Genesis 19:1-11 - Stand back!

Genesis 19:1-11

Sodom’s Depravity

1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”

And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”

3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 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 know them carnally.”

6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

The depraved sexual immortality of the Sodomites found judgment at the gates when Lot welcomed the avenging angels.  Lot was at the city gates and met the two messengers harboring doom for the abominable behavior of the city where not even ten righteous men could be found (Genesis 18:32) to turn back the impending doom.  Lot had invited the two celestial servants into his home for the night, imploring them not to sleep in the open city plaza where it was not safe for a man.  He then cooked a feast and they almost lay down to sleep when the perverse crowd of men of all ages came knocking on Lot’s door and surrounded the house to prevent escape from their immoral intentions.  The lewd crowd cried out to have Lot hand over the two visitors to their carnal desires, but Lot went out to speak with them as he shut the door behind him.  He even extended his desperate hospitality to offer his two virgin daughters to protect his guests!  Such was the code of honor then.  He told the maddening crowd that he had brought the two men into his house for the reason (Genesis 18:4-5) of hospitality, but perhaps also because he knew in some way they came to judge the unrepentant Sodomites but that he had to protect them from the cosmic crime they wanted to commit against the visitors like so many others.  The wicked crowd told Lot to stand back or stand aside so they could go get the two men for their perverse passions.  They accused Lot of coming to live in Sodom and now being judgmental against their homosexuality, threatened to do worse to him after taking care of the visitors.  How unchanged the situation is today as the gay community is violently opposed to the righteous in their midst, accusing them of judging them for what they do and sometimes even threatening to do something untoward to those set against their immorality to protect others.  In the case of Lot, when the crowd pushed Lot against his door to break it down and do their dirty deeds, the angels grabbed him and pulled him safely inside the house.  Then they used their God-given power to blind all the townsmen at the door to keep them from entering.  This included all of the young and old who sought to commit abominable acts against them and Lot.  When the immoral of this world tell us who follow the Lord to stand back, we let God keep them at bay for judgment and do not react with violence or hate in return.  God’s word will judge the unrepentant (John 3:19, 20-21, 12:48) when they face Him in the end (Hebrews 9:27-28) at the door to judgment leading to either Heaven or the lake of fire.  The gospel message Jesus preached to turn from sin to Him was rejected by the Sodomites and they faced earthly judgment then; how much more weighty the eternal judgment all will face who live according to any sin (Romans 3:23-24), whether so heinous as this example or seemingly innocuous?  Sin lives in each of us from birth, inherited from the first man who rejected and disobeyed God’s word for righteousness.  We all deserve the same end unless we repent, turning from practicing sin as a lifestyle and pursuing righteousness after forgiveness and regeneration of a new heart with right and wrong written (Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3) written there to guide us and with God’s Spirit living in us to enable willing obedience.  We cannot fight unrighteousness with hate just as we cannot abide abominable sins by agreeing with what the perpetrators would have us do under threat of being called haters or judging them, but answering instead with this message of hope of a changed life leading to a desire to pursue what pleases the Lord who made us all in His holy image.  Remembering the fate of those continuing in such acts such as these without repentance to life we are to hear the call, Stand back! we are not to fight or hate, but reply with the truth of the need to call sin what it is and to offer forgiveness and deliverance from it and the eternal consequences of refusing Him who calls.