Genesis 12-13 (NIV) So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.

Abraham was very wealthy because the favor of God was with him and Lot, his nephew, also reaped the benefits of God's favor on his uncle and became wealthy as well. They both had so much livestock that they needed to separate so that there would be enough pastureland for the animals to graze and eat. Abraham, sure of God's favor with him, gave Lot the choice to pick whatever land he wanted. Wherever Lot would choose, Abraham was going to go in the opposite direction. Lot looked over all the land and saw that it was very fertile near Sodom and chose to move his family, his livestock and his belongings there.

It looked like a wise decision because the land was obviously beautiful and well-watered and would be great for the animals. But it turned out to be a horrible decision that would almost cost Lot and his daughters their lives and that would wind up costing Lot's wife her life. Although the land was fertile, the people of Sodom were very wicked. They were so wicked that God had decided to destroy Sodom, including Gomorrah (which was right next to it) and all the people in those two cities. The sad thing is that this information was out there. It was known that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were extremely wicked. One obvious thing that is in front of us is that Lot did not bother to ask the Lord for His counsel about where he should go to live with his family. If he had asked, the Lord would have revealed to him what He was about to do and he and his family would have been spared from having to live through that horrible event. But Lot, like so many Christians do, followed his own counsel and went with what his eyes saw as good.

The other thing that is obvious is that knowing that Sodom was a sinful place didn't stop Lot from moving there. Had he not learned anything from his uncle? Had he not watched as Abraham trusted the Lord for wisdom and direction? The sad truth is that he did not, and the history of his life along with his two daughters wound up being bad as well. The people that descended from Lot would turn out to be the enemies of Abraham's descendants from his son, Isaac, and would be judged by God for their very sinful ways.

Don't pitch your tent near sin and wickedness. Better yet, don't even go near them. Stay in the place where God directs you and move as the Lord leads you. In that way, you will be choosing the path of blessing that Abraham chose, which not only led to a good life for him and for his family but that wound up being an example and a blessing to people all over the world.

Pastor Joey Vazquez