Daily Devotions
Genesis
"But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I shall trust in You." Palm 55:23
Text: Genesis 19:1-38
DID GOD REMEMBER ABRAHAM’S PRAYERS?
Abraham must have gone often to the place where he had stood before the Lord. That place must have offered him a fairly good view of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Did God remember Abraham at all?
“And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain,
that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst
of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot
had dwelt.”GENESIS 19:29
1. God remembered Abraham
We have a very direct statement here that God remembered Abraham and his intercession. However, He had to mete out punishment against the cities of the plains because the people remained unrepentant throughout.
2. Lot was spared from the destruction
Lot may have lost all his material possessions, but at least his life was spared! Thank God for His tender regard for those who trust in Him. They may be tainted by sin, but they still belong to the Lord. He would make a distinction between His own and the unrepentant wicked.
LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS
It was Lot who pleaded with the angels to be allowed to live in Zoar. It was Lot’s decision again to move out of the city he had chosen. Fear gripped his heart and ruled him.
“Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains,
and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid
to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.”GENESIS 19:30
Why didn’t Lot think about looking up his uncle Abraham? The journey to Mamre where Abraham lived was not very far from Sodom and Gomorrah!
1. Traumatised
It is likely that Lot was deeply traumatised by the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He had lost everything he owned. He had become a pauper overnight.
2. Fear – A terrible master
Lot was no longer the brash and over-confident man he was in the past. He had swung to the opposite end of the pendulum. Fear had gripped his heart. The future must have appeared frightful. How was he going to begin again? How would he succeed in his life? He ended up living in a cave in the mountains!