Lot’s Hospitality in Sodom — Genesis 19 Daily Word

Explore Lot’s courageous stand against Sodom’s wickedness in Genesis 19. Discover how one righteous man showed mercy and warned others amid a city consumed by sin and depravity.

Genesis 19:8-13 Daily Word

[Scripture]

[8] Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” [9] But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. [10] But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. [11] And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door. [12] Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. [13] For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” (Gen 19:8-13, ESV)

[Daily Word]

Two angels have now arrived in Sodom. They have two tasks to carry out there.
The first is to assess the true state of Sodom, and the second is to find any righteous people within it.

Lot, who was sitting at the gate of Sodom, saw them and rose to meet them, bowing himself to the ground.
Lot bowed before them not only because they were strangers, but also because he knew they could fall victim to the wickedness that pervaded Sodom.

So Lot urged them earnestly to come into his house. But as we see in verse 4, all the men of the city — the men of Sodom, both young and old — gathered together and surrounded the house. Their intent was to commit homosexual acts against the angels.

Hearing this, Lot went out to the crowd at the door and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.”

# “My brothers, do not act so wickedly.”

The men of Sodom did not consider homosexuality a sin. It was simply part of their everyday life — something they practiced as a matter of course.
Therefore, the men who had rushed to Lot’s house actually regarded the two angels’ refusal to participate in homosexual acts as the wrongdoing.

Lot, however, had lived in Sodom long enough to recognize that the sexually pervasive culture of this city was sinful.
That is why he cried out, “My brothers, do not act so wickedly.”

Yet in the same breath, he offers to bring out his two daughters, saying, “Do with them as you please.” This makes Lot appear to treat his own daughters as less valuable than his guests.

The reason Lot acted this way was not that he recognized these visitors as angels, but rather that he reflected the cultural norm of his day — viewing children as possessions.
And so, as we see in verse 8, “only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof” — he sacrifices his two daughters for the sake of his own honor and chooses instead to protect his guests.

# The mob does not back down even an inch.

“This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” With that, they pressed hard against Lot and moved to break down the door. Notice that they say, “This fellow came to sojourn” —

Looking at this through other translations, the meaning is “Even though you came in as a foreigner, a mere sojourner, you now presume to judge us.” Therefore, this is not saying that Lot was literally a judge, but rather that he was acting like one by telling them what was right and wrong.

They forcefully pushed back against Lot, who was resisting stubbornly, and attempted to break down the door. But at that moment, the angels pulled Lot inside and struck the men outside with blindness, so that they began to grope about trying to find the door.

At the Tower of Babel, God shut and confused the lips of those who had sinned in seeking to make a name for themselves. Because of this, the purpose of those who stood against heaven was dismantled, and they suffered the judgment of being scattered in every direction.

(Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death

Just as it was then, we must remember that God still works today — overturning sinful deeds and bringing destruction upon those who live in sin.

And what is even more important is that before the judgment of destruction comes, God gives a time of salvation — a time of forgiveness. That is why He has granted us the privilege of believing in Jesus Christ and has enabled us to hold fast to that faith.

# God reaches out to Lot with a hand of salvation.

In today’s passage, God likewise gives that same opportunity to Lot. And so [12] Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. [13] For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” (Gen 19:12-13, ESV)

In the time of judgment, Lot hears the plan that God has given him. He also hears the command to flee with his family to a place of safety.

God did not call Lot a righteous man, yet He knew that Lot was the one Abraham had in mind. It was His desire that, through Lot, those who belonged to him would also receive forgiveness.

Just as God desired that Lot’s family and neighbors would be saved through Lot, He also desires that, through us, the names of many people would be called out in salvation.

In particular, God heard Abraham’s earnest and desperate cry on behalf of Sodom. He caused that cry to become the very work that saved Lot’s life.

We believe that God will use us in the same way. May you trust that earnest prayers for the world and desperate cries for even one soul will be used in the work of saving this world.

The sin of Sodom, the righteousness of Lot, the judgment of the angels, hospitality to strangers, the book of Genesis

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com