Genesis 19:15-21, “And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.”
We can learn A LOT from LOT. Amen! Oh boy, we're off to a bad start. My pain medications for my chronic neck pain make me feel GOOD! Whoo-hoo! I was listening to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible today, and I noticed something very interesting in the story of Lot in Genesis chapter 19. God had sent two angels to come recuse Lot and his family. Lot had four daughters. Two of them were married, but as Lot warned their husbands of coming judgment upon the city of Sodom, they laughed in his face. Lot's testimony was so poor that his own family didn't take him serious when he spoke of the things of God. Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” Lot also had two unmarried daughters, who lived at home with their parents, whom they took with them in their escape from Sodom.
Our text passage from Genesis 19:15-21 says that the angels told Lot to flee to the mountains for safety. Instead, Lot requested in desperation if he could go to a small city called Zoar (one of the five cities of the plains of Sodom designated for destruction). Lot feared what might happen to him in the mountains. There were wild animals. It was rough terrain. Dwelling in the mountains didn't have the conveniences of city life. Lot much rather preferred the safety, convenience and comfort of the city. So the angel agreed and Lot took his wife and two daughters to the tiny city of Zoar. Those inhabitants living in Zoar have no idea how fortunate they were, to be spared utter destruction simply because Lot asked to go there instead of the mountains. Let us continue reading:
Genesis 19:22-30 “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.”I was amazed when I read the preceding passage of Scripture. I never noticed that before. Lot at first was afraid to go into the mountains, lest some evil befall him and he die (Genesis 19:19). So he goes to Zoar instead. The next morning Lot sees God rain down fire and brimstone from the sky, consuming all of the cities in the plain, even everything that grew from the ground, utterly destroying Sodom and three other cities!!! Zoar alone was spared for Lot's sake and his family's. But now Lot is having second thoughts, horrified by what he has just witnessed. All of Lot's former friends, neighbours, and even his beloved daughters and their husbands, are dead!
Evidently this struck fear into Lot's soul, because now all of a sudden he feels compelled to flee to the safety of the mountains, dwelling in a cave with his two unmarried daughters. I find that very interesting and even a bit humorous. I mean, that which Lot at first feared, now appears as a safe place to live, when compared to the alternative. There is a great Bible lesson to be learned here. Oftentimes that which we fear in life is really an illusion. It has been truthfully said that there is nothing to fear but fear itself! Someone has expressed F.E.A.R. as an acronym meaning: “FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.” I like that! That which Lot initially feared actually became a place of refuge for him. Think about that!
Sometimes it is the very loss, burden, suffering, affliction, pain or heartache in our life, that becomes a launching pad for something greater, bringing us closer to God. That is so typical of human nature. Lot wanted to go to Zoar instead of the mountains, until he saw what God did to punish Sodom and the other cities. When Lot saw the destruction, seeing the plains of Sodom smoldering in ashes, he couldn't get to the mountains fast enough! I think that is funny! To a human, a cat is not scary; but to a mouse, a cat is a monster! Our fears are determined by the things we choose to look at in life. 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The Christian believer has no reason to fear anything, just so long as we always do what is right! Evildoers live in fear, not the righteous!!! Hebrews 13:6, “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
I also noticed something very interesting in Genesis 19:29, “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.” The Bible says that God spared Lot's life because of his uncle, Abraham. That is very interesting. I had always thought that God rescued Lot because of his own righteousness. God spared Abraham's nephew, Lot, because of Abraham's testimony. Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
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