0:00:00 - 0:00:25 I'd like to dig into the story of lot a little bit to illustrate a principle which is that we should be trusting God the first time. So often in life, we face situations where we get directions from God and we choose to argue with him or delay or push towards something that is somewhere between the good 0:00:25 - 0:00:49 that he's offering us and where we currently stand, it's always much better to just accept the gift that he's giving. So, um, before we jump into reading a passage from Genesis 19, we need to make clear what this town was called. Zoar Zohar, you've heard of Sodom. You've heard, heard of Gomorrah. You 0:00:48 - 0:01:12 probably have not heard of Zohar. It was a, a town that was geographically close to Sodom and Gomorrah. It was in the same region in the same plain and it had a similar culture. Now, you could read through Genesis 1310 or Genesis 14 8. And that's what, you know, it gives evidence for. I'm gonna skip 0:01:12 - 0:01:40 that because I'm actually, I'm losing my voice. But the point is that in all likelihood, Zoar was guilty of the same exact sins as Sodom and Gomorrah, they were doing the same things and they had every reason to repent just like Sodom and Gomorrah. So what happens? Well, what happens is Abraham speaks 0:01:40 - 0:02:00 to the three angels, the three angels come to visit lot, the whole town encroaches and tries to get these people out and do terrible things to them. The angels tell lot to get out of there and he lingers, it says, and they actually grab him by the hand and pull him out of the city and that's where this 0:02:00 - 0:00:00 picks up. So they're out of the city, but they're still close enough. So he says, one of the angels says to lot. He says in verse 17, escape for thy life. Look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. So you think after all of this, you know, 0:00:00 - 0:02:49 these, these men lot accepted them as messengers from God. He saw them work this miracle where he blinded the people that were trying to hurt them. They had pulled him out of the city and done all these things. And, and instead of saying, ok, great, thanks a lot for the help. I'll head off to that mountain 0:02:49 - 0:03:15 . Here's what lot says in verse 18. 0, not so my Lord behold. Now thy servant hath found grace in thy sight and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed me in saving my life and I cannot escape to the mountain lest some evil take me and I die. Now, how silly is it for a person to accept 0:03:14 - 0:03:39 that? In this case? Three people have enough supernatural power and connection to God, whatever that they can work this mighty miracle that he just saw happen and you're gonna follow them that far. But then when they say, yeah, God's gonna destroy all this place. So you need to go over there. You say 0:03:38 - 0:04:04 no, I got a better idea. So what does lot say? What's his better idea? Behold? Now this city is near to flee unto and it's a little one. Oh, let me escape thither. Is it not a little one? And my soul shall live. In other words, he's saying, I'm really not going to be happy in that mountain. My soul wants 0:04:03 - 0:04:26 to live in cities in the plane and here's why you should let me live there because it's close by. That's a terrible reason. That's actually an anti reason because remember geographical distance is connected to culture that those cities are going to be destroyed because of what they believe and do. And 0:04:26 - 0:04:50 the other reason is because it's a little place. In other words, it can't be that bad. It's just tiny. How evil can just a few people be? These are terrible reasons. So stacking up what reasons he has to believe these three messengers versus what reasons he has to disagree with them. They're terrible 0:04:50 - 0:05:18 reasons. Verse 21 and he, he is one of these three folks said unto him. See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also that I will not overthrow this city for the, which thou hast spoken. And it was o and so the, the city of Zoar was spared because of lot, lots of consistent desire for things that 0:05:18 - 0:05:39 are less than what is best. Now skipping down a few verses. We don't know how soon, but at some point and it may have been immediately after the cities were destroyed because this was all before the fire started raining down. He says, the messenger says, I cannot do anything till thou become thither 0:05:39 - 0:06:01 . So lot goes to the city. God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities around there. And then at some point after that, in verse thir 30 it says lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountain and his two daughters with him for he feared to dwell in Zoar and he dwelt in a cave, he and his 0:06:00 - 0:06:27 two daughters. So all of a sudden that cave started looking pretty good. So when it's not raining fire and brimstone, a mountain might not be where you want to go. Even when angels tell you it's going to rain fire and brimstone. But all of a sudden when it starts raining fire in brimstone, whatever place 0:06:26 - 0:07:04 you picked instead of the mountain doesn't look so hot. What's the lesson here? Why do we require God to beat us into obedience. Why don't we just use the evidence he provides and honestly respond if God tells you it's gonna rain fire in brimstone. Do you wanna be in one of the cities appointed for destruction 0:07:03 - 0:07:31 because it's so wicked? Or do you want to go to a safe place that He tells you about caves? Only look bad for people who think it's ok to live in cities when the conditions change, that those cities aren't livable caves start looking pretty good. Now, this wasn't the first time in lot's life that he 0:07:31 - 0:07:57 had shown gross poor judgment in preferring a city over an alternative. He was given the choice by Abraham of the plane or someplace else. He picked the plane because it had these cities on it look shiny. And then at some point, he went from the the plane to the city proper and that's not in the story 0:07:57 - 0:08:22 . I don't know exactly what happened there. And then he was hauled out of the city with the other citizens when it was invaded by a foreign army. And then Abraham brought them all back and he stayed in the city. He could have gone somewhere else including back with Abraham, which probably would have 0:08:22 - 0:08:44 been the obvious right thing to do the best thing to do. Because if, if you're in a situation where you're overcome, then the person who overcomes that probably has something better to offer you than whatever you had before. Then when the angels come, he says, can I go to Zoar? I really like cities man 0:08:44 - 0:09:06 . But then he went to the mountain after he saw the consequences that God had seen from the beginning. Now it adds insult to injury that he only goes to the mountain after he doesn't have to anymore. He doesn't go to the mountain because he doesn't trust God enough to do it when he's told to do it. And 0:09:06 - 0:09:32 then he goes to the mountain when he doesn't have to. Because the, the servants said, yeah, go to Zoar, you'll be spared and he won't even stay there. He goes to the mountain after that. He does the worst possible thing every single time, one point to make here is that every choice he makes here, it 0:09:32 - 0:09:53 permanently degrades every other choice he can make after that. And that's something people don't like to think about. But a lot of things, a lot of choices in life, you get one chance and that's it. That doesn't refer to repentance in our, our spiritual well being, but it does refer to our temporal 0:09:53 - 0:10:19 well being there. There aren't do overs to most things in life and that's why it's so important to trust God early. He knows the long term consequences of everything. If He tells you to do something and he gives you sufficient reasons, you should do it. God knows everything. Second Nephi 920 0 how great 0:10:19 - 0:10:42 the holiness of our God for He knoweth all things and there is not anything save He knows it. Everything He does is for the greatest benefit. That means it's impossible to have a better idea. Meaning it's impossible to have an idea that will land you in a better place than whatever he tells you. Second 0:10:41 - 0:11:04 Nephi 2624 he doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world. And this verse is really explicit in helping us see that that includes He's not gonna tell you to do something just to make his life easier. Says he loveth the world. Even that he lay down his own life that he may draw all men 0:11:03 - 0:11:30 to Him. Everything God does is through faith. And the more overly obvious it is the less He can bless us. 1st 5712 says yay. And how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will for the Children of men? If it so be that they exercise faith in Him, wherefore 0:11:29 - 0:11:45 let us be faithful to Him. The greatest blessings that God has to offer are only available to those who surrender completely to Him. Don't be like lot.