Ben Glupker was in town during New Year's weekend and I told him that I miss having deep conversations with him about biblical topics. He's back in Kentucky now, so I though I would pose a question from my reading in Genesis to the bloggers (if Ben had a blog he could participate).
So I'm reading about Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18-20. Abraham had three visitors. According to the text it appears that one was the Lord and two were angels. Abraham pleads for Sodom asking the Lord six times if He would save Sodom if there were only at the end ten righteous people. Abraham must have know that there were not many righteous people in Sodom and most likely was trying to save Lot and his family.
So when the angels go Sodom they don't find ten righteous people, but they do get Lot and his wife and two daughters out of the city. Then they destroy the city.
Okay, here's my question. Did the Lord get Lot and his family out of Sodom because they were righteous? The reason for this question is that if you read on about Lot and his family several unrighteous acting things happen to them. Lot's wife disobeys God's words shortly after leaving the city and turns to a pillar of salt. Lot's daughters commit incestuous acts with their father shortly after leaving the city. Lot gets drunk to allow this. So again were Lot and his family spared because they were righteous? Or was it Abraham's righteousness that spared them? Or was it something else.
I'm looking for some opinions on this topic. I know this is not my normal blog style, but I'm enjoying the challenges that God is sending to my thoughts through His Word.
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8 comments:
This may not be your normal blogging style, but I for one, like it! In Genesis 19:29 it appears to me that Moses is saying that Lot was spared as a favor to Abraham. As you pointed out, Lot certainly wasn't righteous. Could it be that God protected Lot to show his kindness to Abraham, as well as to show His people (us) what exactly His grace looks like? Afterall, grace is getting something you don't deserve and it would appear that Lot did not deserve to be rescued.
Those are my thoughts - Ben might disagree. I'll have to remind him that if he had a blog he could participate more in the discussion. :)
Kelly,
With a little more study I found out an interesting fact. In 2 Peter 2:7-8 Peter states that "Lot WAS a righteous man". 2 Peter 2:8 goes on to say that Lot was a "righteous man, living among them (lawless men) day after day", he "was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard".
Also, righteousness is not an outward appearance, it is inward, faith-based. Righteous people are still sinners. I am not able to see Lot's soul like God can.
I do agree that Lot may have been rescued to show us what grace looks like.
Chris,
Ben pointed out the verses in II Peter to me as well.
I agree that righteousness is faith based and not determined necessarily by outward appearance. However I also believe our faith influences our behavior. There were certainly times when Lot did not trust in the Lord. Righteous or not we are all sinners.
I agree with you Kelly.
This won't be as deep as anything you're going to get from the Glupkers. But here goes nothin'! God spared Noah and his family from the Flood, because He found Noah righteous. After the water goes away, God establishes a covenant with Noah (and all life on the earth), then the next time we see Noah, he's drunk and naked. Then Ham, who was also saved from the Flood, sees Noah naked and goes to tell his brothers about it. I don't really get why that's bad, necessarily, but it earns him a curse from Noah, so it obviously was bad.
I guess I'm just trying to point out parallels between Lot and family, and Noah and family. Something to think about at least, maybe.
Josh,
I think you misunderstood my original question, which was, was Lot righteous? 2 Peter 2:7-8 say that he was.
As far as what Ham did, he was wrong and cursed because instead of covering up his father like his brothers did, he left him and went out and told his brothers.
According to what I have read this act was a "breach of family ethic." The father is the strength of the family and this was destroyed and Noah's strength was made into a mockery.
God also used this to show how the Canaanite descendents would eventually act. Ham was the father of the Canaanites. The curse was actually on the Canaanites. As you look through the line of the Canaanites they are always subject/slaves to another (Ham's brother's lines).
No, I didn't misunderstand your original question. I understood it fine. However, since you had already answered your own question via comment, I decided to offer you a thought on Lot and family's sinful actions after their flight from Sodom, since that was, apparently, your motivation for asking the question in the first place. You did, after all, state that you were "looking for some opinions on this topic." Maybe instead you should have said, "I only want a direct answer to my question," if that's all you actually wanted. Or maybe my not being a Glupker had an even greater bearing on your receptivity of my thoughts than I had originally supposed. Sorry for not being heady enough to be a part of your discussion.
Okay, now you say, "By telling you about Ham's sin, I was actually engaging you in discussion." And then I say, "Oh, I see. I'm a yutz."
Sorry about my last comment. I was really, really frustrated by instrument approach charts, and your reply rubbed me wrong. Worst possible mindset for posting replies, I suppose. Sorry again. Thanks for filling me in on the whole Ham thing.
Josh
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