Escape to the Mountain

About three weeks ago I wrote a post called "Mountainous Living" and shared how God calls us who know Him to live in the mountains where He dwells. I mentioned that Abram and his nephew Lot parted ways (Genesis 13:9-12); and that Lot chose to live in the plains but Abram lived in Canaan (a mountainous region). This week I’ve been studying Genesis 18 & 19. First of all, in chapter 18, you remember the three visitors (believed to be two angels and the Angel of the Lord - Jesus in the flesh) came by Abraham’s tent. How would you like that? You’re sittin’ there on the steps in front of your house when all of a sudden three people walk up…and one of them is the Son of God!

Well, I won’t go in to much of that discourse except to say that toward the end of their visit it says in verse 22 of chapter 18 that "the two men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord." Then it says he came close to the Lord and said, "will You destroy the righteous with the wicked?" Jesus had just said that he was going to destroy the city because of the sin and wickedness in it. And we know Abraham went back and forth with the Lord asking if He found 50, 45, 40, 30, 20 and finally 10 righteous in the city would He withhold the judgement, and God said he would spare it if he found at least 10 righteous. The mercy of the Lord overflows in this passage and it makes me SO long that we as the people of God would cry out to God as Abraham did for our own land. America looks a lot like Sodom today. Oh how we need to be fasting and praying for our own land, especially during these weeks before the election. I hope you are involved in a local church that is gathering to pray. It is so important that we join together as the body of Christ and seek God for our nation like Abraham did for Sodom and Gomorrah.

On to chapter 19, this is what I really wanted to share. It says in verse one that the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. Several things happen but the main reason for their visit with Lot is to warn him that they are going to destroy the city. "The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it" they said. They ask Lot if he has anyone who belongs to him that he needs to tell and Lot runs to everyone and begs them to get out of town but they all laugh at him and mock him.

Verse 15, "with the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, ‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Escape to the mountain or you will be swept away!"

And listen to what Lot says. "But Lot said to them, ‘No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it – it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared." He said to them, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar, meaning small.) So, Lot reaches Zoar and it goes on to describe the entire plain of Sodom and Gomorrah going up in smoke! Do you see the mercy of the Lord throughout?

It is so interesting to me how Lot responded here. The angels told Lot and his family to run to the mountains to escape the destruction that was about to fall. And even then Lot said no. I can’t. And he begged them to let him stay in Zoar. One commentator I read said he wanted more security than the mountains afforded him. He was seeking safety in temporal things. Isn’t that just like us? We want to work things out ourselves, we think we can work out our own security rather than trusting in the God of the mountains to Shelter us.

The Psalmist said in 121, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills (aka – mountains) – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD." I will run to You, LORD. You are my Rock and my Redeemer! My Shelter and my Deliverer. Run to Him today.