LOT PITCHED HIS TENT TOWARDS SODOM
“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” Genesis 13:12
You might remember that there had been strife between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot. Abraham was very concerned about this, so he said unto Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen, and thy herdsmen, for we be brethren.” The Biblical Herdsmen were a type of a shepherd, and shepherd is a term used to describe a pastor or others in the ministry. Most all elderly ministers have men they consider their sons in the ministry—Like Paul and Timothy. There is a great lesson here for all of us—It would be wonderful if we were able to work together with no strife, and all Christians could remember they are brethren.
Abraham told Lot to choose what portion of the land he wanted, and if Lot wanted to go right or left, then he, Abraham, would go the other way. This is proof of Abraham’s brotherly spirit. The Bible teaches us that Lot lifted up his eyes, and because of what he saw; or beheld, he pitched his tent towards Sodom. The scriptures teach us that the eye is not satisfied with seeing alone. The eye gets us in trouble many times, and we are told that if our eye offends us to pluck it out. Sodom was a very wicked city, and Lots’ righteous soul was vexed from day to day with all this wickedness, yet there must have been something that Lot as a man was attached to, because he did not leave Sodom until just before the city was destroyed.
Do you remember how Abraham pleaded to The Lord to spare Sodom, because of his nephew Lot. He asked God to spare the city if there were fifty righteous souls. Finally, he came all the way down ten and Sodom was destroyed, because ten righteous could not found in the city. An interesting point here is that the Bible specifically addresses ten righteous souls not ten of God’s children. I am sure there were a lot more than ten in the city who were supposed to be counted as a child of God, the problem is there were not ten who were righteous.
Many things happened to Lot just for pitching his tent towards Sodom. While he was entertaining the two angels, in his house, the wicked and lewd men of the city disrupted the peace, and fellowship in his house. Are we allowing wicked and lewd things to disrupt our peace and fellowship among us today? When we assemble in our homes, and places of worship, what is our entertainment and what are our discussions about?
The scripture goes on to tell us how Lots’ wife was turned into a pillar of salt, because she looked back towards Sodom. Then afterwards we have the account of what happened between Lot and his two daughters---All these things happened because Lot chose to pitch his tent towards Sodom that wicked city. I wonder if we too do not pitch our tent in the same direction many times – when we try to choose the easy and broad ways of life – when we become at ease, and just drift with the tide – when we become unconcerned about our church, and the services there, and by letting worldly things hinder us. It is a very easy thing to float down stream, but it is different rowing up stream. The Christian life is a life of denial of the desires of the flesh, and is an uphill pull. We cannot close our eyes to all ungodliness, but we don’t have to flirt with the ungodly things around us. “For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” Rom 1:18.
Our nation is pitching its’ tents towards Sodom, and what can happen to us other than destruction, unless we repent? Abraham Lincoln in 1861 had this to say: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven....
We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God, we have forgotten the gracious hand that preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior virtue and wisdom of our own.... Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us....It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
It has been more than 100 years since Lincoln spoke these words, and yet we continue to drift farther away from God! We have grown weaker and wiser, but the world by wisdom knows not God. For those of us who have pitched their tents towards Sodom, may God help us to pull up the stakes, and pitch towards the mountain of the Lord’s house. I am sorry that I can not be as optimistic as some are. I wish things were brighter. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived”. 2 Timothy 3:12. My prayer is that the Lord will keep me in these troubled times, because I realize I am not my own keeper. The devil and sin will give us enough trouble, without us pitching our tent towards them. We are told to flee from the devil, and he will flee from us. Sometimes when I find myself almost too weak to flee, I remember Peter's cry--- Lord save or I perish. Pray for Me, as we strive to do God’s will.
