Abraham—Called by God: LIVING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD A DEFEATED RIGHTEOUS MAN

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LIVING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD A DEFEATED RIGHTEOUS MAN

Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Genesis 13:12

And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.…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.

Genesis 19:1, 15-16

And having reduced to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, condemned them to ruin, having set them as an example to those who intend to live an ungodly life, and rescued righteous Lot, who had been oppressed by the licentious manner of life of the lawless.

2 Peter 2:6-7

The Bible is a marvelous book. Alongside of the record of Abraham, it gives us the negative history of Lot. For quite a long time, I did not understand why the Bible included such a negative record. There are certain verses in Genesis 19 that, humanly speaking, I do not like to talk about. But the Lord’s divine revelation is economical; not one word is wasted. Hence, every word in the Holy Bible is very important. What then is the purpose of chapter nineteen of Genesis? It is to give us a warning example. I have the strong burden that in this message so many of us, especially the young people, need to see this warning example. We need such an example because today’s situation is no better than that of Sodom.

We thank the Lord that His Word gives us both a positive history of Abraham and a negative one of Lot. There is no record in the entire Bible that is as complete as the account of Abraham’s life. This record shows how Abraham was called by God, how he answered God’s calling, how he lived by faith in God for his existence, how he was trained to know grace for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, how he was dealt with by being circumcised, and how he was brought into intimate fellowship with God, cooperating with Him on the human level. I appreciate this record of a fallen man who was saved, transformed, and brought into wonderful fellowship on the human level with the glorious and holy God. Yet alongside of this record, we have a black, negative record of Lot. In this message we must consider this record in detail, taking it as a warning for ourselves and for our children and relatives.

If we read 2 Peter 2:6-9, we see that Peter was much in favor of Lot. In verse 8 Peter referred to him as a “righteous man” whose “righteous soul” was vexed with the unlawful deeds of the people in Sodom. In verse 9 he describes Lot as godly. Thus, according to Peter’s concept, Lot was both righteous and godly. Although we may find it difficult to believe this because Lot’s record in Genesis is so negative, we must believe it because the Bible tells us so. If you still say that Lot was not righteous and godly, then I would ask you about yourself. Are you more righteous and godly than he? In a sense, Lot was more righteous and godly than many of us. But although he was saved, righteous, and godly, he was a defeated righteous man.

PASSIVELY BROUGHT INTO GOD’S WAY BY OTHERS

As we consider Lot’s history, we see that he was passively brought into God’s way by others (11:31; 12:5), having been brought into God’s way by his grandfather and his uncle. His grandfather brought him from Ur of Chaldea to Haran, stopping halfway because the grandfather would not go on. When God took the grandfather away, Abraham, Lot’s uncle, took him from Haran to Canaan. Although it is good in the eyes of God that there are grandfathers and uncles who can bring their grandchildren and nephews into God’s way, it is not the best to be passively brought on by others. Lot had a very weak start. He did not have an active, positive beginning in spiritual things. Young people, it is not the best to be passive concerning holy things or your following of the Lord. Lot was righteous and godly, but he was defeated because he had a very weak, passive start. His passive beginning was the cause of his eventual defeat.

NEVER HAVING GOD’S APPEARING

Lot never had God’s appearing. As I read through the verses about Lot again and again, I could not find a hint that God ever appeared to him. Although God and the two angels visited Abraham, only the two angels came to Lot. Does this mean that God is unfair or a respecter of persons? Of course not. God is fair and is no respecter of persons. God did not appear to Lot or reveal Himself to Lot, because Lot was passive, not actively seeking God, and was living in a wicked city. He did not follow God in a direct way but in an indirect way and did not walk in the way of God. Unlike Abraham, Lot had no direct relationship with God. God does not respect persons, but He does respect behavior, respecting whether or not we are active or passive in seeking Him. If you seek Him, He will appear to you. But if you do not seek Him, He will not waste His time. That God did not appear to Lot was not God’s fault; it was Lot’s. God wants to appear to you, but are you seeking Him and walking in His way? Do you have a heart to seek God positively and actively and walk in the way of God? If you do, God will not fail you. He will certainly appear to you.

NEVER TAKING THE INITIATIVE IN TAKING GOD’S WAY

Lot never took the initiative in taking God’s way. I have been unable to find a verse which indicates that Lot ever took the initiative in this matter. The Bible says that Lot’s grandfather took him to Haran; it does not say that Lot followed him. There is a great difference between the two. I am somewhat concerned for the young people among us. Many of them are in the church life because someone brought them here. They did not take the initiative to come into the church life. As I look back upon the past fifty years, I can testify that those who showed initiative in taking the way of the church are still strong today. However, those who took no initiative but who were passively brought into the way of the church have gradually fallen away. I can give you a hundred names of those who were intimate with me and who were helped by my ministry who gradually fell away because they did not have a strong start by actively taking the initiative to follow the Lord. Lot should have said to Abraham, “Uncle Abraham, whether or not you take God’s way, I will take it. Even though I am younger than you, I would be the leader in following God and would ask you to follow me.” To say this is not to be proud; it is to be active.

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF OTHERS

Lot’s relationship with God was under the influence of others (13:1). When others were up, he was up. When they were down, he was down. Lot was like a piece of driftwood. When his spiritual leader drifted into Egypt, he drifted there after him. He was altogether under the influence of others. When Abraham was drifting southward toward Egypt and the world, Lot should have withstood him and said, “Abraham, if you go downward, I’ll go upward.” But we see no such tendency in Lot’s life. I am concerned that in the church life today there is this kind of driftwood. Is your relationship with God under His direct appearing or under others’ influence? Do not think that Lot suddenly drifted into Sodom. No, it was a gradual development starting from a very weak beginning. If as you read this message you feel that you have not had a strong beginning, be encouraged for it is still not too late to lay a solid foundation.

LEAVING OTHERS’ SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE BECAUSE OF MATERIAL SUBSTANCE

Lot left others’ spiritual influence because of material substance (13:5-13). When there was only the spiritual influence, Lot kept himself under it. But when Lot was faced with the choice between spiritual influence and material substance, he chose material substance. The principle is the same today. Material substance, that is, worldliness, is a test to those who follow the spirituality of others. Like Lot, they may be righteous but still choose material substance.

The Bible does not indicate that in the strife between Lot and Abraham in chapter thirteen Abraham was wrong. However, I believe that in a very deep sense Lot’s feelings were hurt. Here I would say a word to the leading brothers. It is a very difficult matter to deal with the brothers. Abraham did nothing wrong in dealing with Lot, but simply because he dealt with him, Lot would never return to him. Abraham never forgot Lot. When he heard that Lot had been captured by Chedorlaomer, he led the fight against the kings and rescued Lot. When Abraham learned that God was about to destroy Sodom, he interceded for Lot. In 19:27 and 28, Abraham rose up early in the morning and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah because he was so concerned for Lot. Nevertheless, because of his hurt feelings, Lot would not return to Abraham, but could say, “I have nothing to do with you. Even though you brought me back from captivity, I will never return to you.” When Lot was delivered from the city of Sodom, he did not consider returning to Abraham. If he had returned, his life would not have had such a pitiful ending.

I am burdened that the young brothers and sisters will see that it is dangerous to dissent with and to leave the older generation in the Lord. When as a child I was rebuked by my mother, I would turn my face away from her for several days. I was wrong and I knew that she had rebuked me in love, but simply because she rebuked me, I refused to see her face. The principle is the same in the church life. Although others may love us, we do not like to be rebuked by them. I have learned that rebuking others builds up enmity. I spoke a frank word in love to certain brothers, and my frankness offended them. This might have been the reason why Lot would not return to Abraham. There is no indication in the Word that Lot thanked Abraham for delivering him from captivity. It might have been that he would not give up his hurt feelings and humble himself. We should not insist upon holding on to such human feelings. We, unlike Lot, should humble ourselves, lose our face, and return to Abraham and remain with him. The sooner we do this and the more we do it, the better.

DRIFTING INTO A SITUATION WHICH WAS WICKED AND SINFUL BEFORE GOD

Lot drifted into a situation which was wicked and sinful before God (13:11-12). Once you leave the source of spiritual influence, you will automatically go downhill. You will never go upward. Never forsake the proper spiritual influence, for it is your protection. If you give it up, you will lose your protection, and, like Lot, will drift downward into Sodom. In spite of the fact that Lot knew Sodom was wicked in the eyes of God, he eventually entered into that evil place and lived there.

Ur of Chaldea was a place of idols, Egypt was a place of worldly riches and pleasures, and Sodom was a city of sin. These three places form a triangular boundary around the land of Canaan. We, God’s called ones, live within this triangle and must be careful lest we fall back to the city of idols, go down to the place of worldly pleasures, or drift into the city of sin. Although Lot stayed away from the land of idols and the place of worldly pleasures, he drifted, like a piece of driftwood, into the city of sin.

SOVEREIGNLY WARNED BY BEING CAPTURED

Lot was sovereignly warned by being captured (14:11-12). God was merciful to him, not allowing him to live in Sodom peacefully. As a warning and a discipline, God caused Lot to be captured.

RESCUED FROM CAPTIVITY BY THE LORD’S OVERCOMER, BUT NOT HELPED TO COME BACK TO THE WAY OF GOD

Although Lot was rescued from captivity by the Lord’s overcomer, he was not helped to come back to the way of God (14:12-16). For a long time I was troubled by Lot’s not returning to the way of God. He might have been stubborn. Do not think that passive people are submissive. Nearly all the passive ones are rebellious. Lot did not learn the lesson and he did not return to God’s way.

GOING BACK TO LIVE IN THE WICKED CITY WHICH WAS CONDEMNED BY GOD AND WAS TO BE DESTROYED BY THE JUDGMENT OF GOD

Lot went back to live in the wicked city which was condemned by God and which was to be destroyed by the judgment of God (19:1-13). Lot did not go there to visit; he went there to live. When the two angels came to execute God’s judgment over Sodom, Lot was sitting in the gate of the city, in contrast to Abraham who was sitting at his tent door. According to ancient custom, whoever sat at the gate of the city was one of the elders, for only they had the privilege of sitting there. Lot became a leader in Sodom! Suppose the Lord or His angels were to visit you. Where would they find you—sitting at your tent door, or at the gate of the wicked world? Where you are sitting determines whether or not the Lord will come to you.

The angels refused to enter Lot’s house (19:2). Compare this with the visit the Lord and the angels paid Abraham in the previous chapter. When Abraham invited them to stay, they immediately agreed. But the two angels did not want to enter into Lot’s house and stay there, because it was in such a wicked city. After Lot pressed upon them greatly, they went in and stayed with him (19:3).

While the angels were staying in Lot’s house, the Sodomites came to indulge in their sodomitical lust, coming from every corner of the city (19:4-11). A Sodomite is a homosexual. Paul speaks of them in Romans 1:24 and 27. There are many Sodomites today and much sodomitical lust is expressed. Sodomites seem to have no spirit; they are like brutal animals.

Lot was even willing to sacrifice his two daughters to satisfy the Sodomites’ lust (19:7-9). Whether he was forced to do this or not, he never should have done it. This shows that Lot’s sense of morality had been drugged. We may use the smell of garlic as an illustration of this. If we were to eat garlic all day long, our sense of smell would eventually be drugged. If someone having a fresh sense of smell would come into the midst of the garlic eaters, he would immediately notice the scent of garlic. Lot and his children remained in the garlic room of Sodom for years, and their sense of morality was drugged. Lot would consider sacrificing his virgin daughters to save his two guests. How could he consider such a thing! Although he was a righteous man, he had lost his sense of morality and shame.

In order to meet such a wicked situation, the angels smote the Sodomites with blindness (19:11), indicating that all the men in Sodom were blind and in darkness. All Sodomites are blind. If a man were not blind, how could he be a Sodomite? This shows that sinfulness blinds people.

HIS CHILDREN BEING CORRUPTED

Lot’s children were corrupted by living in the wicked city. The word of the angels in 19:12 indicates that Lot might have had sons as well as daughters. In chapter eighteen Abraham might have considered that there were at least ten people in Lot’s family. The angels said to Lot, “Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord has sent us to destroy it” (19:12-13). Lot had to tell his sons-in-law and his children that God was about to judge that city. But when Lot preached the gospel to them, some would not believe the word from the Lord, thinking that he was joking. Verse 14 says, “Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that jested unto his sons-in-law” (Heb.).

Others of Lot’s children had no sense of morality (19:30-35). Look at what his daughters did after they escaped from the city! After escaping from Sodom, Lot and his daughters still had wine with them (19:32). If they had not brought the wine with them, how else could they have had it in the cave where they were dwelling? How drugged they were by the sinful situation in Sodom! When I was visiting some saints in Las Vegas in 1963, they vindicated their living in that city, saying, “It is not wrong for us to stay in this gambling city, because we are here as a testimony for the Lord.” I did not argue with them, but deep within myself I said, “If you stay here for some years, your children will have no sense about the wickedness of gambling.” Many of the young people today have been drugged. Look at the way they dress: there is no sense of morality or feeling of shame. Many times when I am on the street I have to shut my eyes. For young ladies to be without a sense of shame is to be without protection. Throughout the whole world the sense of shame and morality has been drugged. Because most of the young people were raised in a sinful atmosphere, their senses have been drugged. But if they would come in to the church life and remain in its pure atmosphere for a few months, they would never return to the sinful world. They would be unable to stand its smell.

We live in an evil age and need protection from it. Our family and our children must be protected. We all must escape Sodom and shut our doors to its evil atmosphere. If we do not, our descendants will be drugged. How could Lot and his children have conducted themselves in the way they did after Sodom was destroyed? Because their sense of morality had fallen so low. If we remain in the fresh air, we shall immediately sense the bad smell of immorality. But if we do not discern any bad smell, it means that our sense of morality has been drugged.

HE HIMSELF BARELY SAVED THROUGH THE OVERCOMER’S INTERCESSION

Lot himself was barely saved through the overcomer’s intercession (19:15-25, 29). Even after the angels told Lot that Sodom was to be destroyed, he still lingered there. He had no willingness to escape from the city, but the angels held his hand and pulled him out. Verse 16 says, “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.” Lot was not faithful, but the Lord was merciful, pulling him out of Sodom as wood plucked out of a fire.

HIS WIFE BEING SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION BUT BECOMING A PILLAR OF SALT

Lot’s wife was saved from destruction, but she became a pillar of salt (19:15-17, 26; Luke 17:32). In the form of powder, salt is useful. But when salt becomes a block, it is useless. That Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt meant that she had lost her usefulness in the hand of God and had become a sign of shame. Today Christianity helps people only to take care of the matter of salvation or perdition. But the Bible reveals that besides the matter of salvation or perdition, there is the matter of glory or shame. Lot’s wife was not lost; she was saved from destruction. Eventually, however, she became a shame. Hence, the Lord said in Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot’s wife,” warning us that, though we are saved, at the Lord’s coming back we might possibly suffer shame like Lot’s wife. Although we are saved, we may become ashamed at the Lord’s coming back (1 John 2:28).

In Luke 17:28-33 the Lord warns us not to look back. Why did Lot’s wife look back? Because some of her children, especially her daughters, were still in Sodom and because her house and her clothing also were there. If you read Genesis 19 carefully, you will see that she was behind Lot. As a couple, they should have gone together; she should not have been behind her husband. But, being behind him, she looked back and became a pillar of salt. She looked back to the place where she loved to live and became a sign of shame for our warning. This is not merely a story or doctrine. We see from it that in addition to the matter of salvation, there is the matter of shame. When the day of judgment arrives, will you share in the glory or in the shame? We shall not suffer perdition, for our salvation is assured. However, as this warning example indicates, we may be put to shame.

HIS LIFE ISSUING IN BRINGING FORTH MOABITES AND AMMONITES

Lot’s life issued in bringing forth Moabites and Ammonites (children of Ben-ammi), who were rejected by God even to their tenth generation (19:36-38; Deut. 23:3). What a pitiful ending to Lot’s life! He did not bring forth an Isaac but Moabites and Ammonites who were rejected by God. Here in the story of Lot we see the record of a defeated righteous man. Alongside of the white record of the victorious Abraham, we have the black record of the defeated Lot. The record of Lot’s life should be a strong warning to us all.