Genesis 19:12-1612And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. (Genesis 19:12‑16)
“And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place.” verse 12. It was only the mercy of God that saw Lot safely through the terrible night when the men of the city would have broken down the door to his house, had they not been stricken with blindness. Lot, at last aware of the destruction of all he had clung to, obeyed the command and went out to warn his sons-in-law, saying to them: “Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.” But tragically, his own family would not believe the message for he “seemed as one that mocked.” No wonder there was no power in such a preacher of righteousness. Dwelling among the wicked men of Sodom is neither the way to glorify God, nor to win their souls to the Saviour.
Christian friend, as you look upon ones dear to you and see them attracted to this world and heedless of preparation for eternity, do you too hear the warning: “Bring them out of this place?” Are you prepared to show them the way of life and is your separation from the world such that your message will be soberly heeded? The warnings of one who himself is devoted to the world will have little effect on his hearers. Faithfulness to dear ones can only follow faithfulness to God. Telling of judgment to come will only be seriously heeded if the message is from one who has first separated himself from the world that will be under condemnation. The result of Lot’s failure in this was that his warnings were of no avail.
“And when the morning arose then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest these be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and up the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him with. out the city.” v. 15,16. Even when told of the coming devastation, Lot was reluctant to leave. Alas, there is no one who truly knows his heart’s capability of attachment to the world. There is no one who, falling into its snares, can of himself escape or even desire to do so. It is only by crying to God, who will show mercy to all who call upon Him, that the claims of this world will be given up.
But whether he hesitated to part with his earthly accumulations of not, Lot was compelled to do so. How futile to lay up treasures on earth! They must all be abandoned sooner or later, but what is laid up in heaven will endure for all eternity. Lot’s treasures were all here below and he went out of Sodom empty-handed and empty-hearted as well. In the light of eternity and God’s appraisal of his accomplishments, his entire life was spent for nothing of lasting value. He was one to whom the questions of Scripture apply: “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not?” Isaiah 55:22Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:2); again, Who “earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:66Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. (Haggai 1:6).
ML 09/19/1965