Our anti-hero, Lot has been on the road with his uncle, Abraham (Abram). They have been doing fairly well. The flocks have multiplied. They each have their own workers. They have been so blessed that they don't have enough good ground to feed both herds. The workmen start to argue blessed so much that they have run out of room for both herds. The shepherd workers begin to argue.
Abram sees this and speaks with Lot. He offers Lot a choice of fields. Lot, of course takes the "choicest" for himself, leaving his uncle with less-than optimal grazing fields for his herds and people.
It looks like Lot has gotten the better end of the deal, but as we continue into the 14th chapter of Genesis, we learn that Lot finds himself caught in the middle of an international conflict.
Some kings begin warring in the area where Lot and his people are living and the Bible records that they are carried off with all their possessions as captives of war. Abram soon becomes aware of this and rushes in to the rescue miraculously defeating Lot’s captors and freeing him, as well as freeing all the other captives and their possessions.
The Bible is silent about Lot for a while and then he pops up again in Genesis 19. In the previous chapter (18), God communicates with Abraham his intention to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. This is where Lot now resides. Abraham, pleads with God and convinces (hmmm?) God to spare the city if 10 righteous people are found.
This s where we start to speak of compromise and compromising. If you look in the dictionary you will find several definitions.
The first definition is positive - a method of reaching agreement in a dispute, by which each side surrenders something that it wants.
The second definition is much more negative - placing something in jeopardy or bringing into danger, or exposing to a loss of reputation.
In our discussion about Lot and his actions, we are focused on the word compromise in its most the negative sense. Lot was a man that placed many things in jeopardy in his life. Even though he is later described in 2 Peter 2:7-8 as righteous, there is obviously evidence that this righteous man made some very bad decisions during his life that compromised many areas of his life.
When we look at Lot’s story we see the process of a life that starts out so well but ends up so badly as a result of the gradual process of a series of poor decisions. King of like a snowball rolling down a hill, or the proverbial slippery slope. It is the story of a man who compromised.
What led Lot to compromise?
We will get into this, but let's start with the "why" or "what" that led him to compromise everything in his life.
[continued...]
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