Think You're Righteous?

What makes us righteous?

The definition of righteous is "acting in accord with divine or moral law :  free from guilt or sin."

I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume that the first person who people think of when the word righteous is mentioned is NOT Lot. (Sodom and Gomorrah, wife turned into a pillar of salt, just not exactly hero of the faith material here.) And yet, in reading and digesting 2 Peter 2 this last month with some great Bible study partners, one verse stopped me in my tracks:

"...and if He rescued righteous Lot..." 2 Peter 2:7a

Righteous Lot. Righteous Lot? Okay, I clearly needed to re-read the story of Lot. Let's do a little review together.

* The first mention of Lot comes in Genesis 11, he is the nephew of Abram who, as we all know, later becomes Abraham. So he's related to one of the biggest heroes in the faith (just see Hebrews 11). Okay, so he has that going for him, but we still don't know much about him.

* The second mention of Lot is in Genesis 13. Lot had been traveling with Abram, following him wherever he went. The land couldn't support all of their livestock, and their herdsmen were fighting about it. Abram intervenes and suggests to Lot that they part ways. Note that Abram is being the bigger man - he brings up the issue, suggests a peaceable compromise, and offers Lot the first pick of where he wants to go (Genesis 13:8-9).

* What does Lot do? He picks the entire Jordan Valley for himself. The one that was "well watered everywhere like the LORD's garden and the land of Egypt." (Genesis 13:10) Not exactly the sacrificial type, apparently.

* And where does he set up tent? "Lot lived in the cities of the valley and set up his tent near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning greatly against the Lord." (Genesis 13:12, emphasis mine) Not only did he live in the area, he chose to live near utter corruption and disobedience.

* Time passes. Lot's living in Sodom now, and he has the bad luck of being taken captive when four kings wage war on the area and decide to capture him right along with the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abram hears about it and rescues him, everything ends well. (Genesis 14:11-17) Still not seeing a whole lot of righteous deeds on Lot's part. And he apparently goes right back to living in the midst of sin, because the next time we see him he's back in Sodom.

* Genesis 19 gives us the well-known account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the most information about Lot. Overview of the story:
He starts off on the right foot - two angels enter Sodom, and Lot sees them and invites them to spend the night at his house. They turn him down, but he urges them so strongly that they eventually agree. (v 1-3) He is a good host, serves them a feast. (v 3) But before they can go to bed, the men of the city surround his house and tell Lot to send out the two visitors so they can have sex with them. Lot refuses. This is good. He instead offers to send out his two virgin daughters for them to rape. Uh... this is NOT good. (v 4-8) The angels intervene, save Lot from the situation, and then tell him to get out of the city and warn his family because the LORD is going to destroy the city. Lot goes and tells his future sons-in-law, who think he's joking. (v 14) In the morning he is still there. The angels have to urge him again to leave.

And what does Lot do?

He hesitates. (v 16)

He cannot pry himself away from this depraved culture in which he has entrenched himself. Even though 2 Peter 2:7b-8 states, "Lot, distressed by the unrestrained behavior of the immoral (for as he lived among them, that righteous man tormented himself day by day with the lawless deeds he saw and heard)", he still couldn't bring himself to leave.

So what does the LORD do?

"Because of the LORD's compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters. Then they brought him out and left him outside the city." (Genesis 19:16)

I have always read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a story of judgment on evil. But now, I am reading it as a story of God's infinite compassion on one man. One man. One man who, from all accounts and appearances, didn't really have his act together.

And even after God rescued him in such a way, he had little faith (v 19). The wife he chose couldn't leave their ugly lifestyle behind her and had to pay the consequences (v 26). He lived in fear after the destruction of Sodom and wouldn't leave the mountain cave where he and his daughters had fled (v 30). Then on top of all this, he gets so drunk that he impregnates his daughter and doesn't remember. Twice. (v 32-35)

This is the man Peter called righteous? The tag-along, selfish, spineless, fearful drunkard?

Apparently so.

And beyond that, He blessed Lot by placing him the lineage to the Messiah. Lot's daughter had a son named Moab, who fathered the nation of Moab. Out of Moab came Ruth, grandmother to King David, beloved of the LORD.

It is completely mind-boggling. Now, granted, Lot isn't touted as someone to emulate. But that didn't change His status of righteousness in God's eyes. No matter how many times Lot failed, he was still God's son, and therefore under His protection and blessing.

So really, I must conclude that this story is not so much about Lot as it is about God. It was His compassion on Lot that saved him, it was His grace that redeemed him and gave him a position of honor in God's eternal plan.

But really, isn't it always about Him?

Our righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) Grace saved us so that no man can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Hallelujah, He is protecting our identity in Him until the day He returns. (1 Peter 1:5) He makes me righteous.

"He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"And be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ - the righteousness from God based on faith." Philippians 3:9

What Do You Expect?

I've been thinking about the radical way we celebrate Christmas, and how, as Christians, it seems that we place almost too much emphasis on the birth of Christ rather than His resurrection or ministry. Shouldn't Easter receive more attention? Why is Christmas such a huge deal?

But then I got to thinking about the age-old adage about Christ being the best gift you can receive at Christmas.
Have you ever received a gift that wasn't what you expected it to be? You open the box, look inside, and say, "Ooh... thanks... it's great." And you're not upset about it, you're not sad, it just isn't what you expected it to be. Hence, your response is polite and grateful, but not exuberant.
Then you take the gift home.
And you begin to use it in your daily life.
And you realize... this is a great gift! It's awesome! I really like it! And you think, "Man, if only I could go back and open it for the first time again and be as thankful for it then as I am now."

I think that's why Christmas is a big deal.

We didn't know what we were getting. We expected a King, and we got a baby. Not a bad thing, just... not what we were expecting Him to be. And so the response to His coming was quiet; grateful, but not exuberant; thankful but not overwhelmed.
Then He lived His life.
He changed the very nature of our communication with God.
He ripped open the gate between man and Creator.
And we realize looking back... He was a great gift! If we had known what He was going to do, how He was going to heal the sick and work miracles and reconcile the world to Himself through one ultimate sacrifice and triumph, we would have been shouting our lungs out in thankfulness. And so now we think, "Man, if only we could go back and see Him coming for the first time again and be as thankful for Him then as we are now."

The original gift is so incredibly important, because it contains everything else that comes after. Jesus as the sacrificial lamb was inside that baby. Jesus as the resurrected conqueror was inside that baby. The One who threw the stars into place was inside that baby. The entire scope of His revelation and nature was inside that baby.
That's an awesome gift.

So I am now wondering to myself, what is my reaction going to be when He comes again? Will I recognize the immense beauty in the gift being given?

The shepherds at Christ's first coming are usually the most talked-about visitors, how Jesus was first shown to humble workers instead of learned scholars. But what about the wise men? These men, highly esteemed and intelligent and noble, found the same King in a young boy's body. They weren't thrown off by it. They didn't take a look and say, "Oops. Guess we were off. We'll just take our not-age-appropriate-gifts and go away." They fell down and worshiped Him. They knew what they were looking for. They had been following His star, they had done their research, they had spent years of their lives pursuing Him before they ever saw Him. They weren't disillusioned when they met Him.

I want to be like those wise men. I want to prepare myself before He comes again so that when I see Him for the first time, I worship and give my very best. I don't know what His second coming is going to look like exactly. It might not be what I anticipate. He may not be exactly what I'm expecting. But I know He will be the best gift ever imagined, and I want to be ready to receive Him.