Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels to verify that the condition in Sodom was as bad as observed. At that time Abraham interceded with God to spare the city if ten righteous souls could be found in it. Sadly, the angels found less than ten; the time of judgment for Sodom was imminent. Lot, who lived in the city, could not delay the judgment. The only recourse was to deliver souls out of Sodom, but Lot had no moral power to convince anyone to leave the city. Though he was “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (2 Peter 2:7), he also said about city life, “Let me escape thither ... and my soul shall live” (Gen. 19:2020Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. (Genesis 19:20)). His reluctance to leave the city of Sodom was also evidence of his attachment to it. This double-mindedness left him with little power to convince even his own family members to leave the city before the impending judgment. There is no moral power for good without being separate from the evil we witness against.
Lot’s Hospitality
Lot was hospitable to the messengers, in saying, “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” (Gen. 19:22And 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. (Genesis 19:2)). He knew it was unsafe for them to pass the night in the streets, but apparently he did not realize how ripe the city was for judgment. He says to them, “Tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways.” They say to him, “Nay ... for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord” (Gen. 19:2,132And 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. (Genesis 19:2)
13For 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. (Genesis 19:13)). Peter warns us of this danger: “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
Lot’s hospitality was a meal which included unleavened bread — bread of affliction — which, though it may have been appropriate for the occasion, stands out in stark contrast to the meal that Abraham had previously served. Abraham was not enmeshed in the condition of those living around him and could enjoy a meal of cakes baked on the hearth, as well as a tender and good calf with butter and milk. Why the difference? It is a case of being separate from the filth of sin, not merely a physical separation from the evil around us (although many times that is the best option), but a moral separation. Lot morally lived in Sodom, vexing himself. In that condition he could not enjoy the best things of life, as did Abraham. How many real Christians become so occupied with the evil around them that they miss this kind of fellowship with the Lord!
The Moral Condition of Sodom
The angels’ visit to Sodom reveals the moral condition of those living in it and how Lot dealt with that condition. This gives us to know at what point God decides to judge. Let us notice what Scripture says about the men of Sodom. First, we see they were banded together to do evil (Gen. 19:44But 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: (Genesis 19:4)). Also, they had abandoned God’s order of marriage and were given over to inordinate affection (vs. 5). We see that they resisted any judgment against themselves for their behavior. Finally, they would use force or violence to resist (vss. 9-10). Such is the terrible degraded condition of man given up to immorality. This was the condition that God saw ripe for judgment. The words of Lot, “I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly,” are of no avail for such. What Lot offers to the men of Sodom in his daughters shows how much he had lost his sense of right and wrong regarding the preservation of his own family. He was compromising with the men of Sodom instead of witnessing for what was right, and this became a snare to his family. After being treated as they were, is it any wonder that later on Lot’s two daughters behaved as they did with their father! Evil communications corrupt good manners.
God’s Judgment of Immorality
We tremble as we consider how the immorality around us mirrors the days of Noah and Lot. God “spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5-6). The Lord forewarned us that in the last days immorality would be like the days of Noah and Lot: “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:3030Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:30)). At this time there are souls that need to be rescued from the jaws of sin and Satan, but it is of no avail to seek to correct the condition of the world. The words of Jude concerning the last time are relevant: “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 21-2521Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 21‑25)).
D. C. Buchanan