Little Sins





Genesis 19:19–22 (ESV) Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

This passage is amazing in that Lot is arguing with the angels to spare a cit he is attracted to rather than flee to the hills as God instructed. He's more afraid of trusting the voice of God than his own carnal reasoning. 

 There are many like him. You see Lot's heart has been turned toward the things of this world and Sodom got a hold of him. He hesitates to leave even as we know from the New Testament he was vexed in his spirit. 

So what does he want at this point? He want Zoar. "Zoar" means "little" and what Lot wanted was a little bit of sin to remain in his life. Amazingly, God allows it. He will do that because he are not automatons. But it is the little sins that ultimately destroy our lives. From this moment forward, Lot's life and all those around him are destroyed in major ways. We need look any further than the very next chapter of Genesis:





Genesis 19:30 (ESV) Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

Lot thought Zoar was a safe place, but it was not! He ends up in a cave with is daughters and the rest of the story is infamous. His daughters seduce him to have children of their own and that's the last we hear of Lot. His life ends with a scandalous testament. What a shame.

 It's the danger of a little sin. You can't live with a "little sin". The danger of a little sin is that you think you can manage it but eventually it will defeat you and destroy not just you but everyone around you. 

 So we learn from Lot one simple lesson. Do not give an inch to the flesh. Flee the desires of sin. They are not to be trifled with and Jesus came to die to set you free from them. Turn to Him, call out to Him, walk toward Him even now... be free!

 Amen.

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