Failed Heroes: Lot and Abraham

Why does it matter that these heroes failed? See introduction to series.

Lot

How was Lot a hero? It may seem a bit of a stretch to refer to Lot as a spiritual hero. Based only on the Old Testament record, support for his heroism would be limited to his leaving his homeland to travel with godly Abraham, although the reason for his leaving is not defined in Scripture. The New Testament, however, calls him "righteous Lot," declares him a "righteous man," and speaks of his "righteous soul" (II Peter 2:7-8).

How did Lot fail? Lot's initial step of choosing the well-watered Jordan Valley as his home may not seem serious, but his choices spiraled downward from there. "Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom," where the men "were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD" (Genesis 13:12-13). Lot ended up living in Sodom, and continued residing there even after his temporary captivity during a local military conflict (Gen. 14:12). The sin of the city was "exceedingly grave" (Gen. 18:20), to the point that God determined to destroy the city. Lot was not part of the wickedness; in fact, he was "oppressed" by it, and "by what he saw and heard . . . his righteous soul [was] tormented day after day" (II Pet. 2:7-8). Nevertheless, he continued living in that wicked place.

What was Lot's heart response? At best, Lot's response was weak. He did want to protect the visiting angels from the townspeople, but he was willing to give his virgin daughters to the same sexually perverted men. From all appearances, he believed that the advantages gained from his location were worth the torment to his soul and the risk to his family. His soul's oppression did not lead him to take action. On the very brink of Sodom's destruction, Lot hesitated in following God's leading (Gen. 19:16). He even asked God to modify the escape plan so that he could remain in the civilization he loved (Gen. 19:18-20).

How did Lot's story end? Sadly, Lot's family was so tied to the city that some refused to escape with him. As the others fled, his wife turned back and was lost. His remaining daughters had been so influenced by the sexual wickedness that had surrounded them that they seduced their own father. All was lost.

Application: Lot made significant life decisions through the filter of what seemed to promise success, and he did not recognize the damaging consequences that were linked to those decisions. He was a true follower of God; today's parallel would be a Christian who really loves God and wants to live for Him. That Christian, however, is so caught up in the temporal blessings of this world that he is unwilling to live without them. Even in the crisis moment, when things should have been crystal clear, Lot and his family still clung to what they wanted. Lot was blinded to the damage his choices had made to his family and to his own spiritual sensitivity. His choices were based on the present life, starkly contrasting with Abraham.

Abraham

How was Abraham a hero? The answer to this is so big that it's hard to include everything. He is repeatedly referred to in the New Testament as a man of faith who believed God. He is a pivotal character in the lives of both Jews and converted Gentiles. All the nations of the earth are blessed through him. In terms of specifics, he left his homeland at God's command, though he did not know where he was going. He believed God concerning the nation that would come from him and the land they would inhabit, though he never saw it happen. He believed through long years of waiting for the impossible son that God would give, and then obeyed when God asked him to sacrifice that son.

How did Abraham fail? Although Abraham's faith was great, there were times that it wavered. While in strange lands, Abraham twice feared being killed by someone who might want his wife. Instead of trusting God to protect them, he resorted to lies and deceit (Gen. 12:10-20; 20:1-18). When the promised son was delayed, Abraham heeded his wife's pleas to have a son by her servant (Gen. 16:1-4). At one point he laughed when God told him he would have a son (Gen. 17:17), and he tried through human reason to identify an heir (Gen. 15:1-4; 17:17-18). These failures of faith led to some serious and dangerous actions on his part. He potentially sacrificed his wife's purity, when his lies led to her being taken twice into the harems of other men. Realistically, he didn't know if he would ever see her again. He also sacrificed his own faithfulness to his wife by having a child with another woman, creating stress in the household, and ultimately introducing a perennial conflict for the nation of Israel. Instead of completely conquering these failures, he repeated them, falling more than once in the same areas.

What was Abraham's heart response? Specific responses are not always recorded. Only after the second episode of lying about his wife does Scripture record any response, which is that Abraham prayed for the household involved. In his situations of trying to suggest solutions to God, Abraham's responses were faith and obedience. After he suggested his servant as his heir, God repeated His promises to Abraham, who then "believed in the LORD" (Gen. 15:6). When Abraham suggested that Ishmael be his heir, God reiterated that it would be a son born to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham subsequently responded by obeying the command God had given to him in that same conversation (Gen. 17:23-27). Through all of these situations, Abraham wanted to obey God. He just didn't understand how God was going to work His plan, leading him to reliance on his own plans. I believe his faith grew over time, as he reached the point of being able to obey God in difficult things, even when he did not understand. Again, Scripture repeatedly states that he believed God; this belief was his anchor.

How did Abraham's story end? There is victory and fulfillment in Abraham's story. The promised child was born, and Abraham enjoyed many years in the land that would later belong to the nation of Israel. Future generations are able to see the greater fulfillment of the prophecies, that God did make a mighty nation from Abraham. Personally, Abraham's faith reached the point that he was willing to sacrifice the son of promise at God's instruction. Instead of the previous doubts, he obeyed in what was probably the hardest challenge he faced.

Application: Unlike Lot, the key to Abraham's status as a hero of faith is his eternal vision. Abraham's life was not controlled by the immediate. Hebrews 11 reveals that he was waiting for a better dwelling place than the land of Canaan. He was content to be a nomad on earth, because he was looking forward to his permanent home in heaven. If he had been focused on earth, he would have ceased following God and would have returned to his homeland. Because he was focused on his eternal dwelling, however, he lived a life of faith and obedience. He wavered, sometimes repeatedly in the same area, but because of his faith in God, he looked past the immediate and trusted in God's ultimate plan. Likewise, believers today must realize that if they are to be spiritual heroes, they must look past the things in the immediate that seem to promise success, and they must instead obey God without protest so that God can lead them in the paths of true success. Lot thought he knew how to make himself successful, and he ended in failure and disgrace. Abraham trusted and obeyed God - with an altogether different outcome.

"By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:9-10 (NASB)