This transcript was auto-generated. 

The next part of the story has been used by many as a diatribe, against homosexuality. Now that is clearly part of what’s going on here and the text is clear it doesn’t approve of such behaviour, but this is much, much more than an attack on the idea of homosexuality. The threat of homosexual rape is there to illustrate something much wider that the narrow confines of that particular offence. The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were willing to forcefully remove the strangers out of Lot’s house and use them and abuse them as they saw fit.

Think about what these people are doing? Firstly of course there is the wider principal of viewing sex as just a recreational activity or as seen here as a violent abuse of power. Secondly of course they are violating the principles that govern appropriate conduct with strangers and the requirement to offer protection and hospitality. The sexual aspect is pointing to the absolute danger of immediate gratification, sexual included. Particularly reprehensible you’re your actions fall outside the constraints of any civilized rules. This story illustrates uncivilized behaviour of the worst kind. Taking strangers to come into a society where that is meant to be shown hospitality, and a mob shows up and says, ‘hand them over’. We’re going to do whatever we want to them, and if you Lot get in the way, things are going to go even worse for you and your family.’ This is completely out of control behaviour. It’s behaviour that’s outside the norms of any civilized society and it’s described here in a way to provide a shorthand that illustrates that the social structure of the entire society has collapsed. There’s no moral code being applied that stops the inhabitants of these cities engaging in the most brutal of immediate gratification and destruction. 

Let me remind you of verse 9, and remember this is the men outside the house banging at the door speaking, and this is what they say.

“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”.

(Gen 19: 9a)

I think this is really insightful. Look what they say to Lot when he says, no you can’t come in. Do you recognise what that sounds like, just like what we always hear today, “You people are always judging people. Does that sound familiar. “You Christians are always judging people”. When people stand up and say what they think is wrong the world they are always accused of judging people. Earlier in the passage Abram also spoke out against what they were doing, they accused him of being a judge, also. 

So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 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.

(Gen 19: 9b-11)

The word used for blindness is a word that does not appear very much in the Old Testament and many Bible experts suggest that it more than physical blindness but spiritual blindness as well. They term dazed and confused was used by some earlier Bible commentators to describe what is going on here. However, they are seen to be struck down, and were prevented from continuing the assault and getting into the house.

 “The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”  So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry[a] his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking”

(Gen 19: 12-14)

So, the Angels are now saying to Lot you need to get out before we destroy this city. The cry of the persecuted has grown so great before the face of the Lord, that he has sent us to destroy this place. He's simply saying before the judgement falls you and your family must get out of town. Lot went out and spoke to his sons in law who had married his daughters and said pack up get out of this place for the Lord is going to destroy the city. But his son in laws say you’re wrong, Gods not going to destroy the whole city because of what has happened here . Another familiar age-old response questioning this based on the argument about a loving God and how He wouldn't do that kind of thing. Remember when first introduced to us a while back, Lot was initially described as up righteous man. Second Peter says that he was influenced to some degree by this place and we see that influence even more in his children. They were living in that world, but of course we all in a sense live “in the world”. So what does it mean to live in the world according to the Bible. Let’s look for a moment at James chapter 4 from the NT. In that book James talks about the world and this is what he says about it.

“Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”.

(James 4: 4b)

You get the same idea from first John chapter 2 where it says in verse 15.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

(1 John 2: 15)

There it is again it's the world of the Lord. If your friendship with the world you're an enemy of God if you're boozing it up to the world and that is where your friends are situated then you and your friends are being conformed to the world. Listening to them, being influenced by them. It fine to be interacting with the world and have non-Christian friends and work colleagues, but make sure you are influencing them and it’s not them influencing you. 1 John 2: 16-27 lists out the practicalities of what this means .

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

We’ll unpack what this all means for us in the next episode.