Brought Out

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BROUGHT OUT

Gen 19:27-29

27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. 29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

NIV

Before we get to where Lot's two daughters conspire, doing something that will have long-lasting effects, we first should focus on what Abraham saw and on mercy. When God speaks, he always speaks the truth. He spoke the truth when he told Noah he was going to destroy everything that had the breath of life in it; all mankind would perish, and it happened just as God said it would. He told Abraham that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and he rained down hail and fire, burning up those cities and the places of the plains. Abraham stood where he had stood before the LORD and looked down on the plains, and the smoke was like that of a great furnace. The people perished in flames just as the LORD said. The Lord has also said that on the last day, all the wicked who finished wicked will stand before the LORD and be judged for their wickedness, and be sent to another flame, the lake of burning sulfur. It has always been strange in light of John 3:16; the LORD uses the word perish as the opposite of everlasting life. He correlates perishing, the Greek word that means to be put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, destroyed. In the Revelation God gave to John, he called the lake of burning sulfur the second death. Theologians have argued the two positions: eternal torment and annihilation. However, if researched with the Spirit, we will know that God can destroy both the body and the soul. However, he showed mercy to Lot because he was a Godly man; at least, he was family to Abraham, had witnessed the power of God, and hosted the two angels to keep them safe from the city's wickedness. A day is coming when another great day of catastrophe will happen. Still, those who put their trust in the LORD, those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, those who have been born again, will be remembered by the LORD and brought out of the catastrophe; the dead will rise first, and those still alive will be caught up in the air to meet our Lord. We call that the rapture of the church. We know for certain that a catastrophe will happen, and we will be brought out. 

Don't Look Back

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

DON'T LOOK BACK

Gen 19:12-26

12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here — sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. 15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." 16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" 18 But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it — it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." 21 He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar.) 23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities — and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

NIV

Two truths, maybe more, but the two that stand out are regarding the two men pledged to marry Lot's daughters, and Lot's wife. These two sons-in-law were told the truth about what was going to happen to Sodom, that the LORD was about to destroy the city. We are told they thought he was joking and did not respond by getting out, so that they perished. We wonder if they thought he was joking about the LORD, or what the LORD was going to do. Did they even believe there was a God, as they were residents of Sodom, living among wickedness? We don't know the character of these two, although we would think that if Lot approved them to marry his daughters, they should have been better than the rest of the men of Sodom. Nevertheless, they thought he was joking. How many people today think we are joking about what is going to happen to this earth? Of course, that would depend on us telling them that God is going to destroy this earth, instead of just telling them of the love of Jesus. Yes, Jesus loves them, but should we not be like Lot and warn those around us? Secondly, why did Lot's wife look back? Did she want to see the destruction, or was it one last look at what she once had? We have always thought it was the look back at her possessions being gone, but maybe that look back was about watching those wicked people getting their just due. But she was not supposed to look back, because as she did, God caused her to turn into a pillar of salt. This gives us two clues for life. First, we should not put too much value on any possessions, because they can be destroyed, or we can lose them at any time. Second, we should not watch someone go through destruction or hardship with the attitude that they are receiving their just reward. Because we are told to love others as Jesus loves us, we should warn others about what will happen, show compassion and love to those experiencing trouble, and not look back or put too much value on our stuff. 

Blindness

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BLINDNESS

Gen 19:1-11

19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." 9 "Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

NIV

Now, the story of the wickedness of Sodom shows us there is nothing new under the sun. Of course, before the days of the flood, the wickedness of mankind was so great that the LORD was grieved he had made man and decided to wipe them all off the face of the earth, except Noah and his family, because he found favor in the eyes of the LORD. The men of Sodom were just like those before the flood, with evil in their hearts all the time. Their hearts were perverted from the natural to the unnatural. Lot knew the sins of this city, yet he lived among them, and even sat at the gate, which was either the place of business or judgement as a magistrate, hearing cases of dispute. We wonder if Lot was there to warn weary travelers of the problems of the city, to either turn them away or invite them into his home for protection. This is what he did to the two angels, but the men began to force their way, wanting Lot to send the two men out for their perversion. The power of the Most High was in the hands of those angels as they struck the townsmen with blindness, so they could not find the door to Lot's house. Could this be a metaphor of all who practice perversions in the flesh? Our world is not much better, if not worse, than what was going on within Sodom. This world even celebrates its perversions to the point where it demands equal rights, or special rights, protections by law for its wickedness, holds great demonstrations and parades, flaunting its perversion before the world. As the rest of this story of Sodom unfolds, we will see God's judgment, and we know his judgment will stand again against the evil of this present age. We wonder if the men of Sodom would have turned from their wicked ways, God would have relented his judgment of hail and fire against them. We know anyone can find forgiveness today because of his offered grace through Jesus. But it still comes down to this: turning away from wickedness and turning to Jesus. It is still a quandary as to how we, in the church, deal with our wickedness, because we profess our faith in Jesus. Do we just pretend we are all holy and righteous, ignoring our wicked ways, our sin? Sure, we are not like those of Sodom or of these perversions of this present age, but what about those traits of envy, jealousy, gossip, unforgiveness, pride, and such that continue to be part of our humanity? Does God overlook our transgressions because we are in Christ? The angels struck the men of Sodom with blindness so they could not find the door. Let us not be blind to our sin so that we can find the door. 

Dust and Ashes

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

DUST AND ASHES

Gen 18:27-33

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

NIV

First, Abraham considered himself nothing but dust and ashes; then he asked that the LORD not be angry with him, as he asked for if there were only thirty. Then Abraham was bold, asking if only twenty could be found. Then he asked once more that the LORD would not be angry with him, as he asked to speak just once more, asking if only ten were found. Each time the Lord consented to the number Abraham was asking about, all the way from fifty to ten. But the conversation stopped because the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham; he left, and Abraham returned home. The implication is that the LORD left Abraham's presence. The LORD listened to the concerns of Abraham. The Lord did not tell Abraham that I Am the LORD God and I will do whatever I decide, which is to go down and destroy the whole city of Sodom, as well as Gomorrah. The LORD listened to Abraham. Yes, the Lord is Sovereign; his plan is always his plan, and his plan will always be accomplished. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, but the LORD saved Lot and his family, apparently the only righteous, less the ten, in the city. How do we apply this truth to our lives? Although we know the Lord is God, the creator of heaven and earth, the one who gives us life, and that he is the Almighty Sovereign God, he is always willing to listen to our concerns. He is always willing to be with us, to be in our presence; although we should say, allow us to be in his presence, yet the LORD showed up in the presence of Abraham as he sat in front of his tent. When the LORD wants to speak to us, he will; we just need to listen, and whenever we hear his voice, we should bow low before him. Sometimes we think we have become too friendly or too familiar,  too casual with God. Abraham did not speak as if he was friendly with the LORD, but with reverence and fear, realizing he was only dust and ashes, just a man, formed by the hand of God. When God shows us, and he will, let us speak with fear and trembling, but then listen, for we are but dust and ashes and He is the Almighty Lord God. 

The Outcry

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE OUTCRY

Gen 18:20-26

20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.   23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

NIV

This is just the beginning of the conversation between the LORD and Abraham that we are so familiar with, but there is truth here we need to consider. What is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah? It was that their sin was so grievous, but was that the outcry that reached the LORD? We know what happened when the two angels entered Sodom, but was that so much worse than the sin happening in the world today? We could name so many things going on in our world that must be an outcry against them that reaches the Lord. This culture dedicates and celebrates a month to Pride, the gay, lesbian, transgender, whatever, with parades. It does not matter; do whatever is just fine, but that has to be an outcry to the Lord. So many perversions, it would be impossible to name them all. Who among us is without sin? There is none righteous, not one, and that includes all we believers who think we are not anything like the world. In fact, we tend to close ourselves off from all that sin; we might even be judgmental toward those awful sinners. Abraham knew his nephew Lot lived in Sodom, so he wanted to see whether the LORD would spare Sodom without sweeping away the righteous with the wicked. This is another truth we know about what will happen. The Lord will not sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Of course, none of us can claim we are righteous; however, if someone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior and is born again, then Jesus becomes our righteousness, and we will not be swept away, but taken up to be with the LORD forever. The wicked, those who continue to live in the perversions of sin, will be swept away into the lake of burning sulfur, the second death. This is what concerned Abraham: the righteous and the wicked being treated the same way. We, believers, should take note that we are not free of sin; in the flesh, we are just the same- maybe not the same acts of sin, but the same, having sin in our lives. Our salvation, our forgiveness, is all in Jesus. But we cannot stand being prideful of our righteousness, looking like we are all holy, perfect people. Lot was not perfect, but he knew the LORD, had lived with Abraham, and understood the righteousness of God, but for whatever reason, lived among such sinful people. We are not perfect either, but have we isolated ourselves so much that we have no effect in this world? Have we lost our saltiness? Are we content with the wicked being swept away? Do we hear their outcry? 

Ears to Hear

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

EARS TO HEAR

Gen 18:16-19

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

NIV

Two truths that we could focus on. First, the LORD decided not to hide what he was about to do in Sodom and Gomorrah from Abraham. Was this because of the second truth, that Abraham was chosen to direct his children and household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just? We know that God brought about what he had promised Abraham. How do we relate to both those truths? First, the question is whether we have been chosen or whether we chose to follow Jesus. We know the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sin and need for repentance, but the question is whether he does that for everyone, or only for the people God knows will respond in the affirmative. Did Jesus try to convert the Pharisees, or did he just call them a brood of vipers? However, because we are following Jesus, or at least trying to follow him, are we being made privy to what the LORD is going to do? We know he has made it possible for us to know everything he has done and what he will do on that last day, but does he speak to us about what he will do in the next few days, or weeks, as he did with Abraham? We think he does, but we need to be spending time listening rather than just talking to him. It seems we do a lot of talking when we pray, maybe even just babble on and on, telling him how great he is, thanking him, praising him, on and on; we keep talking until we run out of words, then we quit and go on our way. How often do we shut up and just walk with him, listening for his voice? We are not going to hear him with our mouths flowing with words, but if we have ears to hear and eyes to see, we will hear from him. Still, that might depend on whether we are doing what is right and just. But how can we be right and just in our flesh that is weak and wants to do what is not right and just? It comes down to being in Christ and he in us, for he is our righteousness. We need to walk by faith, not by sight, so then, because we have decided to follow Jesus, the LORD reveals his plans for our lives. He might speak directly to us, telling us what he will do, or what we are supposed to do. He might inspire us by putting a desire in our hearts so we follow his leading. It is a wonderful truth that God does not want to hide anything from us; we just need to listen with ears to hear.  

Is Anything Too Hard for God?

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD? 

Gen 18:6-15

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said. 10 Then the LORD  said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh. "But he said, 'Yes, you did laugh."

NIV

This is a famous part of the story of Abraham and Sarah, as the Lord visited them and told them about the son they would have in the future. We are not told how long it took to bake bread, slaughter, cut up the finest portion of a calf, and cook it to perfection so the Lord could eat. That alone is an incredible story for who actually appeared before Abraham. We know it was Yahweh, accompanied by two angels. Yet Yahweh means the self-existing one, so the physical form he appeared in could have been Jesus, or he could have been the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth. That truth is left out for a purpose, so that we do not focus on the form of the LORD, but our focus should be on the LORD. However, our story is about Sarah laughing as she thought about her actually becoming pregnant at her old age, one that was well beyond childbearing; besides, she had been barren her whole life, not once conceiving a child. However, the point is that the LORD knew she laughed, even if she did not laugh out loud, because she laughed to herself. The LORD knew Sarah's thoughts; he knew what was in her heart. This gives us an outstanding truth that should encourage us, but it could also frighten us. Sarah's internal laugh could be seen as doubting the LORD's power, as the LORD responded, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” This should give us great confidence in God's power. First, he knows our hearts, our thoughts, even our words before we speak them. Even when our thoughts are not pure, that does not disrupt his love for us, as he knows we are flawed; that is why Jesus came to take our place on the cross. Still, we can feel shame and the guilt of impure thoughts. Our minds wander, our hearts can become envious, jealous, bitter, unforgiving, prideful, lustful, greedy, selfish, all of which point to a self-centered heart. We are admonished that if anything is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, we are to think about such things. Yet our mind still wanders off to those selfish thoughts. Certainly, Sarah’s thoughts were on herself, her weakness, her inability to conceive, the fact that she was worn out, but the LORD answered, “ Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Let us always be confident in God’s power.