LENT 3. "Lot, The Road Away From God"

 

Readings: Psalm 63:1-8, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9, Genesis 13:1-13
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, on March 20 2022

Abraham was a man of faith. He had a nephew called Lot. Lot also was greatly blessed by God. So blessed where they that the land could not contain them both. Too many herds of cattle and sheep. Too much stuff, not enough room. It was causing a lot of conflict. Abraham suggests to his nephew Lot that they should divide up the land. And Abraham gives Lot first pick of where to go.

We read in Genesis 13:10 “Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”

After a time of journeying, away from Abraham, and away from his spiritual roots, Lot ends up living in the city of Sodom, which as the closing section of our verse told us, was not a good place to be as it became destroyed by its wickedness. Abraham was a man who walked with God. Lot traveled a road away from God. Along Lot's road were signposts that we do well to take note of.

I'm calling the first signpost 'Just Looking.'

Our verses begin; “Lot looked around ...” and he really liked what he saw. A whole vast, fertile plain of possibilities. The fact that it included the unfriendly, rather dangerous, area of Egypt, wasn't a problem. After all he was 'Just looking”.

When Moses gave Israel the 10 commandments, they included one that said, “You shalt not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his man-servant or maid-servant, or his ox or donkey, (or his Ferrari or his boat) or anything else that belongs to your neighbor'.

To covet something meant to have an over-eager desire for something that wasn't yours.  'Just looking' could lead to all sorts of problems. Over-eager desire distorted clear thinking. To always want more inevitably led to dissatisfaction with what you already had and destroyed any attitude for gratitude.  The grass isn't greener on the other side – you just think it is.

Lot looks at the well-watered plains of Jordan and is struck by the thoughts that, firstly it looked like the Garden of Eden, and secondly, it reminded him of the glory days of Egypt. You could not really find two more glaring opposites. The Garden of Eden was the place where the most intimate experience of God could be found, whilst Egypt was a place known for its rebellion against God!

It's as though Lot is saying 'I want the best of both worlds; I want the best God can give me and the best the world can give me. I want it all!'

A second signpost appears. 'Taste and See'

Desire leads to action. Scripture simply says, “Lot chose for himself the whole plain of Jordan and set out towards the East”. Reading between the lines, Lot has said to himself, 'Not only do I want it all, I want it now!” He's not worried that entering this territory could have serious consequences both for his personal spiritual journey and his future relationship with Uncle Abraham.

There are many things in life that invite us to 'Taste and See'. There are tremendous pressures on our youth to try it all... be it in realm of alcohol, drugs, sex, petty crime... or just to have a good time and forget about the consequences. As we go through life there are always temptations.  The dodgy business deal. The short cut that we are not sure is completely honest. Choices that we make based entirely on personal benefit without considering their effect on others.

At this point in Lot's life, you kind of hope some angel will come by and say, “Hey, what about those altars you made to God, what about those commitments you made with your words, what about the nurture and leadership you received from your uncle?” It seems that when we choose to no longer be influenced by the one, true God, then lesser gods exert such an influence upon us that we forget about all our previous commitments, no matter how sincerely they were made at the time.

Throughout the years of my ministry, I have lost count of the people at funerals, weddings, or just community events, that will say “I used to be a member of such and such a church.” “What happened? “There’s usually a tale of gradual disengagement and of other commitments taking their attention. They give the impression of being liberated, and free. They do not need the mindless ramblings of a minister and the company of those hypocrites that make up the church.  They are doing their own thing now. Which leads us to our next signpost.

One Way Street
We read in Genesis 13, 11 of Abraham and Lot, “The two men parted company”.  When folk decide to pursue their own path there will be separation.  For Lot it meant separation from his places of worship, his wider family, and the godly influence of his uncle Abraham. Abraham only sought to put a distance between himself and Lot so that their herds could have room to graze. He had not wanted to drive his nephew away! Lot does not see it that way. Lot sees their separation as an opportunity to free himself from the narrow confines of his uncle’s world and embrace something new, and exciting.

It's sad when people separate themselves from you because they think they can do better.  I can think of people I knew when I was growing up and we were good friends. Some have gone on, in their own eyes, 'to make something of themselves'. They have got no time for church... and because of what I do, little time for me. I am no longer able to be of service to their ambitions.  

Separation can be such a one-way street! As Lot went further and further away from Abraham's influence he moved further and further towards making his home in a place that was notorious for its ungodliness, the city of Sodom.  The further he moved from godly influence, the more accommodating he became towards the ways of ungodliness, and the colder his heart became towards the things that had once blessed his life. And as he drew near to Sodom, he found another sign.

NO U-TURNS
If you are on a one-way street, you must keep going. You cannot do a U-turn.  Lot did not go from the blessings of Bethel to the sins of Sodom in a day. Step by step Lot moved away from godly influences and God's altars and towards sin, idolatry, and ungodliness. His 'Just Looking', turned to 'Taste and See” which set him on a 'One Way street' upon which there could be no 'U-Turns'. Verse 12 tells us 'He pitched his tents near Sodom.” Having pitched his tents nearby it was not long before he took up residence. He never intended his life to go that way. When he was just looking, it all seemed so innocent.

Every alcoholic had their first drink too many. Every drug addict had their first fix. The man who sits alone, separated from wife and children, never intended that brief fling with another partner to lead to the breakdown of his marriage. The lady with debts on their credit card that led to the repossession of her home says, 'I couldn't help it. Things just got out of hand.'

There comes a point on the road where there can be no U-turns. You make your bed, and you must lie in it. According to Peter's Second letter, Lot hated it in Sodom. He knew he was in a terrible situation. 2 Peter 2: 8 tells us of Lot, “That as a righteous man, living among them day after day, Lot was tormented in his soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard”. The final sign in Lot's journey away from God came as he reached...

DEAD-END
Lot could go no deeper into misery. The only way to get off a one-way street is to find another road.  The only hope he had was that by some act of grace on the part of God he may be delivered from the mess he had created for himself.

The positive side to this story, is that Lot is plucked out of Sodom in the nick of time. In Genesis 19 we are given the story of Lot's redemption. Without going into detail, let us just say it didn't come easy. He escapes the destruction of Sodom not with great riches but with only the shirt on his back.

His wife is not so fortunate. Even as they are fleeing the destruction of the city she looks back and is lost. He ends up, through the treachery of his daughters, fathering children    who become the head of two nations, the Moabites and the Ammonites, who later become two of Israel's most feared enemies. Not exactly a happy ending! But if you head down a road that leads away from God – where do you think it is going to lead?

There are lessons to be learned from this cautionary tale.  Lot's story reveals signposts that are along the road away from God.

• We see him 'Just Looking'. But in his heart, he'd already gone further.
• We watch him 'Taste and See'. He likes what he tastes, and he's hooked.
• We see how his road turns out to be 'One Way Street.' It leads to separation from the people and values he once counted as all important.
• He discovers that there are 'No-U-Turns' on a one-way street.
• Finally, he reaches a 'Dead End.'

In response to such an account I can only say that there but for the grace of God go us all! 

It makes me even more thankful for the love that we find in Jesus Christ. It makes sense to call Him the Savior. He can save us from having dead end lives. And though God's love can certainly redeem the most desperate of situations, we do well to listen to the promptings of His Holy Spirit that prevent us from falling into those situations in the first place.

The simple disciplines of regular worship and involvement with our church community, of heeding the advice of godly family and friends, of being thankful for what we have and treating others in a way we ourselves would like to be treated, of not throwing away what we have in pursuit of lesser gods, greener pastures or imagined fertile plains... these simple things can keep us on the right road.

Though in our increasingly self-serving, materialistic, spiritually shallow society, throwing ourselves heart and soul into pursing a kingdom lifestyle may not be an option that the majority favor, one of the images of spiritual journeying that Jesus gave to us is that pursuing His Kingdom is like walking on a narrow road. That though there were other roads that appeared to offer a more appealing destination, only His way led to true blessings.

Let us then learn from Lot to pay attention to signs that lead away from God! And by the Grace of God may we choose to follow paths that lead us in the right direction, the way of Christ, the road illuminated by signs of His Spirit's presence. And to God's name be the glory. Amen.
 
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.