Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Luke 14:28-33 and Genesis 13:1-13

Are you familiar with the phrase “Pyrrhic victory”? A “Pyrrhic victory” is named after an ancient Greek General, Pyrrhus, who won a battle against Rome. The General won the battle, however, at such a high cost that he eventually lost the war. “Pyrrhic victory” reminds us that we can win a battle but still lose the war. In order to avoid a Pyrrhic victory one must learn to count the cost.

Jesus used military imagery to describe the choice of becoming his follower. Jesus said we should count the cost of becoming a disciple. Just as a general prepares for battle by first counting the cost, so we need to consider what the costs are in following Jesus. Jesus said the wise leader considers whether his troops can win not only the immediate battle but also the entire war. If there is little chance of final victory, according to Jesus, then it is better to negotiate terms of peace.

Jesus used another image to talk about counting the cost. This one applies to more of us. Jesus spoke of buildings and construction. A wise person carefully calculates the costs before beginning a building project. It would be foolish to begin construction and then quit when the project is only half completed due to lack of funds or miscalculation of the effort necessary to complete the task.

Several years ago I learned this lesson firsthand. One afternoon, I drove up to our home and immediately noticed water running down the driveway. It was clearly coming from the garage. I discovered that a toilet upstairs was overflowing.

I decided to tackle the repair on my day off. Within a couple hours of trying to repair it, I had chipped the toilet beyond repair and ruined the bolts in the floor. Ten hours and $130 later, I had a new toilet installed. When I went to work the next day I told some of the staff about my miserable, frustrating day at home repair. An associate pastor shook his head and told me he had hired a plumber to replace an old toilet just a couple months before. The complete job done by the plumber had cost $130, the same I had paid, but with a lot less grief. I did not need to hear that!

This is not the end of the story. The next afternoon I pulled into our driveway to find water running out of the garage and down the street. My attempts to repair the toilet had failed. Kate called a plumber the next day. It turned out I had forgotten a 50-cent washer. The plumber fixed it in just a few minutes and charged us labor.

Jesus told his followers to count the cast before beginning the project of transformation. The Bible story in Genesis 13 reminds us of this important truth. Abraham gave Lot first choice in where he wanted to live. If Lot chose the river valley, then Abraham would remain in the hills. If Lot chose the hills, Abraham would move to the valley. Lot jumped at the chance to move to the prosperous city life. However, he did not count the cost. His decision to move to the city of Sodom had some serious consequences.

Read Genesis 13:1-13.

A Sunday school teacher was teaching about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The teacher described how Lot and his wife and daughters fled from the city of Sodom just before the fire and brimstone destruction. An angel warned Lot and his family to not even look back as they left the city. The teacher concluded the lesson, “When Lot’s wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt.” One child raised her hand and said, “My mom looked back and she turned into a telephone pole.”

In order to appreciate the story of Lot and the city of Sodom we need to note the location of the story. This story takes place along the coast of what today is called the Dead Sea. It is a bleak coastline where nothing grows. All you find there are sandy salty pillars. No plants. When Israelite children visited the area with their parents they asked, “Why is it so bleak here?” The parents then told them the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. According to this story, this was once a beautiful, lush place. It was where two prosperous cities once stood.

According to this Bible story, Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was given first choice of where he wanted to live. He chose the prosperous lifestyle. He, like most of us, figured that life in the city would be easier. He probably wanted the financial security offered by a city job as opposed to the daily grind of living out in tents on the hills as a shepherd.

A while after Lot had settled into the city of Sodom God sent angels to test out the selfishness of the city. Two angels (looking like ordinary men) arrived in the city, but nobody showed them hospitality. Lot was the only person to invite them to his home. That night as he fed and cared for the men/angels, the rest of the men of the city gathered outside Lot’s house. They called for him to send out his visitors so they could hurt them. Lot tried to reason with them to show compassion to strangers but the city was too corrupt to hear his pleas. The angels now knew for sure that the city of Sodom deserved punishment. They warned Lot and his family to flee for their lives because God was about to destroy the city. Lot, with his wife and two daughters fled that night. The two angels told his family not to even look back, but just run. When Lot’s wife turned to look back at the home and life they were losing, she became a pillar of salt. The story answers the child’s questions, “Why is this place so bleak?” and “What are those pillars made of?” But it also has a lesson for the parents.

The writer gives the ending away at the very beginning. Notice the parenthetic comments a few verses into the story. “This was before the Lord had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.” And as Lot pitches his tent near Sodom the people are described as “wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” It’s almost as if he wants his readers to say, “Lot, be careful where you pitch your tent. It may seem innocuous to simply pitch your tent near a place of sin, but it will lure you into its grasp.”

Let’s be honest. Lot was no different from you and me. He made a reasonable choice. The river valley was fertile and plush. The cities were prosperous. Life in Sodom must have been pretty easy in contrast to the hard work of shepherding in the hills. From a purely financial viewpoint, Lot’s decision certainly made sense. Sure, the people were not the nicest. But how bad could it be? Lot chose finances over morality. He chose comfort over convictions. There is no evidence in the Bible story that Lot prayed about his decision. He simply saw the prosperity and ease. He did not count the cost.

How can we learn to avoid the mistakes Lot made? We know every choice has some costs. Every risk can be weighed based on the expected costs versus the hoped-for benefits. However, there are often hidden costs, which we may forget to include in our thinking. I do not believe that prayer alone ensures we always will make the right choices. I do think we stand a better chance of seeing hidden costs if we ask God to open our eyes before making important choices. Our choices will be wiser if we take into account that the immediate benefits might have long-term hidden costs. Including God as our partner in making important decisions certainly can’t hurt. How does God warn us of the hidden costs?

The book of Proverbs reminds us that we can make wise choices by including in our thinking the advice of multiple counselors. The Bible warns us not to base our decisions purely on reason, but to seek the Lord for discerning hidden costs.

Lot’s story is one of the most common stories I have heard over the years from retired men. How many times have I heard successful men describe how they climbed the corporate ladder and jumped at the chance for better pay and larger opportunities only to look back later and realize they lost their own children in the process. It is too easy to claim a Pyrrhic victory in the immediate situation, at the cost of losing the war. We think we are providing for our family, and in the process lose our family. I am thinking in particular of one man’s story that deeply affected me years ago.

Years ago, when I was serving a congregation in Arizona, a large prosperous church contacted me asking if I would consider becoming their head pastor. I hesitantly put my paperwork into consideration. Over the next few months they moved me into a finalist position for the position. The phone interview went well and all that was left was to fly out and meet them in person.

Kate and I were praying and waiting on the Lord. Part of me was excited about the opportunity and challenge, but another part was unsettled and uncertain. Our children were ambivalent. I would describe my feelings as a lack of peace. Kate and I prayed and asked God to clarify whether this was a genuine call or just a distraction. In the midst of our considerations, God answered our prayers in an amazing way.

One morning a retired church member walked into my study. He asked if I had a few minutes. He sat down and said, “I don’t know why I am here, but I want to tell you my life story.” He had started out in a small business and worked his way up into management positions. He was promoted to a larger location with the company, and then moved to another location with even greater responsibility. Each step of the career ladder had gone well. Then came the chance of a lifetime. The company offered him a transfer to the West Coast where he would take over one of the largest operations of that business. He jumped at the opportunity and moved to Los Angeles with his family. He looked at me and said, “Bruce, I was just about your age when I made that choice. Our daughters were teenagers when we moved to Los Angeles.”

He paused as though his mind was racing back to that time in his life. Then he continued, “It was the worst decision I ever made. It was costly for our family and the wrong decision for our daughters.” He told about the painful problems his family had faced as a result. Then he concluded, “If I had it all to do over again, I would pass up that last promotion. It was a disastrous mistake.”

He stood up to leave with these words. “I still do not know why I felt led to come tell you my story today. I guess I was just thinking that in your work as in mine there are bound to be attractive opportunities. My warning is that you be careful when some big church comes along with an offer that you think you can’t refuse. Remember to count the cost to your family.” Then he left.

I told Kate at lunch what had happened. That evening I called the committee and removed my name from consideration. I was sure God had answered our prayers for guidance in making an important choice. A few months later our oldest son lapsed unexpectedly into a coma and we were surrounded by the support we had built over years. There was a moment in the midst of our son’s recovery when Kate and I paused to thank God that we had stayed in Arizona.

Lot jumped at the opportunity for prosperity and forgot to count the cost to his family. We all need someone who will help us consider the hidden cost in our decisions.