CSSA 2-1-07 - FROM THE CALL OF ABRAM TO THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM

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132. FROM THE CALL OF ABRAM TO THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM

It did not take men long to forget the lesson of the flood and to turn away from the faith that Noah had shown. God had commanded them to go throughout the earth and subdue it (Gen. 9:1-7) but instead they gathered together to build a city (Babel) (Gen. 11:4-9). Soon they fell to worshipping idols and the one true God and His ways were quite forgotten. Out of the midst of this idolatry God called one man—the man Abram, whom He later renamed Abraham. Please note that the promises to Abraham are dealt with in more detail in Lesson No. 9.

Genesis 11:31-32; 12:1-9

GOD CALLS ABRAM (Gen. 11:26-32; 12:1-9)

Abram lived in a large and highly civilised city, Ur of the Chaldees. The inhabitants of Ur worshipped the moon-god, to which an impressive temple was built. In Ur, God appeared to Abram and called him to a land that He would show him (Acts 7:2, 3). This was a great test of his faith and trust in God. For Abram to leave behind all the prosperity and security of city life and to go forth into the unknown shows his belief that Ur could offer him nothing compared with his confidence in God's calling (Heb. 11:8).

Abram obeyed and journeyed to Haran, a city far to the north and on the banks of the River Euphrates. He went with his father Terah, Nahor his brother, Lot his nephew and his wife Sarai.

While in Haran, Abram was again spoken to by God and told: "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred" (Gen. 12:1). Abram was clearly shown that if he wanted to worship God, he would have to separate himself from all the things that he was used to, even (if necessary) his family.

God also gave a wonderful promise to Abram (w.2-3). He was told that:—

he would become a great nation;
his name would be great and he would become a blessing;
God would bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him;
In Abram all families of the earth would be blessed.

Meanwhile Terah died in Haran and Nahor could not be persuaded to leave the city and lead a pilgrim life. Abram however, obeyed God and left Haran, taking with him his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot.

So with cattle and goods and servants Abram and his party crossed over the river (Joshua 24:2-3). Abram became known as a Hebrew which means a "crosser-over" (Gen. 14:13). He had crossed over from the ways of idolatry to the way of the one true God: from the land of Babylon to the Land of Promise.

ABRAM PASSES THROUGH THE LAND (Gen. 12:6; 13:1-18)

Abram and his company journeyed through the land, moving from pasture to pasture, feeding their flocks. At Shechem God appeared again to Abram and promised him "Unto thy seed will I give this land" (v.7) even though at that time it was inhabited by the Canaanites.

At one time there was a severe famine in the land and Abram went down into Egypt to obtain food for his family and for his herds. When he left Egypt he was much richer "in cattle, in silver and in gold" (Gen. 13:2). As a result of the increase in their herds, it became difficult for the herdsmen of Abram and of Lot to find enough pasture together and they quarreled. "Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife I pray thee, between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen, for we be brethren" (Gen. 13:8). So Abram gave Lot the choice of all the land for feeding his flocks. Lot chose the well-watered plains of Jordan and later made his home in the city of Sodom. Abram himself remained in the hill country and continued to dwell in tents. However, God again promised Abram all the land that he could see. "To thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever" (vv. 14-17).

Until this day, Abram has not received this land, but what God has promised He will surely carry out. Abram must therefore be raised from the dead at the return of Jesus Christ. He will then receive the land promised to him and his seed many centuries ago (see Gal. 3:16, 26-29). Abram knew that God had promised him the land and he waited in patience for God's purpose to be worked out.

There was nothing in the cities of the plains to attract Abram. He was content to wander through the land, a stranger and a pilgrim "looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10).

LOT'S UNFORTUNATE CHOICE

Lot suffered as a result of his choice to live in Sodom. Consider how the events finally led up to the loss of his possessions and of nearly his whole family.

• He looked towards the well-watered plains (Gen. 13:10);

• He chose to move to the plains in preference to the hill country (v.11).

• He journeyed east (v.11).

• He pitched his tent toward Sodom (v.12).

• He dwelt in Sodom, in a house (Gen. 14:12).

• He sat in the gate of Sodom (Gen. 19:1).

• He was forced to leave everything and flee for his life (v.17).

Lot chose the easy way which appealed to his eyes. He may have thought that he could maintain his separateness from the evil Sodomites but step by step he and his family became entangled with the ungodly city life with tragic results. We must be very careful not to let the wickedness of our cities have a corrupting effect on our life. We can be so easily affected by their immoral behaviour (1 Cor. 15:33, 34 ; 2 Tim. 2:22).

We must be careful to consider what God requires of us and what we can do to please Him. We must not choose the easy and attractive things in life that will not last (see 2 Pet. 2:6-8). Christ warned us of how foolish it would be to "gain" the pleasures and comforts of this life only to "lose" our life at his coming. His appeal was that "if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt. 16:24-26).

ABRAM'S FAVOURED PLACE WITH GOD

Abram believed God's promises and the scripture records that his faith was "counted to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3). He showed his faith in all his actions: in leaving his birthplace; in choosing to dwell in tents; in believing God's promises concerning the land, the birth of Isaac and the multitude of his descendants. He was therefore rightly described as "the friend of God" (James 2:23).

LOT SAVED FROM SODOM (Gen. 18, 19)

We read in Genesis ch. 18 that three angels visited Abraham. After they had finished the meal, they set off towards Sodom to destroy it. Abraham pleaded with them to spare the city if there were any righteous men to be found in it (Gen. 18:23-32). Abraham would have in mind the welfare of Lot, but the story shows us just how wicked Sodom was because there could not be found even ten righteous men in it. In fact there was only one — Lot.

All Lot's household and his servants had sunk to the immoral ways of the city. How difficult it must have been for him to keep his mind on worshipping God in such a wicked society. If we act as unwisely as Lot did then we will run the grave risk of being overcome by the world about us, and of suffering the terrible judgment of God upon this wicked and godless world.

Of all those who had gone with him, only Lot remained faithful to God. He was a good man at heart, yet he too was slow to heed the warning of the angel and he "lingered". But God was "merciful unto him" (Gen. 19:16) and led him out of the doomed city. On the other hand Lot's wife could not bear to leave her possessions behind, and the rest of her family whom she loved in spite of their ungodly ways. So she turned to look longingly back to Sodom and was caught in the terrible fire and brimstone that destroyed the cities of the plain. Lot and his two daughters fled to Zoar and were saved.

CHRIST'S WARNING TO US (Luke 17:28-32).

The scriptures tell us that "as it was in the days of Lot. . . even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed" (Lk. 17:28-32).

We see the wickedness of Sodom all about us in the way people live, talk, act and dress. Jesus warns us that in our times he will come as a thief in the night, to bring the judgments of God, like the terrible fire and brimstone that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah without warning. These are perilous last days. Paul's description of our times recorded in 2 Timothy ch. 3 is accurate and full of warning for us. Let us never yield to the temptation to enjoy the pleasures of sin for they lead to further sin and destruction when the judgments of God sweep over the earth.

We must do the things that please God, believe His promises and wait patiently and faithfully like Abraham. This means that like Abraham we must also be "strangers and pilgrims" in this world. We must stand apart from the ungodly ways of the world and wait for the time of the kingdom. Abraham was greatly blessed because of his separateness and faith in God while Lot suffered the sad loss of his family and possessions because of his becoming too involved with the evil ways of Sodom.

Christ warns us that we must remember Lot's wife. She could have been saved but the warnings of the angels and the appeals of her husband could not enter a heart that chased after the pleasure and comforts of her wicked surroundings. She looked back, desiring the life of Sodom, disbelieving the reality of God's words. The wicked ways of this world will not last for ever. The warnings of God's judgments will soon be turned into dreadful reality. Let us now learn the urgent lesson of separateness. Christ said "remember Lot's wife!" (Lk. 17:32).

REFERENCE LIBRARY:

"The Story Of The Bible" (H. P. Mansfield)—Pages 77-110

"Elpis Israel" (J. Thomas)—Part 2, chapters 1 and 2

"The Visible Hand Of God" (R. Roberts)—Chapter 7

"The Ways Of Providence" (R. Roberts)—Chapter 3

"Christadelphian Instructor" (R. Roberts)—Nos. 82-89

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:

How did Abraham respond to God's call to leave Ur of the Chaldees?
Describe how Lot came to leave Abram and the lesson we can learn from Abram's way of life.