Self-Deception

Author: Joseph

Date: March 18, 2018

Lot fled from Sodom and only he and his two daughters remained. His wife disobeyed the order of the messengers from God and therefore became, the Bible states, “a pillar of salt” as she turned around to look at the destruction that came upon Sodom.

"Lot was greatly afraid..."

Lot was greatly afraid when he fled Sodom, not trusting that he would be able to escape the wrath upon Sodom and asked the messengers for permission to flee to a small town nearby to avoid the destruction. He did not think he could run far enough to escape the disaster, but he was able to do so and was spared.

When Lot came to the small town that sheltered him, he was even afraid to settle there and fled to a cave. The fear that came upon Lot from Sodom’s destruction was now chasing him away from having a clear mind. His daughters felt the same inescapable fear and deceived their father into giving them children through drunken relations. Lot’s family did not repent from the destruction that came upon Sodom, but rather became drunken with fear.

During the same time, Abraham traveled throughout the land of Canaan and came across king Abimelech. Abraham, again fearing for his life, lied to Abimelech just as he had done with the Pharaoh of Egypt. Abimelech was pardoned by God as long as he returned Sarah to Abraham, and he did. Abimelech scorned Abraham for his trickery but also let him go free so that his own family would no longer bear the consequences from Abraham’s sin.

Abraham for a second time acted out of fear, ironically telling Abimelech that he did so because he did not think that anyone in the land feared God and that he would be killed. Abraham showed that he did not fear God by lying to Abimelech, and Abimelech showed that he did fear God by doing as God had commanded him as soon as it was revealed to him. Abraham’s fear was unfounded and he had deceived only himself.

Lot and Abraham behaved similarly in their self-deception. Both were motivated by fear rather than steadfast faith in the One true God and His ability to protect them. Both suffered the consequences of their sins and affected those around them as a result. Lot’s family was now perverted by incest and Abraham lost favor with two of the regions great kings.

Beyond the consequences, both Lot and Abraham sinned against God in their actions, which is the worst thing a human could possibly do. Sin blinds us to seeing the truth and to doing what is right, which leads our thinking and actions onto a path of deception. What have you deceived yourself into believing or doing because of a sin that has blinded you?

Bible Passage: Genesis 19:23 – 20:18

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org