Recently, I've been thinking a lot about spiritual boundaries. In a society which so often contradicts Biblical teaching, how do we maintain our loyalty to God? Is it possible to be a part of this society and still strive to be righteous? If we shun this culture then are we removing ourselves from the opportunity to show others about God and the difference He can make in their lives? The Bible tells us that "bad company corrupts good character" in 1 Corinthians 15:33 and this is certainly true. It also stresses the importance of living in the world an ministering to those who need us. The story of Lot could not have come at a better time for me.
Like most of the stories I've read the past few days, this story took on a more robust meaning for me than it has in the past. Usually, I read this story as a precautionary tale about what can happen when you let your guard down and begin to assimilate into an unbelieving culture. Certainly this is an issue in our society. Like Lot, I often find myself explaining away some of the ungodliness around me. Lot finds himself in an affluent town and in an affluent position. Though he continues to follow God's law, he also begins to accept some of the cultural norms in Sodom, and it almost results in his complete demise. He is tempted by the wealth and stature he has achieved and is reluctant to leave Sodom even after God's angels tell him it is going to be destroyed. He even tries to negotiate with the sinful rapists outside his door, offering his own daughters to appease them so that they will leave God's angels alone. After Lot offers his daughters for their pleasure, the attackers lunge for Lot himself hissing, "we'll treat you worse than them (meaning the angels they had come after)!" (Genesis 19:9). This is an excellent reminder that you can not negotiate or placate sin. It is never satisfied until it consumes all of you. This part of the story, I am familiar with and it was another good reminder that your spiritual boundaries should be clear not only to others but perhaps most importantly to yourself. What do you consider ultimate truth? Are you standing on the sidelines watching something you know is wrong but refusing to speak up? I know I am often guilty of this, and so this part of Lot's story was good for me to hear.
Which brought me back to my dilemma. Am I to simply shun society, turn off the TV, pull my kids out of school and put my head under the covers? Then I came to the end of Lot's story which is equally devastating but not as widely told. After Sodom's destruction, Lot moved to a smaller town called Zoar. He stresses twice that Zoar was small, and I am assuming that it was not corrupt like Sodom was. For some reason, which is not mentioned, Lot decides to flee to the mountains. He does exactly what I was wondering if I should do! He shuns society completely and lives in secluded caves with his two adult daughters. As you may already know, Lot's story does not end well. Distraught that they have no prospect of marriage, his daughters scheme to get Lot drunk and sleep with him while he is passed out. Each bears a child in incest with her father. Their offspring would forever be the enemy of Israel, God's chosen people. This story has always perplexed me so I studied my notations. Here, it says that in this society it was the father's role to find a suitable husband for his daughters. By fleeing to the mountains, Lot shirked this very important cultural duty and as a result his daughters committed a grievous sin not out of lust but out of sheer desperation to continue their family lineage.
This beautifully illustrates that we are neither to assimilate into a sinful society nor to completely separate ourselves from it. Instead, we should do the best we can using God's Word to guide us as we find ourselves faced with difficult obstacles. Sometimes I find myself wanting all the answers, feeling anxious about how I am supposed to live my life in a world rife with temptation. My reading in Matthew provided me with comfort however. It says, "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own" Matthew 6:34, and with that I am going to sleep.
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