Churchwork
02-23-2006, 01:53 PM
A Defeated Righteous Man (http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Christianity.htm)
From Faith to Faith, CFP, Watchman Nee
Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into
ashes [God] condemned them with an overthrow, having
made them an example unto those that should live
ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by
the lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man
dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, tormented
his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds). (2
Peter 2.6-8 mg.)
I would like to narrate the story of a man who was defeated, and
yet he was a righteous man. For there are the righteous who are
defeated as well as the righteous who overcome. If we are to be
ranked among the righteous who overcome, we ought to take the
story of this defeated righteous man as a solemn warning to us.
This defeated righteous man was Lot. He was a man whose
righteous heart was daily vexed with the lawless deeds which he saw
and heard. Being a righteous person, why, then, was he a defeated
man?
Let us see who this Lot actually was, for he himself was neither a
famous nor a wonderful person. He is known to us primarily because
of his renowned uncle Abraham.
The Beginning of Lot
“Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son’s
son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they
went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of
Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there” (Gen. 11.31). If
we also read chapter 7 of the book of Acts, we will additionally learn
that when Abram still lived in Mesopotamia before he came to
Haran, God had appeared to him, calling him to leave his native land
and kindred and go to the place which God would show him. So
Abram departed from the land of the Chaldees in order to go to
Canaan. Yet not only his father but also his nephew Lot followed
him. We may therefore liken the beginning of Lot to a member of a
pastor’s or a believer’s household. Because an uncle who was now
God-fearing declared that he must leave Ur of the Chaldees—a city
which was immoral and condemned by God—Lot therefore followed
him in leaving Ur. Because his uncle Abram decided to go to
Canaan, Lot himself followed him to Canaan.
According to Jewish tradition, the house of Terah was one of idolmaking.
In this connection, let us note that in the book of Joshua the
following information is also given: “Your fathers dwelt of old time
beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father
of Nahor: and they served other gods. And I [God] took your father
Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land
of Canaan…” (24.2,3). Having heard this uncle say that thereafter he
would be separated from the world and live a godly life, Lot
followed by departing from Ur with Abram.
Among the readers of this message, there probably are some who
may never have heard the call of God personally but who were
brought out of the world by their relatives who did hear God’s call.
Lot himself was one who had not heard God’s call; he merely
followed his uncle Abram who had heard. Perhaps your father or
brother or sister or wife believed first, and then you too believed.
You are a Lot. It would be bad for you to refuse to follow a member
of your family who believes; but it is good for you to follow in faith.
Lot was good in this regard because he not only followed his
uncle, but he himself became a righteous man. We may therefore
liken Abram to an old believer and Lot to a young one. They had the
same faith since they were related in the flesh. The beginning of
these two men was indeed most encouraging. Later on, however,
they separated, and their spiritual paths diverged greatly. Why?
The Choice of Lot
“Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell
together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell
together” (Gen. 13.5,6). It is always easy to share suffering, but it is
hard to share prosperity. These two men came out of Ur together and
they entered into Canaan together. How beautiful this was. God
blessed them, so much so, that their substance greatly increased.
With this increase of substance came also a problem. This land was
not sufficient for both of them to dwell in. The pasture was only
adequate for the flocks and herds of one person.
Though they themselves did not say anything to each other, their
servants quarreled over the pastureland problem: “there was a strife
between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s
cattle” (v.7). Each side claimed the same grazing area. They could
not dwell together because their substance was too great. Many there
be today who—like these two—can leave Ur of the Chaldees
together but they soon get into conflict upon their arrival in Canaan.
In passing let me say that there are a number of places mentioned
in the Bible which represent the world: Chaldea, for instance,
represents the confusion of the world; Sodom and Gomorrah
represent the pleasure of sins in the world; and Egypt represents the
world under the harsh dominion of Satan. All three places represent
the world, yet each stands for one specific aspect of it. Lot was
willing to forsake the Chaldea of confusion, but he was unwilling to
lay down anything after he arrived in Canaan. How like many of us
Christians. After we believe in the Lord, we are reluctant to lay aside
fame and position in the spiritual realm. And for this reason, there is
now strife in the Church.
“And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen;
for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate
thyself I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the
left” (vv.8,9). One of the causes of Christian failure lies in not being
able to dwell together. Whenever you find yourself unable to
fellowship and to dwell with other Christians, or whenever you
consider your relatives in the flesh as being more excellent than your
brethren in Christ, or whenever you shy away from meeting
Christians—all these are proofs that something is wrong with your
spiritual life. Your failure to fellowship with other Christians is a
sure sign of your defeat.
All the fault lay on Lot’s side. Abram was the head of the
household, whereas Lot was merely a young man. Furthermore, all
the substance Lot possessed came actually through his uncle. He
should not have permitted his herdsmen to quarrel with Abram’s.
Abram realized he could not strive; and this was reckoned as his
victory. Lot ought to have conceded that he would rather let his own
flocks and herds starve than for him ever to leave his uncle. There
was only one family in Canaan that believed in God; how, then,
could he bring himself to leave that family? Sadly, though, Lot did
not think in those terms. He considered the pastureland for his cattle
and sheep to be far more important than family unity. He would
rather forfeit the fellowship with his uncle than forfeit his cattle and
sheep; he would rather leave his spiritual life unedified than to suffer
the loss of his substance; he would rather let go of his Godfearing
uncle Abram than let go of a single herd of cattle or sheep. But what
was even worse, we shall see that since his uncle now gave him a
choice, he would rather choose the better of the two land areas and
leave to his uncle the inferior one.
So “Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Jordan,
that it was well watered every where, before Jehovah destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of
Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar” (v.10). Here, money or wealth was
now the first consideration. Earlier we witnessed a young man who
followed his uncle courageously at the beginning. After a while,
however, we see him tasting the favor of the world. It would appear
that now Lot could rather easily set aside his faith in God and his
fellowship with the saints—he “beheld all the plain of the Jordan,
that it was well watered every where”—and did not mind if Abram’s
herds and flocks did not have good grazing areas. No, Lot only
thought of his own now.
At this point in the story, I would not ask you how long you have
believed in the Lord; I would simply want to tell you that today God
places two ways before you. He places before you the world as well
as the promised land of Canaan. And He is waiting to see how you
will choose.
Lot beheld all the Plain of the Jordan, as far as to Zoar, that it was
“like the garden of Jehovah.” Yes indeed, it was like the Edenic
garden of the Lord. For is this not what the world basically is?
Sodom and Gomorrah represent the worldly pleasures of sins. How
the people of the world seek all kinds of pleasures in sins!
“So Lot chose him all the Plain of the Jordan” (v.11a). Lot chose
the entire Plain of Jordan because, like the world, it had its blessing,
glory and pleasure. Was it not truly like the garden of Jehovah? Once
I asked a brother who had sinned how he felt. He answered that it
was a little bit like experiencing the pleasure of heaven. When one
first believes in the Lord, he dare not do many things. But later, in
sinning, he finds pleasure in sins. To Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah
looked like the garden of Jehovah. Is that how the world also appears
to us—even like heaven?
Yet we read in verse 10 that Sodom and Gomorrah also seemed to
Lot “like the land of Egypt”! How interesting that the conscience of a
child of God will be able to show him the difference: that the world
is like the garden of Jehovah but is also like the land of Egypt: that
there are pleasures, yet there are also afflictions. We need to recall
that the children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt, who suffered
terribly at the hands of their Egyptian taskmasters. They were cruelly
oppressed and scourged. They were even forced to make bricks
without simultaneously being given the necessary straw with which
to make them. And this was why the Israelites had wanted to leave
Egypt. How descriptive this is of those who love the world: they may
experience some pleasures and blessings from it as though being in
the garden of Jehovah; but their conscience gives them no joy. How
many Christians today experience pleasure on the one hand yet
uneasiness of conscience on the other when they sin!—experience
the pleasure and joy of the garden on the one hand yet the cruel
oppression and harshness of Egypt on the other!
Let me ask the young Christians: What have you chosen? The
world and its pleasures? God never forces you to go His way; He
simply waits for you to make the choice. Will you choose Canaan as
Abram did or will you choose the world as did Lot with its affliction
as well as pleasure. Where do you wish to spend your days?
What does the Bible say after Lot chose the whole Plain of
Jordan? “And Lot journeyed east” (v.11b)—which in essence meant
a moving toward Sodom, which in turn speaks of a fall because “the
men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah
exceedingly” (Gen. 13.13). Having made such a choice, one will
gradually move eastward. No one commits sin in a day; no one falls
in a day. It is simply losing a little ground today and a little more
ground tomorrow until a person sins and falls. For Lot, in choosing
the Plain it became much easier to tend his flocks, what with water
relatively accessible and with no mountains to climb. A person who
moves towards the world may live quite well; instead of toil he may
enjoy comfort and ease. But that person’s tent is slowly moving
eastward.
If you as a believer love the pleasure of sins in the world, your
feet will eventually work their way towards the world. If you cannot
guard your first step, you will not be able to guard your second step.
Since your heart has already inclined itself towards the world, you
are not able to keep your feet from edging towards it. With your eyes
fixed on the world, you cannot help but walk towards it and into it.
What you have chosen is the world, and accordingly, where you walk
will also be the world.
“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the
cities of the valley” (v.12a,b RSV). After letting Lot choose the
fertile land, Abram continued to dwell in Canaan—the land to which
he had been called and a land which God could bless and in which he
could be spiritually edified. Lot, though, began to dwell among the
cities of the Plain—an area which he himself had chosen. Are we like
Abram, dwelling in Canaan where God has called us; or are we like
Lot, residing in the places of our own choice?
The Borderline Faith of Lot
“Lot dwelled in . . . the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom” (v.12b,c KJV). At the beginning Lot probably thought that his
being a righteous man would make it wrong for him to choose Sodom
itself but that it might be all right to choose an area in the vicinity of
Sodom—that is to say, an area near to Sodom, but not actually in
Sodom. To dwell in that city, he no doubt reasoned, would not be
good at all but to be close to it might not be forbidden. Do we not
also reason like this? We say to ourselves that without question it is
not a good thing for believers to choose the world, but for us to
choose a place adjacent to the world may not be bad. Such reasoning
makes many of us to be borderline Christians, wherein those of the
world say we are not one of them, and those of Canaan say that we
are not like them either. It is true, that such borderline Christians are
so close to the world that they cannot at all be said to be living in
Canaan. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves today, where are we living?
Once when I was out in the country area, I asked a soldier why
some regiments became turncoats so readily. His answer was,
because their uniforms were gray. This color, as we know, is a
combination of black and white; and thus it is neither black nor
white. Unfortunately, many Christians are like this color of gray.
They seem to be in the garden of Jehovah, yet they appear also to be
in the land of Egypt. They cling to the world as well as cling to God.
Let me ask you—which side are you on? Are you a gray-colored
Christian, being neither white nor black? When worldly people meet
you, will they criticize you as being backward because you are too
different from them? What would really be damaging, however, is if
people were to say, We think that you, being a Christian, ought to be
very different from us, and yet you are the same as we are! Such is
the most detrimental comment a worldling could say about a
Christian! Many believers are not willing to stand up and confess that
they belong to Christ. They comfort themselves with the thought that
it is not important for them to say so. They will not, on the one hand,
let go the garden of Jehovah, and yet they insist, on the other hand,
on cleaving to the land of Egypt. They consider themselves
Christians because they go to church service on Sunday morning and
spend five minutes daily reading the Bible. Yet in their lives they
have no Christian fellowship and cannot lay aside their wealth of
flocks and herds May we ask God to deliver us from this most
precarious course.
Now if you just happen to consider yourself as not yet being in
Sodom because you have not apostasized, let me remind you that, as
was the case with Lot, your tent—like his was—is edging closer and
closer to Sodom. For without the first step ever being taken, there
cannot be the second step. But if what you choose is that which
inclines you toward Sodom, then you most assuredly will end up
there. If you choose the pleasures of the world, you cannot but sin. If
you choose wealth, you cannot help but be defiled by it. You and I
should ask God, Whither do my feet go? I do not know if your feet
have already begun to move toward Sodom—to move in the
direction of the world. Perhaps the track you leave behind will
indicate that your feet have indeed moved in that direction. But allow
me to say that if you have begun to put some distance between
yourself and other Christians and to love the particular cattle and
sheep in your life, your feet have no doubt gradually begun to move
in that dangerous direction. Thank God, however, that there are yet
many Christians whose tents are still firmly pitched in Canaan. May
we all realize that we must resist the pleasures of the world as much
as the sins of the world.
Did Lot know about the conditions in Sodom? He certainly had
the knowledge, for these Sodomites were quite openly wicked and
exceedingly sinful against God, as the Biblical record makes plain:
“Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah
exceedingly” (v.13). Yet despite his knowledge of the true state of
affairs there, Lot nonetheless moved step by step in the direction of
Sodom and, as we shall soon learn, eventually moved right into the
city. As your feet draw away from other believers, your tent is bound
to slowly but surely edge closer and closer towards the Sodoms of
this world. You even find yourself no longer hating what God hates
and no longer condemning what God condemns as your feet
gradually move farther and farther eastward.
There is a proverb among Chinese Northerners which says: Fear
not slow motion, but fear standing still. Ironically, standing still is
what Satan is afraid of, slow motion, on the other hand, gives Satan
his desired opportunity, for this is how temptation comes in. Violate
your conscience a little bit today and a little bit more tomorrow; read
the Bible a little less today and just a little bit less the next; pray a
few minutes less today and a few minutes less tomorrow; witness a
little less today and but a trifle less the next day. This is how you
slide backward. Satan will not have you stop gathering, reading the
Bible, praying or witnessing all at once. No, he will instead cause
you to draw back little by little. He is most patient in pulling you
back only gradually.
Lot Finally in Sodom
Now as the tent of Lot moved gradually and ultimately into
Sodom, what danger was he confronted with? “. . . Four kings [made
war] against the five. Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits;
and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and
they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods
of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and
his goods, and departed” (Gen. 14.9-12). During the battle told of
here between the confederacy of the five kings and that of the four
kings, the former was defeated by the latter. In the process Lot and
all his possessions were carried away.
Now he met up with this disaster because he had by this time been
living in Sodom. At first Lot had just dwelt in the vicinity of the city
of Sodom—still a believer in God, he was one who had not yet
entered the city but lived adjacent to it. The line of demarcation was
still distinct. Yet we know from the narrative that eventually he
ended up dwelling in the city. Previously we had observed him
dwelling outside the city, but now he has entered into the city.
Previously you had still looked like a Christian, but now you have
become a naturalized citizen of Sodom. Sin a little bit here and a
little bit there, and you will draw closer and closer to the Sodom of
this world. And after a while, you will begin to feel that the adjacent
rural setting is not as good and profitable as the urban, that the plain
is not as habitable as the city.
The story is told of a child whose mother gave him six pieces of
candy which were to be eaten the next day. The child placed the
candy before himself and wondered what he should do. He dare not
eat them today, and yet he could not afford not to. So he began to
lick each piece of candy with his lips. At first, there were six pieces
of candy. But gradually the pieces of candy became smaller. Finally,
the child ate one and left five, ate two and left three, and finally ate
them all. Such is the way many Christians end up sinning. Violate
the conscience once, and then twice, and they shall gradually move
towards the world for its pleasures. Christians need to be reminded of
one thing: sin is not something a person commits once and then
stops. For once a sin is committed, it creates a craving within to sin
again. Each time a person sins, it produces two effects: first, it gives
him the pleasure of sin; and second, it creates in him a craving for
more sin. Just as Lot gradually moved towards and then into the city
of Sodom, so we too can gradually move towards and finally enter
the cities of the world someday. Let us not deceive ourselves into
thinking that we cannot sin enough to land ourselves in the world. If
you and I are anywhere in the proximity of worldly Sodom we will
eventually enter its precincts. It is best that we not sin. If we sin, we
will not have the power to control ourselves not to sin again.
The Warning of God
Now God had not failed to give Lot ample warning concerning the
future. The very fact that Lot had been taken captive after the defeat
of the five kings was God’s warning to him indeed that Sodom was
not a place in which to dwell any longer. May I tell you frankly that it is
quite possible that God may be warning you when there is
sickness or a problem in your family or when a business failure
happens to you. If you are a Christian and yet you are daily drawing
closer to the world, God will in some way warn you to repent and to
return to Him, even as He did Lot.
Unfortunately, however, like Lot in his day, many believers today
are not sensitive. Although they become sick, have problems at
home, and/or suffer financial disaster, they seem unaware that these
may be God’s disciplinary scourges calling them to repentance. And
should they persist in their ways, they shall incur an even larger loss,
as we shall see in the case of Lot.
There was once a brother who gradually became cold in his
Christian walk. One day another brother exhorted him not to slide
back spiritually any more. But his reply was this: “It does not really
matter. Did not brother So-and-So, who was most zealous, also
gradually grow cold? Now he is sixty, and his eldest son, after being
graduated from college, has suddenly died; and this elderly man
today gets revived again!” “If this is what you want to happen, God
will grant you your wish,” said the other brother. “Oh, no, I do not
want this!” cried out the first brother.
It needs to be said that God will discipline you if you are His and
you insist on remaining in the sinful world. You may be sick or have
problems in your home or suffer a severe business setback. If so, you
should quickly inquire of God as to whether these things have
happened to you because you have left Him. And if so, you should
return to where He is, just as soon as you can! Oftentimes when
God’s love cannot attract you back, God will chastise you. If His word
fails to move you, He will use suffering to press you back to
himself. For He will not let you go without making some effort to
bring you back. Unfortunately, Lot did not heed God’s warning, but
went right back to Sodom after Abram’s rescue of him and his family.
The End of Lot
“And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom” (Gen. 19.1). According to the
custom of the Oriental nations in those days, civil cases were judged
at the gate of the city (the courts of modern tradition did not exist).
Prominent people were chosen as elders and judges. And they sat at
the city gate to judge whatever civil suits might arise. And because
Lot now sat at the gate of Sodom, it clearly indicates that Lot had
been elevated. He was no longer a commoner but was now a judge of
Sodom. He had advanced in worldly position. Even so is the way of
sin: at first Lot was only in the vicinity of wickedness, then he
actually lived within its limits, and now he had become its judge!
What was Lot’s end? Although he himself was mercifully rescued
by the angels of God, his wife while escaping died in mid-passage;
his daughters, after their rescue, subsequently and willfully
committed adultery with him one day when he was drunk; and his
sons-in-law, refusing to be rescued, were burned to death in God’s
destruction of the cities of the Plain.
Second Peter declares repeatedly that Lot was a righteous man:
“[God] delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life
of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, tormented his righteous soul from day to day
with their lawless deeds)” (2.8). Yet this righteous man had become a
naturalized citizen in wicked, worldly Sodom! He was to shed many
tears over the Sodomites’ wrongdoings, but he neglected to shed any
tears for himself! He became “sore distressed” for others, yet he
failed to be “tormented his soul” over his own plight! When he
saw the exceeding wickedness of the citizens of Sodom, he thought
of helping them by allowing himself to become one of their judges,
yet it was obviously a futile task for him (see 19.1-11). Are not many
Christians today like Lot? They themselves have failed, and yet they
still try to persuade others to follow the Lord Jesus!
Now we know that God ultimately decided to destroy Sodom, but
He heard the prayer of Abraham and sent two angels to deliver Lot:
the two “said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and
the sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city,
bring them out of the place: for we will destroy this place, because
the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah; and Jehovah hath sent
us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law,
who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place;
for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law
as one that mocked” (Gen. 19.12-14). This final sentence uncovers
the tragic fact that Lot had no real testimony before his sons-in-law,
since they interpreted his sound of alarm to be mere words of
mocking to them. Who could believe there would soon be fire
coming down from heaven?
“But he lingered . . .” (19.16a). How much these words reveal
concerning Lot! It would appear as though Lot in these lingering
moments might have been thinking: “Listen, my cattle; for your sake
I parted from Abraham; for you I chose the Plain of the Jordan.
Listen, my sheep; you have been with me these many years; can I
forsake you today?” And looking once again at his furniture, at his
goods, at even his barns perhaps, he no doubt said to himself: “I
thought I could live in Sodom for many days to come. I was thinking
of building larger barns outside the city to store all my victuals,
possessions and goods. Then I would be able to say to my soul, Soul,
you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat,
drink, be merry. What! I now have to leave everything behind?!?
How reluctant I feel to forsake all these good things!” (cf. Luke
12.19)
Now the angels “laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his
wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being
merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without
the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither
stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be
consumed” (19.16b,17). These were the words given them after the
angels brought them out of the city. Today you may be in the world,
and though you may not have much, yet you too can so easily linger
over the world in the face of impending disaster, just as Lot did!
There was once an elderly lady who had fifteen dollars. Daily she
would count these fifteen dollars. We may laugh at her being so
money-crazy. But at those today who have their drawers full of
certificates and other financial documents and who treasure such
papers, God in heaven will also laugh, even as we may laugh at that
elderly lady. For us, fifteen dollars is nothing much; for God,
drawers full of certificates and other worldly treasures are also
nothing.
The Lord Jesus is coming soon. And the destruction of Sodom, as
He himself said, serves as a type of the coming destruction of this
world in the future (see below). If all your hope is built upon this
world, be it big or small, one day all these things will be consumed
by fire from heaven. One day God will destroy all. And when that
day comes, no one can escape. Let me speak frankly here, that what
today believers may be reluctant (as was Lot) to give up will have to
be given up on that day. At the time of rapture, God only raptures
people, not things. Hence let us be willing to let go of everything
today.
“But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a
pillar of salt” (19.26). Lot’s wife persisted in her husband’s desire:
she looked back. Although she could no longer see her things, she
still craved to look upon the place where she had lived; but now it
was going up in smoke. Oh, the backward gaze of her eyes betrayed
where her heart truly was. Oh, this looking back revealed many
untold stories and betrayed many inward feelings! And in looking
back, she became a pillar of salt. It serves as a huge and solemn
warning even to this day!—for our Lord declared this: “in the day
that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all: [I]after the same manner shall it be in
the day that the Son of man is revealed.... Remember Lot’s wife”
(Luke 17.29-32). At the time of the second coming of the Lord, this
world will be judged, and all the things on earth will be burned. All
who love the world will likewise stand as pillars of salt just as did
Lot’s wife long ago.
I believe we Christians pay too much attention to things that are
trivial and neglect the things eternal. We are busily occupied with
social functions, business transactions, and children’s education. We
should indeed attend to our children’s education and to our necessary
business; but we must still take care of eternal things. I especially
wish to address a few words to the young people. The road ahead of
you may yet be long. If the Lord should delay His return, then choose
the right way you should go. Pay special attention today to things
that are valuable, eternal, and of God. Do not expect any glory today,
but learn to draw near to God that you may finish the course well that
lies before you. And to all of us I would echo the solemn words of
our Lord Jesus: “Remember Lot’s wife”!
From Faith to Faith, CFP, Watchman Nee
Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into
ashes [God] condemned them with an overthrow, having
made them an example unto those that should live
ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by
the lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man
dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, tormented
his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds). (2
Peter 2.6-8 mg.)
I would like to narrate the story of a man who was defeated, and
yet he was a righteous man. For there are the righteous who are
defeated as well as the righteous who overcome. If we are to be
ranked among the righteous who overcome, we ought to take the
story of this defeated righteous man as a solemn warning to us.
This defeated righteous man was Lot. He was a man whose
righteous heart was daily vexed with the lawless deeds which he saw
and heard. Being a righteous person, why, then, was he a defeated
man?
Let us see who this Lot actually was, for he himself was neither a
famous nor a wonderful person. He is known to us primarily because
of his renowned uncle Abraham.
The Beginning of Lot
“Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son’s
son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they
went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of
Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there” (Gen. 11.31). If
we also read chapter 7 of the book of Acts, we will additionally learn
that when Abram still lived in Mesopotamia before he came to
Haran, God had appeared to him, calling him to leave his native land
and kindred and go to the place which God would show him. So
Abram departed from the land of the Chaldees in order to go to
Canaan. Yet not only his father but also his nephew Lot followed
him. We may therefore liken the beginning of Lot to a member of a
pastor’s or a believer’s household. Because an uncle who was now
God-fearing declared that he must leave Ur of the Chaldees—a city
which was immoral and condemned by God—Lot therefore followed
him in leaving Ur. Because his uncle Abram decided to go to
Canaan, Lot himself followed him to Canaan.
According to Jewish tradition, the house of Terah was one of idolmaking.
In this connection, let us note that in the book of Joshua the
following information is also given: “Your fathers dwelt of old time
beyond the River, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father
of Nahor: and they served other gods. And I [God] took your father
Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land
of Canaan…” (24.2,3). Having heard this uncle say that thereafter he
would be separated from the world and live a godly life, Lot
followed by departing from Ur with Abram.
Among the readers of this message, there probably are some who
may never have heard the call of God personally but who were
brought out of the world by their relatives who did hear God’s call.
Lot himself was one who had not heard God’s call; he merely
followed his uncle Abram who had heard. Perhaps your father or
brother or sister or wife believed first, and then you too believed.
You are a Lot. It would be bad for you to refuse to follow a member
of your family who believes; but it is good for you to follow in faith.
Lot was good in this regard because he not only followed his
uncle, but he himself became a righteous man. We may therefore
liken Abram to an old believer and Lot to a young one. They had the
same faith since they were related in the flesh. The beginning of
these two men was indeed most encouraging. Later on, however,
they separated, and their spiritual paths diverged greatly. Why?
The Choice of Lot
“Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell
together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell
together” (Gen. 13.5,6). It is always easy to share suffering, but it is
hard to share prosperity. These two men came out of Ur together and
they entered into Canaan together. How beautiful this was. God
blessed them, so much so, that their substance greatly increased.
With this increase of substance came also a problem. This land was
not sufficient for both of them to dwell in. The pasture was only
adequate for the flocks and herds of one person.
Though they themselves did not say anything to each other, their
servants quarreled over the pastureland problem: “there was a strife
between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s
cattle” (v.7). Each side claimed the same grazing area. They could
not dwell together because their substance was too great. Many there
be today who—like these two—can leave Ur of the Chaldees
together but they soon get into conflict upon their arrival in Canaan.
In passing let me say that there are a number of places mentioned
in the Bible which represent the world: Chaldea, for instance,
represents the confusion of the world; Sodom and Gomorrah
represent the pleasure of sins in the world; and Egypt represents the
world under the harsh dominion of Satan. All three places represent
the world, yet each stands for one specific aspect of it. Lot was
willing to forsake the Chaldea of confusion, but he was unwilling to
lay down anything after he arrived in Canaan. How like many of us
Christians. After we believe in the Lord, we are reluctant to lay aside
fame and position in the spiritual realm. And for this reason, there is
now strife in the Church.
“And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen;
for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate
thyself I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the
left” (vv.8,9). One of the causes of Christian failure lies in not being
able to dwell together. Whenever you find yourself unable to
fellowship and to dwell with other Christians, or whenever you
consider your relatives in the flesh as being more excellent than your
brethren in Christ, or whenever you shy away from meeting
Christians—all these are proofs that something is wrong with your
spiritual life. Your failure to fellowship with other Christians is a
sure sign of your defeat.
All the fault lay on Lot’s side. Abram was the head of the
household, whereas Lot was merely a young man. Furthermore, all
the substance Lot possessed came actually through his uncle. He
should not have permitted his herdsmen to quarrel with Abram’s.
Abram realized he could not strive; and this was reckoned as his
victory. Lot ought to have conceded that he would rather let his own
flocks and herds starve than for him ever to leave his uncle. There
was only one family in Canaan that believed in God; how, then,
could he bring himself to leave that family? Sadly, though, Lot did
not think in those terms. He considered the pastureland for his cattle
and sheep to be far more important than family unity. He would
rather forfeit the fellowship with his uncle than forfeit his cattle and
sheep; he would rather leave his spiritual life unedified than to suffer
the loss of his substance; he would rather let go of his Godfearing
uncle Abram than let go of a single herd of cattle or sheep. But what
was even worse, we shall see that since his uncle now gave him a
choice, he would rather choose the better of the two land areas and
leave to his uncle the inferior one.
So “Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of the Jordan,
that it was well watered every where, before Jehovah destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of
Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar” (v.10). Here, money or wealth was
now the first consideration. Earlier we witnessed a young man who
followed his uncle courageously at the beginning. After a while,
however, we see him tasting the favor of the world. It would appear
that now Lot could rather easily set aside his faith in God and his
fellowship with the saints—he “beheld all the plain of the Jordan,
that it was well watered every where”—and did not mind if Abram’s
herds and flocks did not have good grazing areas. No, Lot only
thought of his own now.
At this point in the story, I would not ask you how long you have
believed in the Lord; I would simply want to tell you that today God
places two ways before you. He places before you the world as well
as the promised land of Canaan. And He is waiting to see how you
will choose.
Lot beheld all the Plain of the Jordan, as far as to Zoar, that it was
“like the garden of Jehovah.” Yes indeed, it was like the Edenic
garden of the Lord. For is this not what the world basically is?
Sodom and Gomorrah represent the worldly pleasures of sins. How
the people of the world seek all kinds of pleasures in sins!
“So Lot chose him all the Plain of the Jordan” (v.11a). Lot chose
the entire Plain of Jordan because, like the world, it had its blessing,
glory and pleasure. Was it not truly like the garden of Jehovah? Once
I asked a brother who had sinned how he felt. He answered that it
was a little bit like experiencing the pleasure of heaven. When one
first believes in the Lord, he dare not do many things. But later, in
sinning, he finds pleasure in sins. To Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah
looked like the garden of Jehovah. Is that how the world also appears
to us—even like heaven?
Yet we read in verse 10 that Sodom and Gomorrah also seemed to
Lot “like the land of Egypt”! How interesting that the conscience of a
child of God will be able to show him the difference: that the world
is like the garden of Jehovah but is also like the land of Egypt: that
there are pleasures, yet there are also afflictions. We need to recall
that the children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt, who suffered
terribly at the hands of their Egyptian taskmasters. They were cruelly
oppressed and scourged. They were even forced to make bricks
without simultaneously being given the necessary straw with which
to make them. And this was why the Israelites had wanted to leave
Egypt. How descriptive this is of those who love the world: they may
experience some pleasures and blessings from it as though being in
the garden of Jehovah; but their conscience gives them no joy. How
many Christians today experience pleasure on the one hand yet
uneasiness of conscience on the other when they sin!—experience
the pleasure and joy of the garden on the one hand yet the cruel
oppression and harshness of Egypt on the other!
Let me ask the young Christians: What have you chosen? The
world and its pleasures? God never forces you to go His way; He
simply waits for you to make the choice. Will you choose Canaan as
Abram did or will you choose the world as did Lot with its affliction
as well as pleasure. Where do you wish to spend your days?
What does the Bible say after Lot chose the whole Plain of
Jordan? “And Lot journeyed east” (v.11b)—which in essence meant
a moving toward Sodom, which in turn speaks of a fall because “the
men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah
exceedingly” (Gen. 13.13). Having made such a choice, one will
gradually move eastward. No one commits sin in a day; no one falls
in a day. It is simply losing a little ground today and a little more
ground tomorrow until a person sins and falls. For Lot, in choosing
the Plain it became much easier to tend his flocks, what with water
relatively accessible and with no mountains to climb. A person who
moves towards the world may live quite well; instead of toil he may
enjoy comfort and ease. But that person’s tent is slowly moving
eastward.
If you as a believer love the pleasure of sins in the world, your
feet will eventually work their way towards the world. If you cannot
guard your first step, you will not be able to guard your second step.
Since your heart has already inclined itself towards the world, you
are not able to keep your feet from edging towards it. With your eyes
fixed on the world, you cannot help but walk towards it and into it.
What you have chosen is the world, and accordingly, where you walk
will also be the world.
“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the
cities of the valley” (v.12a,b RSV). After letting Lot choose the
fertile land, Abram continued to dwell in Canaan—the land to which
he had been called and a land which God could bless and in which he
could be spiritually edified. Lot, though, began to dwell among the
cities of the Plain—an area which he himself had chosen. Are we like
Abram, dwelling in Canaan where God has called us; or are we like
Lot, residing in the places of our own choice?
The Borderline Faith of Lot
“Lot dwelled in . . . the plain, and pitched his tent toward
Sodom” (v.12b,c KJV). At the beginning Lot probably thought that his
being a righteous man would make it wrong for him to choose Sodom
itself but that it might be all right to choose an area in the vicinity of
Sodom—that is to say, an area near to Sodom, but not actually in
Sodom. To dwell in that city, he no doubt reasoned, would not be
good at all but to be close to it might not be forbidden. Do we not
also reason like this? We say to ourselves that without question it is
not a good thing for believers to choose the world, but for us to
choose a place adjacent to the world may not be bad. Such reasoning
makes many of us to be borderline Christians, wherein those of the
world say we are not one of them, and those of Canaan say that we
are not like them either. It is true, that such borderline Christians are
so close to the world that they cannot at all be said to be living in
Canaan. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves today, where are we living?
Once when I was out in the country area, I asked a soldier why
some regiments became turncoats so readily. His answer was,
because their uniforms were gray. This color, as we know, is a
combination of black and white; and thus it is neither black nor
white. Unfortunately, many Christians are like this color of gray.
They seem to be in the garden of Jehovah, yet they appear also to be
in the land of Egypt. They cling to the world as well as cling to God.
Let me ask you—which side are you on? Are you a gray-colored
Christian, being neither white nor black? When worldly people meet
you, will they criticize you as being backward because you are too
different from them? What would really be damaging, however, is if
people were to say, We think that you, being a Christian, ought to be
very different from us, and yet you are the same as we are! Such is
the most detrimental comment a worldling could say about a
Christian! Many believers are not willing to stand up and confess that
they belong to Christ. They comfort themselves with the thought that
it is not important for them to say so. They will not, on the one hand,
let go the garden of Jehovah, and yet they insist, on the other hand,
on cleaving to the land of Egypt. They consider themselves
Christians because they go to church service on Sunday morning and
spend five minutes daily reading the Bible. Yet in their lives they
have no Christian fellowship and cannot lay aside their wealth of
flocks and herds May we ask God to deliver us from this most
precarious course.
Now if you just happen to consider yourself as not yet being in
Sodom because you have not apostasized, let me remind you that, as
was the case with Lot, your tent—like his was—is edging closer and
closer to Sodom. For without the first step ever being taken, there
cannot be the second step. But if what you choose is that which
inclines you toward Sodom, then you most assuredly will end up
there. If you choose the pleasures of the world, you cannot but sin. If
you choose wealth, you cannot help but be defiled by it. You and I
should ask God, Whither do my feet go? I do not know if your feet
have already begun to move toward Sodom—to move in the
direction of the world. Perhaps the track you leave behind will
indicate that your feet have indeed moved in that direction. But allow
me to say that if you have begun to put some distance between
yourself and other Christians and to love the particular cattle and
sheep in your life, your feet have no doubt gradually begun to move
in that dangerous direction. Thank God, however, that there are yet
many Christians whose tents are still firmly pitched in Canaan. May
we all realize that we must resist the pleasures of the world as much
as the sins of the world.
Did Lot know about the conditions in Sodom? He certainly had
the knowledge, for these Sodomites were quite openly wicked and
exceedingly sinful against God, as the Biblical record makes plain:
“Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah
exceedingly” (v.13). Yet despite his knowledge of the true state of
affairs there, Lot nonetheless moved step by step in the direction of
Sodom and, as we shall soon learn, eventually moved right into the
city. As your feet draw away from other believers, your tent is bound
to slowly but surely edge closer and closer towards the Sodoms of
this world. You even find yourself no longer hating what God hates
and no longer condemning what God condemns as your feet
gradually move farther and farther eastward.
There is a proverb among Chinese Northerners which says: Fear
not slow motion, but fear standing still. Ironically, standing still is
what Satan is afraid of, slow motion, on the other hand, gives Satan
his desired opportunity, for this is how temptation comes in. Violate
your conscience a little bit today and a little bit more tomorrow; read
the Bible a little less today and just a little bit less the next; pray a
few minutes less today and a few minutes less tomorrow; witness a
little less today and but a trifle less the next day. This is how you
slide backward. Satan will not have you stop gathering, reading the
Bible, praying or witnessing all at once. No, he will instead cause
you to draw back little by little. He is most patient in pulling you
back only gradually.
Lot Finally in Sodom
Now as the tent of Lot moved gradually and ultimately into
Sodom, what danger was he confronted with? “. . . Four kings [made
war] against the five. Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits;
and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and
they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods
of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and
his goods, and departed” (Gen. 14.9-12). During the battle told of
here between the confederacy of the five kings and that of the four
kings, the former was defeated by the latter. In the process Lot and
all his possessions were carried away.
Now he met up with this disaster because he had by this time been
living in Sodom. At first Lot had just dwelt in the vicinity of the city
of Sodom—still a believer in God, he was one who had not yet
entered the city but lived adjacent to it. The line of demarcation was
still distinct. Yet we know from the narrative that eventually he
ended up dwelling in the city. Previously we had observed him
dwelling outside the city, but now he has entered into the city.
Previously you had still looked like a Christian, but now you have
become a naturalized citizen of Sodom. Sin a little bit here and a
little bit there, and you will draw closer and closer to the Sodom of
this world. And after a while, you will begin to feel that the adjacent
rural setting is not as good and profitable as the urban, that the plain
is not as habitable as the city.
The story is told of a child whose mother gave him six pieces of
candy which were to be eaten the next day. The child placed the
candy before himself and wondered what he should do. He dare not
eat them today, and yet he could not afford not to. So he began to
lick each piece of candy with his lips. At first, there were six pieces
of candy. But gradually the pieces of candy became smaller. Finally,
the child ate one and left five, ate two and left three, and finally ate
them all. Such is the way many Christians end up sinning. Violate
the conscience once, and then twice, and they shall gradually move
towards the world for its pleasures. Christians need to be reminded of
one thing: sin is not something a person commits once and then
stops. For once a sin is committed, it creates a craving within to sin
again. Each time a person sins, it produces two effects: first, it gives
him the pleasure of sin; and second, it creates in him a craving for
more sin. Just as Lot gradually moved towards and then into the city
of Sodom, so we too can gradually move towards and finally enter
the cities of the world someday. Let us not deceive ourselves into
thinking that we cannot sin enough to land ourselves in the world. If
you and I are anywhere in the proximity of worldly Sodom we will
eventually enter its precincts. It is best that we not sin. If we sin, we
will not have the power to control ourselves not to sin again.
The Warning of God
Now God had not failed to give Lot ample warning concerning the
future. The very fact that Lot had been taken captive after the defeat
of the five kings was God’s warning to him indeed that Sodom was
not a place in which to dwell any longer. May I tell you frankly that it is
quite possible that God may be warning you when there is
sickness or a problem in your family or when a business failure
happens to you. If you are a Christian and yet you are daily drawing
closer to the world, God will in some way warn you to repent and to
return to Him, even as He did Lot.
Unfortunately, however, like Lot in his day, many believers today
are not sensitive. Although they become sick, have problems at
home, and/or suffer financial disaster, they seem unaware that these
may be God’s disciplinary scourges calling them to repentance. And
should they persist in their ways, they shall incur an even larger loss,
as we shall see in the case of Lot.
There was once a brother who gradually became cold in his
Christian walk. One day another brother exhorted him not to slide
back spiritually any more. But his reply was this: “It does not really
matter. Did not brother So-and-So, who was most zealous, also
gradually grow cold? Now he is sixty, and his eldest son, after being
graduated from college, has suddenly died; and this elderly man
today gets revived again!” “If this is what you want to happen, God
will grant you your wish,” said the other brother. “Oh, no, I do not
want this!” cried out the first brother.
It needs to be said that God will discipline you if you are His and
you insist on remaining in the sinful world. You may be sick or have
problems in your home or suffer a severe business setback. If so, you
should quickly inquire of God as to whether these things have
happened to you because you have left Him. And if so, you should
return to where He is, just as soon as you can! Oftentimes when
God’s love cannot attract you back, God will chastise you. If His word
fails to move you, He will use suffering to press you back to
himself. For He will not let you go without making some effort to
bring you back. Unfortunately, Lot did not heed God’s warning, but
went right back to Sodom after Abram’s rescue of him and his family.
The End of Lot
“And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom” (Gen. 19.1). According to the
custom of the Oriental nations in those days, civil cases were judged
at the gate of the city (the courts of modern tradition did not exist).
Prominent people were chosen as elders and judges. And they sat at
the city gate to judge whatever civil suits might arise. And because
Lot now sat at the gate of Sodom, it clearly indicates that Lot had
been elevated. He was no longer a commoner but was now a judge of
Sodom. He had advanced in worldly position. Even so is the way of
sin: at first Lot was only in the vicinity of wickedness, then he
actually lived within its limits, and now he had become its judge!
What was Lot’s end? Although he himself was mercifully rescued
by the angels of God, his wife while escaping died in mid-passage;
his daughters, after their rescue, subsequently and willfully
committed adultery with him one day when he was drunk; and his
sons-in-law, refusing to be rescued, were burned to death in God’s
destruction of the cities of the Plain.
Second Peter declares repeatedly that Lot was a righteous man:
“[God] delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life
of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, tormented his righteous soul from day to day
with their lawless deeds)” (2.8). Yet this righteous man had become a
naturalized citizen in wicked, worldly Sodom! He was to shed many
tears over the Sodomites’ wrongdoings, but he neglected to shed any
tears for himself! He became “sore distressed” for others, yet he
failed to be “tormented his soul” over his own plight! When he
saw the exceeding wickedness of the citizens of Sodom, he thought
of helping them by allowing himself to become one of their judges,
yet it was obviously a futile task for him (see 19.1-11). Are not many
Christians today like Lot? They themselves have failed, and yet they
still try to persuade others to follow the Lord Jesus!
Now we know that God ultimately decided to destroy Sodom, but
He heard the prayer of Abraham and sent two angels to deliver Lot:
the two “said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and
the sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city,
bring them out of the place: for we will destroy this place, because
the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah; and Jehovah hath sent
us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law,
who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place;
for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law
as one that mocked” (Gen. 19.12-14). This final sentence uncovers
the tragic fact that Lot had no real testimony before his sons-in-law,
since they interpreted his sound of alarm to be mere words of
mocking to them. Who could believe there would soon be fire
coming down from heaven?
“But he lingered . . .” (19.16a). How much these words reveal
concerning Lot! It would appear as though Lot in these lingering
moments might have been thinking: “Listen, my cattle; for your sake
I parted from Abraham; for you I chose the Plain of the Jordan.
Listen, my sheep; you have been with me these many years; can I
forsake you today?” And looking once again at his furniture, at his
goods, at even his barns perhaps, he no doubt said to himself: “I
thought I could live in Sodom for many days to come. I was thinking
of building larger barns outside the city to store all my victuals,
possessions and goods. Then I would be able to say to my soul, Soul,
you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat,
drink, be merry. What! I now have to leave everything behind?!?
How reluctant I feel to forsake all these good things!” (cf. Luke
12.19)
Now the angels “laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his
wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being
merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without
the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither
stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be
consumed” (19.16b,17). These were the words given them after the
angels brought them out of the city. Today you may be in the world,
and though you may not have much, yet you too can so easily linger
over the world in the face of impending disaster, just as Lot did!
There was once an elderly lady who had fifteen dollars. Daily she
would count these fifteen dollars. We may laugh at her being so
money-crazy. But at those today who have their drawers full of
certificates and other financial documents and who treasure such
papers, God in heaven will also laugh, even as we may laugh at that
elderly lady. For us, fifteen dollars is nothing much; for God,
drawers full of certificates and other worldly treasures are also
nothing.
The Lord Jesus is coming soon. And the destruction of Sodom, as
He himself said, serves as a type of the coming destruction of this
world in the future (see below). If all your hope is built upon this
world, be it big or small, one day all these things will be consumed
by fire from heaven. One day God will destroy all. And when that
day comes, no one can escape. Let me speak frankly here, that what
today believers may be reluctant (as was Lot) to give up will have to
be given up on that day. At the time of rapture, God only raptures
people, not things. Hence let us be willing to let go of everything
today.
“But [Lot’s] wife looked back from behind him, and she became a
pillar of salt” (19.26). Lot’s wife persisted in her husband’s desire:
she looked back. Although she could no longer see her things, she
still craved to look upon the place where she had lived; but now it
was going up in smoke. Oh, the backward gaze of her eyes betrayed
where her heart truly was. Oh, this looking back revealed many
untold stories and betrayed many inward feelings! And in looking
back, she became a pillar of salt. It serves as a huge and solemn
warning even to this day!—for our Lord declared this: “in the day
that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all: [I]after the same manner shall it be in
the day that the Son of man is revealed.... Remember Lot’s wife”
(Luke 17.29-32). At the time of the second coming of the Lord, this
world will be judged, and all the things on earth will be burned. All
who love the world will likewise stand as pillars of salt just as did
Lot’s wife long ago.
I believe we Christians pay too much attention to things that are
trivial and neglect the things eternal. We are busily occupied with
social functions, business transactions, and children’s education. We
should indeed attend to our children’s education and to our necessary
business; but we must still take care of eternal things. I especially
wish to address a few words to the young people. The road ahead of
you may yet be long. If the Lord should delay His return, then choose
the right way you should go. Pay special attention today to things
that are valuable, eternal, and of God. Do not expect any glory today,
but learn to draw near to God that you may finish the course well that
lies before you. And to all of us I would echo the solemn words of
our Lord Jesus: “Remember Lot’s wife”!