The foregoing weakness manifested by Abraham shows us further that, although he was a great man who had faith in God, he had not matured in the spiritual life. That he was immature can be proved also by the fact that he remarried and begot children after Sarah’s death (Gen. 25:1-2). This also is a negative model, showing that a person may be called, have faith, live in fellowship with God, and be led by God in his living and actions, yet he may not be fully transformed and may not be a complete pattern.
As one of the historical figures in the Bible, Abraham cannot signify a complete, spiritually mature person; he can signify only the initial stage of the experience and life of a spiritually mature person, a stage that includes such experiences as God’s calling, justification by faith, living the life of faith, and the living that is in fellowship with God. Isaac and Jacob with Joseph were still needed to complete the latter stage in the experience and life of a complete, spiritually mature person. This latter stage includes the inheriting of grace, not using self-effort, and the restful enjoyment of the riches of Christ, signified by Isaac; being dealt with by God, transformation, and maturity, signified by Jacob; and reigning for God, signified by Joseph. Hence, although the Triune God is one, He became the God of those three persons—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exo. 3:15). In spiritual significance, those three represent the three aspects of a spiritually mature person, just as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the three aspects of the one unique God. The God of Abraham denotes mainly God the Father, the God of Isaac denotes mainly God the Son, and the God of Jacob denotes mainly God the Spirit. The three aspects of the Triune God are for, and they also correspond to, the three parts of the experience and life of a complete, spiritually mature person.
Lot was Abraham’s nephew (Gen. 11:31; 12:5); he received God’s grace with Abraham, and they became brothers before God (Gen. 13:8; 14:14). Although Lot was never clearly called by God as Abraham was, he participated in God’s calling simply because he was willing to follow his uncle, who was called. According to the record in Genesis, Abraham took care of Lot as a brother before the Lord. Of course, in taking by faith the way of God’s redemption and life, Lot must have received help from Abraham.
Although Lot followed Abraham to take the way of faith in God, because the two had many flocks and herds and great substance, Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen strove with one another and were not in accord. Abraham gave in to Lot, seeing him as a brother; yet Lot, tempted by material substance, chose, based on his sight, the land that was rich and well watered and thus separated himself from Abraham (Gen. 13:6, 8-11), taking the way of going back to the world. Although he did not return to Chaldea, a place of idols, or go down to Egypt, a place of worldly riches and pleasure, he was attracted by Sodom, a city of sin. Perhaps he knew that Sodom was exceedingly wicked and sinful before God, yet he still moved there gradually (Gen. 13:12-13). Although he was warned and disciplined after Abraham rescued him from his captivity, into which he had been taken because of his staying in Sodom (Gen. 14:12-16), he did not go back to Abraham. Rather, he still missed Sodom and went back to the wicked city that was condemned by God. He even lived there and was a local leader, as indicated by his sitting in the gate of the city (Gen. 19:1), until Sodom was judged by God and destroyed by the burning fire (Gen. 19:1-25).