Don't Just Settle Anywhere! Series

Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that God decided to destroy those cities. Everything and everyone were going to be destroyed. Had it not been for Abraham interceding to God, Lot and his family would have been destroyed with everything else. Genesis 18:16-33. That night, two angels came to the entrance of Sodom and found Lot sitting there. This is significant because only the most important people sat at the entrance. Lot clearly had influence and must have been popular with the citizens. He and his family must have been there for years given how well known they were. Despite Lot being influenced by Sodom, he still had enough spiritual sight to recognize the angels. He invited them to stay his house for the night. They didn't want to, but Lot insisted, and the angels agreed. Genesis 19:1-3 Before they went to sleep, all the men in Sodom surrounded Lot's house. I don't know how the men found out about Lot's company, but nevertheless, news spread. They demanded that Lot bring out the men so they could have sex with them. Genesis 19:4-5

Because Lot had been in Sodom for so long, he was very aware of how the citizens were. He knew the men would try to hurt them which is why he brought them into the safety of his home. Lot did a good thing bringing the angels into his house. But then Lot would do something that showed that he wasn't any better than the men of Sodom. Lot decided to talk to the men outside his house. He begged them not to do such a horrible thing. Then he told the men that he had two daughters who were virgins and that he would bring them out for the men to do whatever they wanted to them. But the men were under Lot's protection. Genesis 19:6-8

The fact that Lot didn't see anything wrong with offering his daughters to a crowd of wicked men to be raped is horrific! Fathers are to protect their children; NOT put them in a position where they could be injured or killed. As for Lot's wife, the Bible doesn't say what her reaction was. Most mothers would have been extremely angry at their husbands for making that kind of suggestion. But it shows what can happen when someone is around wicked people for too long.

The men of Sodom obviously didn't respect what Lot said because they mentioned him being an outsider and accused him of being a judge over them. Genesis 19:9 Before you point out someone else's sin, make sure you're not committing the same sin or worse. Matthew 7:1-5 Also never accuse someone of being judgmental when you have the same attitude in your own heart. The men wanted to do worse to Lot than what they wanted to do to the angels. But the angels pulled Lot inside and struck the men outside with blindness. Genesis 19:10-11

After the angels asked to see if Lot had any other relatives in town, they told him of how God had sent them to destroy the city. Lot told his future sons-in-law what was to happen, but they thought it was a joke. A lot of people don't take the warnings of God seriously until it's too late. When Noah was building the ark, the people didn't take the warning seriously until it started to rain, and the door of the ark was closed. Then it was too late. Genesis 6-7

The next morning, the angels told Lot and his family that they needed to leave now, or they would be destroyed. The crazy thing is Lot hesitated. Lot had just been told the city he's living in was going to be destroyed and he's not running out the door. Why he hesitated isn't explained. Maybe it was because he had friends there. Maybe it was because he had a position of authority. Maybe it was because he still wasn't sure if the city was truly going to be destroyed. The angels literally had to grab everyone by the hands and rush them out of the city. The angels instructed Lot and his family to run for their lives. Don't look back or stop in the valley. Escape to the mountains or they would be swept away. Genesis 19:15-17Lot was too scared to go to the mountains and begged the angels to let him escape to a small village named Zoar. The angels agreed to his request but told him to hurry. The angel couldn't do anything until Lot made it there. Genesis 19:18-22