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Articles
The Compassion of the Lord
The compassion of the Lord toward mankind continually amazes those who read and study the Bible. We find God’s compassion from the very beginning. After Adam and Eve had sinned, God did not immediately hit the “restart button,” but rather He gave them the promise of a Savior. When the world was filled with violence, God promised a flood, but He showed compassion toward Noah and his household. When Abraham and Sarah were beyond their years of childrearing, the Lord had compassion on them and gave them laughter even in their older age. The compassion of the Lord is found throughout the narrative of Genesis; especially in the narrative of Abraham and Lot.
Lot, the nephew of Abraham, lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan and “moved his tents as far as Sodom” (Genesis 13:10-12). The problem with Lot’s decision is not that he chose the “better” land, but rather that he set his tents toward Sodom. Moses’ described the men of Sodom as “wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord” (13:13b). This one decision led Lot to walk a very different pathway than Abraham. His decision serves as the backdrop for the compassion of the Lord that is demonstrated in amazing ways.
We reconnect with Lot in Genesis, following the battle between the five kings and the four kings (Genesis 14:1-12). The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah rebelled against Chedorlaomer. Chedorlaomer defeated their armies in the valley of Siddim and also took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah – among which was Abraham’s nephew, Lot, who was “living in Sodom.” When Abraham heard about Lot’s capture, he immediately went to rescue him. Abraham defeated Chedorlaomer north of Damascus and delivered Lot. This would be the final record of Abraham being in the presence of his nephew, Lot. The compassion of the Lord was upon Lot throughout this entire ordeal.
In Genesis 18, Abraham was visited by the Lord and two angels (18:1-33). The purpose of their visit was twofold. First, the Lord revealed to Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son the following year (18:10). Second, the Lord revealed to Abraham that the “outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah” was great and He intended to judge these cities (18:16-21). Knowing that Lot lived in Sodom, Abraham interceded and asked the Lord – “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (18:23). The Lord promised Abraham that the cities would be spared if there were fifty, forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, or ten righteous souls found within them, but these cities proved to be exceedingly wicked (18:24-32)!
In Genesis 19, Lot is reintroduced into the narrative and is found “sitting in the gate of Sodom” (19:1). The two angels were received by Lot and brought into his home. Lot’s choice to show hospitality in the midst of this sinful city should be commended, but the lengths that Lot was willing to go to show hospitality are at best confusing (19:7-9). The men of Sodom surrounded the house, and began to press Lot to give them the two men so that they may have relations with them (19:5). These actions verified the outcry of Sodom’s sin and the Lord’s imminent judgment. The angels told Lot to retrieve his family and leave the city at once. Moses wrote – “16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city” (Genesis 19:16; emphasis mine, bcj). The compassion of the Lord is manifested in an unexpected place!
Lot’s narrative did not end with great promise, but rather in great shame. Lot fathered two sons from his own daughters and his descendants were perpetual thorns in the side of Israel (Genesis 19:30-38). What a sad conclusion for a life consistently shadowed by the compassion of the Lord.
What are we to make of Lot’s narrative? We should never forget that Lot was a righteous man and his soul was vexed daily from the wickedness that surrounded him in Sodom (2 Peter 2:8). Do we share a similar dissatisfaction with the sin that surrounds us on every side? Lot also serves as a supreme example of the Lord’s ability to rescue the godly from temptation (2 Peter 2:9). We live in a darkening world, but this darkness cannot keep us from the promises of God. The one who looks intently at the perfect law and is an effectual doer of it, this man will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25; Psalm 1:1-3). Lot made unfortunate decisions, but the compassion of the Lord was never far from him. We may find ourselves in odd circumstances and difficult situations, but these do not preclude God’s compassion from being a constant in our lives. May we have the humility and willingness to seek God’s compassion and mercy in every arena of our lives!
