“Genesis 19:6-11”

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

“But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.’ But they said, ‘Stand aside.’ Furthermore, they said, ‘This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.’ So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.” (verse 8) No matter how much Lot chose to delude himself with his Sodomite “brothers,” their wickedness was not an “act”. They were thoroughly imbued with malevolence from head to toe. And furthermore, after urging THEM to not act wickedly, Lot proceeded to talk out of both sides of his mouth by immediately offering his two virgin daughters to these lust drenched reprobates to “do whatever” they desired! Lot justified this proposition by claiming that his two guests were under the protection and “shelter of” his “roof”. But, no matter how highly esteemed hospitality was in the ancient, Near Eastern culture and even is to God Almighty, that does not validate Lot’s corrupted compromise and complete cowardice in offering his innocent and defenseless daughters. As a father, one of his foremost duties was to provide for and protect his own, vulnerable flesh and blood, and not offer them up to an unruly mob to be devastated!

“This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them” (verse 9). “His uncle having recently rescued the whole city from plundering by the eastern invaders, and having restored their king to his throne, Lot was evidently enjoying a certain degree of popularity in Sodom, but oil will not mix with water. The events of the dark night proved that Lot did not belong in Sodom. As is always the case, any respect or popularity that sinful men may give to the followers of the Lord is always tentative and uncertain and sure to disappear on the slightest pretext.” (James Burton Coffman) And if you think that the mournful cry, “Don’t judge me!” is a 20th and 21st century phenomenon, you would be greatly mistaken. It is ever the complaint of smug sinners that God’s people criticize them too harshly for merely engaging in activities that they treasure and enjoy, regardless of how sinful and harmful they might be.

“So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.” (verse 9) The muscle of mob rule can be an overwhelming force for evil, save for God and His divine interference. And, had God’s powerful angels not intervened, there is little doubt that these sin-crazed maniacs, who vowed to treat Lot “worse,” would not have stopped until he was dead. “But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.” (verse 10) “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” (Psalms 34:4-7)

“They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness…” (verse 11) “Blinding light—Hebrew sanverim occurs again only in 2 Kings 6:18 in a similar context. The Aramaic Targums understand it to mean a dazzling brightness. The people of Sodom did not suffer the usual kind of sightlessness (ivvaron) but a sudden, immobilizing, blazing flash of light.” (Nahum Sarna) Yet, even through their befuddling blindness, the demented multitude still groped recklessly, frantically trying to locate the entryway to Lot’s house and the targets of their repulsive yearning. Evil is not easily discouraged, and those overwhelmed by it doggedly persist in their pursuit of power and despicable pleasure. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [e]brethren who are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Please read Genesis 19:12-16 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

- Louie Taylor

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