TEN ORDINARY PEOPLE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY When you read Genesis 18, you’re actually picking up the story of how God is continually orchestrating His plan to make Israel a great nation. It’s the story of how one nation, born of an ordinary man and an ordinary woman with more than their share of problems changed the history of the world—for eternity. So if that sounds like you and you wonder how you could be of any significant value to the Kingdom of God—then listen up this morning, because this story is for you. Read Genesis 14; 18-19 Lot was Abraham’s nephew. In Genesis 14, Lot is given a chance to choose which part of the Promised Land he wants for his own. He selects an area known as Sodom – which bears the namesake for the word sodomy—which seems like a questionable decision about where to relocate your family—but like I said, the Bible isn’t afraid to take us places where ordinary people make messy decisions. This whole enterprise is based on a promise from God to Abraham, that he would have a son; and his children’s children would eventually grow into a vast nation of God-fearing people. But that takes a few hundred years, so in the meanwhile, Lot and Abraham are doing OK. Lot raises a family in the land of the Sodomites and gets himself elected as a judge. Then he finds himself in the middle of a war between two tribal groups and Uncle Abraham has to gather his 318 Navy Seals of the day to rescue Lot. After the rescue, life is pretty good for Lot. His two daughters grow up and fall in love with two local boys, and they get engaged. Mr. and Mrs. Lot are busy with the wedding plans when things get really weird when God sends two angels, who look like ordinary men, to warn Lot that God is going to destroy the city. The angels arrive at Lot’s house, and Lot invites them in. At first, they say, “Don’t go to the trouble; we’ll just camp outside your house.” But Lot argues with them and probably says something like, “If you know anything about what’s going on in this neighborhood, you’ll know you need to sleep inside the house!” So, finally, the angels relent. A TENSE SITUATION AND A MIRACULOUS INTERVENTION This conversation between Lot and the angels draws the attention of a mob with sinful intentions and Lot offer his daughters to the mob to pacify them, but sin has its way, and the ungodly assembly wants men—not women. The two angels blind the eyes of the mob, and they command Lot to take his family and get out—and not look back. As they are leaving Mrs. Lot looks back, maybe for a last look or maybe toying with the idea that she might actually return to Sodom – but God had commanded all of them not to look back. Mrs. Lot pays the ultimate price for her disobedience and God turns her into a pillar of salt. Once Lot is safely out of town God wipes out the city. Lot and his two daughters head for the hills and end up living in a cave, perhaps even listening to the screams of men, women, and children dying in a burning city and maybe wondering if they were going to be the last people left on earth. Have you ever given in to sin and woke up the next morning wondering, “What was I thinking?” Well, who knows why – maybe they hit the fermented grape juice too hard, or perhaps they assumed they had been left alone with their father to repopulate the earth, but for whatever reason, the Bible says Lot’s daughters got him drunk and had sex with him. And they both got pregnant. Quite a story. If Hollywood knew this story was in the Bible, wouldn’t they love to hire some big stars and film this one for Netflix? But I’d like to point out that there’s something we have to keep in mind when we read these stories. When we read them we think these stories are about people of God. But they’re not. They’re stories about the God of the people. If we don’t see God at work in the lives of these messed up families—we miss everything about why God included their stories in the first place. WHAT IS GOD DOING IN THIS STORY? First, let’s rewind and go back into a part of the story I haven’t told you about yet. It’s the part where God told Abraham he was going to destroy Sodom. Abraham responds with, “Would you destroy the city if there were some good people in it?” Apparently, God thought it was a reasonable question, and He said, “If you can find 50 good people— I’ll call it off.” Eventually, after some negotiating, God agreed if there were only ten righteous people— He’d spare the whole city. Unfortunately, as the story unfolds, we see that poor Abraham couldn’t find enough righteous people in Sodom to arrive at the magic number of ten. But there are four relevant lessons we can learn from this part of Abraham and Lots story. LESSONS FOR TODAY Lesson #1: Even just a few righteous people can make a difference in a city. Lesson #2: There may be a church on every corner, but YOU may be one of only 10 uncompromising disciples of Jesus—and God is counting on you to make a difference for the kingdom. Lesson #3: God is patient. God has a long fuse. But when things get to the point of no return, where a person or a society has crossed the line from which there is no turning back—God will execute judgment. And now, last but not least… Lesson #4: There is nothing – absolutely NOTHING BEYOND GOD’S REDEMPTIVE USEFULNESS WHEN IT COMES TO FULFILLING HIS PLANS AND HIS PURPOSES. In this story, God orchestrated good, even out of the sin of incest. Listen to this: a. Lot’s daughters both became pregnant. They named their children Moab and Ammon. b. Moab and Ammon started the tribes of the Moabites and the Ammonites. c. Later in history, there was a Moabite by the name of Ruth—who God had always planned would be a link in the lineage of Jesus Christ. d. One of the Ammonites, a woman named Naamah, married a king by the name of Solomon. e. Naamah and Solomon have a son named Rehoboam, who God had also planned would be a link in the lineage of Jesus. We began in the Old Testament in Genesis, and now we’ll close this devotion in the New Testament, in Romans 8:28. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. We’re all works in progress, and we all make our fair share of messes, but remember—nothing – absolutely nothing is beyond God’s redemptive usefulness when it comes to fulfilling his plans and purposes. Amen? Remember, times are rough, and a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet. So, let’s go out and look for ways to encourage people and give em’ heaven this week. OK? God bless you! GROWING IN PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP 1. During this pandemic, how is God showing you He wants to use you as a Kingdom worker? 2. How is God at work, extending his love, grace, and patience with you right now? 3. How has God shown you, recently, that He is absolutely capable of working all things for a good and useful purpose in your life? .