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Do you ever push the envelope? Maybe you wait a little longer than you should to have your car serviced. Or you ask for an extension on a deadline. You let dust build up on the bookshelf just a bit too long. Clothes sit in the dryer overnight, and in the morning you press the “touch up” button, hoping extra heat will fix the wrinkles that settled in while you slept. A little more time. An extra day. A little more dust on the shelf. It doesn’t seem that bad.

Abraham’s nephew, Lot

If you are familiar with Abraham (formerly known as Abram), you know about God’s promises to him (see Genesis 12:1–3) and the journey God took him on to fulfill those promises. But another interesting character woven into Abraham’s story, whose ability to push the envelope has always caught my attention, is his nephew, Lot.

Lot accompanied Abraham on his journey to the land God had promised him. As their time together unfolded, so did their prosperity. God blessed Abraham and his household, including Lot, so greatly that there was not enough land to support all their herds of sheep and cattle (see Genesis 13:6–7).

Their herdsmen began to argue, and the tension grew. The land where they were living simply could not sustain them all. Something had to change.

So Abraham approached Lot. In an unexpected move, Abraham invited Lot to choose where he wanted to settle first. True to his character, Abraham said he would take whatever Lot did not choose.

“So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.' And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan; it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plains of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.”

Genesis 13:8–11 NKJV

The “lesser deal”

Lot chose what appeared to be the better land, moving in the direction of Sodom and away from the Promised Land. On the surface, it seemed that Abraham had accepted the “lesser deal.” But it was not until Lot had left that the full scope of God’s promise was revealed to him:

“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to  you."
Genesis 13:14–17 NKJV

There are times when we must make difficult choices between the things vying for our attention. Friendships, vocation, education, home, or social status can all create conflicts of interest, like herds competing for the same pasture. We often assume that being at peace with one another means staying together, but that is not what we see in the story of Abraham and Lot.

A rescue

Lot’s eyes were drawn to what seemed like the better land. Some commentaries even suggest it was so lush it reminded him of the Garden of Eden. It was indeed beautiful, but it contained the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It did not take long before Lot found himself in trouble. In Genesis 14, he was captured by the kings of the region and needed to be rescued. True to his character, Abraham came to his aid, pursuing the captors and bringing Lot safely home.

Once Lot was safe, Abraham returned home. Along the way, he met Melchizedek, the King of Salem, later identified in the book of Hebrews as Christ Himself. A covenant was made between Abraham and God, and as a result, Abraham went on to see God’s promises unfold in his life. Lot, however, remained in the background, often in need of rescue. He pushed the envelope whenever he could, and as a result, he never went very far in life.

Praying for Lot

What is remarkable about Abraham is that, despite Lot’s constant need for rescue, his heart was never far from him. He remained generous and faithfully prayed for his nephew.

How do you think Abraham felt throughout all of this? He had his own personal challenges to navigate. The mothers of his two children, Ishmael and Isaac, did not get along. He also had a vast estate to manage, and Lot seemed to be in serious trouble at every turn. At this point, there was little Abraham could do except pray for his nephew (see Genesis 18:9–21).

In Genesis 19:1–29, angels sent by God arrived at Lot’s home to warn him and his family of the city’s impending destruction. As you read these verses, you see that Lot did everything he could to push the envelope, trying to stay in the city as long as possible. One wonders why he did not leave the night the angels came. Why did he delay until the next morning (see Genesis 19:16)? And why, even after hearing of the coming destruction, did he try to remain in Sodom?

Fleeing by force

Finally, almost by force, the angels fled with Lot, his wife, and his daughters from the city.

“And while he (Lot) lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.”
Genesis 19:16 NKJV

Reading this passage encourages me to pray, just as Abraham did, for my friends and loved ones. I don’t know if Lot ever realized that he owed his life and the lives of his family who escaped with him to the prayers of his uncle Abraham. Lot didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities of his own.

If you take the time to read the entire story in Genesis 19, you will see that Lot offered his daughters to the rabble of the city, delayed leaving, and even begged to stay in a small town instead of following the directions of the angels sent to save him. He constantly pushed the envelope in both good times and bad. And he never seemed to have any urgency to know God for himself.

I wonder what it is about our old lives that appeals to us so much. Why do we long for lives that are void of God’s presence? Why do we push the envelope and look back at what is only meant for destruction? Maybe there’s a lingering bit of pride tucked away in the recesses of our hearts that keeps us dusty, like dusty old bookshelves waiting to be cleared.

Differences in relationship

The reason Lot pushed the envelope lies in the differences between his relationship with God and Abraham’s. Abraham was familiar with God; he knew His voice, and throughout his life, he obeyed Him without hesitation. Lot, on the other hand, is never recorded as having any personal communication with God. He most likely did not even recognize that the visitors who came to his house that fateful night were angels sent by God.

How can we recognize God’s voice? How can we know when He is giving us direction? We learn to know Him and recognize His voice by spending time with Him. Abraham was so familiar with God that, while far from perfect, he stayed on course toward the promise God had given him. God does not expect any of us to be perfect, but He does expect us to spend time with Him, because He knows how frail we are.

“For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”
Psalm 103:14 NKJV

We would do well to understand that we are dust, and without God, we are hopeless. This requires a lot of humility. Most of the time, we are not interested in being humble. The world tells us to “be yourself,” but God tells us to humble ourselves (see James 4:10). Humbling ourselves in this way doesn’t move us to push the envelope. It pushes us to spend more time with Him in His Word, in worship, and in prayer, and less time trying to push the envelope to see what God might allow.

I am feeling a bit dusty today. The envelopes of life cannot be pushed any further, and I need His presence to secure my feet to the ground so that the winds of life will not blow my dust away.

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Recommended reading:

Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society is a powerful reflection on walking faithfully with God over the long haul, learning obedience, and staying grounded even when life tempts us to push the envelope.

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