Gensis 19:1-11 Lot Welcomes the Angels
“Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown, and said, “My lords, please turn asideinto the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”
Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him. “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing! Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them whatever you want. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.
But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
12-23 Lot Flees to Zoar
Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”
So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.
As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. Look, this town is near enough for me flee to it, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.” “Very well,” he answered, “I will grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you indicate. Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was called Zoar.(Small) When the sun had risen over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.
24-29 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Then the LORD rained down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.”
In the beginning, Lot is attracted to the plain of the Jordan because of the rich grazing. Sodom and Gomorrah have evil reputations; however, Lot intends to remain in his tent. After all, what does he need from Sodom? But through the years, Lot has moved progressively closer to Sodom until he is living there, even sitting in the city gate with the other elders. And Lot’s family has settled in Sodom. Lot’s wife probably has friends and his two daughters have fiancés. Sure, Lot knows about the evil practices of the men of Sodom, but he doesn’t have to participate, does he? Lot has severely compromised himself and endangered his family morally and spiritually as well as physically.
When the two strangers arrived in Sodom, Lot responds appropriately according to the customs of his family. It’s highly significant that nobody else offers these men hospitality but that the men of the city want to rape these strangers, an incredible violation of traditional courtesy. Lot’s guests save him from the wrath of his neighbors and then warn him and his family to flee the city before it is destroyed. Lot and his two daughters escape successfully; however, Lot’s wife straggles behind and becomes a pillar of salt. The Jordan Valley is a northern continuation of the Rift Valley in East Africa. There are strong indications that an earthquake coupled with spontaneous explosions of underground natural gas deposits may have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the other cities of the plain. In the beginning, Lot has possessions that rival Abraham’s; now Lot has nothing apart from his two daughters. Sadly, there is nothing to suggest that Lot thanks God for his deliverance. Evidently Lot has left all matters of faith to Uncle Abraham.
Lot first got into trouble because he was greedy and wanted the best grazing land for himself. Had Abraham taken the plain of the Jordan, he might have remained in tents and might have refused to have anything to do with Sodom. But Lot was morally and spiritually weak and succeeded in lying to himself that Sodom wasn’t really THAT bad, even though it was deplorable. Now Lot and his daughters have a little peace; however, they have had to leave the comfort of the city to get it, and Lot has lost his wife in the process.
How much is true peace worth? If we have peace with God, we have everything we need. If we don’t have peace with God, we have nothing, no matter how many possessions we might have or how comfortable our living situation. Sometimes God has to forcibly remove us from bad situations; in that case, we need to cooperate and not drag our feet. Our lives are worth more than any amount of possessions. Lot’s wife died because she didn’t really believe God would destroy Sodom and she was missing her friends.
A few years ago, catastrophic forest fires raged through much of the California mountains. Many people died because they refused to believe that the fire could be so devastating and they hoped to defend their property; meanwhile, planes full of water and fire retardant were failing to control the blaze. May God grant us the wisdom and humility to recognize when He is trying to deliver us from untenable situations and may we cooperate and not drag our feet!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, some of us may find ourselves in terrible situations from which You are trying to deliver us. Help us to listen and to obey, rather than to fight You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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