In our last devotional, Abraham has interceded for his nephew Lot, after the Lord has revealed to him the impending judgement of Sodom. We learned two things – that the Lord desires the faithful to know His plans, and that He is receptive to the prayers of His saints. As we enter this lesson – the Lord has left communing with Abraham, and the two angels that had accompanied Him continue on towards Sodom.

1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Lot “sat in the gate.” meaning he had a position as a civic leader. Lot arises and bows with his face towards the ground in the Oriental custom. [far different from when Abraham prostrated himself to the ground at the appearance of the Lord]

2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

Lot, the carnal believer, lives among these people and knows it is not safe for them to remain in the streets all night.

3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

They relent and enter Lot’s home and eat a meal with him. Yet another example of angels having the ability to take on the appearance and function of human flesh. These are not disembodied spirits!

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Many so-called “gay Christians” try to claim that the issue here is hospitality, not homosexuality. This defies all logic. For what possible reason could a hundred or so men have to bang on the door of someone’s home at night? Here is Sodom and Gomorrah, just a few miles from Hebron, Abraham’s home, and Jerusalem, Melchizedek’s home – and the stench of evil is so great that it has reached unto God in heaven! (Gen. 18: 20-21) Only 400 years since the profligate wickedness of the entire world was destroyed by Noah’s flood!

6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Lot attempts to reason with these savages. Here is proof that the men of Sodom are wanting to violate Lot’s visitors, because Lot offers his two young daughters instead. I assure you that what is going on here has nothing whatsoever to do with the Oriental sense of hospitality.

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

The Sodomites tell Lot to get away from the door, and then deride him as being in no position to judge them, he being a newcomer. They proceed to threaten Lot with even worse things than they had planned for the two angels. With even more aggression, they almost break the door.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Through supernatural power, the Sodomites are blinded by the angels – yet Lot is able to leave and seek out his married daughters and their husbands in an attempt to deliver them from the impending doom.

12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. Genesis 19: 1-14

Recall that after Abram had rescued Lot, and the King of Sodom along with him, Abram declined to keep any of the booty he was entitled to as victor of the war. Abram refused to give the “devil an inch,” if you will. Please don’t underestimate the importance of this. From the beginning – God has been separating the wheat from the tares. In the story of Lot, living among the Sodomites, we see ourselves. We are living in a sinful, fallen world, that daily grows in degeneracy. As the evil grows, those that belong to Christ shall grow more and more uncomfortable living in “Sodom.” The Bible tells us that the immorality of the men of Sodom was a great affront to Lot’s sense of righteousness, as he was a believer in the One True God. The Word also says that for the same reason – our souls will be vexed – but that we will be delivered.

As we try to witness to family, friends, and people we just happen to meet, or we have a King like the King of Sodom, or our churches embrace abomination, and we read things like this – “A Christian Finds Acceptance of Homosexuality in the Bible,” and the whole world treats us with scorn as Lot’s sons – in – law did, we can take strength from the following passage, and know in our hearts that the Lord is yet separating the wheat from the tares until the cup of iniquity is full:

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

2 Peter 2: 6-9