When my children were younger, I would say to them as they left the house, “Remember who you are.” In fact, I jokingly said this to my grown son just last week. He was on a business trip; and without thinking, I gave him my typical “mom” instruction.

I wonder what Terah and Haran said to their sons as Abraham and Lot left their father’s homes to go into a land that God would show them. Did their fathers say, “Have a great adventure”? Did they say, “Be careful”? Did they say, “Have a good time”, “Remember who you are”, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”?

Abraham was 75 years old when he left his father’s house, so I doubt Terah said those kinds of things to him. I suspect whatever he said, his words were delivered with a sadness knowing he would probably never see his son in this life again since Terah was 205 years old.

As for Lot, he was younger and probably more interested in a great adventure. My guess is that both Terah and Haran told Abraham to watch out for Lot.

As time passed and these men traveled toward this new land, the men who took care of the flocks of Abraham and Lot had some disagreements. The scripture says that, “And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together” (Genesis 13:6 KJV).

Abraham did not want there to be trouble between them, so he suggested they separate. Lot was given first choice, and he chose the plain of Jordan to the east. There he took up residence toward the lands of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham chose the land of Canaan, and God promised him and his seed this land forever (Genesis 13:15-18).

Here we have two choices, and each choice had a consequence. The first consequence was the capture of Lot by warring kings (Genesis 14). Abraham, of course, had to go get Lot. He had to engage his servants in a battle against these kings, and he saved his nephew and reclaimed all that the kings had taken in their battle.

At this point, Abraham made his first choice. He chose not to keep any spoils of war—not the men that were captured or any of their possessions. He returned it all to the King of Sodom. He didn’t want it said that he became rich because he took the spoils of war.

With all of this, Lot made his second choice. He remained in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Based on later passages, we see that Lot must have absorbed himself into the cultures of these cities. His daughters married men of these cities, and his wife enjoyed the things available to her.

In the meantime, Abraham had a visit from two angels on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. They took time to visit with Abraham and Sarah, and they promised Abraham a son. After this remarkable prophecy, God told Abraham that he planned to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham made a second choice. He chose to bargain with God and try to save these cities.

God allowed this; and in the end, God promised to save the cities if ten righteous souls could be found (Genesis 18:32).  Of course, there couldn’t be ten found in the two cities; and they were destroyed.

When the angels visited Lot, he tried to protect them from the people of the city, even offering his unmarried daughters to the men of the city, (Genesis 19:8). They weren’t interested in his daughters. They wanted the men.

You would think that at this point Lot would understand the dangers, but he didn’t. When the angels told him what would happen, he tried to convince his sons-in-law to leave the city, but they wouldn’t listen. Lot made another choice. “He lingered”, and he waited so long that the angels had to take the hands of his wife and two daughters and take them by force out of the city.

The tragic end was that Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the destruction of the cities after being told not to look back. Lot argued with God about where he should go. Lot’s daughters gave him grandchildren by their own father, and Lot is never mention again.

The consequences of Lot’s bad decisions changed a lot of lives. All of these things happened because of his choice of a place to live. He thought he was getting the best place, but he chose the worse.

In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus made a profound statement about consequences. He said,

 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole word and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

We need to remember that the choices we make have consequences. If we choose to follow Jesus, we have the promise of a home with Him in heaven.

“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27 ESV).

 Sandra Oliver