Are You a Lot?
Have you ever felt like you did not belong? Sometimes people can make you feel that way, but in Abraham's case, he knew he did not belong, he made that clear as he approached Ephron the Hittite introducing himself as a foreigner and a stranger. He had just lost Sarah, his faithful wife, and needed a place to bury her (Gen. 23:4). Together he and Sarah had started this journey with the LORD, together they struggled to have Isaac, together they became the mother and father of the Hebrew faith, now she was gone. Abraham mourned, then he set out to take care of business, his wife needed to be buried.
Abraham had a nephew named Lot. Both Abraham and Lot loved God but Lot had more of a casual faith. Lot had a secret faith; his faith was not evident by looking at the way he lived. Abraham, on the other hand, lived righteously. He walked in the spirit while Lot walked in the flesh. Nevertheless, God sent His angels to warn Lot about the coming destruction of Sodom, He had promised Abraham that He would spare Lots' life (Gen. 18). So, the angels told Lot to gather all of his family and leave (Gen. 19:12-13). Lot approached his sons-in-law about the LORD's plan to destroy the city but they just laughed at him (14). They certainly should have listened to him, but can you blame them for not heeding his warning? Lot had never talked about his faith with them before. Lot had never talked about the Almighty God in whom he believed before. In fact, Lot willingly lived in the epicenter of sin. When given the choice, Lot had chosen the plush area of Sodom, with its reputation for unrighteousness. Abraham rescued Lot from Sodom during a time of war but he still decided to return. He loved his life in Sodom, that is where he felt he belonged (Gen. 14:8-16).
Fun fact about Abraham, he always lived in a tent, even though he was rich. Granted, he did have over 300 servants so the tent was probably like one of those fancy wedding tents where rich people get married; nevertheless, he lived in a tent. If God said, “Abraham, go!” Then Abraham could pick up and go. Lot, on the other hand, did not hesitate to lay a foundation where he could live his best life among his type of people. Lot was so busy with his friends, career, clubs, organizations, activities, hobbies, and all that the culture of Sodom had to offer, that he neglected to teach his family about the God he so loved. Lots casual faith is why his sons-in-law did not take his warning seriously, they knew nothing of God because Lot never talked about God, never openly praised God, never read his Bible, and never invited them to church. Lot’s sons-in-law and those around him were a casualty of his poor witness and bad example.
Despite his less-than-stellar example of righteousness, God saved Lot. The angels took him, his wife, and his daughters by the hand out of the city. Lot did not want to leave the life he had built in Sodom; he went from Sodom kicking and screaming (Gen. 19:16). What about the cookout next weekend? The lamb chops were already marinating. The angels specifically told Lot and his family not to look back but his wife could not resist, she looked back longingly, she looked back regretting the destruction, her heart was in Sodom, that is where she belonged.
I cannot help but wonder, what if Lot's faith in God had not been such a secret, would his sons-in-law have been saved? Would he and his wife have been so reluctant to leave? Would she have turned into a pillar of salt? Would they have thought more of obeying God than about what they were leaving behind? Maybe he and his whole family would have been grateful to God for what He had given, but ready to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Maybe he never would have built that house, putting down roots in Sodom. Maybe Lot would have lived in a tent, like Abraham, ready to go when God called.
Are you a secret Christian? Is your faith in God evident by the way you live? Do your family and friends know in whom you believe? Are you a righteous example for your circle of influence? Are you a Lot? Are you rooted in this world, or are you a tent dweller? Will you be ready to go when the trumpet sounds, or are you fixed to this life?
Abraham dwelt in a tent for sixty years, in service of the Lord. He was just passing through this world; it was never his home. Abraham was always waiting for a city whose Builder and Maker is God (Heb. 11:10). He was a foreigner and a stranger to this world. Are you a foreigner and a stranger to this world, or do you belong here?
