TUESDAY, June 23, 2009                                                       READ: Genesis 19: 1 - 11                                                                                                        

LOT LIVED IN SODOM

MEMORIZE: And he said, “Here now my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet, then you may rise early and go on your way.” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”         Genesis 19: 1 - 11

People come to the Bible having concluded that the Bible is ancient and outdated. People who read the Bible are, at times, very surprised to discover that, though the Bible is an ancient book, the only one that can tell us about the beginning of the created order and beyond, it is very contemporary and accurate. It will help us to understand that where you chose to live will affect how you live.

Here, for today’s reading, we are continuing to look at fathers and fathering, and we will be looking at the story told to us about Lot living in Sodom. Our text for today’s reading is Genesis 19: 1-11. In our text, we will see Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who we last encountered in Genesis 14, where he had been taken captive and was rescued by his uncle Abram. He is about to be rescued again. Lot was a materialist, and as such, then, lived, as it were, on the edge. In 18: 22-33, Abraham was told about what God was going to do with Sodom, and doubtlessly remembered that his nephew was living down there. Abraham pleaded for him and his household to be spared. Here now, we are told that the two angels (cf. 18: 2, 16, 22) “… came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.” Lot had climbed the social ladder. He went from being a cattle-herder to being a city official (cf. v. 9). Lot was hospitable to the angels (cf. Hebrews 13: 2). In v. 3, we are told of his insistence and how it paid off. In vv. 4, 5, we are told of how the men of Sodom descended on Lot’s house because they had heard that two men had come to Lot’s house. What was their purpose? They wanted to “… know them carnally.” Homosexuality, the ultimate degrading of sex, has a long history. It is the perversion of God’s gift to mankind, by the devil. It is people engaged in self-love, utilizing the pleasure principle (cf. Romans 1: 21-32). In vv. 6 – 8, we see how Lord, the city official, sought to pacify these men by offering up his virgin daughters to these depraved men. What motivated this father to engage in such inverted, or perverted thinking, that he would be so oblivious to their need for his protection? In v. 9, we see how these men were not about to be deterred by Lot’s overture to them. These men wanted men’s flesh. They made a fateful decision, to come after Lot. They were determined and utilized violence to get their way. In v. 10, we read, “But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them and shut the door.” Lot was being rescued once again. He had not cried out for help, for he did not know how dangerous his situation was. He got mercy again (cf. Lamentations 3: 22, 23). This is a type of the salvation that God offers to us in Christ Jesus. He pulls us to safety and then shut the door behind us (cf. John 10: 28-30). In v. 11, we see how these men inflicted judgment upon the men of Sodom. If the men were lusting after each other, what can we surmise was happening to the women (cf. v. 4)?

What is the point? So many of us fathers live our lives trying to climb the social, political, financial and whatever else, ladder and neglect to get right with God. In the process, our families suffer. At the core of our societal problems today is fatherlessness. Fathers, even when physically present, allow themseves to become marginalized, distant and uninvolved in their homes and with their families. Fathers need to learn to lead and to father their offspring. Through Malachi, the prophet, in 2: 15, God indicated that “He seeks godly offspring.” A man who wins every award there is to be won, yet loses touch with His God and with his offspring, is not a winner. Is there profit in gaining what the world has to offer, but in the process, fails to obtain what God desires?

PRAY:LORD, God Almighty, I know that the devil is at work seeking to prevent us from doing Your will. I am here LORD, and I am asking You to let Your holy fire burn within me. Help me to be single-minded in resisting the world’s pull, and to be devoted in seeking to please You. I ask this in Jesus’ strong name. Amen!