Matthew 10:37). Like Abraham and like Lot, we too should give more importance to God’s works than our worldly relationships and possessions. Thus Lot is a role model for us in this matter too.
(7) But we also see that Lot hesitates for a while when the angels urge him to leave Sodom immediately. This actually serves as a warning for us. Though Lot lived righteously, he had his home and possessions at Sodom. His sons-in-law, the ones pledged to marry his daughters were there. The thought of losing them all at once must have made him hesitate a bit. Even the knowledge about the forthcoming destruction of Sodom does not prevent that hesitation. Similarly, if we who know the destruction awaiting this present world persist in acquiring worldly wealth, relations and friends, that would definitely put the brakes on our spiritual race. How much time and effort has to be spent to gain worldly riches like land and houses! Likewise how much time is wasted by earthly friends and relationships! The time we spend on these kinds of activities is equivalent to the time spent hesitating to flee from a Sodom marked for destruction. We know that Jesus wandered the earth with no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). Apostle Paul too dedicated himself in the same manner for the Truth. We should always keep Paul’s advice in mind – “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). Yes, this world is to pass away very soon just like Sodom. So it is unwise to hesitate even a bit.
(8) The days of Lot serve as a critical warning especially to us who live during the Second Presence of Christ. Taking it a bit further, Jesus tells us that they indeed serve as a shadow of our time period – “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:28-32). From these verses it is clear that the days of Lot shadow the days of the Second Presence of Christ, that is, the Present Times that we live in! Apostle Peter too compares the happenings of the days of Lot to those of the end times (2 Peter 2:6-9). That Lot and his family represent the Church is a beautiful type indeed! As soon as they left Sodom, it was destroyed. Thus indeed would be the state of the current world when the Church is fulfilled. In fact Peter confirms that the destruction of Sodom is a shadow of the current world’s end (2 Peter 2:6). Interesting, this second world is also to be destroyed by fire like Sodom and not by water. Moreover, in the same manner as the angels who came to Lot and warned him about the impending doom of Sodom, so does the returned and present Christ warn us, the Church about the imminence of the world’s forthcoming destruction. But the world, ignorant of this, continues its normal routine of eating, drinking and planting like the people during the days of Lot. The relatives of Lot did not believe his warnings. Likewise the world mocks our warnings indeed – They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4). As a matter of fact, when we share the Truth, many mock us in exactly the same way. The days of Lot very clearly serves as an apt shadow of our present times.
(9) Therefore, during these present times we must heed the warning of Jesus, and avoid giving importance for planting, buying and building like the people of the world do. We should realize that these activities are fruitless in a decaying world and that they delay us as they delayed Lot. As the time is very short, we should be giving priority to spending our time in witnessing the Truth to as many as possible. Using two examples, Jesus illustrates the sense of urgency that we need to exhibit. In those days, city residents who spot approaching enemy armies from the roofs of their houses would flee the city leaving behind their house and all their possessions. Similarly can’t we see the impending destruction of the world far ahead of the others? And if we were trying to flee from this world, wouldn’t we be delayed trying to carry all its earthly desires and possessions? Jesus tells us to leave them behind and run. Furthermore, the agricultural fields of those times were outside the city limits. So the people who worked there could flee from there itself without returning to the city. We too should also take flight with such speed. It would be wrong on our part to be thinking about getting the crops reaped from the fields (our earthly jobs) back to our houses (as wealth) in the city. We may live all our lives without giving priority to earthly businesses and running out spiritual race well. But we need to be cautious till the end of the race, i.e. our deaths. As Jesus says, we should keep Lot’s wife in mind and not be pulled back by the world half-way through. If so, we would be subject to destruction along with the world.
(10) Just as God lovingly rescued Lot from Sodom, so He wishes to save us the Church from the forthcoming destruction. That is why He reminds us, through the Second Presence of Christ, that the end of the world is very near. This is a blessing to us, and so we who have so much knowledge of the things to come should not hesitate. We should not let us be tempted by worldly things, earthly desires, fleshly loves and relationships. The times we live in are urgent times, and pretty soon the second world is about to be destroyed. As we saw in Grace, Blossom 20, Para 5 (last month’s issue), Christ’s Second Presence shows us that the Kingdom of Heaven is very near at the door. Therefore we should indulge in the works of God wholeheartedly with a sense of urgency. Unlike Lot’s wife who turned back half-way, if we run till the end without turning back, glory waits for us. Let God Himself bestow His Grace upon us!
