In my previous study, I made the claim that Abraham was the friend of God but Lot was not, even though both were considered righteous (Genesis 15:6; 2Peter 2:7-8). What was the difference in their lives that warranted this distinction? Certainly, we can agree that the lives of Abraham and Lot are very different, even though the text claims both men were righteous. Abraham remained a pilgrim in the land, while Lot assimilated himself into the society at large. While he didn’t approve of their works, he sought to improve life, such as it was in the world that then was. Perhaps, he thought, if he were a mover and a shaker in his community, he could make things better for folks who had no power. Certainly, he sought to assist the two strangers who came into Sodom (Genesis 19:1-3). He offered them a meal and shelter for the evening, but the citizens of the city sought to abuse them (Genesis 19:4-5).
What might have been the context of such evil? A few years earlier, Sodom and the other cities of the plain had been at war with Mesopotamia (Genesis 14:1-11). The Kings Highway, the main trade route between Mesopotamia and Egypt ran near Sodom, and merchants would enter the city for supplies and, perhaps, to sell or buy food and supplies. Apparently, the citizens of Sodom had held ill will toward anyone coming into their city, whom they believed journeyed from Mesopotamia. Those they caught, they abused. It was this sort of thing that Lot sought to prevent, and he hoped he could prevail upon common decency of the citizens of Sodom to observe the traditional courtesies of one, who had taken strangers into his home as his guests (Genesis 19:7-8). Nevertheless, the citizens of Sodom refused and threatened Lot with physical harm, perhaps even death for trying to keep these men from them (Genesis 19:9).
On the other hand, Abraham remained aloof of the people of the land. While he did value good relations with the folks around him, sometimes even forming alliances with them (Genesis 14:13), unlike Lot who joined himself with the people of the land, becoming one of them and judging matters of importance with them (Genesis 19:1, 9), Abraham let the citizens of the land alone to live, as they pleased, while he did the same (Hebrews 11:9-10). One might argue that Lot chose the better work, because he sought to improve matters for others, while Abraham permitted injustice to continue, unrebuked, in the neighboring communities. Nevertheless, God helped Abraham in the things he did, whether it was protecting and blessing him, when he went down to Egypt (Genesis 12:10; 13:1-2), or giving him victory over a foe much stronger than himself (Genesis 14:14-16), God remained with Abraham.
In the end, it was God blessing Lot **through** Abraham, for it was Abraham who rescued Lot, when he was taken captive in the war Mesopotamia waged against Sodom, where Lot lived. Even when the Lord intended to judge Sodom for its wickedness, Lot would have suffered alongside the wicked, had it not been for the intercessory prayers Abraham made to the Lord on his behalf (Genesis 18:22-33). Keep in mind, both men were righteous (Genesis 15:6; 2Peter 2:7-8). Nevertheless, it was Abraham who was considered the friend of God (James 2:23). God saved Lot by first stopping by Abraham’s community and telling him what he was about to do, knowing Abraham would pray for Lot, but Lot, it would seem, looked to the power of the state, instead of God, to improve his life.
When the Lord called Abraham to come out of his country, and away from the influences of family and friends (Genesis 12:1), it was to make him a nation (country), and he would ultimately influence the citizens of the land that, sometime later, would be his (Genesis 12:2). He and Lot went out, just as the Lord commanded (Genesis 12:5), but only Abraham looked for the city with foundations and kept himself aloof from the citizens of the land, where he dwelt (Hebrews 11:9-10). Lot grew impatient with the Lord, and looked to use the power of the state to give him the inheritance he desired. In other words, Lot expected the Lord to bless him through the wicked people who controlled the power of the state. Instead, however, the Lord blessed him through the hand of Abraham, whose friendship Lot abused, and whose company Lot sought to leave for the company of the more powerful and worldly-wise Sodom of the plain (Genesis 13:12)!
Politics is a necessary authority, which can be used for good (Genesis 9:6). It is even good to make alliances with political authorities for the protection against other evil men, who abuse their authority (cp. Genesis 14:13). Nevertheless, Lot went beyond that to use that authority in the place of receiving help and protection from God. God doesn’t use wicked people to bless the righteous. He uses righteous people to bless the righteous. The friend of God waits for the Lord to act, and doesn’t grow impatient and take the reins of his life in his own hands, as some righteous people seem to want to do.
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