Genesis 13.1-18

Sometimes when I'm at work and take my break, the game show "Let's Make a Deal" is on the TV in our back room. I like watching this show, mainly because all of the people in the audience wear goofy costumes, and also because I get to watch people make poor decisions, which always makes me feel a little better about my own day. "Let's Make a Deal" is the show where contestants will be given a choice: "Do you want to take this $600 cash, or do you want whatever is behind Curtain #2?!" Sometimes the contestant will make the right choice and leave happy, but other times they will take the curtain and win nothing more than a ceramic statue of a polar bear playing golf. Which, now that I think of it, wouldn't be too bad of a prize.

The concept of "Let's Make a Deal" reminds me of what happens between Abram and his nephew Lot in Genesis 13. Here's what today's text says:

1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

8 Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. 

At the beginning of this passage, there is a problem. Abram and Lot are starting to crowd one another. Both of them just have too much stuff, so they decide that they need to split up. Lot is given a choice: "Do you want what's behind Curtain #1 or Curtain #2?" He's given the first crack at choosing in which piece of the land he wants to settle. Lots takes a good look and sees that the area around Sodom is prime real estate.

However, Lot is ignoring an important fact: "The men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord." Lot is concerned only with the healthy pastures and the streams of water stretching across the land, and he doesn't pay much attention to the moral and religious climate of the people in that area. For the sake of comfort, he cozies up next to a corrupt society.

How close are you willing to get to sin? Oftentimes we like to see how far we can get to the edge of the cliff--how much temptation we can expose ourselves to without giving in. This isn't to say that we must completely separate ourselves from non-Christian culture or that we should all go live in a monastery in the mountains. Even Jesus said that his prayer wasn't that the church be removed from the world (Jn. 17:15). However, we must be mindful of the reason behind our interaction with the world. I don't think Lot chose to live near Sodom because he wanted to go be a godly witness to the city. He went because, well, Sodom looked like a pretty good place to live! And we too can settle into a sinful environment, thinking that we are immune to influence, just because it brings us something that we find beneficial.

We need to develop faith like Abraham. Abraham's goal wasn't to pick out the choices piece of land to set up camp. He knew that God would take care of him, and his primary purpose was to remain faithful to God. As a result, whereas Sodom found a way to get into the hearts of Lot and his family (just think about what happens to his wife!), Abraham, even though he has faults, becomes an example of faith. God blesses Abraham, promising to give the land to his descendants. Abraham looked beyond the immediate material luxuries that Sodom offered and rested in the assurance of God's blessing. When faced with temptation and lured by the world's false promises of fulfillment, let's trust that God's way is right.

After all, no one wants the curtain to be pulled away to reveal an unfulfilled promise. But God makes sure there's something good behind the curtain. We might not get it now, but it's waiting for us in the future. All it takes is our trust.

David Heffren