Sodom or Salem: Choosing Peace Over Destruction

Aug 09, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Choosing the Jordan Valley While Ignoring the Shadow of Sodom

A lush valley glistens with promise, yet hides a future of scorched earth. Lot’s choice teaches that short-term gains often mask long-term costs. What looks like Eden today might become a wasteland tomorrow. Every decision carries spiritual fingerprints—alignment with God’s heart or compromise with chaos. The world’s “well-watered” offers often distract from eternal nourishment. True wisdom weighs beauty against holiness. [35:51]

Then Lot looked around and saw the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the Lord’s garden, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely against the Lord.
(Genesis 13:10–13, ESV)

Reflection: What “well-watered” choice in your life feels appealing but risks pulling you toward compromise? How might shifting your focus from immediate comfort to eternal alignment change your next decision?

Day 2: Letting Go of Land to Hold Onto Promise

Abram surrenders the “best” land, trusting God’s unseen map. His open hands model faith: releasing control to receive divine abundance. God’s promises don’t shrink when we yield—they expand. The hills of Canaan become classrooms for trust. True inheritance isn’t soil but the One who owns every acre. [41:41]

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
(Genesis 13:14–17, ESV)

Reflection: What have you tightly gripped that God is asking you to release? How might obedience in letting go become the doorway to His greater provision?

Day 3: Tithing as a Declaration Against Possession’s Grip

Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything, breaking Sodom’s claim on his identity. Tithing isn’t transaction—it’s warfare against greed’s whisper. Every dollar surrendered shouts, “God owns me.” Financial obedience loosens materialism’s chokehold. The altar of giving dismantles the throne of wealth. [53:15]

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
(Genesis 14:18–20, ESV)

Reflection: Does your giving feel like reluctant duty or joyful rebellion against money’s control? What fear would you confront by increasing your intentional generosity this week?

Day 4: The Anchor-Priest Who Outranks Every King

Melchizedek’s bread and wine point beyond himself—to a greater Priest who anchors souls. Jesus enters the holy place not with temporary sacrifices, but with His own blood. His priesthood transcends time, turning tithes into worship and doubt into hope. [50:23]

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
(Hebrews 6:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: When storms threaten your stability, how might fixing your gaze on Christ the Anchor change your perspective? What “rough seas” do you need to entrust to Him today?

Day 5: Sodom’s Scorch or Salem’s Peace—The Choice That Defines

Two cities beckon: one promises glittering compromise, the other costly peace. Lot’s tents edge toward Sodom; Abram’s altars face Salem. Every heart camps near one city or the other. The King of Peace waits, not demanding tribute but offering redemption. Final allegiance determines eternal destiny. [57:19]

The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
(Psalm 110:4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you pitched your tent too close to “Sodom’s” influence? What practical step would move you toward wholehearted alignment with Christ, the Prince of Peace?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 13 puts a simple but weighty question on the table: choices really do determine destiny. The shrinking shirts and the chips at Mexican food make the point plain. A person can work out four times a week and still not outrun the kitchen. In the same way, a person cannot outrun the spiritual direction of daily choices.

The text brings Abram and Lot to a moment of decision. God had promised Abram the land, yet Abram chooses peace over grasping. Abram tells Lot to pick a side, even though Abram did not have to give him that option. The choice of Lot looks wise on the surface because the Jordan plain is “well watered everywhere,” beautiful like the Lord’s garden and like Egypt. But Genesis pulls no punches. The place that looks like Eden sits near Sodom, and “the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely against the Lord.”

The movement eastward matters. The Bible has already used eastward movement as a picture of leaving the presence of God after Eden. Lot pitches his tents near Sodom, and proximity becomes alignment. The bright, shiny place becomes a hook. The question becomes clear: will a person be aligned with Sodom or Salem?

God meets Abram after the separation and reminds him that the promise still stands. Abram may be willing to give away land for peace, but God does not take back covenant. God’s faithfulness is not dependent on circumstance or even on Abram’s attempt to yield the best land to Lot. God says the land still belongs to Abram and his offspring forever.

Genesis 14 then shows what comes with Lot’s choice. War breaks out, Sodom is conquered, and Lot is swept up with the city he chose. Abram rescues him, defeats the kings, and comes back with the people and possessions. Then two kings meet Abram: the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, king of Salem.

Melchizedek matters because Salem means peace, and he is both king and priest of God Most High. Abram gives him a tenth, not because God needs money, but because tithing is allegiance and faith. It says, “Money doesn’t own me, God does.” Melchizedek points forward to Jesus, the true King and the great High Priest, the one Hebrews calls “an anchor for the soul.”

The king of Sodom offers Abram wealth, but Abram refuses even a thread or sandal strap. Sodom will not get to say, “I made Abram rich.” The world will try to name, claim, and own the heart, but faith chooses Salem. Sodom means scorched, Gomorrah means ruined heap, and Salem means peace. The call is not to give Jesus only ten percent of life, but all of it.

Key Takeaways

1. Choices quietly set spiritual direction The choice of Lot looked smart because the land looked lush, productive, and full of promise. Genesis shows that the issue was not merely geography, but allegiance formed through proximity. The beautiful place became dangerous because it drew Lot near a city already “sinning immensely against the Lord.” [39:32]
2. God’s covenant outlasts human loss Abram gave Lot the first choice, and Lot took what appeared to be the best land. God still came to Abram and repeated the promise because divine faithfulness is not fragile. The covenant did not shrink because Abram chose peace instead of grasping. [41:41]
3. Tithing is allegiance, not dues Abram’s gift to Melchizedek was not a payment plan or a religious fee. The tithe declared that God Most High had given the victory and would be trusted with the future. Money has a strange power to own the heart, and giving pushes back by saying, “Money doesn’t own me, God does.” [53:15]
4. Jesus is the better priest Melchizedek stands in Genesis as a king of peace and a priest of God Most High. Psalm 110 and Hebrews pick up that thread and show Jesus as the true fulfillment, the priest forever who enters the holy place on behalf of sinners. Salvation rests on a High Priest who is also the sacrifice. [50:23]
5. Sodom offers hooks, Salem offers peace The king of Sodom offered Abram wealth, but Abram refused even a thread because he wanted no claim from wickedness on his life. Sodom may look useful for a season, but it ends as scorched ground and a ruined heap. Salem points to peace, and that peace finds its true King in Jesus Christ. [56:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:27] - Finding a Home at First Baptist
[28:03] - Inviting Your One
[30:10] - Shrinking Shirts and Daily Choices
[32:18] - Genesis 13 and the Faith Journey
[33:56] - Abram and Lot Separate
[35:51] - Lot Chooses the Jordan Plain
[38:56] - Eastward Toward Sodom
[40:14] - Sodom or Salem
[41:41] - God Repeats His Promise
[42:21] - War Comes to Lot’s City
[45:47] - Melchizedek, King of Salem
[49:23] - A Priest Forever
[52:20] - Tithing as Allegiance and Faith
[55:16] - Abram Refuses Sodom’s Wealth
[58:34] - Choosing Peace in Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 13:8-18
“So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 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.’ And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord. The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.’ So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.” [32:49] [33:56]

Genesis 14:17-24
“After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.’ But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, “I have made Abram rich.” I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.’” [45:13] [55:30]

Hebrews 6:19-20
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” [50:23]

Psalm 110:4
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’” [49:29]

Observation questions

In Genesis 13, what details made Lot’s choice look attractive at first, and what warning does the passage give about the place he chose? [39:32]
After Lot separated from Abram, what exactly did God promise Abram about the land and his offspring?
In Genesis 14, which two kings came out to meet Abram after the battle, and how did Abram respond differently to each one? [45:47]
What specific words in Genesis 14 show that Abram did not want the king of Sodom to claim any credit for making him rich? [55:30]

Interpretation questions

Abram had already been promised the land, yet he let Lot choose first. What does that reveal about Abram’s trust in God and his desire for peace instead of grasping? [41:41]
Lot moved his tents near Sodom before he was fully caught up in Sodom’s troubles. What does that suggest about how small choices and close proximity can slowly shape a person’s allegiance? [40:14]
Abram gave a tenth to Melchizedek, priest of God Most High. Why does that act seem to mean more than generosity, and how does it show faith and allegiance? [53:15]
Psalm 110 and Hebrews 6 connect Melchizedek to Jesus. Why does it matter that Jesus is not only King but also a priest forever, and how does that bring peace to a sinner? [50:23]

Application questions

Choices really do set spiritual direction. What small repeated choice in life right now is pulling the heart either closer to Christ or closer to compromise? [32:18]
Lot chose what looked lush and promising, but it placed him near deep wickedness. Where does something bright, useful, or appealing in life carry a spiritual danger for the group right now? [56:59]
Proximity became alignment for Lot. Are there relationships, habits, forms of entertainment, or patterns online that keep putting the heart “near Sodom”? What would it look like to create wiser distance? [58:50]
God’s faithfulness did not shrink when Abram gave up what looked like the better land. Where might someone be tempted to grasp, control, or fight for something instead of trusting God to keep His promise? [41:41]
Tithing says, “Money doesn’t own me, God does.” What tends to stir up fear or control when it comes to money, and what would trusting God more deeply look like in a practical way? [54:58]
Abram refused even a thread from Sodom because he did not want wickedness to have a hook in him. What “hooks” from the world are hardest to refuse right now—approval, comfort, success, image, pleasure, or something else? [56:33]
Jesus is the true King of peace and the anchor for the soul. What would it look like this week to give Him not just ten percent of life, but all of it? [59:57]

Sermon Clips

45s

#GodsUnbreakablePromise

“Even though Abram tries to give away part of the promised land, God's like, no. No. I made the promise to you. And even though Abraham's willing to sacrifice land for peace, god's like, no. All this land is yours. And I'll give it to you and your offspring forever. You see, when god makes a covenant with somebody, he's never gonna take it back. And when we think about the goodness and the promises of God, we need to understand that his faithfulness is not dependent on our circumstances or our choices. He's always still gonna be faithful. And God promises to Abram after he gives the best to Lot that he's still gonna be with him and he's gonna be for him because that's what it looks like when we choose god.”

27s

#TitheOfFaith

“And tithing goes against that saying, money doesn't own me, God does. And Abram chooses to pledge allegiance to the Lord by giving his tithe to Melchizedek. He didn't have to do it, but he does it because he's grateful for what god has done and he's in faith choosing to trust that god will always be there for him.”

47s

#SodomOrSalem

“And here's what we're gonna be finding throughout this sermon. This is the central question that we're gonna be asking over and over again. Will you choose to be aligned with Sodom or Salem? There are two cities that you're gonna see. The city of Sodom and the city of Salem, and they are indicative of the choices that we make as people when we choose who we're gonna live among and what we're gonna be about and how we're gonna find our allegiance to the city that we're in. What does it look like for us to be the kind of people who choose wisely? Because all of us have choices in our life. And so you find Abram and Lot choosing where they're gonna live. Lot chooses the plain. Abram takes the Highlands.”

42s

#TithingIsAllegiance

“a lot of us don't really understand what tithing is. We're like, okay. Is this just like paying, like, our membership dues or, you know, what is this thing? Like, do we have to do this? Is this a New Testament thing or is this simply an Old Testament thing? Like, should we do this? Like, what's the point of doing this? Can't God just like come up with that on his own? And, yes, God never really needs our money. But tithing is about allegiance and faith. That's the principle we see here. There's there's a claim that Abram is making here when he gives back to the lord. He's saying, god, I'm choosing to have my allegiance and my faith in you. That's why I'm giving.”

48s

#MoneyCanOwnYou

“Because here's the thing about money that many of us don't realize is that money has the ability to own us unlike anything else. And if we're not careful, the things that we own can own us. We can find our own worth and our own value in them. We can find ourselves, like, possessed by our possessions. It is a weird thing where the more wealth that we have, often we can feel that we are more powerful or we're better, and you know this because, like, when you meet somebody who's got great wealth, what do you feel? Well, you feel like you wanna curry their favor or you feel like, hey, man, they've got a lot. I need to make sure that I that I mind my peace and my IQs. There's this thing about money that just changes us. This is one of the greatest things that can take our heart away from the worship of God.”

76s

#ChooseSalemPeace

“We all can be like Lot and choose to be close to the bright shiny thing and hope that we can, like, have the best of both worlds, but it doesn't look that way. By faith, we have to choose Salem, peace. And it's interesting to see how these names play off one another. You see, the word Sodom means scorched. The word Gomorrah means a ruined heap. And we don't know if these names are really their names when they were thriving cities. I mean, I'm sure they're always like, hey, welcome to scorched. Like, nobody's like thinking, like, that's a great name for a city. It's after the fact. They're naming it for what it became. But Salem, the word peace, man, that's something worth staking your life on. You know, it's interesting that one of the names of Jesus that he is what? The prince of peace. God offers peace to you and to me, and we have a choice as to what we're gonna cling to, what we're gonna choose, what we're gonna love, what we're gonna be a part of. And just like Abraham and Lot, we have a choice, Sodom or Salem. And question is, which one will you choose?”

81s

#PledgeYourLifeToJesus

“know there's some in this room who are here because a friend brought you or you're watching online or on television screen. And right now you know that you've been choosing destruction. But you don't have to stay there. You can always make a good choice that redeems the bad choices that you've made. There's always a way out. And today, that way out is only found in Jesus Christ. And so I don't know what you're carrying today. I guarantee that you have no desire to see your life a scorched, ruined heap, but you're longing for peace. And so the way that you get there is simply saying, I'm pledging my allegiance, my heart, my life to Jesus. The one that Melchizedek points to, the one that peace points to, the hope of the world, and you can do that by simply just giving your life to Jesus right now. So I'm gonna encourage you to do that. If you've not done that, here's your opportunity. Don't leave this place without getting right with God.”

61s

#TitheIsWorship

“See, giving's more about us and the position of our heart, our choices, who we wanna be, rather than just giving the money. And if you're asking, is this a New Testament thing? The answer is definitely yes because it's both before the law, during the law, and afterwards. In the book of Hebrews, he's like, this is what it looks like. Now, when we give, it's ultimately about us saying, God, you have blessed us, and we continue to put our faith and confidence that the next time that we receive a blessing, it's gonna be there because you're faithful. We're putting our hope and our confidence in you, in how much we have in our bank account. See, when we tithe, we, like Abram, pledge our allegiance to God. That's what you're doing. It's an act of worship. Every time I send my tithe check off, I'm always like, God, this is from you and it's for you and I trust you with all of it.”

39s

#IChooseJesus

“And I want you to just pray this prayer with me right now. Just pray this. Jesus, I choose you. I choose you. I give my life to you today, now, and forever. I want you. I want the high priest who gave himself for me. I want Jesus. And I'm giving you my life, all of it. Not not just part of it, but I'm choosing to pledge allegiance to you all my days until you come back.”

59s

#MelchizedekTypeOfChrist

“there's a lot going on here, but what we need to understand is that this man is an important figure because he gives us an understanding of Jesus Christ. Now some don't know really what to do with him. Some might say that Melchizedek was Jesus, that he was just Jesus before he came in the flesh, fully if it's a form of a baby, fully god and man. So some would say this is the pre incarnate Christ showing up to Abram because the way that they interact is very, very interesting because Abram gives him the tithe. most likely, this is not Jesus, but he is somebody that gives us an insight into who Jesus is. He's a he's a shadow. He's a type. He's somebody that reminds us of who Jesus is and gives us an aspect of his character. He's a prefigurement of Jesus Christ.”

48s

#MelchizedekBridgesScripture

“And you find his story taught three different times in the bible. Here, where Abram meets him, in the Psalms when king David does a prophecy about him, and then in the book of Hebrews. So he's somebody who's before the law. He's somebody that happens in the middle of the kingdom of Israel, and then he's somebody that is taught about after the cross. So you find him bridging the entire bible. And this is what it says in Psalm one ten verse four. King David writes a psalm that gives us data, information, insight into the coming messiah. It's all about Jesus in Psalm one ten. In fact, if want you extra credit, go read it later after we get done with the sermon.”

67s

#ChoicesDetermineDestiny

“And what I've realized over the last years as I've gotten older, because when you're young, can just eat whatever, like a pizza at midnight, you're like, yeah, I must look the same. Right? But as you get older, your metabolism slows down and a truth has become very present in my life, which is it doesn't matter how much you work out because you can't outrun the kitchen. You can't. Like, you work out all the time. I was working out four times a week, CrossFit, still gaining weight. I was, like, lying to myself. It's I was, it's muscle. It wasn't muscle. Okay? It was it was definitely not muscle. So all of us have to choose what we eat. So I started doing accountability using the AI app, tracked all my food. I realized, instead of chips, I need to choose a cup of yogurt. Right? I had to choose wisely. And our choices really do determine our destiny. So today, we're gonna be talking about choice, this idea of choosing, choosing wisely, because it's not just about shifts, it's about life.”

67s

#ChooseWhatYouEat

45s

#AvoidQuarreling

“He's also there with his nephew, Lot. And Lot also has a very large following and is also very wealthy. And he has his own sheep and goats and farm animals, and so they begin to have competition over land rights and who can have the watering wells. And so you find that the people that work for Abraham and people that work for Lot start to fight with one another because there's not enough space. They're they're they're on top of one another. And so, Abram looks at Lot and says, okay, this is what I want you to do. I want you to look and pick where you wanna live in the land and I'll go to the other side. Cause there should be no quarreling between us.”

31s

#GiveTenPercent

“And so what the writer of Hebrews is saying is that the reason we believe that Jesus is a better priesthood, a better order of priesthood, is because the ancestor of all the priests tithed to Melchizedek, which brings us to a principle on tithing. What's tithing? Tithing is giving 10% of your income, whatever you receive, back to the lord and trusting him with it. That's what tithing is. And”

42s

#ComeToTheAltar

“We're gonna take a moment, and we're gonna respond and worship. And if you feel like you need to come to the altar and pray, if you need to confess sin, if you're like, I've gotten close too close to the city of Sodom, I need to return to the Lord. If you feel like I need to repent and believe today, if you wanna talk to somebody, some of our ministers will be front these aisles, you can come pray at the altar. We would love to just give you this opportunity to pray to the Lord. Let's pray now. God, as we worship, move in our hearts. Amen.”

38s

#AbramLetsLotChoose

“And keep in mind, like, Abram didn't have to do this. Like, God had promised him the entire land. God told Abram that I'm gonna give this land to you and your descendants forever. But here Abram goes, I'm willing to let Lot have the choice as to where he wants to live. And so Lot looks out over the land. They're probably standing at one of the high mountains that there is in Israel, and you can go there today. You can see that there's very hilly terrain. They're probably standing at a lookout, and Lot looks over the land, and he chooses to live in the best place in the land,”

67s

#MelchizedekBlessing

“So he's the one who's the king of the city that David claimed as his capital forever. King David conquered it, created it as the capital of the nation of Israel. Today, many of us have traveled there. Israel is centered around the conflict often happening in Jerusalem. It's where the temple was built. It's the place where Jesus lived and preached, died, and then rose again. It's the most central point on the planet. Melchizedek is the king of Salem, but he's also a priest. A priest not just of the gods of the Canaanites, he follows the one true God. He understands God, follows the same God that Abraham is following. And when he comes, he brings a blessing and he brings food for Abraham and his soldiers, and he blesses Abram. And Abram then gives him a tithe. He gives him 10% of all the spoils that he won in the war.”

36s

#SalemMeansPeace

“Now, the king of Salem shows up and his name is Melchizedek, and he's an incredibly important person for you to know about if you wanna know how your bible fits together. Melchizedek is the king of Salem. It's a name that might ring a bell. You may have known of a city in America called Salem or town because many of our people who, like, ended up settling this area were very religious people, and so they've held fast to this word. The word Salem means peace.”

35s

#ReachOne

“what it looks like for us to be a church that's on mission and what it looks like for us to love our friends and our neighbors. And what we've been saying over and over again is that every single person in this room has one person that they would love to see in heaven with them. Every single person has one person that they're praying for, that they stay up late at night thinking about. I've got multiple people like that in my life. And what we're saying here is what would it look like for us as a family, as a church family to go be about that one person?”

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