As we looked at these chapters, we see Lot take what looks like the best, regardless of it being full of wickedness. Sometimes we are thrust into places like wickedness, as was the case when Andy was sent to jail, and then to prison. It is a place of overwhelming wickedness. Then there are times we choose to go to places of wickedness, such as a party. Regardless of how you end up in a place of wickedness we are called to be light. We will be left standing alone like Lot when we are in places of wickedness.
In verse 18 -Altars are very important. We will read about them often. It marks a place where we met God. Meeting God is not some mysterious thing. It is where you saw God answer prayer, where you had a conversation with God and He gave you peace. A situation where you know He was protecting you. We tend to dismiss these as soon as they happen, by building an altar we remember it. I can’t encourage you enough to get a small notebook, to build an altar using words, and giving it a name.
We looked at the few scriptures about Melchizedek. We know little about this priest, and yet the important role of this priest, is who he represented. Psalms 110:4 tells us that that Jesus will be an eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Sometimes we are told very little about an individual or situation, yet the importance can be about God’s kingdom purpose.
God’s covenant with us, is foundational to how we walk in truth. Jesus is the new covenant in His blood. It doesn’t matter if anyone accepts it or not. It was a covenant like the one God made with Abraham. It has nothing to do with what we do or we don’t do.
In verse 3- Sarai gave Hagar as a wife to Abram. No indication that Abram consulted God. We do not read where God ever considered Hagar a wife of Abram or Abraham. In verse 9 this is the response of the angel of the Lord “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority”. Not to Abraham your husband.
In verse 4- Hagar’s attitude had a lot to do with Sarai’s response. Hagar was not gracious. In our lives do we see the result of when we were harsh instead of gracious.
God expanded the covenant, which gave responsibility to man. We are given responsibility as believers in the new covenant. Abraham could have rejected what God told him, and it would not have revoked God’s promise, anymore than when we choose to walk outside of what God has asked us to do. The covenant is in Jesus’ blood is not in our obedience to His blood.
Concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, it was about righteousness not so much about the wickedness. Abraham pleaded for righteousness, not the good or less evil. In Matthew 6:33 we are told to pursue righteousness. That is one of the responsibilities we are given.
IN THESE CHAPTERS – we see Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah as human. Sometimes Godly, sometimes not so much. Abram was not to have Lot with him and it caused him grief. Abrahams caring heart for Lot and his father overrode what God had told Abraham. Abraham wanted a son and went outside of the marriage to do so. Abraham took no responsibility in how Hagar despised his wife. Sarah blamed her husband for giving a son to Hagar. Abraham did not consult God before taking Hagar as a wife then complicated matters by letting Hagar disrespect Sarai.
Regardless what we can see as wrong in these passages, what we do know is that we are like them in many ways. We know what God wants us to do, but our own sympathies get in the way. We want something and will twist the truth to get it. We fail to hold someone responsible for disrespect. We make a wrong decision and want to try to blame it on someone else. Yet God continues with us, just like he did with them. The two words we should use in our vocabulary is “only God”. Only God can take the mess we make in our lives, and complete His purpose.