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A Little about Lot: Lot in the Plot (Gen 13, 14, 19) My first real lesson in discipleship was at the age of fifteen. For a couple of years, my father had been teaching me to play the violin. And then I heard the electrifying Moto Perpetuo played by 14 students of a violin teacher called Melbourne Halloween. The performance turned out to be even more electrifying. That night Mumbais electricity failed right in the middle of Paganinis Moto Perpetuo. But the Halloween consort of violins played on with breakneck speed and dazzling brilliance as if nothing had happened. A week later I knocked on Halloweens door and asked him if hed condescend to take me on as his student. I told Halloween that my father had already begun teaching me the violin. In that case, Im sorry. I cannot have you, said Halloween. I pleaded with Halloween. I told him Id do anything for him. Halloween agreed. But he would take me on, provided I met three conditions. First, I would have to forget and unlearn all that my father had taught me thus far. Second, I would not play or practice in front of my father, and would not seek or take any more musical advice from him. Third, I would not play in front of anybody, even a friend, until I had permission from Halloween to do so. Six months later, I disobeyed. I broke the rules. Halloween spotted my act of disobedience in the very next class. My technique had slipped badly. Halloween was incensed. He warned me that if I ever disobeyed his rules again, I would no longer be his disciple. I am ever grateful for this first lesson in discipleship and I must say that as the years passed, Halloween became almost like a surrogate father to me. Now the Lord said to Abram, Lekh Lekha! Leave your land and your kindred and your fathers house and go to the land that I will show you (Gen 12:1). The rules of engagement were crystal clear. Abraham was to leave his country, his kinsmen and his fathers household. The land is the land of Haran, where Abrahams father Terah had settled; the kin is the clanthe distant relatives,1 extended families between the fathers household and the tribe;2 the fathers house is the nuclear family, which in Abrahams day would include close relatives like grandparents, siblings, uncles and nephews. This would be a costly and risky undertaking both for Abraham as well as for his fathers household. The radical break of family ties would leave Abraham with no security. Similarly, Abraham would be abdicating his responsibilities to his fathers household. A few weeks ago, we saw how the command Lekh Lekha can be translated in at least four different ways. (a) Go for yourself. (b) Go with yourself. (c) Go to yourself. (d) Go by yourselfleave your country, your land, your relatives, and all you hold dear.3 We agreed that the fourth meaning is the meaning intended here. Abraham was to go by himself, leaving behind country and clan, kith and kin, distant and close relatives. Avram wentwe noted that these are two of the boldest words in all literature.4
1 Cf. Gen 24:4, 31:3 and 32:9. 2 Dan Rickett, Rethinking the Place and Purpose of Genesis 13, JSOT 36 (2011) 35, fn. 12. Also

Mark G. Brett, Procreation and the Politics of Identity. London: Routledge, 2000, 50. 3 Jonathan Sacks, Genesis: The Book of Beginnings. London: Maggid Books, 2009, 71, 77-79. 4 Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews. Oxford: Lion Publishing, 1998, 63.

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But three verses later we read: So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him (Gen 13:4). Surely the Lord had told Abram to go by himself? Surely the Lord had told Abram to leave behind his fathers householdwhich included his nephew? Surely it is preferable to translate the conjunctive and with an adversative but? So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; but Lot went with him.5 Surely Abram was disobeying God, just as I was disobeying my violin teacher? Surely Lot was an orphan who needed to be adopted by his uncle? Surely Lot went with him? It was Lots choice. Abram was an uncle who just couldnt say no to his nephew! Really? Lot was fatherless. I agree. Abrahams genealogy informs us that Haran begat Lot and in the same breath includes an obituary stating Haran died (Gen 11:27- 28). Perhaps Abraham was taking responsibility for his orphaned nephew? But wait! On the heels of this statement we read that Haran died while his father Terah was still alive (Gen 11:28 NET). Why would Abraham need to adopt Lot when Terah, Lots grandfather, was still alive? In Abrahams day authority over the household resided in the paterfamilias, who, in the case of a family of three- generations, would be the grandfather, not the father or the uncle.6 Three verses later we see grandpa Terah playing his role as paterfamilias. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan (Gen 11:31). Abram was not required to adopt Lot to fulfil the social obligations of his time and culture. Terah should have taken Lot, like he did earlier. But, Abraham (not Terah) took Lot (Gen 12:5). Terah was 70 at the birth of Abraham and 205 at his death. Thus, Abraham and Lot left 60 years before Terahs death.7 If Lot simply decided to go with his uncle, why didnt Abraham force him to stay behind? No. Abraham went and Lot went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Lot went with him as a grammatical afterthought; Lot went with Abraham not as the Lord had told him; Lot went with Abraham not because Lot decided to go, but because Abraham took Lot as we read in the very next verse! (Gen 12:5) Abraham obeys God, but adds a caveat, a just in case clause. Lot is a security deposit just in case God does not fulfil his promises, since Abraham and the reader already know that Sarah was barren, she had no children (Gen 11:30). Abrahams faith is dented by this first act of unfaith. It will not be his last. It is the first instance of disobedience on the part of Abraham.8 It will not be his last. Now what is going on? Was Lot Abrahams favourite nephew? In the travel itinerary in Gen 11:31, Lot and not Sarahthe nephew and not the wife, is mentioned after Abrahams name. Perhaps, thats because the writer is sexist!
1987, 278. 6 Philip J King and Lawrence E Stager, Life in Biblical Israel. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 37,40. 7 Rickett 2011:45. 8 See Andrew Vaughn, And Lot Went with Him: Abrahams Disobedience in Genesis 12:1-4, in Bernard Frank Batto, Kathryn L Roberts and J J M Roberts (eds.), David and Zion: Biblical Studies in Honor of J J M Roberts. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2004, 111-24.
5 Also Gordon Wenham, Genesis 115. Word Biblical Commentary; Nashville: Thomas Nelson,

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But in Gen 12:4 Lot is again paired with Abraham and there is no mention of Sarah. It is only in Gen 12:5 that Sarah is given her proper place as Abrahams wife and mentioned before Abrahams nephew. The biblical author is demonstrating his brilliant skills of penmanship, and is saying little to tell the reader a lot about Lot and Abraham. The biblical writers do not waste their words. Literary art plays a crucial role in the shaping of biblical narrative. This is, in the words of Robert Alter, finely modulated from moment to moment, determining in most cases the minute choice of words and reported, details, the pace of narration, the small movements of dialogue, and a whole network of ramified interconnections in the text.9 I had my first lesson in biblical literature as a journalist. The Special Correspondent of my newspaper was trying to teach me some of the skills of careful and close editing. You are a Christian. Read the Bible. The Bible can be your best teacher in the skills of writing and editing. He then quoted Gen 1:1 to me, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Tell me if there is a single extra word, or a single wasted word, he said. Not only do the biblical authors not waste their words, they do not waste their characters. Characters are not introduced to the plot simply to entertain or moralize. So why is Lot in the plot? And how much space does he occupy on the stage of Genesis? The book of Genesis is comprised of 50 chapters. Of these, 13 chapters deal with the story of Abraham. Of these, 3 chapters deal with Lot. Lot is not so little after all. Starting with chapter 13 we are treated to a trilogy of Lot stories (Gen 13, 14, 19). The first story tells about the separation of Lot from Abraham. They have both become wealthy after their sojourn in Egypt and now there are disputes over grazing rights among their herdsmen. Abraham graciously, it appears, gives Lot first choice over which part of the land he would prefer to settle in. Lot foolishly, it appears, chooses to settle outside the Promised Land of Canaan. The reader is left biting his nails in suspense. Once again, the promises of land and progeny are about to be endangered. If Lot succeeds Abraham as his heir, then the promise no longer applies. If Lot chooses Canaan, then Abraham will be compelled to choose the plain of the Jordan, that Lot decides to choose. Lots departure eliminates the likelihood of becoming his becoming Abrahams successor and his possessing of the land of Canaan. The reader heaves a sigh of relief. Abraham is now free to possess the gift of the Promised Land in entirety. In the second story (Gen 14), Lot, who has now settled in Sodom, is captured by a coalition of four kings. The kings and their armies have attacked Sodom and its environs. Abraham marches off with only 318 men to rescue his nephew. But in doing so, Lot has endangered Abrahams life and thus endangered the future of Gods promises. If Lot had not chosen Sodom, he wouldnt be putting his uncle through this inconvenience. If Abraham had left Lot at home, life would be a lot easier. In the third story (Gen 19), Lot, is trapped by the Sodomite mob seeking to rape his guests. He foolishly offers his virgin daughters as substitutes to the mob. The
9 Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1981, 3.

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life of his family is spared and they escape the destruction of Sodom, but Lots wife looks back and turns into a pillar of salt. The trilogy ends tragically with Lot settling down in a place so remote that his daughters think they are the only human beings left on earth and are desperate to have children. Since there are no men around, they get their father drunk and commit incest with him. The incestuous children born are the ancestors of two racesthe Moabites and the Ammonites, who were often enemies of later Israel. Lot is saved from Sodom only by grace; that is, because of his relationship with Abraham (Gen 19:29). So why is Lot in the plot? If promise to the patriarchs is the main theme of Genesis 12-50, then Lot is in the plot as part of the conflict in a series of crises that endanger the fulfilment of the promise. The fulfilment of the promise in Abrahams lifetime will be endangered by a series of seven crises in all. 1. The famine in Canaan that forces Abraham to abscond from the land and flee to Egypt, where Pharaoh tries to get Sarah into his bed. Both land and progeny are in danger. 2. The danger of Lot inheriting the land and succeeding Abraham. 3. Abraham caught up in a Middle East war trying to rescue Lot. If God had not protected Abraham, retaliation from the four kings could have wiped him off the map. 4. Abraham is tempted to adopt one of his household slaves, Eliezer of Damascus, as his heir (Gen 15:2). 5. Sarah gets Abraham to sleep with her maid Hagar so that they can have a child. 6. Abimelech, king of Gerar, tries to get Sarah into his bed. 7. After all the above, when Sarah and Abraham do finally and miraculously conceive and bear a son, God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. In Gen 13, Lots function in the plot is to finally bring Abraham to the place where he will align himself with Gods command to separate himself fully from his fathers household. It is only after Abraham has made a radical break with Lot, that God reaffirms the promise he had earlier made to Abraham. Now, for the first time, God states that the land will be given to Abrahams descendants as well (Gen 13:15). Lot will not be part of this promise. Lot has chosen to live apart from the promise, even though he is related to the father of the promise and had an opportunity to live in the land of promise. Indeed, we suddenly recognize that Lot is a fool. Every choice Lot makes is a disaster. Lot chooses to settle outside the Promised Land. Hebrew geography is east-oriented; that is, one is assumed to be facing east. From this perspective, ones right is south and ones left is north. When Abraham offers Lot first choice of the land and tells him, Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left (Gen 13:9), Abraham is setting before Lot the option of choosing whether to pasture his flocks him northern Canaan (around Shechem), or southern Canaan (Hebron, or still more southerly in the Negev). Instead, of choosing north or south Canaan, Lot chooses what is in front of him, because he saw that the plain of the Jordan was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt (Gen 13:10). This appears to be an

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echo of the Adam and Eve story in Gen 3. Eve saw that the tree was good and took its fruit. Lot saw that the Jordan Valley was desirable and chose it.10 Tell Lot B & Q makes your house a home and Lot will believe it! Lot lives by sight; Abraham is called to live by faith. Though Lot believes the land to be like the garden of the Lord, the writer inserts a subtle comment blacklisting the place this was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 13:10). Lot travels eastward (Gen 13:11). This is an echo back to Adam, Eve and Cain (Gen 3,4) who, after sinning, travelled eastward.11 Lots choice of Sodom is disastrous. Because he lives in Sodom, he falls prey to the marauding armies of the enemy coalition. When his guests are threatened, Lot chooses to offer his daughters to the mob for their sexual pleasure. When the two angels warn him to flee for the hills because they are about to destroy Sodom, he chooses to flee to Zoar (Gen 19:17,18-22). Later, he chooses to leave Zoar and settle in the hillsa setting so remote and uninhabited, that his daughters cannot find men to marry and decide to commit incest with him (Gen 19:30). Every choice Lot makes is a foolish choice that leads to disaster. But most of the time, Lot does not even make a choice. He is portrayed as pathetically passive. Not once does Lot speak in Gen 13 and 14. Abraham takes him from his fathers house; Lot goes. Abraham sojourns in Egypt; Lot follows. When there is a dispute between Abrahams herdsmen and Lots herdsmen, Abraham, not Lot takes the initiative to settle the dispute. When there is a war, he is captured by the enemy coalition. Yes, he does take the initiative in offering his daughters to the mob, but this offer is rejected. As he is about to be lynched by the mob, he is saved by the very guests he sought to protect. When the angels tell him to leave because they are about to destroy Sodom, Lot lingered so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and left him outside the city (Gen 19:16). Lot is a fool. In the Bible, wisdom is the ability to make the right choices. And this ability comes from the fear of the Lord, which, as the book of Proverbs reminds us, is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7, 9:10). Lot chooses what seems right to him, but its end leads to death (Prov 14:12, 16:25). Lot is a fool. Even his daughters fiancs mock him and refuse to take him seriously when at the angels behest he pleads with them to leave the city that is about to be destroyed (Gen 19:14). Why is Lot a fool? Wisdom tradition defines the fool as the one who has said in his heart, There is no God (Ps 14:1). Of course, the Bible is not talking about atheists, as we understand theoretical and philosophical atheism today. Lot is not a theoretical atheist. Lot is a practical atheist. He lives as if there is no God. Unlike the wise man of Psalm 1, who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, Lot chooses to live in Sodom, though the reader knows that the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord (Gen 13:13).
10 Rickett 2011:48-9. 11 Wenham 1987:297.

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Not once does Lot pray or even join Abraham in prayer in the entire trilogy of stories about him. By separating himself from Abraham, Lot separates himself from the blessing. He ends up living in a land that is cursed, and living a life that is cursed. He ends up begetting children who will become a curse to Israel. Lot reminds me of people who enjoy some kind of relationship with people of the promisepeople of the Word. They are married to them, or their children, or work in their institutions, or live in countries where the promise is known. But these people, like Lot, have made a choicea tragic choice to separate themselves from the promise. They have chosen to live outside the Promised Land because they are lured by the false promises of another seemingly more attractive land. But the story does not have a tragic ending. Despite his initial disobedience, God does not withdraw the promises from Abraham. Instead, God permits Lot to withdraw himself from Abraham. And despite Lots foolish choices, God saves him from the destruction of Sodom. Why? Not because Lot is righteous in any way, but because God remembered Abraham (Gen 19:29). In the years to come God will overturn the curse of Lot. Lot chose to separate himself from the blessing by separating himself from the people of the promise and the land of the promise. In the years to come, one of Lots descendants, a Moabite by the name of Ruth, will refuse to part from her mother-in-law Naomi and will say to her, Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God (Ruth 1:16). Ruth will become the ancestress of Jesus the Messiah in whom all Gods promises to Abraham are Yes and Amen (2Cor 1:20), who will confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (Rom 15:8) and who will make us inheritors of the same promises. Amen.
Reverend Canon Dr Jules Gomes Dwelly Raven Canon and Lecturer in Old Testament Liverpool Cathedral and Liverpool Hope University