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A Selfish, Greedy, Righteous Man
In Genesis 13 we find that the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot were quarreling
about where their herds should graze, so Abraham, a man of peace and good will, gave
Lot the choice of which way they should go. Then we read in Gen. 13:10, "And Lot
lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every
where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." Most of us who have spoken of Lot in
this connection have characterized him as a selfish, materialistic man who had little
concern for others or his own spiritual welfare. There is little doubt that he wanted for
himself the best he could get of material things. Do you? Who does not? Is there
anything especially reprehensible about that? If someone offered you a choice of a
hundred-dollar bill or a dollar bill and he would take the other, which would you choose?
If you had been in Lot's shoes, what would you have done? It is easy for us to say, "He
should have left the choice to Abraham," but Abraham already had the choice, and gave
it to him.
It is generally assumed, and, in my judgment highly probable, that Lot
knew of
Sodom and its wickedness. It is easy for us to say, "He should have
considered what
disadvantage there would be in living so close to such wickedness." Of
course he should,
as each of us should always consider the consequences of any action we
may take,
especially one that leans toward or leads toward wickedness. A parent
who sends his
child to a secular, ungodly university instead of to a Christian college
or university
should consider the consequences. A parent who sends his child to a
Christian college or
university where many of the teachers promote the idea that the
denominational world is
about as well off as the Lord's church, and that doctrinal matters are
unimportant and that the church of Christ is merely an outgrowth of the
Restoration Movement should
consider the consequences. A businessman who moves to Detroit, New York
or San
Francisco from middle Tennessee to get a better paying job should
consider the
consequences. A Christian who dates a person who is not a Christian or
does not have
high moral standards should consider the consequences.
However my point here is that the fact that Lot made the wrong choice did not
indicate that he was an ungodly, selfish, unusually materialistic wretch. As we see in
chapter 19, even after he lived in Sodom he still showed courtesy, hospitality, shame at
ungodliness, loyalty, gratitude and other good attributes. He was basically a righteous
man. The outstanding lesson is: Regardless of how good or righteous one may be, the
wrong choice can reap unexpected horrible consequences. The fact that Lot may have
reasoned, "I know the city is wicked, but I do not have to participate in its wickedness"
did not change the consequences. The fact that a young girl goes with a boy who is not a
Christian or who has questionable morals and thinks, "We love each other enough that I
will change him when we get married" will not change the consequences of her actions.
Nelson's Bible Dictionary says, "Lot's character is revealed by the major decisions which
he made throughout his life. He chose to pitch his tent with the worldly sodomites,
seeking riches and a life of ease rather than a path of obedience to God. He prospered
for a while, but this decision eventually led to his humiliation and the tragic loss of his
wife and other members of his family." That may be true, but it is merely an assumption
that he "chose a life of ease rather than a path of obedience to God." There is nothing in
the story that indicates that he did not think he could obey God and still pitch his tent
toward Sodom. There is nothing in the story that shows that he was disobeying God by
moving closer to Sodom. The tragedy is that millions of others have followed his
example. They have not chosen a path of deliberate disobedience to God. They have
merely chosen a path that indicates an improper attitude toward sin and its influence and
consequence. In 2 Peter 2:7-9 Lot is called a righteous man. Matthew Henry says, "This
he was as to the generally prevailing bent of his heart and through the main of his
conversation. God does not account men just or unjust from one single act, but from
their general course of life. And here is a just man in the midst of a most corrupt and
profligate generation universally gone off from all good. He does not follow the
multitude to do evil, but in a city of injustice he walks uprightly."
Barnes suggests, "Perhaps it was one purpose of his remaining to endeavor to do
them good, as it is often the duty of good men now to reside among the wicked for the
same purpose. Lot is supposed to have resided in Sodom -- then probably the most
corrupt place on the earth -- for 16 years; and we have in that fact an instructive
demonstration that a good man may maintain the life of religion in his soul when
surrounded by the wicked, and an illustration of the effects which the conduct of the
wicked will have on a man of true piety when he is compelled to witness it constantly.
(1) He will not be CONTAMINATED with their wickedness, or will not conform to
their evil customs. (2) He will not become INDIFFERENT to it, but his heart will be
more and more affected by their depravity. (3) He will have not only constant, but
growing solicitude in regard to it -- solicitude that will be felt every day: 'He vexed his
soul from day to day.' It will not only be at intervals that his mind will be affected by
their conduct, but it will be a habitual and constant thing. True piety is not fitful,
periodical, and spasmodic; it is constant and steady. It is not a 'jet' that occasionally
bursts out; it is a fountain always flowing. (4) He will seek to do them good. We may
suppose that this was the case with Lot; we are certain that it is a characteristic of true
religion to seek to do good to all, however wicked they may be. (5) He will secure their
confidence. He will practice no improper arts to do this, but it will be one of the usual
results of a life of integrity, that a good man will secure the confidence of even the
wicked. It does not appear that Lot lost that confidence, and the whole narrative in
Genesis leads us to suppose that even the inhabitants of Sodom regarded him as a good
man. The wicked may hate a good man because he is good; but if a man lives as he
should, they will regard him as upright, and they will give him the credit of it when he
dies, if they should withhold it while he lives."
We think Barnes is mostly right, but to say that a good man will not be
contaminated by the wickedness of those with whom he lives for sixteen years is to go
too far. We cannot but wonder why he even moved into the city if it "vexed his righteous
soul" as Peter said it did. The only reason that makes sense to us is that he must have
assumed that he was so righteous that it would not be worth the effort to stay outside,
for he would not be influenced or contaminated by their evil ways. It may be that his
family had friends there whose company they enjoyed, or that his wife was so attracted
to the sights and shops in the city that she nagged at him until he moved there. Whatever
the reasons are, the lesson is the same: The wrong choices we make can have far-
reaching and disastrous consequences, not only for ourselves, but also for our families
and others.
We cannot argue with the statement that he was a righteous man, at least compared to those about him, for the Bible says so. But we can recognize that even a righteous man can have improper motives and certainly unwise choices and take care that we do not follow in his steps. This is true with every choice we make, whether it is in the political realm, the business arena, scholastic choices, marriage or even where we will spend our vacation. Choose to live in such a way that all you do in word or deed will be to the glory of God.
T. Pierce Brown
(http://www.oldpaths.com)
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