Bible Study: Genesis 19: 10-29
Escape to the mountain…but he chose a small city, Zoar.
Did He obey?
At least he left Sodom, we would say but that was Partial Obedience.
He sought permission to do less than perfect instruction.
Comfort is cheap.
It is permissible but not perfect.
The spotless Bride is Jesus coming for.
Not the one stained with flesh spots and
Not the one rumpled all over with guilty pleasures
Or mingled with the sin soaked world.
The ‘Lot Bargains’ wants it easy. It wants it quick and cheap.
Lot’s Bargain was Compromise.
We need to avoid the Lot’s kind of Bargain because on the long run we will loss everything.
Do you see how far Lot’s Bargain drove Him?
Remember, Lot still lingered and the angels had to take him out.
Yet he did not hesitate to negotiate for a smaller place… He saw small instead of the Big.
And 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 19:16
Partial Obedience never takes you anywhere.
Instead, it leaves you stranded and exposed to sin. (read the later part of the Genesis 19).
Wait a minute! Do you know we do this all the time?
We make Lot’s Bargain every time
we choose the ourselves or world over the Word.
Those times when we feel it is easier to say,
“Oh, it’s my choice before what the Lord says”
“I would do this first before I yield”
Remember those times when it is easier to do our will before seeking God’s Will?
Do you know that city Zoar was also marked for destruction! But Lot’s choice of going there saved it…
Halt!
Here I begin to wonder why he thought God was not faithful enough to take Him to the Mountain.
If God is faithful to take you out of Sodom,
He is more than enough
to take you to the Mountain
Recall, we spoke about the spiritual significance of the mountain, The Mount Zion.
To catch up Click HERE to read When Mercy Speaks
The Mountain, that’s where our hiding place is. That’s why I love the Book of Psalm 91 that speaks about the dwelling place of the Lord.
For Lot, it was his self-convenience, lust for easy life and doubt getting in the way of God’s agenda.
Do you remember why Lot chose Sodom in the first place?
Aha! you see it, the thirst for pleasure, the desire for worldly goods, the hunger for comfort.
For King Saul it was His ego…His need to please
Related Article: The Danger of People Pleasing
Need I remind us again that for a spotless bride will He come.
Not one with a little tinny bitty spot! Nope!
Following the cross is a heavy price but not as weighty as the eternal damnation of sin. It doesn’t even come close.
We may be afflicted, tortured, persecuted,
or even killed but
the cross before us signifies an eternal hope.
If all of our salvation was for earthly pleasures then our sacrifice has been for naught.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 1 Corinthians 15:19
But that’s not the case our Hope is for the city made without hands.
An eternal place of rest.
To the wedding of we go.
Be ready, be clean for the Groom arrives for His bride.
Not for those who drive a bargain like Lot. But for all who will lay down their self-will for God’s Will.
Ponder a while on these questions.
Are you escaping to the mountain?
Are you willing to give full obedience to the instruction?
Are you heeding to God’s instruction completely?
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, I repent of every disobedience including partial obedience. Lord, help me to fully surrender to you. Help me to live a life of full obedience in Jesus name. Sweet Lord, let my heart desire you over all the pleasures of the world. Let my soul thirst for you more than the comfort of sin. Dear Father, let my will be forever swallowed up in Your will for my life in Jesus name. Amen