Bad Decisions – Genesis 18:20
And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.”
Lot was capable of genuine godliness and courage,[1] considered righteous before God,[2] but he made bad decisions, decisions seemingly driven by a desire for a rich and comfortable life, decisions that drove him from the fellowship of a godly benefactor into a hellhole of iniquity. Seeing the lush valley of the Jordan, he claimed it for himself, bidding Abraham goodbye without considering his elder’s seniority or friendship, as he took up residence in Sodom, a place steeped in evil.
He thought he had selected his territory well, but his decision was flawed. In choosing the well-watered lands before him, he acted unilaterally, without seeking the advice of his uncle or asking the Lord, and he paid a heavy price for his impulsiveness. For rather than taking his family into the paradise he desired, his decision took them into residence among wicked men and sinners against the Lord.[3] The lessons God had taught his ancestor, Noah, about the wrath that befalls the unrighteous must have been lost on Lot.[4] He did not attempt to rectify his mistake, so he apparently convinced himself that he could live surrounded by sin and remain untainted and unharmed by the decadence that had corrupted all the other men of the city, young and old, from every quarter.
To his detriment, he was dead wrong, for his dalliance with evil caused him ruinous loss and lasting hardship. His wife, his future sons-in-laws, and all the other people of his household died in the holocaust, and he and his daughters had to flee for their lives, leaving behind, without a single look back, all the property he had held so dear.[5] He escaped with empty hands, ending up living in a cave with daughters who not having learned virtue and personal holiness tricked him into fathering their sons. What an ignominious ending for a man whom the Lord had granted so much! What a colossal price Lot paid for his bad decisions!
Remember Lot and the price of his mistakes, and avoid
falling into a pattern of bad decisions.
Bring your plans, hopes, and dreams before the Lord. Seek His wisdom, heeding the counsel of the
Holy Spirit and godly associates, and the God of the universe will help you
make good decisions that will prosper you while bringing glory to His name.[6]
[1] Genesis 19:1-7
[2] 2 Peter 2:7
[3] Genesis 13:13
[4] Genesis 6:5-7
[5] Genesis 19:17
[6] Psalm 111:10
