So there’ll be some more information on the news of yesterday and where we’re going, etc. Before you get that info though I was just thinking about how it’s important to check when God is speaking and then act pretty sharp-ish on it. I relate God’s gracious and merciful approach that is still insistent especially in the case of Lot.
It’s easy to jump to the main event of the brother doing a runner from Sodom and Gomorrah with his wife getting in a lot of trouble (that won’t be the only time you see that pun). Yet when you check the brother out even up to that point there have been little hints that perhaps it’s in his best interests to leave. In fact there was a huge advert for not going in the first place like –
Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. (Genesis 13:13)
Then after that hint there’s the skirmish the cities find themselves because of their own rebellion in Genesis 14 where Abram rescues his blood and also has a good meeting Melchizedek as a result.
Massive hints along the way, then we’re given an insight into God’s thinking when He pops in to inform Abraham and Sarah that way past the age of conception and even good nooky their firstborn is on the way. There in Genesis 18:17-19 God hails up the man who would go down as the father of faith and then has a chat with him about the future plans of the place where his blood is staying. Much is made of Abraham’s bargaining with god here, almost as if Abraham has some negotiating clout with God. All I can say about that is what influence did Abraham really have? What was the outcome?
And so we come to poor brother Lot again. The scene is somewhat understandable – it’s a good looking place, you’ve settled in the area, it looked good in the brochure and other than the odd skirmish and negative newspaper headline about the level of the state of unrighteousness in the place, it’s your home and you’ve even set up your daughters to marry into the neighbourhood. So even when they’re about to batter him for the sake of his hospitality and start with the old ‘these foreigners, come in here, think they’re the big deal, we’ll show him who the big deal is …’ he is still slow on the up-take when given a bigger hint that it’s time to move on out of there.
This goes on to the point that even the Bible says the poor brother is a dillying and dallying and the ‘angels’ have to drag him and his family out of the city gates.
So what does that have to do with anything?
Well here’s the deal as I read it. Believers in Christ are invited to come out of the world of sin to enter into the Kingdom of God and even to be careful if they get themselves caught up in church counterfeits to leave those behind and get themselves involved in the Way, the Truth and the Liofe to be found in the expression of the community of grace.
Like Lot it’s easy to think that where we are looks good, feels good and despite the reports that it blatantly isn’t good, we’re too entrenched in ways that are familiar, traditions, cultures, habits, ways of doing things that are actually blocking us from avoiding a judgement that’s already been made.
Just to link it with what Jesus was informing Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus is stating clearly that the option is simple – born again and receive the love that sent a Son down, or be part of the condemned. No, didn’t think we would make the most of that either, cos we’re wrapped up in the love business and the sacrifice, but when you read it again, tell me if I’ve got it a bit skewed.
So all the way through the journey God is dropping hints about the time to get out and get out quick and He’ll be subtle and then not so subtle in a loving bid to stop us ending up in the sulphur.
For what it’s worth, that’s some of what I got from the exercise. I’m sure there’s more to it that that and I’m open to that however you can share it with me.
Just blogging.
That is all.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 