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So they made their father [Lot] drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.  Genesis 19:35-38  ESV

Put yourself in the place of just one of Lot’s daughters.  You’ve been displaced from your home.  Your husbands are dead.  Your mother is dead.  All that is left are you and your sister, along with your father, but he is old.  He is not likely to re-marry and your entire future depends on having children who will care for you, sons who will carry on your family name.  What do you do?

They did not throw all their hopes on God and seek Him for a solution.  (Their father hadn’t done that by example either.)  They took matters into their own hands, got their father drunk, and each slept with him to conceive their solution.

One gave birth to the father of the Moabites and the other, the father of the Ammonites.  What a future they bred through unholy sexual unions.  Both peoples would be cruel to Abraham’s descendants.  Both peoples would worship famous idols; Baal and Peor.  Children would be sacrificed at their altars.  Yet, these two young women never saw into the future to understand the power of their choices.  For them, it was an immediate relief from a seemingly impossible situation.  From their limited viewpoint, their plan had been successful. They both held sons in their arms. 

Long-term outcomes are the problem when I take matters into my own hands.  I cannot see down the road either.  My own ingenuity can appear to have worked.  I might even thank God for it. (Can you imagine how He cringes?)  What I don’t know are the long-term effects of what I forced to make happen. 

I remember three things today.

1. Desperation should drive me to God, not to earth-bound saviors.
2. Desperation can never be a valid excuse for doing my own thing.
3. Desperation always impairs perspectives and sound judgements. 

When times are the toughest, I don’t move.  I look up.  I wait on You.  Amen

And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”  Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.  Genesis 19:17, 24, 26

Lot’s wife didn’t take God all that seriously.  She believed Him enough to know that she should flee the city but not enough to believe the consequences of looking back.  Is Lot responsible for that?  Perhaps she lived by example.

Not everything a wife does is her husband’s fault or vice versa.  We are each responsible for our own choices.  However, the faith or faithlessness of those near to us do affect us.  Parents who mock God will usually raise children who do the same.  Parents who live a religious life, void of the power of the Gospel, will probably see their family spurn religion, preferring alternate paths.

Lot had faith, but for the most part it was second-hand faith.  He had tagged along with Abraham, seen that God was real, but only followed God when it was convenient for him and his family.  His last major choice had been to choose the land of Sodom for his home.  He conformed to fit in a godless society, so much so that he became popular enough to rise to the status of mayor.  What do these kinds of choices communicate to Lot’s family? 

As the entire family fled Sodom, no doubt they heard the roaring fire and the screams of terror behind them.  They felt the heat on their backs.  They could see the glow of the flames out of their peripheral vision.  The temptation to look back was strong but because she’d never seen her husband pay a steep price for disobedience, she didn’t think turning around would result in the loss of her life.  It cost her everything in the end.

Will I be struck dead if I repeatedly disobey God?  Not likely.  But it will appear to those around me that I’ve gotten away with rebellion and disrespect.  There will be unwelcome fruit in other places and that might begin with my family.  Their eyes are always watching.

Am I flirting with what You asked me to avoid?  It’s hard to even ask the question.  Amen

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place.  For we are about to destroy this place.”  Genesis 19:12

The members of Lot’s family don’t appear to have a deep and abiding relationship with God.  Yet, when it’s time for God’s judgment to come upon Sodom, the angels ask Lot to gather all members of his family for salvation.  God is invested in families because of the spiritual life of just one member.  If your heart is heavy over certain ones of your family, you’re not the only one who cares.  God does.  Why?

1. He loves you.  He cares about who you love.  He sees every tear you have cried over a son or daughter.  He feels the stress you feel over the fractures in your marriage.  When your heart aches, His heart aches.   You feel alone when you bear the burden of carrying your family in prayer?  You are not shouldering this by yourself.  Jesus rose again and lives to intercede for each of you. You often despair and think you are the only one praying?  You’re not. Jesus is!
2. God made families and He is invested in what He creates.  Families didn’t come out of nowhere.  God made Adam, then Eve, and invented the marital relationship.  Children were born because God made a way for families to be born.  The first outcry that reached heaven’s ears came when the first two brothers fought and one killed the other.  So broken was the heart of God!

Every single one of us thinks about eternity and it is a wonderfully bittersweet experience.  Ah, heaven and being with Jesus.  Finally!  But then comes the piercing thought of family who might not join us there.  God knows.  Just as He told Lot to go gather each member of his family, giving them the opportunity to hear of impending doom and to make the choice to leave the city, He will hear our prayers about those we love.  He is giving each one (though we may not know about it) many opportunities to be aware of Him and His Son, Jesus.  Every seed we have planted is not dormant.  It is active – stirred by the Spirit in their consciences and in their memories.

You invite me to bring my burdens to You and leave them.  Jesus, I will bring each person in my family, place them in Your lap, and pray while You work!  Thank you.  Amen

But the men [angels] reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.  Genesis 19:10-11

Two angels came to Lot and his family to protect them. They not only shut the door of his home to keep the gang from entering, but they struck them with blindness as well.  That didn’t deter them.  They were still obsessed with finding the door and breaking in ~ so strong was their obsession to inflict harm.

What does it take to submit to the hand of God?  A lot.  Man can be so stubborn. It usually takes a lot of time and pain to bring people to the end of themselves.   We want what we want.  The older we get, the more obstinate we become.  If children are not taught the sweet fruit of submission when they’re young, the desire for personal autonomy grows over time.  It’s so much harder to submit at 45 than it was when we were 4 years old.  That’s why children should be taught to obey the first time.  They are being prepared to say, “Yes, Lord!” when Jesus calls them.

You may be watching the Lord break the rebellious will of a loved one.  You may be shaking your head at how long it’s taking.  Though they feel the heavy hand of God, they still grope for the door that leads them to satisfy their cravings.  Though it may look hopeless, it is not.  While not all believe, some do.  Those who burn the brightest for the kingdom experienced a pivotal moment when they surrendered in the fire. 

If we are watching the crushing of that person we love, we must know that God knows their limits and frame.  We can trust Him even when He afflicts – even in our tears for their repentance.

Lord, I can’t stand to watch so give me grace.  Do what is necessary, quickly, to bring them to their knees.  I know Your justice but I am comforted that You are also limitless in mercy. Amen

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