Origins: The Promise (Genesis 12–25)Sample

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.” Genesis 19:10-11 (NKJV) 

In His great mercy, God determined to send two angelic ambassadors to the city of Sodom to verify that its sin had reached the point of requiring judgment. It didn’t take long for all of this to be confirmed. 

Shortly after entering the home of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, the men of the city start to ambush the dwelling in search of the two visitors. Despite Lot’s desperate attempt to calm the situation down, the mob begins to threaten and rush him. They’re even prepared to break down the door of his house to satisfy their carnal craving.

It’s at this point that Lot’s heavenly houseguests intervene. At the very last moment, they grab Lot from behind and pull him inside. And just before securing the door behind them, the angels strike the converging crowd with a form of blindness, leaving them wandering and weary of their pursuit.

Now, if you’re Lot, this has to be one of those moments where your life flashes before your eyes. His life is in imminent jeopardy. He’s about to be torn limb from limb. There is no stopping the horde. The odds are insurmountable. Game over!

And then, at just the right moment, presumably at the last second, something supernatural happens. He’s rescued and the protective power of heaven is unleashed. Despite the circumstances, the Lord provides just the right thing at just the right time.

If you’ve spent any amount of time walking in this world as a Christian, that last line probably strikes a familiar chord in your spirit. Like Lot, we find ourselves in situations where there seems to be no way out. The odds are stacked against us and there seems to be no solution in sight on earth. And there isn’t. 

Fortunately, our lives aren’t exclusively governed by the ways of this world; instead, they’re subject to a higher jurisdiction. We belong to God who is passionately for us. When circumstances arise that require His intervention, He has a way of providing exactly what’s needed at the right time.

Like Lot, if you’re standing on the threshold of impending peril, if you’ve succumbed to the lie that there’s no hope for tomorrow, if you’re in despair that the conspiring forces of this world will have the final say over your life . . . just look to Lot! God loves you just as dearly and is just as committed to intervene with exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

DIG: How did God intervene on Lot’s behalf?

DISCOVER: How does this intervention foreshadow the life of the Christian?

DO: Take a moment today and ask the Lord to show you how you, personally, fit into this story.