But He Hesitated

But He Hesitated                                                         September 22, 2024

The story of Lot is a fascinating story of a good man who made poor choices, got caught up in a bad situation, and whose legacy was forever tarnished by those choices.  It is a story of the allure of sin and the difficulty of extricating oneself once you get deeply entrenched in sinful surroundings.

Lot was the nephew of Abraham whose story is told in the book of Genesis.  He travelled with is grandfather, Terah and his uncle, Abraham from their location of Ur and settled for a while in Haran (Genesis 11).  Then, after Terah died Lot went with Abraham to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12).  After their material possessions became too great to live together, Abraham gave Lot the first choice of where to settle.  Lot made his first bad choice by choosing to live in the plain of Jordan, near Sodom (Genesis 13:8-13).  Several years pass (at least 13) and Lot is now living in Sodom.  The people of Sodom are described as “exceedingly wicked and sinful” (Genesis 13:13).  Several years later, Abraham is told by God’s messengers that “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave” (Genesis 18:20).

So God’s messengers go to Sodom and guess who they find sitting in the gate of the city?  Why, it’s Lot! (Genesis 19:1).   You are familiar  with the rest of the story as set forth in Genesis 19.  Lot has to protect the angels from the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, and even offers his virgin daughters to satisfy the Sodomites sexual desires, but only a miracle from God protects Lot and the angels from the men of Sodom.

The angels warned Lot of the imminent destruction of Sodom by God and warn him and his family to leave.  In the morning,  the angels urged Lot to hurry and then comes the amazing statement “but he hesitated.”  Some versions say “while he lingered” (Genesis 19:16).  What is stunning about this statement is trying to understand the rationale of Lot.  Why would he hesitate?  Why would he linger?  He had first-hand knowledge of the destruction to come.  He saw the wickedness of the people and had even offered his virgin daughters to the mob.  The apostle Peter even describes him as “righteous” Lot, “who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked” (II Peter 2:7) and further describes Lot as being “tormented” daily by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds (II Peter 2:8).

Yet he hesitated.  One can only conclude that Lot had become so entrenched with the people of Sodom, that it was difficult for him to leave it all behind.  All of his material possessions, all of the memories, all of the life he had built for many years.  That is what happens when we linger in sinful situations, among sinful people.  It is hard to get out!  “Do not love the world or the things of the world” (I John 2:15).

Yet, God in His mercy, had the angels take hold of Lot’s hands as well as the hands of his wife and daughters and “brought them out of the city” (Genesis 19:16).  So Lot and his family were temporarily saved by the grace of God.  However, it was only temporary.  His wife looked back and lost her life, turning into a pillar of salt.

His daughters, influenced by the depraved behavior of the Sodomites that had grown up around them, had children by their father.  Can you see the “influence” these immoral people had on them?  “Do not be deceived, evil companionship corrupts good moral” (I Corinthians 15:33).  Abraham’s legacy was to be the father of the Israelite people.  Lot’s legacy was to be the father of the Ammonites and the Moabites.

Did one bad decision doom Lot and His family?  No.  But Lot’s failure to correct the decision, his failure to recognize the evil influence affecting his family ultimately lead to his tragic ending.  We all make mistakes.  Our failure is in not recognizing and correcting those mistakes as quickly as possible.  The deceitfulness of sin causes us to hesitate. to rationalize, to downplay the seriousness of sin, all to our potential destruction.  Thanks be to God for His mercy and His furnishing us the way of escape from the consequences of sin through Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                              By Randy Shouse