The New American Commentary says, “The war of the kings sets the scene for this second account in the trilogy of Abram-Lot stories (chaps. 13; 14; 18–19). Lot contrasts Abram in two ways in this episode: first, he is the passive, impotent figure compared to the courageous champion Abram; second, Lot is incompetent as leader of a household who fails to maintain his possessions compared to Abram, who devises a successful plan to reclaim them. In the context of chap. 13, the abduction shows implicitly that separation from Abram meant forfeiting the divine protection provided by the favored patriarch (cp. 21:22).”^[1] As we study the deliverance of Lot there are four basic lessons that we learn.

God allows consequences (v. 1-12). Lot made a bad choice in chapter 13. He ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom.’ He opened himself up to worldly pleasures and as a result he and his family suffer the consequences. He finds himself in the middle of a multi-nation conflict. Lot was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mark it down, child of God, when we position ourselves in the direction of the world, there will be consequences. You cannot be involved in worldly and sinful practices and go unscathed. When Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, he removed himself from the protection of Abram. You see, God does not inflict us with heartache and pain. However, when we disobey His Word, He will remove His hand of protection, thus, allowing suffering into our lives. You cannot disobey God’s Word without there being negative consequences. Lot’s bad decision not only hurts him, but it also hurts his family. The decisions we make has more repercussions than we may realize. It affects those around us. Everything that Lot endured, he brought upon himself as a result of the poor decision that he made.

God always has a messenger (v. 13). In verse 13, we find that one man escaped the ordeal and fled to tell Abram what had occurred. The interesting thing we see here is that when we are faced with the consequences of sinful actions, God always has a messenger. God will raise up someone who will plead on our behalf. He will raise up someone who will reveal to us our wrong and give us a message of forgiveness and hope and grace. There is someone who will intercede for us. When we sin, Jesus stands before God the Father as our intercessor. He tells the Father that we belong to Him and that our sins have been paid for by His blood. Jesus stands as the propitiation for our sin. He satisfies God’s righteous demands. Thank God for the messenger. Thank God for the intercessor. Thank God for Jesus!

God always has a deliverer (v. 14-16). God uses Abram to deliver Lot and his family. An interesting side note here is that in the act of delivering Lot, the king of Sodom is also delivered and his kingdom is restored. We learn from this that God will go to great lengths to deliver His children even if the wicked are blessed in the process. Jesus is our deliverer and every time we fall, He comes to our rescue. O, the amazing grace of God! He will not leave us in our sin. He will chase us and chastise us until we finally repent and turn back to Him. If you are a true child of God, He will not allow you to go too far. He will not allow you to destroy yourself in your sin. He will deliver you. That deliverance may be painful. Especially if we resist. However, God will find a way and He will bring us back to Himself even if it breaks us.

God always gets the glory (v. 17-24). The king of Sodom along with Melchizedek comes to Abram to thank him. They worship God and give Him glory for using Abram to bring deliverance. When God delivers us, only He can get the glory. When He rescues us from ourselves, all we can do in response is to fall down and worship Him.

God delivered Lot, and He can deliver you. Whatever the sin, no matter how far you have gone, God can deliver you. Will you let Him deliver you? Will you respond and turn back to Him?

^[1] Mathews, K. A. (2005). Genesis 11:27–50:26 (Vol. 1B, p. 140). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.