“I will feed you with the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” (Is. 58:14b)

Genesis 19:15-29

“As soon as it was dawn, the angels urged Lot by saying, “Quick! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you'll be swept away when the city is punished.” When he hesitated, the men grabbed him, his wife, and his two daughters by their hands, because Yahweh wanted to spare Lot. They brought them safely outside of the city. As soon as they were outside, one of the angels said, 'Run for your lives! Don't look behind you, and don't stop on the plain. Run for the hills, or you'll be swept away!”

In Genesis 13:5-17, Lot had too much livestock and servants to dwell in the same land as Abraham. Rather than quarrel, Abraham let Lot chose whatever land he wanted to settle in. Lot chose what looked like the richest land, the Jordan Plain for himself. And he made the decision to live in Sodom where the people were wicked.

Eventually the Lord decided that He would bring His judgment on the land for all the wickedness, He told Abraham about it and Abraham interceded for Lot to be spared. Abraham knew God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked (Gen. 18:23).

At the same time, when Lot left, it was only him and his daughters that were spared. Lot had no influence with his son-in-law's as they would not take him seriously. And his wife looked back (living in the past) and turned into a pillar of salt.

Even in being spared, Lot did not feel He could make it to the place that God had for him as he came out of the place of corruption. When the angels told him to run to the hills, He begged them to flee to Zoar (small). It was not the ideal will of God but Lot was granted to flee to the city and it would be spared.

Lot eventually left Zoar out of fear and took his daughters to the mountains where they lived in a cave. The legacy he left through his two daughters was to give birth to the Moabites and Ammonites, born out of incest, intoxication and hopelessness in taking matters into their own hands.

Lot went into the land with much and left empty-handed. Like Ruth going to Moab, Lot went there full and left empty. The difference with Ruth and Lot is that Ruth found new purpose and life in loving her daughter-in-law Naomi. Her heart re-awakened to God and was revived.

While 'righteous' Lot was saved, like Solomon, he lived as though he was not saved. He made choices for his own pleasure, comfort, gain and self-respect. He had even offered to a group of men who wanted to rape the guests of his house that they could have his daughters instead so he could save face with what others might think about his hospitality.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals. Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.”

In this verse, he was referring to the verse he spoke right before in 1 Cor. 15:32, “...Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” In the end-times, the attitude is the same as that that Paul was addressing when he spoke this verse.

In Luke 17:26-30 Jesus says, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained form heaven and destroyed them all. It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5,7 says, "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

 

Jeanne Terrell in her book, “Leaving Laodicea: A call to Spiritual Passion implies that the church today is that of Laodicea, living in a perpetual state of lukewarmness and half -hearted devotion to God. [1] We look to the world to fill us rather than God.

In the Western World, we are filled with riches, distractions and pleasures that make us full and self-satisfied. We go through the motions but we are not fully loving God with our whole hearts, minds soul and strength. We live in a state of false peace rather than in the urgency of the hour.

One commentary notes, “It is much easier to go through the external activities of religion than it is to love God from your heart and let that love touch the lives of others. It is a matter not of either/or but of both/and: worshiping God from the heart and serving others in love.” [2]

Rather than being a light in the land, Lot had fell into marginal complacency and let his heart be taken over with the ways of the world. He enjoyed life as a pleasure of the moment rather than finding his pleasure in God. His life was full of compromise. Being 'righteous' he escaped judgment, but all his works were burnt up.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one's work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one's work. If anyone's work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.”

Jacob on the other hand, also lived in the midst of corruption. His brother wanted to kill him for stealing his birthright and then blessing of the first born (with the help of his mother) and he was forced to run for his life and live with his uncle Laban who constantly deceived him.

Ironically for Esau, having his birthright and then blessing stolen, woke him up out of his complacency of the value of all he was losing. While this first led him to hate and blame his brother, he eventually found forgiveness for his brother and was truly blessed.

On the way to Laban, running for his life, Jacob encountered God. He had a a dream which He saw God who promised to bless him and make him prosperous, making his descendants like the dust of the earth. He told Jacob, “Remember, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will also bring you back to this land because I will not leave you until I do what I've promised you.”

Jacob, whose name means deceiver, came to live with his uncle Laban who was great at deception. Rather than falling into complacency and going along with his environment, doing the same thing and allowing it to make him more corrupt, Jacob turned to God and allowed his difficult circumstances to form godliness in his heart.

The corruption of his environment forged godliness in Jacob as he chose faithfulness to God over complacency. In Genesis 31:38-42 when Laban had chased down Jacob as he was called back to his land by God, Jacob told Laban:

“I've been with you for 20 years. Your sheep and goats never miscarried, and I never ate any rams from your flocks. I never brought you any of the flock that was killed by wild animals. I paid for the loss myself. That's what you demanded of me when any of the flock was stolen during the day or at night. The scorching heat during the day and the cold at night wore me down, and I lost a lot of sleep. I've been with your household 20 years now. I worked for you 14 years for your two daughters and 6 years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. If the Elohim of my father, the Elohim of Abraham and the Fear (protection) of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty-handed by now. Elohim has seen my misery and hard work, and last night he made it right.”

In Genesis 32:28, Jacob had another encounter with God where the change in who he had become was acknowledged. The man he encountered and wrestled with said to him, “Your name will no longer be Jacob but Israel [He Struggles With God], because you have struggled with Elohim and with men – and you have won.”

Jacob allowed the struggles of life to form and shape him rather than embitter him or corrupt him. While Lot went in full and came out empty-handed, Jacob went in empty-handed and came out full. The difference was in how each of them allowed the corruption around them to form and shape them.

Fullness in the sense of having possessions, while they may seemingly represent the state of where Lot and Jacob were at with their lives, was not what was of true value in their lives.

“I know that I have been given more than beyond measure... I know that I have been given more than earthly treasure” sings in the background.

Solomon speaks about the emptiness of possessions in Ecclesiastes 2:7-11, “I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and Providences... All the my eyes desired, I did not deny them, I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

When Jacob re-connected with Esau, he gave him flocks and servants as a gift. When Esau turned down the gift, Jacob insisted and told him, “Please take the present I've brought you, because Elohim has been gracious to me and has given me all that I need.”

Jacob had found all that he needed in his relationship with God. He discovered God was more than enough for every difficulty and circumstance. God with him, guiding him in the midst of all the difficulty, watching over him so he was not harmed, and bringing him into the promises God gave him was the greatest treasure.

Lot and Jacob both faced difficult circumstances of evil. He difference is that one chose to succumb to their surroundings and the other sought God in it. It is not our circumstances but our seeking out God that makes the most significant difference in our lives. And God promises that when we seek Him we will find Him, when we search Him out with all our heart.

Lord, thank you that you continually pour out on me the greatest gift anyone could ask for. You are continually with me, loving me, watching over me, correcting me, guiding me and caring for me. I am so grateful. In you I have everything. Forgive me for sometimes thinking I have to make my own way or blaming difficult circumstances or other people for my struggles. You offer me all I need in You.

Give us hearts like Jacob that wrestle through trials and tribulations into greater freedom. Let us be those who love you with all our hearts, minds souls and strength. In areas we have grown complacent, dispassionate, embittered, or distracted, revive and reawaken our hearts to your love and your purposes.

1. Terrell, Jeanne. Leaving Laodicea: A Call To Spiritual Passion. McDougal Publishing, Hagerstown, MD. 2001
   
   
2. Wiersbe, Warren W.: With the Word Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1991, S. Is 58:1