Lot's chance to be a Abraham or a Moses.

This is my first Christian blog. I mean, my first blog about Biblical stuff. Most of the time my Christian musings are reserved for family who can't get away or for Pastors who are to polite to tell me the leave them alone. Putting your ideas out there for public viewing is a whole different thing. It is down right scary. So here goes. (ouch)


While I was doing some research on Sodom and Gomorrah for a blog on what Mr. Cathey said several weeks back, presenting my take on the judgement of the nation; I got sidetracked by a verse I had never paid any attention to before.  (I will do that blog later, I think my homosexual friends and family will find it interesting.)

Most of us know the story. For those who don't, you can find it here Genesis 18 & 19. Lot, who is a bit of a  historical weenie, has been led out of the city by the angels and was told to go to the mountains. He asks can he go to this little city instead and the angel says yes. Here is the verse that caught my eye.

^"Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar." Genesis 19:22 KJV (emphasis added)

 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar." Genesis 19:22 NKJV (emphasis added)

The angel said he could not do anything; not that he wouldn't do anything. He was sparing Lot because of Abraham. Here is the "what if." What if Lot had said, as he said before, "No Lord. I have daughters back there and friends. What if I go back there and warn them. What if I go and spend my life warning them of your judgement. Will you hold off until my time is done. Maybe I can win a few."

The story may have been one of a weak man who grew a pa ... backbone and stood in the gap for a city. Maybe judgement, or the penalty for the judgement, would have been averted. Years later Moses did this same thing for the Jewish nation and they were saved from the penalty of their transgressions. This is what Jesus does for us right now. 

We know that Lot did not say "what if" and we know what happened next. God foresaw the outcome of the multitude of decisions Lot could have made. He could see what Lot could have been. I wonder if God is saddened when He knows what we could be if ...

Thanks to Hulu we did a X-Files marathon a few weeks back. One of  later episodes was staring Burt Reynolds as God, or implied his character was God. Burt looked at the the bad guy, who killed by Numerology, and said "why don't you surprise me and turn around and walk out of here" the guy did not and went in and killed the girl. 

Barry
Hope I have not butchered the Word to much