Introduction
We have been studying Abraham as the "father of faith." The Bible's normal way of teaching what living by faith in God looks like is not by abstract definitions, but by studying those (like Abraham) who did this. Another way is by contrasting this way of life to real-life antitheses (read 1 Cor. 10:6), like Abraham's nephew Lot – an example of the impotence of uncommitted faith.
Lot was a true believer (read 2 Pet. 2:7,8). When Peter calls Lot "righteous," he does not mean that Lot lived righteously (as we will see), but that Lot (like Abraham) had right standing with God because of his faith (read Gen. 15:6). Right standing with God is not something we earn by our righteous deeds; it is a gift bestowed on us by God through His mercy that we receive by simple faith (GOSPEL).
Lot was a carnal believer – he belonged to God by faith, but he didn't live by faith. (For example, unlike Abraham, there is no record in Gen. 12-19 of Lot ever calling on the name of the Lord or of building an altar to the Lord.) He lived (mind-set, values, behavior) more like a non-believer than a believer (read 1 Cor. 3:3). As a result, he missed out on many of the blessings of walking with God, and he experienced many sorrows that he could have avoided, and he was unable to influence other people toward God. Thus, Lot illustrates an example of something to avoid – so this is a rather negative teaching! As we study Lot's carnality this morning, we will also see the remarkable compassion of God toward Lot. Let's read through the account of Lot's life and note both of these aspects . . .
The text: Lot's carnality & God's compassion
Lot was Abraham's nephew. When God called Abraham to move to Canaan (read 12:1), He made it clear that he was not to bring his extended family – but Abraham took Lot anyway (12:5). It's not clear why God commanded this, or why Abraham disobeyed. But the following narrative shows that Abraham's disobedience with regard to Lot resulted in problems . . .
Later, when Abraham's and Lot's flocks grew so large that they had to separate because of inadequate water, Lot chose to live in a well-watered region (read 13:9-11) – fair enough. But he also chose to live in Sodom (read 13:12,13; MAP), and even though he knew it was filled with wickedness. We aren't told explicitly why he chose to live there, but seems to have been an expression of his core values.
In Gen. 14, Lot was taken captive by King Chedorloamer along with the rest of the people who lived in Sodom (read 14:11,12). But God (in His compassion) rescued Lot through Abraham, and He also gave Lot the opportunity to live in Salem under godly King Melchizedek vs. staying in Sodom under its wicked king (read 14:17-24). But Lot chose to stay in Sodom. Again, we aren't told why he chose to stay in Sodom, but it proved to be a very unwise decision . . .
Later, God tells Abraham that He intends to judge Sodom for its wickedness (read 18:20-33 selections). Abraham, concerned for Lot, intercedes for him – and God implicitly agrees to rescue Lot even though He will judge the city (more on this later).
Read 19:1. Lot is not only a resident of Sodom; he is also a community leader ("sits at the gate").[1] We don't know why Lot chose to become a community leader (maybe he thought: "I can help reform the city by getting into a position of power"). But getting into this position in such a wicked city would almost certainly required significant moral compromise on his part. This suspicion is confirmed by what follows . . .
Read 19:2,3. Lot knows how wicked the Sodomites are. This is why he insists that the "men" not spend the night in the city square.
Read 19:4-8. Lot is super-committed to the safety of his guests – but he is willing to have his daughters gang-raped to secure their safety! (Lot evidently married a Sodomite woman who, as will soon see, did not share his faith in God.) There is something very wrong with this picture – not the least of which is Lot calling these men "my brothers." Yet the angels rescue Lot and his daughters (read 19:9-11).
Read 19:12-14. The angels urge Lot and his family to leave before God destroys Sodom.[2] Notice Lot's response to this incredibly gracious gesture (read 19:15-16a). Notice the even more amazing compassion of the angels (read 19:16b-17)! Lot's response is pathetic (read 19:18-20) – he simply can't conceive of living outside of suburban Sodom (or he knew his wife/family felt this way – see 19:30ff.). Again, the angels respond with compassion (read 19:21-22). Then they unleash God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (read 19:23-25). Concerning this judgment:
Many archeologists think that Sodom and Gomorrah now lie below the surface of the Dead Sea, immune to investigation. But evidence for this catastrophe exists nonetheless.[3]
God reserves the right to judge, but He prefers to show mercy to those who repent (Ex. 34:6,7). God has waited long before He decided to judge Sodom, giving its residents time to repent. The city was so depraved that not even 10 residents are "righteous" (i.e., true believers in YHWH). We know that their depravity consisted not only of gross sexual immorality, but also rampant materialism and social injustice (Ezek. 16:46-50). Jesus said that Sodom's judgment is a prophetic foreshadowing of what will happen at the end of this age (Lk. 17:28-32).
Read 19:26. Why was Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt? She had been warned specifically not to do this (19:17). My guess is that her turning back was more than a brief last, sad glance – but rather an actually turning back to return to Sodom, which expressed her moral/spiritual solidarity with its residents, which is why she fell under its judgment.[4]
Now we come to the epilogue. We're hoping for a happy ending, but it doesn't turn out that way.
Read 19:30 – it's difficult to know how to interpret Lot's decision to move from Zoar to the mountains. He was clearly afraid to keep living in Zoar – but why? Was it because the residents were almost as wicked as the residents of Sodom – and were therefore a threat to his daughters? At any rate, he could still have moved to Salem – or he could have returned to Abraham. Instead, he chose to live in a cave – isolating himself and his daughters from other people (passing up both community with other believers and the opportunity to be a light to others).
If he was trying to protect his daughters from evil outside influence, it was too late for that (read 19:31-36). Lot's daughters act more like Sodomites – were they also not true believers? They value having their own children so much that they are willing to commit incest with their father! Their children's descendants became Israel's enemies (read 19:37,38; see also Ezek. 25).
The tragedy of & the hope for carnal believers
Lot represents a sober warning that it is possible to be a true believer in God – yet to live carnally and suffer a life of spiritual misery and defeat.
Lot was unable to abandon himself to sin, and he felt miserable because of the sin in which he was enmeshed (read 2 Pet. 2:7,8). Carnal believers feel this "torment" – they can't enjoy their sin the way they used to, but they can't enjoy their spiritual lives because they aren't walking with God (ME IN 1970).
He tried to fit in to the world (19:1; call's Sodomites "my brothers") – but they never truly accepted him (19:9) because he wouldn't fully conform to their corrupt values and lifestyle. Carnal believers, like Lot, can't enjoy the benefits of closeness with God or the benefits of acceptance by the world (ME IN 1970).
Lot forfeited the joy of having spiritual influence on others. There is no mention of any citizen of Sodom being influenced by Lot toward God ("less than 10" – see 18:32. Even within his own family, his sons-in-law refused to leave Sodom, his wife turned back to Sodom, and his daughters were morally corrupt. Lot was an impotent witness (J. L. AS EXAMPLE). He was double-minded and therefore out of step with both the world and God's kingdom. Contrast this to Paul in 1 Thess. 2:19,20 (read).
YET because of God's compassion, there is hope throughout Lot's story:
God justified Lot because of his faith. He will be in God's eternal kingdom, along with other carnal believers like Samson, Ananias and Sapphira, the Corinthian Christians, etc. This is because this is not something we earn; it is God's gift received by faith alone. Have you asked God to make you right with Him through Jesus?
God rescued Lot over and over again, and shielded him from many of the consequences of his carnality. His story would have been far worse had it not been for this.
Lot could have decided at any time to begin living by faith like Abraham – and reaping the benefits from this decision. That's what makes his story so tragic – it could have ended so differently. He could have stayed with Abraham; he could have moved to Salem; etc. If you have been living as a carnal Christian, you can decide at any time to start living by faith in God – and God will immediately begin transform you and work through you (read Jas. 4:4-7,10; D. D. AS EXAMPLE). Take Him up on this today!!!
[1] "The expression sitting in the city's gateway may mean that Lot was exercising some type of judicial function (see the use of the idiom in 2 Sam. 19:8; Jer. 26:10; 38:7; 39:3)." Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
[2] Lot's prospective sons-in-law are almost certainly not believers. They are incredulous about the angels' instructions. They apparently refused to leave Sodom (see 19:15,31ff.).
[3] "One (nearby) site, known as Bab edh-Dhra, contains the remains of a heavily fortified and settled community, dating from 3150 to 2200 BC . . . What startled the excavators was the huge layers of ash reaching many feet in its depths. Moreover, so hot and intense had been the flames that destroyed this site that the bricks had turned red permanently from the intense heat." Walter C. Kaiser, The Old Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (InterVarsity, 2001), p. 92. "More intriguing than the mere fact that the charnel house was destroyed by fire, however, is the way in which it was burned – from the inside out . . . It is now evident that the roof, engulfed in flames, collapsed into the building and caused the interior burning . . . The destruction of the charnel houses at Bab edh-Dhra was brought about by the roofs first being set on fire, then collapsing, causing the interiors of the buildings to burn. This is entirely consistent with the Biblical description . . . when 'the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens' (Gen. 19:24)." Bryant G. Wood, "The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah," The Bible and the Spade (Summer, 1999), pp. 67-80.
[4] "Lot's wife apparently identified with the doomed city and thereby showed lack of respect for God's provision of salvation." Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.