What lessons can you glean from Lot’s choices? When we first met him, he was so prosperous that the land couldn’t support both his wealth of livestock and Abraham’s. He chose the place of apparent abundance; so what happened? Can you imagine a more ignominious end? What can you learn about God from this account? Is He more just, or more merciful? How do these truths about God impact you?
Abraham was obviously not perfect, and didn’t master a bent toward lying for his own protection, even as he enjoyed more relationship with God and reinforcement of His promises. He needed inner transformation for that. (Do you see how desperately man needs the promised Messiah?) As in the same incidence in Egypt, Abraham needed Sarah’s cooperation to pull off the lie. This man of God put his wife (and thus God’s wonderful promises to him) in jeopardy, for his own safety, sought his wife’s cooperation in doing so, and received her cooperation! It seems senseless. Is it any less sensible than our own choices? Is there a choice confronting you today, to live in God’s promise or take matters into your own hands? What are you going to do about it?
Nevertheless, God “did for Sarah as He had promised,” and Isaac was born after they had waited about 25 years after God’s call and initial promise. Imagine what they had been through in that time, with only infrequent words from God to sustain their hope as hope must doubtless have grown dimmer with their aging. Why would God have waited so long? To strengthen not only Abraham and Sarah’s faith, but the faith of Isaac as he also lived as a sojourner in a lawless land? To strengthen the faith of Moses’ readers, the nation of Israel, in the process of being transformed from a nation of slaves to a nation of warriors? To strengthen our faith in God? “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (1Corinthians 10:11-12)
Where do you need to be strengthened in your faith in God today? Will you choose now to renew your faith in Him in this circumstance?