Sodom; Wrath or Grace Part 2

Many people think of the wrath displayed against Sodom and Gomorrah as a tale of a vengeful and angry God, bent on the destruction of the wicked for their evil ways. While God does render to everyone according to their works (Rom 2:5-11), He is more interested in love and justice than in the destruction of the wicked. If we look at the many facets of this story we begin to see that not only was God attempting to find a way to overlook the sins of Sodom (and the surrounding towns), He was also setting up the Ultimate Blessing for humanity – the coming of Christ! In Sodom; Wrath or Grace Part 2 we will continue to look at the many aspects of this story.

We have already seen that there was an issue brewing between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. They were so successful that the two groups could not remain close to each other, as the countryside would not sustain them both. Abram offered a solution, in that the two needed to separate themselves to avoid any continuing antagonism. He then graciously offered Lot first choice of which area of the surrounding country Lot wanted to dwell in. After looking things over Lot decided that he wanted to take the best of the land for himself. Never mind that Abraham was his senior (his uncle), or the fact that he had been kind enough to give him first pick. Lot saw his opportunity and he took it. Who could blame him? If you were to look strictly at the circumstances then it would seem he made the right choice. The land was fertile, there was plenty of water, and the valley had multiple cities full of people with which to conduct business. Why shouldn’t he make that choice? I can’t help but think that he was somewhat influenced (or even blinded?) by the opportunity he had available to financially ‘advance’ himself, regardless of the warnings he must have felt. So then, the decision was made and Lot took the Siddim Valley road. True to his word, Abram journeyed and dwelt in the land of Canaan. This is where a very interesting chain of events started, which we need to look at very carefully.

The first thing to notice is that the Lord Himself (accompanied by two other travelers) came to visit with Abram, but not until after he and Lot had separated. At this point it should be mentioned that God does things with a purpose in mind, and that the Word of God records things in a specific way, in a specific sequence and uses specific words. That’s an important concept to remember when looking at any Biblical portrayal of an event. By allowing Lot to freely choose his own path Abram was, in essence, showing his reliance upon God to be the sole source of his blessing. This dependence upon God was brought out earlier in Abram’s dealings with the king of Sodom. In that instance Abram had intervened in a rescue operation, after a battle in which the city of Sodom had been attacked and its inhabitants (including Lot and his family) had been carried away into captivity. Abram and his armed servants pursued and overtook the group, engaging them in battle. After rescuing Lot and the other residents of Sodom, the king of Sodom offered Abram all the loot they had collected from the rescue. Abram was very careful to decline the king’s offer, but more importantly it was the reason he gave the king which helps us see his character;

Gen 14:21-24

Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’ — except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

How does this reveal Abram’s character? It shows that he wanted nothing to do with any financial benefit from any association with Sodom, and that instead he depended upon God for his blessings. He wanted nothing to do with the potential gains accompanying any kind of relationship with the wickedness of Sodom, which is a far different outlook than the one his nephew Lot had.

It’s also helpful to remember that the reason Abram went to war was that he went to rescue his nephew, not to secure wealth or financial gain. Lot had made some poor decisions in allying himself with Sodom and their lifestyle. Lot relied on the material prosperity of the world instead of relying upon the blessings of God, as his uncle Abram did. Yet even though Lot’s captivity was a direct result of his connection with sinful Sodom, Abram (and God?) showed him mercy and provided a way of escape from his captivity. The actions of Abram are another example that shows how God operates in a benevolent way to help people, working in and through people of faith. The story of this rescue is a type (or shadow) of the kind of deliverance God desires to provide for each and every one of us. He offers this deliverance to those who are not in His family by providing them the way they need to escape the trap of sin and death. The way He provides is the New Birth, accessed by faith in the finished work of Christ. He also offers deliverance to those who, even though they are in His family, make wrong choices in life. Such was the case with Lot, and God worked through Abram in delivering Lot and his family from a very dire situation.

After being rescued by his uncle, Lot seems to have made yet another curious and questionable decision. He voluntarily went back to dwell in the city of Sodom as if nothing had happened! God (through Abram) had delivered him from a potential disaster, yet Lot thought nothing about returning to the very environment that had caused his captivity in the first place. That decision says a lot about Lot’s character and thought processes, as much as anything else does. Was Lot righteous? Yes. Was Lot wise? Perhaps not, or at least not in that area of his life. He once again subjected himself to the very situation which had dealt him and his family such a harrowing experience. As much as God had shown Lot how He could provide for him, Lot was apparently too distracted or influenced by the draw of ‘prosperity’ offered by Sodom. Is it any wonder then, that God waited for Abram and Lot to separate before the next phase of the story unfolds? At this point then we again focus on Abram and his three visitors.

This is Part Two of a multi-part series. Keep an eye out for the next installment!