This week’s devotion…
“O Little Town of… Zoar?”
He said to him, ‘Very well, I grant you this favour too, and will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.’ Therefore the city was called Zoar. –Genesis 19:21-22
Ever heard of Zoar?
I’m betting you haven’t. The name pops up 9 times in the Old Testament, mostly in the book of Genesis. ‘Zoar’ actually means ‘little’–it was a small town out on the plain of Jordan. We don’t know much about it, but it has one major claim to fame: God didn’t destroy it.
Apparently, it was scheduled for demolition, along with a couple other nearby towns. (Ever hear of Sodom and Gomorrah?) But because of the pleas by a man named Lot, God let the city stand.
Do you remember Lot? He was the son of Abraham. Lot had grown up and moved away from his dad, to Sodom. Now this might not have been the best place to live. Apparently there were all kinds of wicked people in this town. When God got fed up and decided to destroy the towns, it was Lot’s dad, Abraham, who begged God to show mercy. God finally agreed that even if 10 good people were found in the town, it wouldn’t be destroyed.
So God’s angels came to Sodom to investigate, but the only good folks they could find were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters. The angels escorted Lot’s family out of town and told them to head for the hills.
Instead, Lot begged to be allowed to take refuge in the nearby little town of Zoar. God agreed not to destroy Zoar so that Lot and his family could hide there. In the end, Lot and his two daughters made it out of Sodom alive. (Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt as she looked back.)
And so? Fire and Sulphur rained down, destroying the two larger nearby towns. But not Zoar.
Hooray for Zoar, right? Well, here’s the kicker: The town of Zoar wasn’t much (if any) better than the other two towns. Lot and his two daughters were actually afraid to stay in town because of what people there might do to them. So they moved up into the mountains and lived in a cave. And the wicked people of Zoar got a reprieve without even knowing about Lot’s intervention.
So, what’s the moral of this story? Well, I for one have never much cared for this tale–the God Jesus invites us into relationship with is not the same vengeful angry God we read about here. But it does bring this thought to mind: Sometimes good things happen to you even when you don’t deserve it.
Look around, next time an unexpected blessing falls into your lap. Like the town of Zoar, you might be the benefit of somebody else’s answered prayer.
Don’t let that blessing go to waste! Remember…
You may have a Lot to be thankful for.
Have a great week,
Mitch
