The Evidence of Rebellion...

This week, we are looking at a story in the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we saw the Lord engage Abraham in a conversation regarding the selfishness and rebellion of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was a heavy weight that cast itself against the holiness and justice of God. And as a result of the heaviness that the weight of the selfishness and rebellion of Sodom and Gomorrah placed upon the holiness and justice of God, God came to earth with two witnesses to see firsthand what was happening.

While God was fully aware of what was occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah, His justice moved Him to gather all the facts together in preparation for His right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion there. The residents of Sodom and Gomorrah would be without excuse or defense, because God Himself was coming down to gather all the evidence necessary to answer any objection that anyone might have when it came to what He was about to do.

After allowing Abraham to intercede on behalf of Lot and the innocent, The Lord leaves Abraham. Today, we will see the story shift from the Lord and Abraham to the angels and Lot in Genesis 19:1. Let’s look at it together:

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, "Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." They said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the square." Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Now to fully understand what is happening here, we fist need to understand a few things about city life at this time in history. During this time in history, the city gate was the center of city life. The city gate was the hub of activity, which would have made the city gate the natural place to investigate and gather evidence regarding what was happening in the city. In addition, when visitors arrived at the city through the city gate, it was customary for the residents of the city to welcome the visitors.

And as the angels arrive at the city gate, Lot bowed down with his face to the ground, which was a customary sign of greeting and respect in the culture. Lot, unaware of who he is talking to, then invites the angels to spend the night at his home. The angels, however, wanted to spend the night in the square so as to gather information and to see how they would be treated.   Lot however, urged them strongly to stay at his house. In other words, Lot would not take no for an answer. Lot insisted that they stay with him.

But why would they reject such an offer? And why would Lot refuse to take no for an answer?  As we will see in a minute, Lot insisted that they stay with him and his family because Lot knew the danger of staying in the city square. Lot insisted because he already had a sense by how the residents of Sodom were responding to the angels and that the angels were in danger.

So Lot pressed the angels in a way that they could not take no for an answer. The angels finally accepted Lot’s invitation. However, after the angels had dinner with Lot and his family, their time with Lot was interrupted by the resident of Sodom in verse 4:

 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." 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.

In other words, the entire male population of Sodom came to Lot’s door. Once at Lot’s door, the residents of Sodom asked him to send his guests outside so that they could have sex with them. You see, there were not even ten righteous people in Sodom. Instead, the population of Sodom wanted to participate in a homosexual gang rape of Lot’s guests.

Now, if that is not bad enough, Lot’s response seems even worse. “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Hey don’t rape these men, instead rape my daughters”. Really. Lot unjustifiably offers his daughters to the men of the city because in the culture of the day, the host was responsible to protect his guests at all costs.

The residents of Sodom, however, did not appreciate Lot’s suggestion. The residents of Sodom basically say “Get out of the way. Who do you think you are anyways? You are an outsider who moved here, and yet you think you can judge us when it comes to who and how we have sex. Well, maybe we will just have to gang rape you as well”. At this point, the angels have gathered all the evidence that they need and reveal themselves and God’s response to the rebellion of Sodom in verse 10:

 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. Then the two men said to Lot, "Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it."

Now when it says that the angels struck the men with blindness, this phrase literally means that the men of Sodom were struck with a dazzling light that blinded them. And as a result of being blinded by the light, the population of Sodom became tired of and gave up on their previous plans. The angels then revealed themselves and the reality that they would be the instruments that God would use to destroy Sodom as a result of the selfishness and rebellion that was a heavy weight that cast itself against the holiness and justice of God.

Friday, we will see Lot’s response to the news…