A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

FOURTEEN
LOT:
The Destruction of Sodom
(Genesis 19:1-20:18)
The story of Lot tells of a man who utterly failed to understand the devastating effect that
evil associations can have in one’s life. Though the wickedness of the city of Sodom was
generally known, Lot chose to make his home there because of some apparent advantages of the
region (Gen. 13:11). Earlier, Lot’s capture by the kings under Hammurabi’s alliance should have
been warning from God, but it went unheeded.
Lot sat in the gate, suggesting a degree of involvement in the civic affairs of the city
(19:1). His reluctance to leave demonstrates the grip that the city had on him (v. 16). Though the
New Testament affirms Lot was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7), the last record of Lot in the Old
Testament portrays him drunk and in an incestual relationship with his daughters (Gen. 19:30-
38). The example of Lot demonstrates just how far a just man can fall when he backslides.
Perhaps the saddest effect of a backslider is not on his own life, but rather his effect on
others. Lot’s failure in Sodom had a negative effect on the growing faith of Abraham. Perhaps as
a result of Lot’s failure, Abraham was influenced to compromise so as to almost risk the
promised seed. Something happened in the heart of Abraham as he watched the destruction of
Sodom and before long, Abraham was again engaged in lying about his wife (20:1ff). Had it not
been for a dramatic intervention of God, the son of Sarah might have been a Philistine, the son of
Abimelech.
THE RESCUE OF LOT (Gen. 19:1-16)
“Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom” as the angels entered the city (Gen. 19:1). Sitting
in the gate of a city in ancient times suggested a judicial office in the city. Jewish legends claim
Lot was chosen chief among the judges of the city because he had ceased to reprove them for
their sin. From a biblical perspective, the ineffectiveness of righteous Lot in the wicked city of
Sodom stands in direct contrast to the examples of both Joseph and Daniel who remained faithful
to God in the wicked societies in which they lived.
Knowing the character of the city intimately, Lot pled with the angels to be his guests
rather than spend the night in the street as they suggested. The New Testament reveals Lot was
“oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them,
tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)” (2 Peter
2:7-8). Homosexuality was the particular sin which seems to have been so predominant on its
city streets at night. Even today homosexuality is identified with that city under the broader
designation of sodomy.
Perhaps because of the growing acceptance of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle in
Western society today, it has become increasingly popular in some circles to dispute the idea that
Sodom was destroyed for its sin of homosexuality, or that the angels were endangered by the
men of the city. Several weak arguments are used to support this view. First, they argue the
Hebrew verb yara’ refers to a sexual or carnal knowledge in only 15 of the more than 900