Does it Bother You?

       One of the characters in the Bible that I never really appreciated was Lot.  Here was a man who traveled with his uncle Abram into Canaan, and since the land couldn’t support both their wealth, Lot chose to move to the best watered and fertile land near the Jordan.  I always considered it a bit of a selfish choice, and a foolish one as he chose to pitch his home near a city of wicked sinners*.  Why did he want to live so close to such a wicked place anyway?

       Later when the Lord decided to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels to go check out the city and Lot, who was sitting at the gate, asked them to be his guests for the evening.  They wanted to stay in the streets, but Lot pressured them to stay with him.  Read this:

And he pressed upon them greatly;…  But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:  And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,  (Gen 19:3 to 6  KJV)

       Basically a mass riot was going on outside Lot’s house, and he was brave enough to go outside on his own to try to stop the men’s intentions.  Even though that is a bit impressive, I find another scripture much more interesting.  2 Pet. 2:7,8 says, “But at the same time the Lord rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a good man, sick of the terrible wickedness he saw everywhere around him day after day.” (TLB)  The word ‘good’ means holy, righteous.  Perhaps I have misjudged the man!

       What stands out to me is that Lot was literally in pain and tortured because of the wicked/ sinful behaviour of the people.  What he saw and heard bothered him greatly.  I have to ask myself: does it bother me?  There is wickedness all around us: sex before marriage, lying, stealing, cheating, hatred, oppression, selfishness, law breaking.  We become so accustom to it, that it usually doesn’t cause us pain or torture us.  We are okay watching all kinds of sinful behaviour on TV and don’t think twice about it.  Some Christians are even okay with illegally downloading music and movies, burning disks, and speeding.  Hmmm… isn’t that breaking the law?

       So, I guess what I’m really wondering is why… why doesn’t it bother us more… or at all?  Shouldn’t wickedness and sin upset us?  Shouldn’t we find it a little bit painful to watch, or to hear about it?  Let me ask… Does it bother you?

        As David said, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts.  Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Ps. 139:23,24)

*Gen. 13:10,12,13- And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, … even as the garden of the LORD,…   Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.