SFJ Bible Reading Plan

Genesis 14:18-24

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,

  “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Possessor¹ of heaven and earth;
20   and blessed be God Most High,
    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand² to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Footnotes

[1] 14:19 Or Creator; also verse 22

[2] 14:22 Or I have taken a solemn oath

(ESV)

Going Deeper

Lot (10-24-15)

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into the testimony of Lot.

Genesis 13 discusses Abram and Lot’s return to Canaan after the famine had passed and the lands became fertile again. The conflicts between the herdsmen had become so troublesome that Abram recommended to Lot that they should part ways, so there wouldn’t be unneeded conflict amongst them.

Although Abram gave Lot the choice of which land he wanted to settle on and Lot picked the well-watered plains beyond the Jordan for it was like “the garden of the LORD”., Lot’s taking of the best land in Canaan for himself was one of the worst decisions he ever made. Instead of dividing the country equitably between himself and his uncle, Lot seized the lush area near Sodom and lived far away from the covenant family. The first result of this decision was his capture by Chedorlaomer’s forces, but even his rescue by Abraham did not convince him to abandon Sodom (13:12; 14:1–16). Loving Sodom more than the Lord’s people, he moved into the city God would later destroy (19:1–29).

In Genesis 19 we read that Lot is spared from the judgment of Sodom so surely God is not done with his plans for him.  Even though God gives him a longer life he doesn’t process things well.    Sometimes we are guilty of only focusing on what we have lost and not what God has ordained to continue.  IF this is you lately, confess your self-centeredness of this and thank God for what he has given you.   Ask him to keep you full of Faith and move you forward.

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, once had so many servants and livestock that it was difficult to live near his uncle. But now he who once selfishly sought to increase his wealth (13:8–13) now he can fit everything he owns into a cave (19:30).  What a change in life this has meant to him. Like many of us, life is full of big turns and tides.  The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus and recognize that all that we are and have is his and is to be used for his purposes.  This is help us not over grip or over trust in the things or people of the world but to fully trust in God.

Lot additionally struggles with fear and tries to keep himself full of faith.  When life doesn’t go your way, do you resort to fear or do you trust that God is on the throne and will see his mighty purposes through?  It is easy to look back and see mistakes we made or hard times we went through and begin to lose faith.  But we are a people built not on our circumstances or on our performance. We are a people who trust in God and lean on Jesus performance alone.

The reality is, in the end of Genesis 19 we read that Lot suffers an even worse disgrace from his daughters. The two women hastily, through fear, think there are no men that could be arranged to marry them. So they get their father drunk and lie with him so as to produce heirs (vv. 31–36).  Incest between father and daughter was condemned by God’s law but also by the pagan cultures surrounding Israel.  This shows how despicable these acts were. The Result of this was, one daughter had a son named, Moab (father of the Moabites)  and the other has a son named, Ben-Ammi (father of the Ammonites).

Ironically, Lot at one point was once willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to avoid danger (Gen. 19:6–8), but now his children dishonor him at the first sign of struggle.  What we see in this is the reality of the impact of a culture on God’s people.  No one is outside of temptation to sin and selfishness.  We must be people of prayer and of the word not only to get out of hardship but to build up our maturity and strength in God to avoid it.  Sometimes it is easy to think that the temptations of our past are way behind us, but we must stay vigilant in avoiding sin and temptation and growing who we are in Christ.  Let us not forget that Lot and his daughters get out of Sodom, but the influence of the city’s corrupt morals showed itself in their lives later.

Finally, we read 2 Peter 2:4-10 this week. Here, Peter speaks of God’s saving Lot from Sodom and says why the wicked should fear God’s judgment on wickedness.

In

Genesis 14:9

9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.

(ESV)

and 10 Peter says: ” the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, (like Noah and Lot),  and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”

This is a great take away for us as well.  God will judge unrepentant sin and he will endure his people through great hardship so that he can accomplish his purposes.   We must walk in faith and not by sight. We must avoid sinful influences of the culture around us and aim to stay trusting in God despite how hard things get.   I pray that what we have seen in Lot this week motivates and moves us forward in honoring Christ in all things.

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

National Chaplain

2 Peter 2:4-10

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell¹ and committed them to chains² of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;³ 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,⁴ and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge⁵ in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,

Footnotes

[1] 2:4 Greek Tartarus

[2] 2:4 Some manuscripts pits

[3] 2:6 Some manuscripts an example to those who were to be ungodly

[4] 2:9 Or temptations

[5] 2:10 Greek who go after the flesh

(ESV)

Genesis 19:23-38

God Destroys Sodom

23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Lot and His Daughters

30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab.¹ He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi.² He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Footnotes

[1] 19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father

[2] 19:38 Ben-ammi means son of my people

(ESV)

Genesis 19:1-22

God Rescues Lot

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.¹

Footnotes

[1] 19:22 Zoar means little

(ESV)