September 25, 2023
Lot, Abraham's nephew, was in an amazingly godless city. Sodom, located in the area where the Dead Sea now sits, was incredibly wicked. Lot had been affected. The darkness around him and his own choices had numbed his senses to the spiritual realities around him in Sodom. He had allowed gradual compromise to the point that he could not see clearly enough and act strongly and quickly enough.
God entered in His mercy. On the way to destroy the city because of its amazing perversity (which would try to take two angels they thought were mere men and commit homosexual acts with them the first night they came to town), the angels befriended Lot simply because of his relationship to Abraham. Lot was spared because of the drippings of God’s promises on his relative.
But even here, Lot hesitated.
"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)
God does this all the time for His children. More numerous than you know are the moments when God has pulled you out of the pit by His compassion. Rescued you because of the pure grace of His mercy. Delivered you because of previous promises He has made, perhaps even to your own parents. Shown kindness to you that you did not deserve simply because of His great love and eternal purposes.
Take a moment and thank Him. He could let us continually slide into the judgment that comes to compromising humans. But in His abounding mercy and "great love with which He loves us,” He takes us by the hand and pulls us out. Our great, rescuing God.
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