Lot – Part 4 – A Lot Of Trouble For God – For Abraham – And For Himself – Genesis 19 - Lot Offers His Daughters To Be Raped - Angelic Deliverance Series

LOT – PART 4 – A LOT OF TROUBLE FOR GOD – FOR ABRAHAM – AND FOR HIMSELF – GENESIS 19 - LOT OFFERS HIS DAUGHTERS TO BE RAPED - ANGELIC DELIVERANCE

INTRODUCTION

We will repeat the ending of the last message just to lead into this one –

{{Genesis 19:8 “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,”}}

We now arrive at one of the most difficult verses in the whole bible. Was Lot prepared to sacrifice the morality of his daughters for the hospitality of the two angels (men)? On face value this looks a monstrous act and it probably was so. Excuses are made for Lot saying his intentions were honourable, as the integrity of strangers and hospitality was more important than the integrity of his daughters. I am going to give you the comments of seven men here that explore this issue. My own mind is established on this. I make no excuse for Lot in any way. I think he is a reprobate man. Even those who confess the Lord, when they are outside His leading, can act in a vile way. I am aware of what the New Testament says about Lot but I leave that for the end of the last message. I think Lot is a disgrace.

Now for the various opinions held by a handful of commentators:-

QUOTATION 1. [[“From the praise of this man Lot we have come to his disgrace: he made every effort on behalf of his guests . . . because they came under the shadow of his roof, but he is ready to appease the men of the city by abandoning his daughters to prostitution! This bespeaks nothing but an evil heart for it shows that the matter of prostitution of women was not repugnant to him, and that in his opinion he would not be doing such great injustice to his daughters.”]] (NAHMANIDES (RAMBAN) COMMENTARY ON GENESIS, 13TH CENTURY (JEWISH))

QUOTATION 2. [[“What marvellous virtue in the just man! He surpassed all the standards of hospitality! I mean, how could anyone do justice to the good man's friendliness in not bringing himself to spare even his daughters so as to demonstrate his regard for the strangers and save them from the lawlessness of the Sodomites.”]] (ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM HOMILIES ON GENESIS (43))

QUOTATION 3. [[“Do we not shudder at that crime which the Sodomites were trying to commit upon the guests of that just man as to think that whatever might have restrained them should have been done. We are so much moved, also, by the man himself, who by merit of justice was saved out of Sodom, that we also attribute to his justice the fact that, since it is less evil for women to suffer violation than men, he preferred it to happen to his daughters rather than to his guests . . . we must consider whether Lot's action is an example that we ought to imitate or that we ought, rather, to avoid. It seems the more noteworthy and remarkable that, when his guests were threatened . . . with so dreadful an evil which he wanted in vain to avert, even the soul of a just man could be so confused. In defence of this man one might confine himself to the difficult position of maintaining that, since it is better to suffer wrong than to do it and since those guests were not going to do wrong but suffer it, the just man preferred his daughters to suffer the wrong instead of his guests . . . in view of his authority over his daughters . . . it was as if he offered his slaves to be slain by wicked men in order that his guests not be slaughtered.”]] (ST AUGUSTINE AGAINST LYING)

QUOTATION 4. [[“... I excuse Lot and think that he adopted this plan without sinning. He did not plan to expose his daughters to danger, for he knew that they were not desired by the frenzied men; but he hoped that this would be a way to soften their wrath. Therefore this speech should be regarded as hyperbole.”]] (MARTIN LUTHER LECTURES ON GENESIS)

QUOTATION 5. [[“As the constancy of Lot, in risking his own life for the defence of his guests, deserves no common praise; so now Moses relates that a defect was mixed with this great virtue... For being destitute of advice he devises an unlawful remedy. He does not hesitate to prostitute his own daughters, that he may restrain the indomitable fury of the people. But he should rather have endured a thousand deaths, than to have resorted to such a measure.”]] (JOHN CALVIN COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS)