Hole in the Boat!


(If God) condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
2 Peter 2:6-10

How did the “filthy lives of lawless men” distress Abraham’s nephew Lot? The Bible even says that he was “tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.” Why should one man’s sin distress and torment another? Shouldn’t you be free to do whatever you want as long as it does not limit my own freedom to do what I want to?

The answer to that question might be seen in a short story about two men in a boat. The story is not true, but its message is absolutely true.

Two men decided to go out in a boat together to fish. Ed and Bob both knew how to fish and their families needed the food. Their first disagreement came when Ed and Bob both wanted to fish from the front of the boat. The boat was small and there was only room enough for one of them to fish from the front. Bob demanded his rights and Ed let Bob take his place fishing in the front of the boat. The second dispute came when they disagreed about where to fish. Ed wanted to fish above the dam and Bob wanted to fish near the beach in sight of the swimmers. Bob demanded his rights and they took the small boat near the beach. Finally, Bob decided that his feet were too hot and he took a small hatchet and began cutting a hole in the bottom of the boat to let the cool water come in around his feet. Ed protested loudly because he knew if Bob continued the boat would sink to the bottom. But Bob demanded his rights and Ed sat quietly while they both sank to the bottom with the boat!

The distress and torment of Lot may have been that he was seeing those around him destroying the very fabric of society. Lot knew that what the Sodomites were doing would bring on the judgment of God if left unchecked.

The unrighteousness of our Nation and the world is bringing once again the judgment of God. If you are not distressed and tormented by it then examine whether or not you are chopping away at the bottom of the boat yourself.

The good news for the Children of God is this: God will rescue you even as He rescued Lot and His family from Sodom. If you remember the story and especially Lot’s wife remember to keep your eyes on Jesus and DON’T LOOK BACK!