Lot and the men of Sodom were outside Lot’s house in a situation that was deescalating. This devotional reading looks at how the angels stepped in to reveal their mission.
Nuggets
- There are some who think the primary sin of Sodom was homosexuality while others think it was a lack of hospitality.
- The men of Sodom didn’t even acknowledge Lot’s offer of his daughter, instead focused on their original intent to rape the visitors.
- The men of Sodom considered Lot a second-class citizen, one they didn’t have to listen to or respect.
- The men of Sodom threatened violence against Lot.
- The anger stemming from Lot’s judgmental ways helped fuel the townsmen to attempt to break down Lot’s door and forcibly remove the visitors.
- The angels rescued Lot from the townspeople.
- The men of Sodom were physically blinded, but they were also mentally blinded.
- Lot was supposed to be in the city of Sodom but not of it, but he really wasn’t.
- We have to wonder if Abraham stopped at ten righteous people when he was questioning Jehovah because he thought surely there were ten people in Lot’s household that believed in Him.
- Lot had witnessed to his future sons-in-law but didn’t have any effect.
The situation outside of Lot’s house deteriorated. So, the angels stepped in,
Let's Put It into Context #1
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Devotions in the Abraham the Patriarch series
Let's Put It into Context #2
There is some who think the primary sin of Sodom was homosexuality while others think it was a lack of hospitality.
Let’s look at what God’s Word says about homosexuality.
- “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin” (Lev. 18: 22 NLT).
- “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense” (Lev. 20: 13 NLT).
- “That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved” (Rom. 1: 26-27 NLT).
- “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people — none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God” (I Cor. 6: 9-10 NLT).
- “For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God” (I Tim. 1: 9-11 NLT).
Let’s look at what God’s Word says about hospitality.
- “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality” (Rom. 12: 13 NLT).
- “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Heb. 13: 2 NLT).
- “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay” (I Pet. 4: 9 NLT).
- “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home” (Mt. 25: 35 NLT).
We have to look at hospitality from a spiritual perspective. The article from God’s Faithbook does just that. It says, “As we reflect on these lessons [from Abraham and Lot], it becomes clear that hospitality is not merely an act of kindness; it is a fundamental expression of our values and beliefs. By embracing a spirit of hospitality, we can create environments that promote understanding, acceptance, and love.”
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For that night, I think it started with homosexuality, making it a sexual immorality sin; but it was directed at visitors, making it a hospitality sin. We see from the verses above, sexual immorality will keep humans from inheriting the kingdom of God, not being hospitalitable doesn’t.
The primary sin causing the destruction of the cities would not be based on something that would not keep them from inheriting the kingdom of God. So, the primary sin that we know of at this point is homosexuality.
The Crowd Responded to Lot’s Offer
“‘Stand back!’ they shouted. ‘This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!’” (Gen. 19: 9 NLT)
The men of Sodom didn’t even acknowledge Lot’s offer of his daughter, instead focused on their original intent to rape the visitors.
Outsider and Judge
The men of Sodom considered Lot a second-class citizen, one they didn’t have to listen to or respect.
As a foreigner in the city, the men of Sodom wouldn’t have respected Lot. He wasn’t “one of them.”
Plus, it sounds like Lot didn’t approve of their lifestyle. Go back to why we said Lot may have been by the gate. He was screening the wickedness of the townspeople.
Wouldn’t they have been incensed at that? Here is this immigrant, telling them how to act or not act. This sojourner is condemning their behavior.
Lot probably appeared to them to be judge, jury, and executioner.
Our takeaway here is that Lot was not liked because he examined the people and found their actions sinful, and they felt his condemnation.
If we are living set apart — in the world but not of it — we will experience the same anger directed at us.
Yes, it says not to judge others, take the mote out of our eye, etc.
But we are also to stay away from those who can lead us astray. We have to be discerning.
Treat You Worse
The men of Sodom threatened violence against Lot.
Let’s think about it a second. The two men (that we know were angels) showed up and went home with Lot. The men of Sodom demanded the men be handed over so they could rape them.
So, instead of offering hospitality, the townsmen offered hostility.
Let’s see what verse 9 says in Hebrew. “And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn as a ger (alien), and he will now play the shofet [judge]; now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed strongly upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break down the delet” (Gen. 19: 9 OJB).
Lacey tried to explain it. He wrote, “Simply put, the Sodomites were not promiscuous men looking for intercourse — they sought to violently assault Lot and rape his guests.”
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I don’t know. I keep tripping over not promiscuous men looking for intercourse.
I agree that rape is dominance and humiliation. I agree they were upping it to violence.
They were looking for a sexual encounter. Look at some of the synonyms for promiscuous: licentious, sexually indiscriminate, debauched.
If Jehovah created sex to be between a man and a woman — which He did — promiscuous is being unselective. Choosing something that doesn’t keep within Jehovah’s directive makes them unselective.
“… Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!’ (Gen. 19: 4-5 NLT).
They were promiscuous.
Worse than that, they were talking violence. They were talking about assaulting Lot.
The Men of Sodom Force the Angels to Step In
“And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door. But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door. Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside” (Gen. 19: 10-11 NLT)
Break Down the Door
The anger stemming from Lot’s judgmental ways helped fuel the townsmen to attempt to break down Lot’s door and forcibly remove the visitors.
Ooo, baby. The mob was not going to be denied.
We have to give some credit to Lot. There were no other righteous men in the city (the three others led out before the destruction began were women).
With his selfishness and greed, Lot was probably seen as a hypocrite.
But still, Lot had the courage to stand up to the crowd. Dods put it this way. He wrote,
“That he had the courage which lies at the root of strength of character became apparent as the last dark night of Sodom wore on. To go out among a profligate, lawless mob, wild with passion and infuriated by opposition — to go out and shut the door behind him — was an act of true courage.”
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All of this for strangers.
Angels Reached Out
The angels rescued Lot from the townspeople.
The angels let the argument go on for a while. Remember, one of their missions was to find out what was actually going on in the region. “I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know” (Gen. 18: 21 NLT).
They found out. However, if they hadn’t stepped in when they did, Lot would have become a victim of their violence.
Blinded Them
The men of Sodom were physically blinded, but they were also mentally blinded.
When the visitors had enough, they took over the situation. Their power showed Lot that they really were angels, not human men.
Godman told how we could know that judgment is near.
- Jehovah leaves us to our sin.
- The warnings don’t have the desired effect.
- The righteous are removed from the situation.
- Those facing judgment feel secure rather than concerned.
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Yeah, I would say that describes the men of Sodom.
You would have thought the townsmen would have known something was up when everyone of them was blinded. But it sounds like they were slow on the uptake.
The New Living Translation said the men of Sodom just gave up. The Orthodox Jewish Bible says that they grew weary and stopped.
“And they struck the men that were at the petach [open] of the bais [house] with blindness, both katan [small] and gadol [big, great]; so that they wearied themselves to find the petach” (Gen. 19: 11 OJB).
To me, that is a big difference. Yeah, we could say that they gave up after a while. But we could also think they gave up after five minutes.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible gave us the why the men gave up. They tried their best to get the job done – even blinded – but they couldn’t make it.
Isn’t it sad that they were so rooted in their sin that, even thought they got a preliminary judgment of blindness, they refused to repent and turn away from their sin? They had to keep banging and banging on sin’s door.
I wonder if Jehovah did the same thing here as He did to the Arameans.
“Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, please make them blind.’ So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked” (II Kgs. 6: 17-18 NLT).
The Mission Revealed to Lot
“Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. ‘Do you have any other relatives here in the city?’ they asked. ‘Get them out of this place — your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.’ So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking” (Gen. 19: 12-14 NLT)
Lot was supposed to be in the city of Sodom but not of it, but he really wasn’t.
Just as disciples today live among worldview people, so, too, did Lot. This is explained in Yeshua’s Parable of the Tares and Wheat.
When Abraham and Sarah went down to Egypt and took Lot with them, we talked about how Lot may have been dazzled by the splendor and grandeur of Egypt. That may have conditioned Lot to want sinful things.
Ker noted Lot’s lack of converts to make up the other six people needed for ten righteous people to save the cities. He points to this as evidence that Lot was more of the city than in it.
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Think about it. Lot lost all his possessions back in Genesis 14 when he was taken captive. Now, he was losing them again.
Disciples are to understand that this life is temporary. We must focus on preparing for eternal life.
- “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (II Cor. 4: 18 NLT).
- “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (I Jn. 2: 17 NLT).
- “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (II Cor. 5: 1 NLT).
Think back to Genesis 13, when the land could not support both Abraham’s and Lot’s herds. Instead of saying, “Oh, no, Uncle – you choose” when they agreed to separate, Lot chose the garden-like area.
Lot put more emphasis on worldly possessions than having a moral character.
Other Relatives
We have to wonder if Abraham stopped at ten righteous people when he was questioning Jehovah because he thought surely there were ten people in Lot’s household that believed in Him.
Ooops.
It is interesting what the angels asked who Lot went to save. The angels said, “… ‘Get them out of this place — your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else” (Gen. 19: 12 NLT). “So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés …” (Gen. 19: 14 NLT).
That tells me Lot didn’t have sons. I don’t think Moses would have told us the fiancés refused to come and not say sons did, too.
I would use the same reasoning to think Lot and Mrs. Lot only had two daughters.
Lot’s daughters’ fiancés would have been his sons-in-law eventually. “And Lot went out, and spoke unto his chosonim [chosen], which were pledged to marry his banot [girls] …” (Gen. 19: 14 OJB).
This tells us that the daughters were in the betrothal stage of the marriage. They were pledged to be married but weren’t yet. They were in the preparation stage.
Outcry Against this Place
We talked in Genesis 18 how Jehovah said that He had heard an outcry. The outcry came from the cities themselves. Creation was calling to its Maker for relief.
Walker took a stab at how creation did that. He wrote, “A cry of blood, like that of Abel’s from the ground, for vengeance against the murderer (Genesis 4:10). Murder, no doubt, was rife in Sodom; and He who had demanded blood for blood, could not overlook it.”
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It doesn’t say if Lot’s voice was also heard in the outcry. But he made a silent cry.
“But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (II Pet. 2: 7-8 NLT emphasis added).
If he was feeling this much anguish about the state of his fellow townspeople, wouldn’t Lot be crying out to Jehovah for relief?
We can’t gloss over the fact that Lot probably didn’t know the visitors were from Jehovah until verse 13. That is the first time they told him about their mission.
Let’s go back to the angel’s mission for a second. They were there because Jehovah wanted His messengers to have first-hand knowledge of the extent of the wickedness.
Oh, yeah. Jehovah knew, but He didn’t make this important judgment until He had all the facts. He knew He could send His trusted messengers to accurately evaluate the situation and report back to Him.
Jehovah carefully evaluates our relationship with Him before He enacts judgment upon us. I think He looks at our motivations, the situation, the chooses available to us, and our ultimate decision. I would think He takes into consideration what type and degree of punishment we need to get us back on track with Him.
We are not punished just for punishment’s sake. Jehovah punishes us sanctify us.
Thought He Was Joking
Lot had witnessed to his future sons-in-law but didn’t have any effect.
Lot went to tell the men his daughters were betrothed to that the city was going to be destroyed. The future sons-in-law thought Lot was pulling their legs. They couldn’t see Jehovah destroying one city, let alone all the Cities of the Plains.
That tells us Lot hadn’t been telling them much about his relationship with Jehovah. He had been planning on yoking his daughters with non-believers.
Because he hadn’t shown himself set apart from the townspeople, Lot’s warning was dismissed by the two men.
We can’t ignore or tolerate sin.
Making the Connections
“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Cor. 5: 21 NLT)
Jehovah is the Judge Who determines what righteousness is. We don’t.
Our self-righteousness means nothing to Jehovah. We aren’t saved because we are good people.
Look what Walker said. He wrote,
“If this means those whom God shall find naturally righteous, when He comes to take account of such as shall be saved, then the whole human race must be excluded from its benefits, for never since the day of Adam’s fall, was there a man, woman, or child on the earth whom God would or could admit to be righteous in themselves.”
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No one is righteous unless Jehovah says we are. Paul said we all have sinned. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Rom. 3: 23 NLT).
How Do We Apply This?
- Live our lives so that worldview people see we are different from them.
- Don’t discount or disregard a relationship with God.
- Don’t neglect our relationship with God.
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Father God. When we need You, You come to rescue us. Thank You for protecting us and caring for Your children. Amen.
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