lot

Two hypocrites in the Bible you would not expect

Posted on July 16, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Hypocrites…who needs ’em?!

The word hypocrite means “from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai, 13th century.
1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” Source Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary.

Did you know that Moses was a hypocrite? The most humble man on earth? (Numbers 12:3). The one God called His friend? (Exodus 33:11).

Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his fellow Hebrews and looked at their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his fellow Hebrews. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand. Now he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” But he said, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known!” (Exodus 2:11-14).

I think it’s safe to say that according to the definition of hypocrite, Moses briefly was “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” He murdered a man and hid it, therefore Moses had no leg to stand on when he rebuked the other men of beating a third guy. ‘You rebuke us of striking a man when you just killed one?!’ They were right. Moses did not have the moral ground here.

How about Lot? Called righteous (2 Peter 2:7), Lot begged the homosexual men at his door not to act wickedly-

But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8Now look, I have two daughters who have not had relations with any man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9But they said, “Get out of the way!” They also said, “This one came in as a foreigner, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them!” So they pressed hard against Lot and moved forward to break the door. (Genesis 19:6-9).

Lot might have been (nominally) righteous, agonized in his spirit for the perversity around him, but he also loved living the comfortable, carnal life in Sodom. These homosexual men tolerated Lot until he rebuked them personally, and they flung Lot’s own hypocrisy right back at him. ‘You live the carnal life here in Sodom, enjoying its pleasures and then try to rebuke us?!’ In addition, out of one side of his mouth Lot called them wicked for wanting to fornicate outside of marriage with men, but then offered them his daughters for fornication outside of marriage. BOTH acts are “wicked.” Lot did not have any moral ground to stand on.

Often, other people see our sins and foibles much earlier and clearly than we see ourselves. 1700s Scottish poet Robert Burns famously wrote “To a Louse“. He was in church one Sunday and the upper class lady in front of him, decked out in her Sunday best, and wearing a hat, did not know that a louse was crawling around in her hair and on her bonnet. She was attracting stares and thinking they were approving stares she tossed her head with pride. She didn’t see that she had vermin on her which she could not see, but others could. He ends his poem thus (translated),

O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!

Yes, to see ourselves as others see us, would free us from many a blunder. But God DID gives us a mirror, the Bible. If we look in it, we see ourselves both as we are (sinning vermin) and as He sees us (righteous stumbling sheep). We do need constant reminding of our fleshly estate so that we persist in slaying our fleshly sin. The lesson here today is two-fold and simple-

1.Don’t be a hypocrite, live as you say and speak. We should not put on one face for the outside world and another private one. God sees both faces. And many times, others see the gap between what we say and what we do and rightly assess us as hypocrites. Our job is to kill sin so that gap shrinks over time.

2.Read the Bible to constantly remind us of our gracious God who lifts us up and transforms us from vermin to brethren.

advent, prophecy, theology

Nativity & Advent: Zacharias- There’s no such thing as chance, even when casting lots

Posted on December 22, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

#2: Nativity & Advent: Anna, the Lord’s Precious Widow
#3: Nativity & Advent: Sacrifice of Pigeons

First, about casting lots. Then about Zacharias and the lot that cast him into the Nativity scene.

Did you know that the practice of casting lots is called cleromancy? I didn’t. Wikipedia defines it-

Cleromancy is a form of sortition, casting of lots, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God

What is casting lots? by Matt Slick

Casting lots was a method used by the Jews of the Old Testament and by the Christian disciples prior to Pentecost to determine the will of God. Lots could be sticks with markings, stones with symbols, etc., which were thrown into a small area and then the result was interpreted. … There are many instances of casting lots in the Bible.

Continue reading →

advent, prophecy, theology

Nativity & Advent: Zacharias- There’s no such thing as chance, even when casting lots

Posted on November 11, 2019November 25, 2019 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

#2: Nativity & Advent: Anna, the Lord’s Precious Widow
#3: Nativity & Advent: Sacrifice of Pigeons

Did you know that the practice of casting lots is called cleromancy? I didn’t. Wikipedia defines it-

Cleromancy is a form of sortition, casting of lots, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but are sometimes believed to reveal the will of God

What is casting lots? by Matt Slick Continue reading “Nativity & Advent: Zacharias- There’s no such thing as chance, even when casting lots” →

prophecy, theology

‘Do Not Look Back’

Posted on January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Embedded within Jesus’s lengthy speech on the Day of the Lord, He said,

Remember Lot’s wife. (Luke 17:32)

Remember Lot’s wife – See Genesis 19:26. She looked back – she delayed – perhaps she desired to take something with her, and God made her a monument of his displeasure. Jesus directed his disciples, when they saw the calamities coming upon the Jews, to flee to the mountains, Matthew 24:16. He here charges them to be in haste – not to look back – not to delay – but to escape quickly, and to remember that by delaying the wife of Lot lost her life. ~Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

DO NOT LOOK BACK

encouragement, theology

Throwback: Lot Received So Much Mercy

Posted on November 21, 2018November 21, 2018 by elizabethprata

I’m doing a Throwback today and tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This first appeared on The End Time one year ago, 11/21/2017

Picture by Violet Nesdoly, patterned after
“Escape for thy life” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

The story of Lot is an interesting one. Abraham’s nephew, we’re familiar with Lot’s origins from Genesis 11:27,

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.

When Haran died, Terah took in Lot and raised him. Later when Abram heard God and prepared to leave his home in obedience, Lot went with his uncle Abram. (Genesis 12:4).

Much later as their joined herds grew so large that the pastures would not feed them all, Lot chose the plain toward Sodom and Abram let Lot have that choice and Abram went the other way. The two separated. It wasn’t long after that Lot was living IN Sodom and had become one of its elders sitting at the gate. You know all this. Lot received mercy through all these choices and his downward spiral.

Now, when the outcry against Sodom had grown terrible, God sent Jesus and two angels to destroy Sodom and the other 4 cities of the plain (Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and tiny Zoar). Abram pleaded to save Sodom for the sake of ten righteous people that may live in it. Unfortunately, the city was so wicked, ten righteous could not be found, and its destruction was scheduled. The Lord again offered mercy to Lot and here are the examples.

He sent the two angels into the city to warn Lot, his wife, and any family members. We see again that Lot’s character isn’t the best. Lot knew the angels were from God and he understood that judgment was coming. He even had seen the angels perform a miracle by striking all the men of the lustful mob blind. Even at the very last moments of Sodom’s life as a city, Lot was still making incredibly bad choices.

Pleading with the mob, he offers them his virginal daughters to rape instead. That was a craven and unconscionable thing for a father to do.

Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof. (Genesis 19:8).

Then when Lot attempted to warn his sons-in-law, Lot’s witness was so poor that they thought he was joking. Lot was not spiritually convincing in the least.

So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. (Genesis 18:14).

Even then, Lot lingered. We all know that Mrs Lot turned her head and looked back, violating the angels’ command, but Lot lingered in Sodom too!

But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. (Genesis 19:16).

Even through all this, the Lord is still offering Lot mercy. But when the angels told Lot to run and go fast away from Sodom to the hills, he whined and complained that he couldn’t! He asked instead to be allowed to run to Zoar.

I’d like to think that if two of God’s holy angels arrived and told me to leave because the place where I lived was about to be destroyed, I’d listen. Moreover, I’d like to think that I wouldn’t disobey, and would not be bold enough to negotiate the terms! But Lot did.

Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved. (Genesis 19:20).

And finally, even though the angels told Lot that they would not overthrow the little town Lot spoke of, Lot was still afraid!

Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. (Genesis 19:30).

In 2 Peter 2:7 Lot is called righteous. Three times.

Take comfort from Lot’s string of decisions. I am sure that I have made such poor decisions in my Christian life, one after another. I surely would have deserved death. But the Lord strove with Lot and allowed the angels to grant him favor after favor. The Lord loves whom He loves and He has mercy upon whom He has mercy.

Do you know why Lot was called righteous by Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit not just once but three times in the verses from 2 Peter?

“because he was oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men, for by what he saw and heard that righteous man while living among them felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds.” (2 Peter 2:7)

Lot hated sin.

That’s it. The Lord has mercy on fathers who fail their daughters, on morally weak men, on stumblers and whiners and bumblers. Like I am, and you are. When we hate sin, our own and others’, we are on the right side of God – for He is holy.

Take comfort in Lot’s example. Hate sin, love God, and trust that He has mercy for those who strive to holiness and fight against sin.

discernment, Uncategorized

Crouching at sin’s door: Lessons from Lot

Posted on January 2, 2017January 2, 2017 by elizabethprata

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. (Genesis 19:12-14).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When their combined flocks grew too large to sustain them on the land, Abraham suggested to Lot that they separate. Abraham said he would go left if Lot chose to go right, or he would go right if Lot chose to go left. Lot had his choice of anywhere to settle. Interestingly, Lot pitched his tent NEAR Sodom. (Genesis 13:12).

We meet Lot again, and this time he is living IN the city. (Genesis 14:12.) No longer a sojourner in a tent, he has a house.

The next time we meet Lot he is serving as magistrate FOR the city. (Genesis 19:1).

What is meant by the term in Genesis 19:1, “he was sitting at the gate” is that Lot was part of its government. Middle Eastern men of that time were not simply whittling as they rocked in leisure at the front gate. This term ‘sitting at the gate’ means they were the officials of the city, both to greet visitors and determine their business, friend or foe; and also to settle disputes among its citizens.

In 2 Peter 2:7–8 Lot is called righteous. We know that God considered him so because he did not destroy Lot when the angels came to overthrow the cities. When brimstone came down, Lot had already been warned to leave. Lot had (weakly) tried to warn the aroused mob that what they were doing were evil deeds (Genesis 19:7). Perhaps he had tried to be a good leader to his household and a righteous example in the city, because the 2 Peter verse says Lot was vexed by the sin all around him.

Putting aside the ‘perhapses’, when push came to shove, Lot’s testimony had been so tarnished that his family thought he was joking when He spoke of imminent judgment from God. Joking.

And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. (Genesis 4:6b).

Despite the city’s reputation for evil and sin, Lot had chosen to pitch his tents near it. This was a mistake. The Bible warns us to flee from sin, not test it. (1 Corinthians 6:18, Ephesians 4:27)

My own prayer is that I beseech the Lord to aid me in fleeing sin, cutting it off, resisting it. (Genesis 39:12, Matthew 5:30, Hebrews 12:4), so that when I speak of Him, the words are taken seriously. What a crushing blow to love the Lord and to have hated sin, but to have lived so weakly that when speaking of Him, it’s a joke to the hearers. Lord, let it not be so. Let my words be honoring to You and let my life exalt you also.