And the crowd went wild, and the people jumped up and down,
and some lucky contestant ran forward with the hope of being able to make reasonable, WINNING, bids for obvious treasures. Some people love it, and others feel sorry for the person who bids $525 for that special item, and the next contestant bids, $526. We certainly never know the people we will end up being paired with. As with the contestants on the Price-is-Right, much of this in life is outside our control. I suspect Lot’s daughters probably never imagined that 4 to 5000 years (if my guess is correct) later, some wacko would be sitting at a computer keyboard comparing them to Elijah – and they would ask, “Who is he?????” But that is my goal this morning – to disclose the $1 bid that made all the difference!
Let’s quickly survey the two stories as they emerge. Lot’s two daughters have the unique and unlikely experience of being the benefactors of someone (Abraham’s) persistent prayers on their behalf as he boldly negotiated with God regarding how many righteous people would need to be found in Sodom in order to save the place (Genesis 18 & 19 – a prayer dialogue that in and of itself warrants its own special dissertation). The angels come to the city – talk with their father Lot – warn him to flee the city with his family – and warn them NOT to look back. I suspect there was an incredible sense of urgency as these 4 people FLED for their lives! However, I suspect that they walked (in a hurried manner) along the trail single file, and I suspect these two daughters (bringing up the rear) were terrified as they watched their mother turn into a pillar of salt as she turned around to gaze long and hard (one last time) on the city she loved. How often do you look back? I look back more than I care to admit, and am thankful that God is gracious – Lord, please deliver us all from this tendency!
It really wouldn’t surprise me if in the wilderness outside of Sodom, they began to think that they were the only ones left alive in the earth. After all, had not the whole world (as they knew it) been destroyed? What else might have motivated them to seduce their father in his drunkenness and thus foster two children? [If your guess is better than mine – I don’t know if I really want to know.] I wonder if there was an element of surprise when they discovered other people still existed.
Then there is Elijah, likewise running for his life – without company – in his own very real wilderness (1 Kings 19). In his case, he is running from the wicked queen who has indicated that she will see to it that he is DEAD (a must read faith story)! He calculates in something of a similar way that he is the only one left. Unlike Lot’s daughters who might have presumed they were the only ones left in the earth, Elijah presumed that he was the only person left who had faith in God. While he had not watched someone turned into a pillar of salt, he had certainly just seen the visitation of death first hand.
So what is the $1 difference in their bids on life? Elijah talked with God every step of the way! There is no evidence that Lot’s daughters had any such dialogue!
Since we never know when the Master will say, “______ ______, come on down!” Nor whose company we will be in when that call comes! Or whether the crowd will really jump up and down! Doesn’t it makes sense (as we all, at least figuratively, in this crazy world) run for our lives – to start some dialogue with HIM?
God bless,
Dale
Let’s quickly survey the two stories as they emerge. Lot’s two daughters have the unique and unlikely experience of being the benefactors of someone (Abraham’s) persistent prayers on their behalf as he boldly negotiated with God regarding how many righteous people would need to be found in Sodom in order to save the place (Genesis 18 & 19 – a prayer dialogue that in and of itself warrants its own special dissertation). The angels come to the city – talk with their father Lot – warn him to flee the city with his family – and warn them NOT to look back. I suspect there was an incredible sense of urgency as these 4 people FLED for their lives! However, I suspect that they walked (in a hurried manner) along the trail single file, and I suspect these two daughters (bringing up the rear) were terrified as they watched their mother turn into a pillar of salt as she turned around to gaze long and hard (one last time) on the city she loved. How often do you look back? I look back more than I care to admit, and am thankful that God is gracious – Lord, please deliver us all from this tendency!
It really wouldn’t surprise me if in the wilderness outside of Sodom, they began to think that they were the only ones left alive in the earth. After all, had not the whole world (as they knew it) been destroyed? What else might have motivated them to seduce their father in his drunkenness and thus foster two children? [If your guess is better than mine – I don’t know if I really want to know.] I wonder if there was an element of surprise when they discovered other people still existed.
Then there is Elijah, likewise running for his life – without company – in his own very real wilderness (1 Kings 19). In his case, he is running from the wicked queen who has indicated that she will see to it that he is DEAD (a must read faith story)! He calculates in something of a similar way that he is the only one left. Unlike Lot’s daughters who might have presumed they were the only ones left in the earth, Elijah presumed that he was the only person left who had faith in God. While he had not watched someone turned into a pillar of salt, he had certainly just seen the visitation of death first hand.
So what is the $1 difference in their bids on life? Elijah talked with God every step of the way! There is no evidence that Lot’s daughters had any such dialogue!
Since we never know when the Master will say, “______ ______, come on down!” Nor whose company we will be in when that call comes! Or whether the crowd will really jump up and down! Doesn’t it makes sense (as we all, at least figuratively, in this crazy world) run for our lives – to start some dialogue with HIM?
God bless,
Dale
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