Living by faith – as our father Abraham did – means to live a life of the altar and the tent and to fight for the brother.
We live by faith by putting everything on the altar through consecration and using only what God allows us to receive back in the tent, in a non-settled, non-set, and non-occupied way of living. Also, to live by faith means to fight for the brother, as Abraham did in Genesis 14.
Each brother and sister are precious in God’s eyes and should be precious in our eyes, and we should fight for every brother to bring him out of captivity and back into the enjoyment of the good land. Even if a brother is backslidden and falls back into the world, being taken captive by the enemy, we need to pray for him and fight for him to bring him back into the enjoyment of the good land.
In Genesis 14 we see that Lot, being given the choice to move wherever he wants to move with all his possessions, he chose to move close to the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because the whole valley was green and well-watered.
Lot didn’t clearly see that God chose Abraham and blessed him, and it was with Abraham and his seed that God would accomplish His purpose. Lot didn’t appreciate the fact that the vision of that age was with Abraham, neither did he stick with Abraham, the one with the ministry of the age.
We need to see the vision of the age we live in and stick around with the ones who meet in oneness on the ground of the church, never leaving our assembly together but staying in the good land, enjoying the all-inclusive Spirit in the church life.
If we leave the ministry of the age and if we give up on the vision of the age, just as in Lot’s case, we will suffer defeat after defeat. God allowed even a war to break out and the enemy took Lot and his family as captives – because He didn’t desire for Lot to live in Sodom, a sinful city.
May we choose God’s choice. May we learn from the history of Lot and never leave God’s goal, God’s protection, and the gathering of those who pursue Him out of a pure heart for His purpose.
What Does it Mean for Lot to Leave Abraham to Move his Tent as far as Sodom?
If we read the story in Gen. 13-14 we see that the riches and the herds of Abraham and Lot (who were still travelling together) increased, and at one point their herdsmen were fighting over the land and the water for their sheep.
Therefore, Abraham suggested that him and Lot should separate, and Lot can choose where he should go – while Abraham will go the opposite direction. Being given the choice, Lot looked at the land and saw that the valley of Sodom was well watered and green, “like the garden of Jehovah”.
Even though the people in Sodom were very wicked and sinful toward Jehovah (Gen. 13:13), Lot made the mistake of separating himself from Abraham and moving his tent as far as Sodom (see Gen. 13:5-12).
What does it mean for Lot to separate from Abraham and move his tent as far as Sodom? Why is this important to us today? There are a few matters that really touched me about this story, and here are some things that we can learn from this:
Lot should have never separated himself from Abraham – if Lot have truly seen that God’s presence and His speaking is with Abraham, he would have never separated himself from Abraham. Yes, Lot was a righteous man by association with Abraham, but by separating himself from his uncle he lost God’s blessing and God’s speaking, and he didn’t see clearly what was happening. He should have said,
Uncle, God’s presence is with you and you have God’s speaking: I will fire those quarreling herdsmen and I will do my best to stick with you that I may be under God’s blessing!
Abraham had God’s presence, God’s goal, and God’s protection, and he saw the vision of the age, he followed the flow in his age, and he had the ministry of the age. Abraham was called by God and he had God’s presence and His speaking, and God protected him, blessed him, appeared to him, and desired to accomplish His goal with Abraham.
Abraham saw the vision of the age: God’s desire to gain a seed and a land for His purpose. Abraham was under God’s protection, and not even the king of Egypt could do anything to him when he lied that Sarah was his sister. Lot should have stayed with Abraham to be under God’s blessing and protection.
Leaving Abraham caused Lot to suffer one defeat after another. Firstly, Lot moved away from the one with whom was God’s presence, protection, and blessing, and he camped outside the city of Sodom. Later we see that Lot moved inside the city of Sodom, and in his way of dealing with the angels when they came to visit him we see that he was thinking as the people in Sodom.
If we separate ourselves from those who are in the ministry of this age, if we leave the gathering of those who are under God’s blessing and have God’s protection, we will suffer one defeat after another. We know that we are not here for the world, but by leaving the church life our mind will eventually change and we will embrace the world. O, Lord Jesus! In Lot’s case, he knew that Sodom was an evil place, but eventually, he moved in that city and settled there.
Abraham didn’t strive for himself but gave Lot the choice. Because Abraham knew God and His will, he didn’t strive for his choice and he didn’t choose first; rather, he gave Lot the choice. In the church life today we shouldn’t strive for ourselves, insisting that the saints should do what we want to do; rather, we should trust in God’s care.
If we accept God’s choice, we will be blessed. After Abraham let Lot choose and let him go to the seemingly greener and better part of the land, God appeared to him and strengthened His promise of the good land.
God didn’t like that Lot left Abraham and moved to Sodom. Lot might have been “at peace” with his choice and Abraham allowed Lot to have it his way, but God didn’t like it. Lot might have been “peaceful” to move toward Sodom and eventually move in and live in Sodom, but God didn’t allow him to live there in peace.
God allowed the four kings to come and fight with the five kings in the plain and defeat them, and Lot was taken captive along with the rest of the people of Sodom. What a shame that one chosen by God was taken captive by being associated with the sinful people in the world!
Whenever we leave God as the source, the fountain of living waters, we will try to dig for ourselves some “cisterns” to hold water – but they are broken, and nothing else can replace God as the source of living waters (see Jer. 2:13). Nothing is more evil in God’s sight than not to enjoy Him. If we don’t enjoy God as the source and if we don’t stick around with those who pursue Him out of a pure heart, we will eventually end up in the world and in captivity together with the others. Oh, Lord Jesus!
Joining Ourselves to the Proper Persons in God’s Economy
From the story of Lot in Gen. 13 we need to learn to join ourselves and follow the proper persons in God’s economy, so that we may be kept in the line of life and in the flow of the Lord’s move today.
We should not be deceived: evil companionships corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33)! We may be alright now, we may love the Lord and the church life, but if we allow ourselves to be separated and stay away from those who pursue the Lord out of a pure heart, no matter how good our morals are there’s a great chance for the evil companionships to corrupt us!
We need to be attached firmly to those who choose the way of God’s economy, those in the line of life, those who flee youthful lusts and pursue the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). If we walk with wise men, we will also be wise; but if we are a companion of fools, we will be troubled (Prov. 13:20).
We don’t follow a particular person or a particular group of persons; we follow a vision, the vision of the age, the vision of God’s economy as revealed in the Scriptures. We need to clearly see the vision of the age and stick around with those who follow this vision. People change, but the vision doesn’t change (see 2 Tim. 1:15-18).
Paul told us to be imitators of him and of those who follow him as a pattern (Phil. 3:17) since he was one who saw God’s economy, teaching it and living it out everywhere he went (see 1 Cor. 4:16-17).
It is the Lord’s mercy for us to be in the church life in the Lord’s recovery today, and we need to follow not men but the vision of the age and closely follow the vision of the age.
Join yourself to the proper persons in God’s economy and stick with them that you may be in the flow of the Lord’s move today, be kept on the line of life, have God’s blessing and His protection, and be in the fulfillment of God’s goal.
Lord, keep us in the church life following the vision of the age. Save us from choosing to do our own thing or from separating ourselves from those who seek You out of a pure heart. We want to join ourselves to the proper persons in Your economy. Lord, keep us on the line of life. Keep us in the flow of Your move. Strengthen the vision of Your economy, the vision of the age, the vision that will keep us one with You and one with the saints in the church life in Your recovery today!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis (msg. 42), as quoted in, as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (2), week 5 / msg 5, Enjoying Christ in His Heavenly Ministry by Fighting for the Brother.
- Hymns on this topic:
# But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, / Faith, love, peace with those who / Call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (new song on 2 Tim. 2:22)
# Oh, may a clear, controlling vision of / The Lord’s economy direct my heart, / And burn in me until my spirit’s wholly set afire! / With spirit strong and active we’ll press on / To consummate God’s goal— / New Jerusalem, Hallelujah! (new hymn on having a clear vision of God’s economy)
# Keep us living and walking as did old Abraham; / In Your holy appearing to be transfused like him. / As did Isaac and Jacob, Moses lived this way— / So dependent upon Your presence with him each day. (Hymns #1194)
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