A Disastrous Decision | Dana C. Baldwin

Introduction

There is an old saying “your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” It is said most often relating to children who see a huge spread of food and they take much more than they could possibly eat. It is similar to another saying “he bit off more than he could chew.” And that saying can apply to just about anyone. There are times when we all make a choice and find out later that it wasn’t the best choice to make. Sometimes the consequences of that choice are overwhelming. What started out to be a good decision ended up to be a very poor one. We have seen or experienced the consequences of a poor decision.

It happens with a person wanting to work a bit harder for better pay and benefits and in exchange for those promotions the person has to take on longer hours, more responsibility, and greater problems. What started out to be a great idea didn’t end up being so great. It happens with parents who want to give the best they can offer to their children only to discover much too late that the things they tried to provide resulted in children who do not appreciate what they have and expect for life to bow to their whims. It happens when students add extracurricular activities to their academic schedule and find themselves overwhelmed with responsibilities. What seemed like a good idea turns into a stressed filled situation with little time to rest or to enjoy life.

We make decisions all the time. Most of the time they are good decisions. Most of the time the decisions we make lead to good results. But there are times when we make poor decisions. Decisions which lead to results which produce stress, anxiety, discomfort, and grief. Such decisions are probably memorable in your mind. Abraham is no different. Chapter 13 is connected to the end of chapter 12. Abraham made a poor decision to go to Egypt. He made a poor decision to lie. He made a poor decision to allow his wife to go to Pharaoh’s bed. This series of poor decisions led to disastrous results. And as we shall see in chapter 13, Abraham is not the only one who is capable of making poor decisions.

We will look at the consequences of Abraham’s poor decision and also look at Lot’s poor decision. Then we will try to discover some valuable lessons concerning decision making.

Abraham’s Return

Abraham returns from Egypt to the land God had told him to settle. He brings back with him more wealth than when he went into Egypt. Can you imagine that trip? What do you think Abram and Sarai talked about? Who had more shame Abram or Sarai? Trust has been broken. Abraham made the decision to save his own skin and that decision caused him to break his relationship with his wife. We know that in time their relationship was healed, but that journey from Egypt to Canaan must have been painfully slow.

Notice that Abraham returned to Canaan and did not immediately settle in an area. The Bible says he traveled from place to place until he got back to Bethel. We should not understand this to mean that he didn’t know where to go. With all the livestock it took time to return to Bethel. The Bible doesn’t give us a hint about Abraham’s repentance or remorse. It presents the facts as they relate to his returning to Bethel. But what the Bible does allow us to understand is that he returns to the place where he first built an altar.

This is a valuable truth. A poor decision doesn’t mean you can’t start again. Abraham cannot undo all the consequences. He can’t restore his life as if nothing has happened. But he can start again. He can’t forget the lies, the day Pharaoh’s men came and took his wife away, or his self-will which took him to Egypt, but he can start again. We never read of him building an altar in Egypt. That doesn’t mean he didn’t build one, but here he returns to the one he first built. He returns to the place where he knew that he and God were okay. He returned to the place where the journey began. He retraced his steps and wants to start again. His poor decisions leave him a more pliable man. He is now ready to listen even more carefully to what God has to say.

A poor decision doesn’t mean that we are held captive by our past. While we cannot undo consequences, we can start all over. Our God likes to give new beginnings. He is the God of beginnings. Abraham’s call began with a great announcement. But he soon lost his focus. Poor decisions left him isolated, frustrated, and broken. But God isn’t through with Abraham. Thankfully, God is unwilling to give up on Abraham even with those poor decisions. Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us either when our poor decisions produce terrible consequences. God is willing to allow a new beginning.

Lot’s Decision

We know that Lot was with Abraham when he went to Egypt. Genesis 13:1 says that Lot returned with Abraham. He was present when Abraham lied and Pharaoh’s men took his aunt Sarah away. We can only speculate about the conversations that must have taken place between the two men. Was Lot disappointed in Abraham? Or did he begin to think that the end justified the means? Did he begin to think that certain principles can be forfeited when faced with tough decisions? We don’t know. What we do know is that upon their return from Egypt, the wealth that both of these men had was extraordinary. Lot’s servants and Abraham’s servants began to fight over grazing land. They were heated arguments. The addition of the Canaanites and Perizzites living in the land tells us that such arguments threatened their existence in this land. It would be easy for surrounding tribes to destroy a divided tribe.

Abraham offers the solution. He allows Lot to choose an area to live and then he would do the opposite direction. Some have used this as a time to discuss Abraham’s kindness. Perhaps. This is a demonstration of faith. This is the second valuable lesson. Abraham has for now learned his lesson. He allows Lot to decide and will trust God to provide for him. Certainly, Abraham could have chosen first. But he demonstrates a new found faith in God. Faith means trusting God to provide when we aren’t sure what the results will be. Surely Abraham saw what appeared to be better land to the east. Surely he could see the lush green grass and the well watered plains. But he chose to allow God to provide. This is real faith.

Lot on the other hand looked out and saw the lush green grass and well watered plains and knew that this was the only real choice. He took what he could see. There is no faith here. He can see the green grass and he can see the barren plain to the west. Given the choice we would find it difficult to resist the good choice. We would find it difficult to say “no” to what is so obviously better. In fact we may even justify the choice by saying that God was blessing us. Lot’s choice was not by faith. That isn’t to say that he should have chosen the barren plain. The Bible leaves little doubt though that Lot made his choice based on what he could see.

We can almost hear Lot’s rationalization. “Let’s be practical” he would think to himself. “My uncle is giving me the choice. Why shouldn’t I choose the better land? I need food and water for my livestock. It is there. I’ll take it.” It is amazing how practical we can become when our financial welfare comes into play. This is the third lesson. Choices made by sight do not strengthen faith.

When a choice heightens your sense of selfishness then it is probably not of faith. When a choice tugs at the baser side of life, then it is probably a poor choice. When a choice causes you to look at your own interests before the interests of others, then it is probably not of faith. Lot made his choice based on what he could see. And what he saw filled him with selfishness.

Lot’s decision led to a long term consequence. By chapter 19, Lot’s decision to choose the better land has resulted in his becoming entrenched in the life of the sinners around him. He loses everything as God destroys the cities around him. A selfish decision made will lead to long term consequences. What started out with a feeling of hope and expectation ended with destruction and death. As we make our decisions then it is important that we recognize the motivation behind the decision. Is it selfishly oriented or is it of faith? The difference will affect your relationship with God.

Three lessons emerge from these stories: poor decisions do not mean you can’t start again; a faith decision allows God to provide what we need; and a decision made by a selfish motivation will adversely affect our relationship with God.

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