Abraham and Lot

This week I chose to study Lot versus Abraham. First I’ll address some of the answers to questions posed in this study.

Here’s what we know about Lot:

He selfishly took the best land for himself, when Abraham gave him first pick. It would have been more appropriate and respectful for him to defer to Abraham, who was the patriarch of the family, but he took advantage of Abraham’s graciousness, and chose the well-watered piece of land; leaving the less-desirable peace for Abraham. 

Once the matter of land was settled, he proceeded to pitch his tent toward Sodom. Although at this point he still lived in the plains, his interest was toward the wicked city. Later he moved to Sodom itself. Coincidence? We know that all actions are preceded by thought, and his thoughts and intents were toward this wicked city; so it wasn’t long before his physical presence followed. What started as a “harmless” choice to view wickedness from a distance ended in a choice to dwell in the epicenter of wickedness.

Here’s what we know about Abraham:

He allowed Lot first choice in land selection, because he loved peace more than possession (I suspect that he also had faith that the Lord would prosper him in whichever land he lived). He did not begrudge Lot the better land, in fact he later raised a small army from his own men to recapture Lot and his household after Lot had been kidnapped. This had to have been done at no small inconvenience to himself, and may have resulted in the loss of some men. 

After the rescue of Lot, Abraham refused the offers of wealth from the king of Sodom. I think that this shows Abraham’s knowledge of the necessity to not “be beholding” to any man, that his allegiance and obligation belonged only to the God he served.

In our Family Home Evening this week, we talked about these two men, and discussed the differences in the choices they made. We talked about the importance of where we choose to pitch our “tents,” and how that affects where we “dwell,” and what we move towards in life. We also discussed the example of the Nephites during the reign of King Benjamin, and the choice families made to pitch their tents toward the temple to hear the teachings of their prophet/king (Mosiah 2:6).

We concluded that, as a family, our happiness depends on where we choose to position ourselves, what we turn our hearts toward.

I’m grateful for scriptures that give us clear examples of what we need to do in order to keep safe in the gospel, and where to find happiness.