“Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.” (Gen 13:10-13NIV)
Why did Lot choose to live near Sodom? The reason was that he was only considering how doing so would promote his prosperity and not how it would injure his soul. Lot, as we are shown in the bible, was a righteous man (2Peter 2:7). He was a man that feared God so much that he did all that he could to raise his two daughters as virgins, even while living in Sodom, a land of immorality.
But what was he doing in Sodom, in the first place? At the time he left for Sodom, as we see in our opening text, the men of Sodom were already sinning greatly against the Lord. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before God’s judgment came on them. Yet Lot took his family and possessions to go and live near them and later among them. Why?
Well, as I pointed out earlier, it was because of the material gains that his heart was after that he did so. Could he not have gained material wealth somewhere else? He could! But that may have cost him more time, more effort and more labour. And he did not seem to have the patience for all that. So, he decided to settle for what seemed to be the easiest way to accomplishing his desire of become wealthier. He went to live in Sodom.
However, when God decided to judge Sodom, Lot could not save his wealth or possessions. In fact, he could not save his wife that day but lost her. Also, though he was able to save his daughters from the destruction that came upon Sodom, he could not save their souls from the immorality of Sodom. They later committed incest with him. And these things agree with the words of our Lord Jesus that say: “The one who wants to save his soul will lose it, but the one who loses his soul for my sake will find it. (Cf. Gen 19; Matt 16:25)
Now contrast what Lot did with what Ruth did. Ruth also was once confronted with the choice of staying in Moab with her family and friends and that of leaving Moab with her mother-in-law for the land of Israel. And at that time, since she had already lost her husband and wealth and had no child, staying in Moab promised to give her a quick restoration of her joy and prosperity. But leaving for the land of Israel promised her nothing but more and greater pains and suffering. (Cf. Ruth 1)
Yet this woman chose to go to the land of Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Why? The reason was that she no longer wanted to be a part of the idolatry of Moab, the land of her people. Ruth, as the account goes, knew that going back to live with her people, having already known the Lord, would surely injure her faith. Did she know to what extent doing so would injure her faith? No! But wasn’t willing to take the risk. So, she left Moab for Israel and had to endure a life of poverty for a while because of that.
But because Ruth put her relationship with God first, instead of her enjoyment of material things, she eventually gained all the wealth and happiness she could have hoped for in life. Not only that, she reaped an indescribable spiritual reward for what she did. God ordained that it was through her line that our Lord Jesus would come. Hallelujah! (Cf. Ruth 2-4; Matt 1:5-6)
Now why am I bringing this to you? It is to let you know that you can choose to either be Lot or Ruth in this life. If you are often or always putting your enjoyment of life ahead of your relationship with God, then, you are Lot. And like Lot, you may end up losing everything you are trying to gain or save, including your soul. That is because you are bound to be making decisions that will jeopardise everything for you, even though they may appear easy enough to lead you to quick prosperity and enjoyment of life.
But if you always put your relationship with God first, even where it exposes your life to hardship, pain or death, you are Ruth. And like Ruth, you will not only see your soul preserved by God but also see everything you need to make sense out of living handed over to you.
Which, then, will it be? Will you be Lot or will you be Ruth? I pray that your heart will be guided and strengthened to always choose wisely, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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