We have been considering Lot’s choices. His decisions have been selfish, self-centered and have led him from the spiritual and physical comfort of Uncle Abram’s household to the lush plains and right into living in Sodom. This city was, together with Gomorrah, an extremely evil place.
I have already suggested that the morals of Mrs Lot and her two daughters, without forgetting the head of the home, Mr Lot, were not God-honouring. Maybe Lot lost his spiritual way whist living with Abram; maybe his wife led him astray. It’s hard to tell but we know that this family were far from God. Their idol gods were secularism, materialism and pleasure. Again I say that the reason for our studying Lot is to help us not make decisions and choices that lead us from God into a world that displeases God and where His wrath is eminent to fall! The two “angels” were on a mission … one of destruction. They were sent to destroy wicked cities! Look at verse 13 … “we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” Once God gets to this point, His wrath is overflowing and is the point of no return. So we pick the story up:
Ge 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.
We know the angels’ intent, but Lot did not. The gateway of the city was a common hangout place for the men of the city. There they would talk and also see who and what came into the city. When a person grows up in a godly household, even though his morals slide and morality turns to immorality, he seldom forgets his upbringing. This was Lot as he saw these two men (angels). He knew how wicked Sodom was and although he was literally one with them, he sought to protect these men. We see in verse 2-3 how he insisted on hosting them in his house to prevent them from staying through the night at the city square … a place of gross immorality. But then, as the evening progressed, Lot’s fear became real:
Ge 19:4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”
This is staggering … “all the men from all over the city, the young and the old” … gathered around Lot’s house for one evil purpose …. male homosexual sex! Many commentators and supporters of homosexuality try to prove “sex” was not the intent … but one cannot distort the Word of God! One must never think that this side of sexual immorality and all other forms of it is a new thing, a 20th – 21st century thing. Sexual immorality, like prostitution is from ancient days. As followers of the Lord Jesus we need to be extremely cautious that we remember that God views sexual intimacy highly and reserves this activity for those men and women who marry monogamously and remain faithful to each other. Just because the world does sexual intimacy differently does not mean it is right. Right is always how God wants it. Now we see how Lot’s testimony as a man coming out of a household of faith had been compromised through his bad choices.
Ge 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
Firstly he acknowledges the wicked men of Sodom are his “friends”.
After all, he sat at the city gate with them. He was their neighbor in the city. City life was as much his as theirs. He does however refer to male homosexual sex as “this wicked thing”. The second is that he offers his engaged virgin daughters as sex partners to these men. How extremely cruel to want to throw his daughters to the wolves! Although he did not know these were angels, seeking to protect his guests from being raped by men, offering his daughters in their place is simply despicable. How far Lot had fallen morally since becoming part of Sodom. Here are another two huge lessons for us to learn.
First, we cannot have non-Christians as personal friends. There will come a time, such as was with Lot where we will be caught out because their ways are godless and if we compromise our morals we compromise our gospel testimony.
Second, under no circumstances may we as Christians sacrifice our children to the world. Be it for sexual purposes, as favours or for personal gain of whatever sort. God gives children to be raised for His glory, to be taught the Bible and the Gospel, to be led to salvation and take their place in His kingdom doing Gospel Work.
In this Daily Note there are three interconnected Biblical realities for us as Christian people to pursue and maintain should we want to honour God and maintain a good gospel witness to both the Church and the World. The first is how we view sexual orientation. For God, sexual orientation is simple! Man and woman. This means sexual intimacy is between a faithful husband and faithful wife. No legal marriage, no sexual intimacy. Naturally this dictates that we may not be intimately friendly with wicked people such as Lot was with the men of the city. If we are, our personal morality will slide their way not God’s way. Lastly, our children are God’s gift to us, but at the same time they are His. What we do with our children is important because if we fail God raising them for Him, His glory and His purposes, God will hold us responsible … and that is fearful!
Dear God, mercifully help us to be faithful to You. Sustain us in the gospel so that our Gospel Testimony might shine in the Church, our family, at work, where we shop, as we drive and in our society. In Jesus’ name, amen.