Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves from one another. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.”
(Genesis 13:10-13)

Lot saw the land was beneficial, so he chose it. He picked the best because he was not trusting in the Lord – he had no covenant with the Lord. He was going by what he saw. He didn’t even seek the Lord’s opinion on it. It wasn’t that he didn’t revere God, he did (2 Peter 2:7-8). But he wasn’t using his trust here, he was using his eyes. He may have avoided his future trouble by consulting God and getting a warning about Sodom.

Notice that Lot didn’t CHOOSE Sodom. He chose the land. But in the land, because of his great possessions and the needs of his flocks/herds, Lot moved around a lot and kept getting closer and closer to Sodom. He ends this section facing this sinful city. He wasn’t intending to end there, but he had faced them and was travelling in the direction of what was before his eyes. A powerful lesson.

The inhabitants of Sodom weren’t just sinners. They were dedicated to their sin. They ENJOYED their sin. And it wasn’t just sexual sins – those were the fruit of their real sin against God (Ezekiel 16:49-50). They set their values against God and His values. They were travelling in the opposite direction and they were doing it on purpose. The sexual stuff was the tip of the iceberg. It wasn’t the main event.

Abram didn’t complain about where he ended up. He honestly didn’t care. He knew that God would bless him no matter WHERE he was. He had a covenant with God.

Finally, with Lot and Abram separated, Abram had complied with the Lord’s command from Genesis 12:1-3. Abram was separate from his country, his relatives, and his father’s house. Abram was now walking in obedience. Remember, delayed obedience is disobedience.

The sage Ramban writes: ‘AS THE GARDEN OF THE ETERNAL, LIKE THE LAND OF EGYPT. The verse states that the whole land of the Plain was adequately irrigated from the Jordan by working with the foot, just as was done with the garden of G-d, concerning which it is stated, And a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and as is the way in the land of Egypt, concerning which it is stated, And thou didst water it with thy foot. The verse mentions both places: it says that the land of the Plain was as adequately irrigated as the garden of the Eternal, which is the most perfect place on this earth, and it also mentions, like the land of Egypt, a place well known for pasture.
Our Rabbis have said, “As the garden of the Eternal for trees; Like the land of Egypt — for herbs.” Their intent was to explain that there were large rivers in the Plain, which watered the trees of the gardens, as was the case in the garden of G-d, and that there were also ponds in it, as in the land of Egypt, from which vegetable gardens were watered. Lot chose this part, for a land which is so irrigated is unlikely to suffer from a drought and is good for pasture.’

The sage Steinsaltz writes: ‘Lot accepted Abram’s suggestion and chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan, a lush, fertile area large enough for his flocks and herds. Lot journeyed from the east of the place where he and Abram were situated, the side that faced the Dead Sea. And they parted one from another, each following a different path. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in, among, and between, the cities of the plain of Jordan, and Lot pitched his tent as far as Sodom. At this stage Lot was not yet a resident of Sodom, but a tent-dwelling shepherd who lived near the city and under its patronage.’

The sage Radak writes: ‘ואנשי סדום רעים וחטאים, the inhabitants of Sodom were evil and wicked. The word רעים describes their attitude to G’d, whereas the word חטאים describes their attitude to fellow human beings (non-residents.) They ignored all the seven Noachide laws, including idolatry, the other 6 laws dealing with inter-personal relations. The Torah, underlining the severity of these people’s wickedness, adds: מאד, “very much so.” They did not bother to conceal their evil deeds but carried them out in the open, brazenly.’