PARENTHOOD a divine stewardship Volume 4 Issue 8August 1999
(h) Rescued from Captivity by the Lord's Overcomer, but Not Helped to Come Back to the Way of God Although Lot was rescued from captivity by the Lord's overcomer, he was not helped to come back to the way of God (14:12-16). For a long time I was troubled by Lot's not returning to the way of God. He might have been stubborn. Do not think that passive people are submissive. Nearly all the passive ones are rebellious. Lot did not learn the lesson and he did not return to God's way. (i) Going Back to Live in the Wicked City which Was Condemned by God and Was to Be Destroyed by the judgment of God Lot went back to live in the wicked city which was condemned by God and which was to be destroyed by the judgment of God (19:1-13). Lot did not go there to visit; he went there to live. When the two angels came to execute God's judgment over Sodom, Lot was sitting in the gate of the city, in contrast to Abraham who was sitting at his tent door. According to ancient custom, whoever sat at the gate of the city was one of the elders, for only they had the privilege of sitting there. Lot became a leader in Sodom! Suppose the Lord or His angels were to visit you. Where would they find you-sitting at your tent door, or at the gate of the wicked world? Where you are sitting determines whether or not the Lord will come to you....	Lot was even willing to sacrifice his two daughters to satisfy the Sodomites' lust (19:7-9). Whether he was forced to do this or not, he never should have done it. This shows that Lot's sense of morality had been drugged. We may use the smell of garlic as an illustration of this. If we were to eat garlic all day long, our sense of smell would eventually be drugged. If someone having a fresh sense of smell would come into the midst of the garlic eaters, he would immediately notice the scent of garlic. Lot and his children remained in the garlic room of Sodom for years, and their sense of morality was drugged. Lot would consider sacrificing his virgin daughters to save his two guests. How could he consider such a thing! Although he was a righteous man, he had lost his sense of morality and shame.... (j) His Children Being Corrupted Lot's children were corrupted by living in the wicked city....Lot had to tell his sons-in-law and his children that God was about to judge that city. But when Lot preached the gospel to them, some would not believe the word from the Lord, thinking that he was joking.... Others of Lot's children had no sense of morality (19:30-35). Look at what his daughters did after they escaped from the city! After escaping from Sodom, Lot and his daughters still had wine with them (19:32). If they had not brought the wine with them, how else could they have had it in the cave where they were dwelling?	How drugged they were by the sinful situation in Sodom! When I was visiting some saints in Las Vegas in 1963, they vindicated their living in that city, saying, "It is not wrong for us to stay in this gambling city, because we are here as a testimony for the Lord." I did not argue with them, but deep within myself I said, "If you stay here for some years, your children will have no sense about the wickedness of gambling." Many of the young people today have been drugged, Look at the way they dress: there is no sense of morality, or feeling of shame. Many times when I am on the street I have to shut my eyes. For young ladies to be without a sense of shame is to be without protection. Throughout the whole world the sense of shame and morality has been drugged. Because most of the young people were raised in a sinful atmosphere, their senses have been drugged. But if they would come in to the church life and remain in its pure atmosphere for a few months, they would never return to the sinful world. They would be unable to stand its smell. We all must escape Sodom and shut our doors to its evil atmosphere. if we do not, our descendants will be drugged, How could Lot and his children have conducted themselves in the way they did after Sodom was destroyed? Because their sense of morality had fallen so low. If we remain in the fresh air, we shall immediately sense the bad smell of immorality. But if we do not discern any bad smell, it means that our sense of morality has been drugged. APPLICATION Why did Lot not have a strong spiritual life? Why did God not appear to Lot as He had appeared to Abraham? How could Lot and his children have conducted themselves in the way they did after Sodom was destroyed?

PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Volume 4 Issue 8August 1999

(h) Rescued from Captivity by the Lord's Overcomer, but Not Helped to Come Back to the Way of God

Although Lot was rescued from captivity by the Lord's overcomer, he was not helped to come back to the way of God (14:12-16). For a long time I was troubled by Lot's not returning to the way of God. He might have been stubborn. Do not think that passive people are submissive. Nearly all the passive ones are rebellious. Lot did not learn the lesson and he did not return to God's way.

(i) Going Back to Live in the Wicked City which Was Condemned by God and Was to Be Destroyed by the judgment of God

Lot went back to live in the wicked city which was condemned by God and which was to be destroyed by the judgment of God (19:1-13). Lot did not go there to visit; he went there to live. When the two angels came to execute God's judgment over Sodom, Lot was sitting in the gate of the city, in contrast to Abraham who was sitting at his tent door. According to ancient custom, whoever sat at the gate of the city was one of the elders, for only they had the privilege of sitting there. Lot became a leader in Sodom! Suppose the Lord or His angels were to visit you. Where would they find you-sitting at your tent door, or at the gate of the wicked world? Where you are sitting determines whether or not the Lord will come to you....

Lot was even willing to sacrifice his two daughters to satisfy the Sodomites' lust (19:7-9). Whether he was forced to do this or not, he never should have done it. This shows that Lot's sense of morality had been drugged. We may use the smell of garlic as an illustration of this. If we were to eat garlic all day long, our sense of smell would eventually be drugged. If someone having a fresh sense of smell would come into the midst of the garlic eaters, he would immediately notice the scent of garlic. Lot and his children remained in the garlic room of Sodom for years, and their sense of morality was drugged. Lot would consider sacrificing his virgin daughters to save his two guests. How could he consider such a thing! Although he was a righteous man, he had lost his sense of morality and shame....

(j) His Children Being Corrupted

Lot's children were corrupted by living in the wicked city....Lot had to tell his sons-in-law and his children that God was about to judge that city. But when Lot preached the gospel to them, some would not believe the word from the Lord, thinking that he was joking....

Others of Lot's children had no sense of morality (19:30-35). Look at what his daughters did after they escaped from the city! After escaping from Sodom, Lot and his daughters still had wine with them (19:32). If they had not brought the wine with them, how else could they have had it in the cave where they were dwelling?

How drugged they were by the sinful situation in Sodom! When I was visiting some saints in Las Vegas in 1963, they vindicated their living in that city, saying, "It is not wrong for us to stay in this gambling city, because we are here as a testimony for the Lord." I did not argue with them, but deep within myself I said, "If you stay here for some years, your children will have no sense about the wickedness of gambling." Many of the young people today have been drugged, Look at the way they dress: there is no sense of morality, or feeling of shame. Many times when I am on the street I have to shut my eyes. For young ladies to be without a sense of shame is to be without protection. Throughout the whole world the sense of shame and morality has been drugged. Because most of the young people were raised in a sinful atmosphere, their senses have been drugged. But if they would come in to the church life and remain in its pure atmosphere for a few months, they would never return to the sinful world. They would be unable to stand its smell.

We all must escape Sodom and shut our doors to its evil atmosphere. if we do not, our descendants will be drugged, How could Lot and his children have conducted themselves in the way they did after Sodom was destroyed? Because their sense of morality had fallen so low. If we remain in the fresh air, we shall immediately sense the bad smell of immorality. But if we do not discern any bad smell, it means that our sense of morality has been drugged.

APPLICATION

Why did Lot not have a strong spiritual life?

Why did God not appear to Lot as He had appeared to Abraham?

How could Lot and his children have conducted themselves in the way they did after Sodom was destroyed?

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