Sun.’s Devo - Sodom to Isaac

Read: Gen. 19-21
The fact that Lot sat at the gate of Sodom means that he was a leader and a judge in the city. He immediately recognized the two men as important because he bowed before them and called them lords. Lot knew the type of people he lived among so he compelled the men to stay with him. Lot lived in a very wicked city yet the angels had to almost force him and his wife and two daughters to leave it. Abraham had interceded for ten righteous people but there were only three because Lot’s wife turned back. It was not Lot’s righteousness that saved him but Abraham’s. Lot begged to go to a little city because he didn’t want to face the rough life of a sojourner. He ended up not staying there and going to the mountains. God’s command to Abraham was to sojourn the land but Lot seemed more interested in settling and putting down roots. I wonder if his daughters would have stooped to incest if they hadn’t learned perversion in Sodom. I wonder what God would have done to continue his seed if they had waited for Him. Instead, they took matters into their own hand and birthed the Amonites and the Moabites…the ones who hired Balaam to curse the children of Abraham.
Abraham came to Gerar and lied again about Sarah being his wife. His son, Isaac would bring Rebecca here and do the same thing. Gerar was in a valley which is where we are tempted. Both of them failed their temptation, but God rescued both of them out of it. When Abraham told the truth and repented, God opened the womb of the household of both Abimelech and Abraham and both bore children.
Abraham and Sarah had their promised child, Isaac. Ishmael had to go even though it seems so harsh to us. He was a sign of the counterfeit and the real had come.
Remember the conversation Abraham has with Abimelech about this well in Beer-sheba because Isaac will come back and claim this well when he is grown and have to fight for it. This well means “well of the oath”. There are promises that have been given to our mothers and fathers that we have to fight for ourselves. They struggled and obtained them in their generation and we have to reclaim them in ours. Isaac will have to reclaim this well.
Lord, help us to realize that we have been given so many promises in Your Word that we have to contend for. Help us not to give up.