Old Testament # 8
“Living
Righteously in a Wicked World”
Genesis 13–14;
18–19
Introduction
So how did you do with your patriarchal blessings?
Anything you now understand that you didn’t before? Anything that might inform
the way you act from now on? Are you in a totally different situation than you
were when you received it—does it therefore have a different connotation?
This week’s lesson is about putting the Lord’s wishes
first, in my opinion. Specifically, the interactions between Abraham and Lot are,
I hope, instructive for all of us.
1. Abraham and his family settle in Hebron, and Lot and
his family settle near Sodom. Genesis 13.
Abraham and Lot are in Canaan—the promised land, having
had to leave because there was a famine. They went to Egypt (does this sound
familiar?) but eventually the Lord brought them back to Canaan. But where they
were was too over populated, not only with their two families and possessions,
but with the original inhabitants, so Abraham gives Lot the choice—and like a
child offered two unequally sized pieces of cake, Lot takes the best bit. If you look at the maps Sodom was down by the
Dead Sea and Lot chose to be there, near that particular city, because the
plains of Jordan were well-watered. That was his first thought, but like the
flaxen cord that morphs into chains, he edges nearer and nearer to Sodom until
he finally moves there. He compromised.
Abraham, on the other hand, had faith in the covenant
that Jehovah had made with him, because it wasn’t just about land; it was about
faith. And his faith is rewarded. He is now in Hebron, comparatively far away
from corruption.
Here is a quote from Elder L. Tom Perry
The Old Testament contains the account
of Abraham taking Lot, his nephew, with him out of Egypt. Given a choice of
land, Lot chose the plain of Jordan, and he pitched his tent facing Sodom, a
city of great wickedness. (See Genesis 13:1–12.)
Most of the problems that Lot later encountered in his life, and there were
several, can be traced back to his early decision to position the door of his
tent to look upon Sodom. Abraham, the father of the faithful, experienced life
differently. Certainly there were many challenges, but it was to be a blessed
life. We do not know which way Abraham’s tent door faced, but there’s a strong
hint in the last verse of the 13th chapter of Genesis. It reports, “Then Abram
[or Abraham] removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which
is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord” (Genesis 13:18). While
I do not know, I personally believe the door of Abraham’s tent faced the altar
he built unto the Lord. How do I draw this conclusion? It is because I know the
Book of Mormon story about King Benjamin’s instructions to his people when they
gathered to hear his final address. King Benjamin instructed them to position
the doors of their tents facing the temple (see Mosiah 2:1–6). We
can be delivered from the ways of evil and wickedness by turning to the
teachings of the holy scriptures. The Savior is the Great Deliverer, for He
delivers us from death and from sin (see Romans 11:26; 2 Nephi 9:12).[1]
2. Abraham rescues Lot, pays tithes to Melchizedek, and
refuses to accept the spoils of war from the king of Sodom. Genesis 14:1–2, 8–24.
We talked a little bit about Melchizedek last week, but
now we learn a little more about him. But it is modern revelation which gives
us a fuller picture. Here is the JST of Genesis
“Now Melchizedek was a man of faith,
who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the
mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.
“And thus, having been approved of
God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God
made with Enoch,
“It being after the order of the Son
of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father
nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;
“And it was delivered unto men by the
calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed
on his name. …
“And now, Melchizedek was a priest of
this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of
peace.
“And his people wrought righteousness,
and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before
taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days,
or the end of the world;
“And hath said, and sworn with an
oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God
should be tried so as by fire.
“And this Melchizedek, having thus
established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in
other words, the King of peace.
“And he lifted up his voice, and he
blessed Abram. …
“And it came to pass, that God blessed
Abram, and gave unto him riches, and honor, and lands for an everlasting
possession; according to the covenant which he had made, and according to the
blessing wherewith Melchizedek had blessed him.” (JST, Gen. 14:26–29, 33–37,
40.)
I think it is important to note that Abraham again has a
choice on how to react. The King of Sodom offers him worldly wealth, admittedly
in gratitude for his help; Melchizedek gave him the High Priesthood, and gave
him the opportunity to pay tithes. How do we feel about paying tithing?
3. The Lord destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18:16–33; 19:1–29.
I have often wondered about the conversation between the
Lord and Abraham about saving those who lived in Sodom from destruction. Was
Abraham counting all of Lot’s household, servants, etc. when he started with 50
righteous people? When he got down to 10, was it just Lot’s immediate family that
he could be sure of? We do need to look at the JST for clarification.
The account of the two heavenly messengers who visited
Lot in Sodom and what happened is disturbing in Genesis 19. But here is the JST
which clarifies it completely and sets our minds at rest:
9 And they said unto him, Stand
back. And they were angry with him.
10 And they said among
themselves, This one man came in to sojourn among
us, and he will needs now make himself to be a judge;
now we will deal worse with him than with them.
11 Wherefore they said unto
the man, We will have the men, and thy daughters also; and we will do with them
as seemeth us good.
12 Now this was after the
wickedness of Sodom.
13 And Lot said, Behold now, I
have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, plead
with my brethren that I may not bring them out unto you; and ye shall
not do unto them as seemeth good in your eyes;
14 For God will not justify
his servant in this thing; wherefore, let me plead with my brethren, this once
only, that unto these men ye do nothing, that they may have
peace in my house; for therefore came they under the shadow of my
roof.
15 And they were angry with
Lot and came near to break the door, but the angels of God,
which were holy men, put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the
house unto them, and shut the door.
Once again Lot has a choice of ascending or remaining on
the plain. Whether that decision to take the seemingly easier path contributed
to his wife’s demise or not, I don’t know, but it appears that Lot looked to
himself for advice rather than take the Lord’s through His messengers. So he
was saved, but not completely, because his wife, at least, did not fully turn
away from Sodom—which is the meaning of repentance isn’t it?
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