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| In the Direction You Lean by Cadi Nobles |
| “And Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom” Gen. 13:12 As God began to establish Abram as a great man in the earth, his property and livestock also grew. Lot, Abram’s nephew that traveled with him, was himself a wealthy man. There came a point in time that the herdsman and servants of the two men could no longer work peacefully together. As a solution, Abram suggested that each man would part company in the middle of the dessert. Lot could chose the direction that he would travel and Abram would simply go in the opposite direction. It seemed a reasonable solution and Lot began to consider his options. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (Gen.13:10) . . . . . Then Lot chose all the plain of Jordan (Gen13:11) . . . . . And Lot dwelled in cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” (Gen13:12) Anyone that is familiar with scripture is aware that Lot eventually lived in Sodom. He and his entire family were present in the city until right before God rained fire and brimstone from Heaven down on the place that is even today a synonym for sin and carnality. Actually, looking at the Biblical record of Lot’s life, we don’t see any one reason that he would have gone to Sodom. In fact, the New Testament even records that Lot was a righteous man. So, the question remains: How did Lot come to live in Sodom? The answer is: He pitched his tent in that direction. Although the scripture is quite clear that Lot chose to live in cities of the plain, and he did not go immediately to Sodom. He was slowly heading in that direction. Time and distance would eventually take him farther and farther away from the influence of Abram. He was leaving the “old landmarks” and going in a direction that he had never traveled. In the end, it would cost him dearly. Another Biblical example is Ruth. In that story, her husband had died and her mother-in-law, penniless and destitute, sent her daughter-in-laws back to their families to be kept and sustained. All the daughters were reluctant to leave, but Ruth was determined to stay. With no guarantee of a “good life” or promise of a brighter future, Ruth was content to glean in the fields to be able to stay with the matriarch that she loved and admired. Though of Gentile blood, Ruth declared that “thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God” (Ruth 1:16). In her own way, Ruth, too, had pitched her tent toward a direction and was determined to set up camp. That amazing faithfulness and stubborn determination was well-rewarded. Ruth was the grand-mother of King David and the only Gentile blood to be recorded in the linage of Jesus Christ. Never make the mistake of thinking that “bad things” happen overnight. Christians don’t wind in bars and aren’t hooked on drugs because of a passing thought or a “wild moment.” Every sin is conceived long before it is born. It all depends on which way we pitch our tent. The direction we head in our minds is the place we will eventually find ourselves. |
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