10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.
[Genesis 13:10&11]
When you read from verse 5, you’ll realise that both Abraham and Lot had so much cattle that their herdsmen started fighting over the resources- grassland, water etc. Abraham therefore called Lot, and told him to select any portion of the Promised Land and to relocate. Lot was elated to be given the option to choose first. He therefore chose the portion of the land that was as fertile and as green as the Garden of Eden. Lot moved to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. The land was also described to be as fertile as the flood plains of River Nile in Egypt–the land that produced enough food to feed the whole world under Prime Minister Joseph.
I like the way Abraham handled the situation in a very mature manner. He asked the young man Lot to choose first. Typical of so many young people who are hungry for success and eager to make it, Lot grabbed the opportunity and chose the most fertile portion of the Land. He was such an ingrate. He should have thrown it back to Abraham to make the first choice. Lot’s father had died earlier and it was Abraham, his uncle that took care of him. Secondly, it was through Abraham that Lot also became great. That’s not the way to treat someone who fed and mentored you. It was Abraham God called and gave the Promised Land. Lot was just an aplanke (bus conductor). However, Lot was so self-centred that he threw caution to the wind.
Where did his immaturity and greed lead him? To Sodom and Gomorrah which was later destroyed and Lot came out with nothing, except the clothes on his back and two incestuous daughters. Before then, he became a captive and had to be rescued by the same Abraham from which he declared independence. We’ll go into the details later.
Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Lot’s choice led him into death in every conceivable way. Indeed “all that glitters is not gold”.
May the Lord help us in making choices in the Name of Jesus. Amen
