Choosing Sodom

It has been said that life can be summed up as being a myriad of choices, coalescing, leading into each other, intertwining, and blending, weaving the fabric of existence. We make countless choices every day, all day, from what color socks to wear, to what to eat for breakfast, to whether to give the panhandler on the corner some spare change.

Some choices require very little thought since they are binary. If the only two options afforded you are to go either left or right, the time it would take you to reach a decision would be far less than if you were asked to choose a place on the map to travel to. Other choices require prayer, thought, meditation, the weighing out of all the benefits and drawbacks, because only then will we make the right choice.

Certain choices we make have very little collateral implications, while others affect us for the rest of our lives, whether for the good or the bad. When we spend more time pondering where to eat dinner than we do where our spiritual man might best grow and mature, we allocate more time to the non-essential than to the essential things of life.

There came the point where Abraham and Lot could no longer share the same land. Their flocks had grown to the point that the grazing lands could not sustain both, and rather than argue among themselves, Abraham proposed that they go their separate ways.

Even though Abraham had seniority, and was Lot’s uncle, he allowed Lot to have the first choice as to where he would go. To Abraham, it mattered very little because he knew that whether he went to the left or the right God would be with him, and God would provide.

Lot, on the other hand, did not look with eyes of faith; he did not weigh the toll his choice would take on his spiritual man. He saw well-watered, fertile land, and he chose it hastily, even though the men of the region were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.

Did Lot know this? What did he know, and when did he know it?

I’m assuming at some point the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had some decent people living in them, people with families and children. How long did the descent into hedonism take to unfold in these cities? How long before young and old alike gave themselves over to lust and perversion to the point that one couldn’t have visitors without running the risk of them being violated and molested?

Because the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is so dramatic, we tend to forget that Lot chose Sodom. 

Because he prized possessions over peace, Lot chose to bring his family to a godless place where the people had no bounds, no moral code, and no humanity.

An entire city full of biped animals burning with lust, to the point that nothing mattered more to them than to satisfy their desires.

By the time Lot realized what he had done, by the time he had realized the consequences of his choice, it was already too late. Yes, his flocks had plenty of water and grass, his possessions increased, but his soul was tormented and vexed by what he saw.

Even if a righteous man happens to live in Sodom, whether by choice, necessity, or circumstance, he does not embrace, validate, or celebrate the ways of Sodom. The natural reaction of righteousness to witnessing unrighteous acts is vexing and torment of the soul. Just as truth cannot abide the lie, and light cannot abide the darkness, righteousness cannot abide sin. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.