Author: Christine Wyrtzen

But they [the men of the city] said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.”  Genesis 19:9

Lot put all his hopes for a future in Sodom.  He conformed and got himself elected mayor.  He was popular as long as he fit in.  But when he took a moral stand, all of a sudden, his friends turned on him.  Can you hear their sarcasm?  “Lot came here to live, a foreigner, and now he has become our judge?”  How quickly the winds of favor can change when God is absent from relationships.

God made each of us with a need to belong, to be connected and to know true fellowship.  Satan, ever the mimic, creates his own version of camaraderie.  Confessions of love and devotion sound good.  Words like ‘loyalty’ are even spoken but the true nature of the love that is offered erodes quickly when one person in the relationship draws close to God.  At that point, righteousness becomes a sword that creates enmity.

Two people marry their soul mate.  The relationship works if they look to each other to complete them.  Their dysfunctional puzzle pieces fit together perfectly.  But let one come to Christ and make Him their first love and the puzzle is thrown up in the air to the wind of the Spirit.  Misshapen by the work of sanctification, the pieces no longer fit.  Suddenly, their spouse becomes angry, accusatory, and begins acting adversarial.  Words are spoken that are akin to what Lot heard that night.  “We were fine and now you have become my judge!” 

The only relationships that are stable and can stand the test of time are the ones where both people put God first.  The love they offer horizontally reflects their personal alliance with Christ.  As they drink deeply of His love, the essence of it spills over to each other. 

So, what happened to the bond?  The love was conditional, based on whether I would fit in with their paradigm.  Though they may see me now as their judge, I am not.  When a child of God walks humbly with His Father, the righteousness of Jesus burns holes through all unholy unions.  

I’m not going to let any accusation of judgment take me captive.  But Lord, convict me if there is a shred of arrogance that feeds their anger.  Amen

And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight?  Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”  Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.  Behold, I have two daughters.  Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please.  Only do nothing to these men.”  Genesis 19:5-8

It’s easy for me to be so shocked by what happens at this point in the story of Lot and his family that I will read from a distance, point an accusing finger, and refrain from asking what I can learn from it about myself.  At first glance, I’ll experience outrage.  “Lot, sacrificing his daughters to a mob?  How horrible.”  And it was.  But this sinful response of Lot to the gang who desired to rape Lot’s two visitors didn’t begin and end on this night.

When I think about the worst sin I have committed, it was never done spur of the moment.  There had been a trail of thoughts and deeds that preceded it.  One doesn’t just turn on God unexpectedly and sin greatly.  Even if it appears that way to others, be assured that in my heart, there were multitudes of choices and beliefs that paved the way for mutiny.

Lot had never shown unwavering fidelity toward God.  (Neither did Abraham but he was quick to repent when he strayed.)  Lot made a series of decisions, some appearing small, that were never corrected.  Sin is insidious over a long period of time.  It not only kills and destroys but it deceives.  If I have a history of a sinful habit, I should know that, with time, comes longstanding deception in some part of my life.  I will be the last to see it if I’m not in the Word or in the company of someone who teaches the Word.

“Lot, what is the effect of moving to Sodom with your family and living in a triple X society?”  He would affirm what scripture teaches.  The effect is numbness.  A seared conscience.”  To offer his daughters as bait to a gang didn’t seem anywhere near as outrageous to Lot as it does to those of us who read about it.  But here’s the thing.  The worst thing I have done didn’t appear to me, at the time, to be outrageous either.  I had paved the road to that pivotal moment with bricks of subtle rebellion.

Don’t let me read this like a novel and point my finger at Lot.  Help me see the log in my own eye.  Amen

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.”  Genesis 19:1-2

If Lot were your nephew, your son, or your husband, would you have given up on him?  He has made a series of foolish decisions while in a relationship with you.  The last one took him to Sodom to flirt with a culture that was hostile to your God.  You were heartsick.  Yet, two men arrived, and though danger was imminent, Lot’s courage and faith sprang into action.

He was not dead to faith even though foolish.  His sojourn into spiritually dangerous territory did not kill every righteous seed God planted in his heart. 

Time just creeps along while we’re waiting for the spiritual return of someone we love.  We envision the bleeding effects of their environment on their love for Christ.  We assume that the fidelity of their faith is wasting away.  Will they even hear God when He comes calling? 

Seeds of faith are preserved, especially when loved ones pray for the one who is no longer walking God’s path.  All is not dead in his heart although his choices beg to prove it.  The culture of lawlessness has influenced him, and by all appearances, he seems to have completely caved to its pressures.  But we underestimate a God who stirs the embers of faith in places no one can see.  He performs spiritual surgery in the subconscious while the prodigal sleeps to keep distant memories alive. While no one can guarantee his return because free choice still plays into the equation, a beautiful outcome is still on the table.  It’s possible as long as there is life and breath, as long as those who love him are engaged in the battle, on their knees.

Over whom are you crying today?  Over whom are you tempted to stop praying?  Don’t do it!  Weep, certainly, but not without hope.  God would tell you that the faith you long to see evidence of ~ is still in there.  Long ago, God sent His word into the spirit of your loved one and it is still accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent. 

Even in Sodom, you can keep the embers of faith alive.  Amen

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.  Genesis 19:1

When the angels arrived at the city gate, whom should they meet but Lot.  How shocking!  He had gone from a foreigner to the mayor of the city.  (The one who sits at the gate to welcome strangers is the magistrate of the city.)

Abraham and Lot had traveled together for much of their earlier years until they reached the land of Canaan.  There was a quarrel between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen over pasture rights.  Abraham had deferred his right of first choice to Lot and allowed him to choose which land he wanted first.  Lot’s choice reflected his values.  He looked out over the plain of the Jordan and said that it was like the ‘garden of the LORD’ and ‘the land of Egypt.’ The ‘garden of the Lord’ meant divine fellowship, the likes of what Adam and Eve had enjoyed in the Garden.  What did the ‘land of Egypt’ mean?  Lot knew.  He had just left Egypt and knew it to be a place of prosperity and easy living.  So he chose the plains of the Jordan (Sodom) and assumed he could have both materialism and God’s blessing.

It didn’t end successfully as we’re about to see in the unfolding story.  So far, it appears to have worked out well.  He is mayor, after all.  My question is, ‘How does a man of God, one not willing to compromise his convictions, end up being elected major in a city where rampant homosexuality and crime hold the land captive?’ 

Lot’s choice of Sodom will come back to haunt him.  He will barely escape with his life in the days to come and he will lose his wife in the process.  He has already disregarded the principle that runs all the way through Scripture; choose God first and everything else will fall in line.  Lot did exactly the opposite, placing materialism first.  He was intent on finding a place to grow his material advantages while, simultaneously, enjoying the presence of God.  This was his downfall.

I wonder how it affected his heart over time?  How did the values of the city affect his children?  How much did he bring the kingdom of God to the values of the city?  Was he the salt that savored his hometown?

Grant me discernment.  The stakes are always high, even when choices appear to be small. Amen

So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”  Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord – though I am but dust and ashes, suppose the fifty righteous ones lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?” Genesis 18:26-27

I must know the nature of God for my prayers to be effective.  If I don’t petition a holy Judge, I will be arrogant.  If I don’t petition a loving and tender Father, I won’t ask for too much.

Abraham spent a long time pleading with God, searching His mind on the matter of how many righteous would be enough for God to spare the city of Sodom.  Abraham didn’t know what His answer would be so he pressed God to reveal the limits of His grace.  He was both bold, and humble, as he took his request to the absolute limit.

I have been blessed enough to be near a few great men and women of God.  One thing they had in common; they asked God for the unthinkable.  They didn’t doubt at all that He could give them what they asked.  Most were visionary, type-A personalities and faith were in their spiritual gifting.  Oh, but not all!  I also knew a soft-spoken leader who asked with confidence.  Boldness does not necessarily equal arrogance.

My childhood was spent near some who were extremely timid but called it humility.  I was also near to a few who were arrogant but called it faith.   Both were wrong and led others astray as to what it was to be Spirit-filled.  To hate oneself is not humility.  To lead boldly with no regard for the well-being of people is not wearing the kind of spiritual power Jesus modeled.

Abraham had your ear and favor.  You didn’t walk away from boldness because he knew his place.  He knew he was ‘dust and ashes’ yet loved and favored by You.  Amen

I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. [About Sodom and Gomorrah] And if not, I will know.” Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  Genesis 18:21,23

To be called the father of nations in whom many are blessed was an awesome thing.  The favor that came with the calling was coveted but what it would require of Abraham was not clear when the blessing was conferred.  He didn’t know that, among other things, he would become a mediator for the righteous who lived in Sodom. It is a heavy burden at times.

On the other side of the cross, we all became mediators.  Jesus, the High Priest, made us a kingdom of priests, a spiritual family who intercedes for others just as He intercedes for us in heaven.  We carry others’ needs to Jesus and He carries our needs to His Father.  Like Abraham, we cry out for the unrepentant, asking God to have mercy on them, to withhold deserved judgment.  Can God’s mind be changed?  Apparently, yes.  Scriptures tell many stories where God’s hand was about to strike, to inflict punishment because of sin and rebellion, but He ended up withholding it because of one man’s intercession.  The mediators knew their crucial role.  They understood that they stood between the sinner and God to plead their case. 

Prayers take on profound overtones when I realize that I can pray for my family, my church, and even my nation in this way.  “Lord, stay your hand of judgment.  Give us more time.  There are more than ten righteous in our land.  Purify us.  Give us boldness so that we will draw the line of truth in the sand and bring others into the kingdom.  Please don’t judge.  Not yet.”

Psalm 106 recounts an act of mediation made by Moses.  “They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.” 

My prayers matter.  Your prayers matter.  Perhaps someone you love is about to enter a time of disciplinary action by God.  Consider today that we are all priests, able to mediate on their behalf.  We can be the catalyst to stay God’s hand, staving off catastrophic consequences while the call for repentance can be heard.

Help me consider the weight of my intercessory role today.  Amen

Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation?  Genesis 18:16-18

Abraham had never seen God’s widespread judgment on a group of people.  What is about to unfold in Sodom will be new to him.  If Abraham is to be the father of a great and mighty nation, he must be able to represent a God with whom he is completely familiar.

Up until this point, he has experienced a tender and gracious God.  But the judgment that is about to come will show that God’s wrath can be kindled when there is long-term sin and rebellion. Abraham has a vested interest in what happens in Sodom.  Lot, his nephew, lives there with his family.  To be a great leader of his people, Abraham will need to represent God in all of His fulness.  If He only knew one side of God, he would misrepresent Him to others.  God would be seen as disfigured. 

God has taken me on many journeys that confused me at the time.  I wondered, “What does this have to do with my life and calling?”  Time has shown that it was a necessary piece of experience to prepare me for my future.

Are you visiting a place that appears to be a wasteland?  Do you often pray, “What in the world are you trying to teach me?”  God does all things well and what appears to be insignificant now will later become invaluable.  You can trust the Shepherd.

The only way to know You well, Lord, is to walk with You into unexpected places.  Don’t let me waste what I fear is a detour.  Amen

The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”  Genesis 18:10-12  ESV

Sarah’s cycle of womanhood had been over for decades.  Science and logic proved that it was humanly impossible to bear a child.  Sarah laughed at the thought of something so out of reach.  She knew the physical impossibility.

Miracles aren’t miracles without the ‘impossibility’ factor.  Is this not why faith is so difficult?  We are often surrounded by circumstantial physical evidence that disproves feasibility.  If I’ve never experienced a personal miracle, then I will always lean toward logic, moving away from hope.

What might I ask God for today if all arguments and reserves were moved out of the way?  Where does it seem risky to trust God?  Where might others laugh in my face, voicing evidence against any faith-filled prayers?  That points precisely to the kinds of impossibilities God relishes. 

“But you can’t ask God for that!” Satan whispers.  His taunts, like arrows, come at me through my own thoughts but also through the mouths of people.  He is not above using faithless believers to parrot faithless words.  I should remember that the next time a brother or sister in Christ comes with their ‘prudent’ warnings.

God has placed me in many impossible situations throughout my life.  There were times I prayed for a miracle to avert some horrible consequence.  I hung onto faith, stood in the Word, and prayed for the impossible. I have seen some miracles and I still shake my head at my powerful God.  But I have seen God withhold miracles, too.  I wonder at the mystery of why He withheld them, but He is wild and unpredictable.  I pray, daily, that faith will be my default response when I am up against a wall despite the real possibility that He might say no to deliverance and yes to daily grace. Either way, my trust in Him will weather disappointment.

God defies the odds.  He cares nothing about physics, past evidence, and present obstacles.  He who spoke to the earth, a planet that was once dark and lifeless, transformed it into a stunning environment full of limitless possibilities.  This same God can do anything miraculous in my world.

For what can I trust You that would defy all odds?  I’ll go there.  Amen

When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.  Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.  Genesis 17:22-23  ESV

As soon as Abraham watched God ascend from his presence, he went out immediately to circumcise himself and every other male in his family.  What a difficult act of obedience yet he didn’t put it off only to spend the next days and weeks in dread.  Sometimes, the more difficult the command, the longer it takes to get up the nerve to do it. I have found procrastination to be a grave mistake.

Anytime God asks something of me, risk is involved.  Someone could get angry with me.  I might lose someone’s respect.  I could be asked to introduce conflict into a relationship I value.  I may put my life on the line.  God may ask me to go somewhere that holds bad memories for me.  If it’s a calling to do something new, it will most certainly involve taking on a job I don’t feel qualified for.

The last thing difficult thing God asked of me was on a November day.  I wrestled badly with Him and didn’t obey until the end of February.  The outcome was a miraculous one and if only I had spared myself three months of misery.

When God gives a command, there is empowerment to do it.  God’s Spirit goes with us when we engage in a difficult thing.  When we envision the pain of how we believe it’s going to be, we misjudge the severity because we don’t factor in God’s grace and blessing that accompanies obedience.

Abraham circumcised adult men and boys far from the infant stage.  They must have dreaded what was coming. Yet we know that God’s gracious hand was manifested during those painful moments.  Perhaps he gave a miraculous kind of anesthesia.  He is the divine Physician, after all.  The text doesn’t reveal that there was bedlam, sickness, or even weakness.  If he spared them in any way, we know why. He blesses obedience and we need to factor that in ahead of time.

Whatever it is you’re putting off, take this devotional as a gentle wind that will propel you into action.

You are with me; Your influence changes everything I do.  Amen

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly.   Genesis 17:18-20  ESV

Ishmael may have been the child born outside of God’s plan, but that wasn’t his fault.  He was now a full-fledged person, a son that Abraham had grown to love.  When God promises Abraham that his next, unborn, son will be the recipient of the covenant, Abraham struggles as he realizes that Ishmael will be left out.

Is that not painful for any parent who loves their children equally?  They see one flourish in most everything, but for the other, everything seems to come hard.  It happens in almost every home.  If we are not careful, we will conclude that God has blessed one and cursed the other.  Our theology must bear down hard and carry us through misconceptions.

Many who teach are hard on Abraham for wanting God to just give the blessing to Ishmael instead of the son who is coming but he is just being a father.  God knew that, too.  He said, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you.”   God understands the heart of fathers.

So, what about the child for whom everything comes hard?  What should be his perspective?  And what is to be my perspective as a parent?   The story is not yet finished.  It might be that the one who finds life easy will later encounter challenges that will build endurance into his character.  Humility and dependence on God will be the wonderful fruits of struggle.  And the one who seems forgotten in their youth?  God may be using suffering to prepare them for greatness.  As with many of his choicest servants, the first 40 years were the wilderness preparation for a glorious deliverance into anointed ministry and unfathomable blessing.

As a parent, I must trust God as I remember that I am only in the middle of the story.  God is God.  He writes the ending. My part is to trust, pray, and encourage both children to walk humbly with their God despite the seeming inequity.  In the end, we will see evidence that God does do all things well. 

Help my faith to grow up! Amen