Pitching Our Tent Toward Sodom
by Dr. Ken Matto
(Gen 13:12 KJV) Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
In our verse we see the result of the compromise that Abram and Lot worked out. Both of their flocks were getting very large and the herdsmen were already getting into fights with one another. So Abram showed a spirit of conciliation and offered Lot any place in that area that he wanted to take his flocks. So Lot took the advice of Abram and moved his large herd to the plains of Jordan, which was probably an excellent place to let the animals graze. However, in this situation Lot did something which would eventually cost the life of his wife and would cause incest in the family. As we see in the above verse, Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Whatever the intention of Lot in moving his home toward such a wicked place is really unknown but later on we find that Lot had attained some kind of authority in that wicked city. Sin always has a drawing effect on people.
(Gen 19:1 KJV) And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; In ancient times when someone sat by the gate of the city, it meant they had some type of authoritative position. There is a very great lesson for us here. When there arose a disagreement between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot, Lot went toward Sodom. I am sure that the reputation of Sodom was very well known in that area as the Scriptures teach that the men of Sodom were very wicked.I am not going to focus in on one particular sin but the principle is this. Whenever we face a tough situation in our life, is our solution to pitch our tent toward Sodom? In other words, instead of taking the righteous way out, do we use the opportunity to pitch our tents closer to sin? How many times have we heard that a husband may have a spat with his wife and then goes and finds “solace” with a female friend, and then out of the meeting an adulterous situation arises? How many, when faced with financial problems, turn to the lottery as a hopeful method of raising quick cash? Do you see the point I am making? Do we use situations in our life to make excuses for engaging in sinful behavior? Whenever we sin, we will affect others with it.
If Lot did not move his tent toward Sodom, he would not have wound up inside Sodom as a some type of ruler. His wife would not have fell in love with the city, which eventually led to her death. Lot’s daughters would have probably met some young men and married them, but they too were attached to the city and learned its ways. When they thought that all the young men were now dead because of the destruction of Sodom, they decided to act, since they would not be able to leave any progeny to carry on the family line. After Lot’s wife was killed, the two daughters conspired with one another, that one night one of them would get Lot drunk and then have sex with him. This was done by both daughters who eventually became pregnant by their father. The sins of Lot and his daughters, did not just affect their immediate life, but their sin also affected the future. The daughters gave birth to the genesis of the Ammonites and Moabites. Two groups that continually harassed the nation of Israel. So whenever we think that we can pitch our tent toward Sodom without any contemporary or future consequences, we then buy into the satanic mindset, that a little sin never hurt anyone. Just ask Adam and Eve, after all, it was just a piece of fruit. We never play with sin because sin does not play with us, it is out to destroy us. (8/22/03)