After meeting Abraham, the two angels who accompanied the LORD arrived at the gates of the city of Sodom. It was evening time, and Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was sitting in the gateway of the city when, much like his uncle, he saw the heavenly beings enter his town. Upon seeing them, Lot urged them to stay at his house for the night, where they could wash their feet and rest before continuing their journey in the morning.
Lot’s hospitality may seem unusual to us, but in the ancient world, most towns lacked inns or motels as we know them today. Strangers in need of lodging would typically go to the city square, trusting in the long-standing customs of hospitality, which required that someone offer them shelter for the night.
“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.” – Genesis 19:2 (NIV)
The angels initially declined, stating that they planned to spend the night in the square. Despite their refusal, Lot strongly insisted, and they finally agreed to stay with him. He then prepared an unleavened meal for them, and they ate. In contrast to accepting Abraham’s hospitality earlier in the day, the angels were initially reluctant to accept Lot’s generous offer. They were sent on a mission to investigate the outcry that had reached God (Genesis 18:21) about the twin cities. Yet they went with Lot but were greeted by the town’s welcoming committee in the most horrific manner.
The Outcries Justified
Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom —both young and old—surrounded the house. 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.” – Genesis 19:4-5 (NIV)
Lot stepped outside, closed the door behind him, and pleaded with the mob not to commit such a wicked act against his guests. In an attempt to protect them, he shockingly offered his two unmarried daughters instead, emphasising that the men were under the protection of his roof. It seems unimaginable to us, but in those days, daughters (and women in general) were treated as property of the man; even so, this level of disregard from Lot towards his daughters is appalling.
Living in Sodom had tuned his mentality, and offering his unmarried daughters to be devoured by the townsfolk seemed like an acceptable compromise to him. We see a similar incident years later in the book of Judges, when a traveler, in order to save himself, threw his concubine to the wolves, and they raped her mercilessly. Sadly, Lot had aligned his ways according to the corruption of the people around him.
When we choose the ways of the world over God’s will, over time, the corruption of the world will seem like a norm and God’s ways will seem odd to us. We get assimilated with the world around us as we feel that it is the best way to survive in this fast-paced world and to keep up we need to do this, we lie to ourselves, all the while trying to ignore the conviction of the Spirit of God that is calling us back to His arms.
Contrary to what Abraham boldly claimed before God, at this point, there doesn’t seem to be even one righteous person in the city. The mob pressed forward to break down the door, but the angels pulled Lot inside and shut the door. Then, they struck the mob with blindness, preventing them from finding the door.
Protecting the Honour of God
But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. – Genesis 19:10-11 (NIV)
In a similar fashion, Elisha blinded the army of the king of Aram when they came to capture him (2 Kings 6:18-20). The Apostle Paul also caused blindness to Elymas, a sorcerer who opposed him, striking him with temporary blindness as a sign of God’s judgment (Acts 13:8-11). Both instances, like the blinding of the mob in Sodom, illustrate God’s intervention to thwart the plans of those opposing His will.
The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because 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.” – Genesis 19:12-13 (NIV)
The two angels were sent to Sodom to get Lot and his family because of the grace of God. The angels were going to safely lead Lot out of Sodom and not the other way round. On that night when the drunken mob were at his doorstep, Lot felt the need to protect the men of God. Least he realised that it was him who needed protection to finally depart the God-forsaken land that he had made his home.
Oftentimes, we also feel that it is up to us to defend the honour of God. The entire purpose of religion seems to be to defend the honour of God. This is true of all religions, where the followers take it upon themselves to preserve the sanctity of their scriptures or silence the critics of God. We may get into arguments with different groups, trying to defend what we feel is our duty, to clear their misconceptions about God.
God does not need us to defend Him; rather, He defends all of us each and every day. Like the men of Sodom waiting to grab Lot, there are forces in this world trying to get our souls, and only God is keeping them at bay. So let us forget all the infighting and spending efforts on preserving the law or protecting God from His critics. Rather, let’s simply come to Him and enjoy His protection and walk with Him as He helps us navigate through this fallen world around us that we have made our home.
Discussion Questions
- Like his uncle Abraham, did Lot also recognise the heavenly visitors at the gates of his city?
- Why did Lot offer his own daughters to be raped? That’s how much he valued his daughters or was it how much he valued his guests?
- How can we remain steadfast in God when living in a corrupt atmosphere?
- Why do we feel it’s our duty to defend God’s honour?
The Jordan Valley 
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