important to the nation arose, upon which a decision could not be made, the high priest would stand before Jehovah and receive Jehovah’s decision by means of these sacred lots.

In time of the apostles

Lots were used by the disciples of Jesus, along with their prayer, to determine who would fill the place of Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve who had been witnesses to Jesus’ activities and his resurrection, and Matthias was chosen. (Acts 1:21-26) The Greek word here is kleʹros and is related to the word kle·ro·no·miʹa, inheritance. Kleʹros is used at Colossians 1:12 and 1 Peter 5:3 in regard to the allotment or inheritance that God has given to Christians.

But we do not read of lots being used after Pentecost 33 C.E. for selecting overseers and their assistants or to decide matters of importance. Selection of overseers and their assistants was to be based on the evidence of the fruitage of the holy spirit in their lives (1 Tim. chap. 3; Titus 1), while other decisions were based on the fulfillment of prophecy, angelic guidance, the principles of God’s Word and Jesus’ teachings, and the direction of holy spirit. (Acts 5:19-21; 13:2, 3; 14:23; 15:15-19, 28) The apostle Paul states: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial . . . for setting things straight.”—2 Tim. 3:16.

LOT, II

[covering].

A grandson of Terah and son of Abraham’s (Abram’s) brother Haran; hence, Abraham’s nephew.—Gen. 11:27.

Lot’s father Haran died in Ur of the Chaldees and Lot therefore went with Terah, Abram and Sarai from Ur to Haran, where his grandfather Terah died. (Gen. 11:28, 31, 32) Lot then journeyed to Canaan with Abram and Sarai, and later accompanied them to and from Egypt. (Gen. 12:4, 5; 13:1) Because the accumulated possessions of Lot and Abram had become many, when they returned to Canaan the land was unable to sustain them together. Also, quarreling arose between their herdsmen. (Gen. 13:5-7) Abram, not wishing to see this continue, suggested that they separate, giving his nephew his choice of land. Lot selected a well-watered area, the whole district of Lower Jordan. He moved his camp to the E and eventually pitched tent near Sodom. (Gen. 13:8-12) But Lot did not become like the Sodomites. He proved himself to be a “righteous man” who “by what he saw and heard while dwelling among them from day to day was tormenting his righteous soul by reason of their lawless deeds.”—2 Pet. 2:8.

At the time four invading confederate kings defeated five local kings, including the king of Sodom, the victors looted the city and took Lot captive. Learning of Lot’s plight, Abram mustered 318 slaves, defeated the captors, recovered all the property and rescued Lot.—Gen. 14:1-16.

VISITED BY ANGELS

Later, when visited by two angels at the time of Sodom’s impending destruction, Lot extended hospitality to them, But the men of the city surrounded the house and demanded that the visitors be brought out to them for immoral purposes. Lot sought to protect his guests even to the point of offering his two virgin daughters to the mob. Angered, the mob pressed heavily in on Lot whereupon his angelic visitors brought him indoors and struck the wicked Sodomites with blindness.—Gen. 19:1-11.

Delivered from Sodom

The angels then informed Lot that the outcry against the inhabitants of Sodom had grown loud before Jehovah and that they had been sent to destroy the city. As instructed, Lot warned his prospective sons-in-law, who evidently were intending to take his daughters as wives but had not yet done so. (Compare Genesis 19:8, 14.) However, his sons-in-law did not heed his words. (Gen. 19:12-14) At dawn the two angels urged prompt departure, hastening it by seizing the hands of Lot, his wife and his two daughters. In keeping with Lot’s request, the angels permitted him to flee to the nearby city of Zoar. After Lot arrived there, Jehovah brought fiery destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot’s wife (who is unnamed in the Scriptures) disobediently “began to look around from behind him,” perhaps with longing for the things left behind. For doing so, “she became a pillar of salt.”—Gen. 19:15-26.

Lot later moved from Zoar and began dwelling in a cave in a mountainous region. The prospective sons-in-law of Lot evidently having died in Sodom, Lot’s two daughters were without mates and caused their father unwittingly to have sexual relations with them while he was under the influence of wine. This they did to preserve offspring from their father. As a result, each daughter had a son, from whom the Moabites and the Ammonites descended.—Gen. 19:30-38; Deut. 2:9, 19.

A WARNING

The authenticity of the Scriptural account regarding Lot is attested to by Jesus Christ. He showed that “in the days of the Son of man,” or during his second presence, circumstances would parallel those of the days of Lot when persons were unconcernedly eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting and building until fire and sulphur rained down from heaven to destroy them all. Christ showed that at that future time persons should not return to the things behind, and he gave a striking example to show the dire consequences of doing so, by saying: “Remember the wife of Lot.”—Luke 17:26-32.

LOTAN

(Loʹtan) [coverer, or, a wrapping up].

A son of Seir the Horite and one of the sheiks of Edom. (Gen. 36:20, 29) His sons were Hori and Hemam (Homam) and his sister was named Timna.—Gen. 36:22; 1 Chron. 1:38, 39.

LOTS, FESTIVAL OF

See PURIM.

LOTUS TREE

[Heb., tse·ʼelimʹ].

The thorny lotus (Zizyphus lotus) is a thickly branched shrub or low tree, often growing to a height of only five feet (1.5 meters). The leaves are small, oval and leathery, and at the base of each leaf is a pair of thorns. The only reference to it is at Job 40:21, 22, which speaks of Behemoth (the hippopotamus) as lying in the shade cast by the tree. While this tree is found in dry places in Palestine and Anti-Lebanon, Corswant’s Dictionary of Life in Bible Times (p. 177) speaks of it as “flourishing in the hot and humid marshland” of N Africa.

LOUNGE

See BED.

LOVE

A dictionary definition of love is: A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a friend, for a parent or child, and so forth; warm fondness or liking for another; also, the benevolent affection of God for his creatures or the reverent affection due from them to God; also, the kindly affection properly expressed by God’s creatures toward one another; that strong or passionate affection for a person of the opposite sex that constitutes the emotional incentive to conjugal union. One of the synonyms for love is “devotion.”

The Scriptures use “love” in all the foregoing meanings, and also add to the meaning of the word. Aside from those meanings, the Scriptures speak also of love guided by principle, as love of righteousness or even love for one’s enemies, for whom a person may not have affection. This facet or expression of love is an unselfish devotion to righteousness and a sincere concern for the lasting welfare of others, along with an active expression of this for their good.

The words ʼa·havʹ and ʼa·hevʹ (“to love”) and ʼa·havahʹ (“love”) are the words primarily used in Hebrew to denote love in the foregoing senses, the context determining the sense and degree meant.

The Christian Greek Scriptures mainly employ forms of the words a·gaʹpe, phi·liʹa and two words drawn from stor·geʹ (eʹros, love between the sexes, not being used), a·gaʹpe appearing more frequently than the other terms.

Of the noun a·gaʹpe and the verb form a·ga·paʹo, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, says (Vol. III, p. 21): “Love can be known only from the action it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son, 1 John 4:9, 10. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects, Rom. 5:8. It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself, cp. Deut. 7:7, 8 . . . ”

Regarding the verb phi·leʹo, Vine comments: “[It] is to be distinguished from [a·ga·paʹo] in this, that phi·leʹo more nearly represents tender affection. . . . Again, to love [phi·leʹo] life, from an undue desire to preserve it, forgetful of the real object of living, meets with the Lord’s reproof, John 12:25. On the contrary, to love life [a·ga·paʹo] as used in 1 Pet. 3:10, is to consult the true interests of living. Here the word [phi·leʹo] would be quite inappropriate.” (Pp. 21, 22)

James Strong’s “Greek Dictionary of the New Testament” remarks, under phi·leʹo: “To be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), i.e. have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while [a·ga·paʹo] is wider, embracing espec. the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety.”

A·gaʹpe, therefore, carries the meaning of love guided or governed by principle. It may or may not include affection and fondness. That a·gaʹpe may include affection and warmth is evident in many passages. At John 3:35, Jesus said: “The Father loves [a·ga·paiʹ] the Son.” At John 5:20, he said: “The Father has affection for [phi·leiʹ] the Son.” Certainly God’s love for Jesus Christ is coupled with much affection. Also he explained: “He that loves [a·ga·ponʹ] me will be loved [a·ga·pe·theʹ’se·tai] by my Father, and I will love [a·ga·peʹso] him.” (John 14:21) This love of the Father and of the Son is accompanied by tender affection for such loving persons. Jehovah’s worshipers must love him and his Son, as well as one another, in the same way.—John 21:15-17.

So, although distinguished by respect for principle, a·gaʹpe is not unfeeling; otherwise it would not differ from cold justice. But it is not ruled by feeling or sentiment; it never ignores principle. Christians rightly show a·gaʹpe toward others for whom they may feel no affection or fondness, doing so for their welfare. (Gal. 6:10) Yet, though not affection, they do feel compassion and sincere concern for such fellow humans, to the limits and in the way that righteous principles allow and direct.

However, while a·gaʹpe refers to love governed by principle, there are good and bad principles. A wrong kind of a·gaʹpe could be expressed, guided by bad principles. For example, Jesus said: “If you love [a·ga·paʹte] those loving you, of what credit is it to you? For even the sinners love those loving them. And if you do good to those doing good to you, really of what credit is it to you? Even the sinners do the same. Also, if you lend without interest to those from whom you hope to receive, of what credit is it to you? Even sinners lend without interest to sinners that they may get back as much.” (Luke 6:32-34) The principle upon which such ones operate is: ‘Do good to me and I will do good to you.’

The apostle Paul said of one who had worked alongside him: “Demas has forsaken me because he loved [a·ga·peʹsas] the present system of things.” (2 Tim. 4:10) Demas apparently loved the world on the principle that love of it will bring material benefits. The apostle John says: “Men have loved [e·gaʹpe·san] the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked. For he that practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, in order that his works may not be reproved.” (John 3:19, 20) Because it is a truth or principle that darkness helps cover their wicked deeds, they love it.

Jesus commanded: “Love [a·ga·paʹte] your enemies.” (Matt. 5:44) God himself established the principle, as the apostle Paul states: “God recommends his own love [a·gaʹpen] to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . For if, when we were enemies, we became reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, now that we have become reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Rom. 5:8-10) An outstanding instance of such love is God’s dealing with Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul. (Acts 9:1-16; 1 Tim. 1:15) Loving our enemies, therefore, should be governed by the principle established by God and should be exercised in obedience to his commandments, whether or not such love is accompanied by any warmth or affection.

GOD

The apostle John writes: “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) He is the very personification of love, which is his dominant quality. The reverse is not true, however, that ‘love (the abstract quality) is God.’ He reveals himself in the Bible as a Person, and figuratively speaks of his “eyes,” “hands,” “heart,” “soul,” and so forth. He has also other attributes, among them justice, power and wisdom. (Deut. 32:4; Job 36:22; Rev. 7:12) Moreover, he has the capacity to hate, a quality the very opposite of love. His love of righteousness requires his hatred of wickedness. (Deut. 12:31; Prov. 6:16) Love includes the feeling and expression of warm personal affection, which only a person can have, or which can be extended toward a person. Certainly God’s Son Jesus Christ is not an abstract quality, and he spoke of being with his Father, working with him, pleasing him, hearing him, and of angels beholding the face of his Father, things impossible with a mere abstract quality.—Matt. 10:32; 18:10; John 5:17; 6:46; 8:28, 29, 40; 17:5.

Evidence of his love

The evidence that Jehovah the Creator and God of the universe is love is abundant. This can be seen in the physical creation itself. With what remarkable care it has been made for the health, pleasure and welfare of man! Man is made so as, not only to exist, but to enjoy eating, to delight in viewing the color and beauty of creation, the company of animals and especially of his fellowmen, in communication with them, and in the countless other delights of living. (Ps. 139:14, 17, 18) But even more has Jehovah displayed his love in making man in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:26, 27), with the capacity of love and of spirituality, and in the revelation of himself to man through his Word and his holy spirit.—1 Cor. 2:12, 13.

Jehovah’s love toward mankind is that of a Father toward his children. (Matt. 5:45) He spares nothing that is for their good, no matter what it costs him; his love transcends anything that we can feel or express. (Eph. 2:4-7; Isa. 55:8; Rom. 11:33) His greatest manifestation of love, the most loving thing that a parent can do, he did for mankind. That was the giving of the life of his own faithful, only-begotten Son. (John 3:16) As the apostle John writes: “As for us, we love, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) He is, accordingly, the Source of love. John’s fellow apostle, Paul, writes: “For hardly will anyone die for a righteous man; indeed, for the good man, perhaps, someone even dares to die. But God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”—Rom. 5:7, 8; 1 John 4:10.

God’s everlasting love

Jehovah’s love for his faithful servants is everlasting; it does not fail or diminish, no matter in what circumstances, high or low, his servants may be, nor what things, great or small, may come against them.