January 8
Gen 18:16-19 | PS 8 | Prov 2:6-15 | Matt 6:25-7:14
We are so immersed in sin, that all too often we don't even notice how it is changing us. We should take a careful look at the collapse of Lot and his family. Sodom was a wicked city; we see the slow progression of Lot into that city. We read in Genesis 13:10, "And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar." So simple. Just a casual glance at that wicked city. We then read in 13:12, "Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom." After he glanced, he moved close. We next see Lot's progression in 14:12, as the city of Sodom was defeated, "They also captured Lot—Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned." Now he was a resident of Sodom. We next read of Lot in 19:1, "That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there..." Sitting in the entrance means he was now one of the leaders of this city. Then when the angels came to Sodom we read in 19:7, “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing." They were now as brothers.
Concerning Sodom, we read in Genesis 18:20, "So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant." We see just how evil this city was in their response to the angels in 19:5, "They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”" We also see how corrupted Lot has become when we read his response to "his brothers" in 19:8, "Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.” If we immerse ourselves in evil, there is a much greater likelihood that the evil will rub off on us, than any goodness in us will rub off on them, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” After Lot escaped with his two daughters, we see how the two daughters got Lot drunk then slept with him in Genesis 19:30-38. See, they may have escaped Sodom, but Sodom had not escaped from them.
We all make choices: where to live, the activities we will immerse ourselves in, which schools to send our children to, etc. Each of these choices are so much more complex than meets the eye, for it has much more to do other than comfort, success, etc. Each of these decisions shape us and our families. We are not as strong as we think. Not to mention that most can't get their faces away from their phones and computers for two minutes as all are being influenced by every video, ad, "words of wisdom" from those pushed forth on Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. I'm convinced that Jesus could be sitting right next to us trying to talk with us, and He would be missed as we are giggling over some piece of nonsense on our phones. We must be intentional with our time, with our decisions, with our words, etc. Lot had so lost his influence to such an extent that when he tried to warn his daughter's fiancés, they thought he was only joking (Genesis 19:14). Realize the sin of Sodom is not what many think. It was a brazenness to sin, a lack of shame to sin. We are living in Sodom now, as sin is exalted and paraded. We need to keep our eyes on His Word daily and immerse ourselves in the things of God. This must be so much more than just attending church or being part of a ministry. If we picture our lives a pie, we can't give God slivers, we must allow Him to be the filling which permeates every area of our lives. There is simply no other way to be sanctified, set apart for Him, and avoid being swept away by the sea of godlessness that surrounds us.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: