E6 | Lot Offered His Daughters… and Was Called Righteous? (Genesis 19:1-11)

How can a man who offered his own daughters to a violent mob be called “righteous” in the Bible?

In this episode, we take an honest look at a disturbing account in Scripture—Genesis 19:1–11—and wrestle with the tension surrounding Lot. While the Old Testament reveals his deeply troubling choices, the New Testament describes him as a righteous man tormented by the evil around him.

So what are we supposed to make of that?

Join Jason as he explores Lot’s life, the slow drift into compromise, the devastating impact on his family, and ultimately, what his story reveals about sin, spiritual conflict, and the mercy of God.

It would really mean a lot if you shared this episode with your friends!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What if I told you the Bible labels a man as righteous who is willing to give up his daughters to a mob of grotesque desires and lusts? Today we're stepping into one of the most conflicted, uncomfortable stories in the entire Bible. So join me as we try to make sense of the tragic life of Lot. Well, hello my friends. I'm your Bible teacher, Jason Jimenez, and I'm so glad you joined me on this episode of Curious Verses, where confusing passages finally make sense. Now I wish this story about Lot weren't true, but it is. As a father of two daughters, it's sickening and difficult to process. And I'm sure you feel the same. That the story of Lot feels like it doesn't belong. I mean, how can it be to have the Bible refer to a man as righteous and yet willing to offer up his daughters to be violated? You might think a story so morally unthinkable would be tucked away in the Bible as a brief, forgettable story, but that's not the case with Lot. Moses dedicates several chapters to the life of Lot, who was later called as a righteous man by the Apostle Peter. So how can you and I make sense of all of this? Now, in order to understand as best we can, we need to open up Genesis and take a closer look at one of the most conflicted men in the Old Testament and see if we can find any redeeming qualities and make sense of the apparent contradictions in this biblical narrative. If you see in Genesis chapter 19 in the beginning in verse 1, it reads, 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 bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way. Verse three, but he pressed them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house, and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now if you notice, Lot was hospitable, he was very generous, and he was a leader in the city. It was common practice in ancient times for judges like Lot to conduct business at the city gates, according to Job twenty nine, verse seven. But here's where it gets interesting and deeply problematic. Verse four But before they laid down the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man surrounded the house, and they called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them. Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 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. 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. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house, remember those are the angels, with them and shut the door, 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. So if you notice here in Genesis 19, Lot clearly offers his daughters to this sick and twisted, demonized mob. And yet in 2 Peter 2 7, Peter gives him the descriptor, righteous Lot, stating that he was greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked. So when you see what Peter writes in verse 9, this righteous man, he mentions that three different times, was among these people day after day, and he was being tormented, his righteous soul was over the lawless deeds that he saw and heard. So again, how can this be? We clearly see in Genesis 19, Lot willing to give up his daughters, and Peter three times refers to him as a righteous individual. How can you consider someone as a righteous man, a man of the law who was willing to offer his daughters to be brutally violated? But when you take an honest examination of Lot's life, without question, you find that this man was very troubled and very conflicted. And that's the reality of the Bible. It doesn't hold back or sanitize the bad stuff. It exposes the spiritual conflict that we as humans wrestle with on a daily basis. Lot was no exception. Back in Genesis 13, verse 10, we see that Lot lifted up his eyes toward the Jordan Valley, and his lust for more consumed him. So much so that in verse 11, Lot chose to abandon his uncle Abraham, and it says, chose for himself all the Jordan Valley. And by Genesis 14, twelve, Lot has moved into Sodom itself. He goes from seeing the fertile valley and wanting it to pitching his tent near Sodom to finally living amid the corruption inside it. His greed and lust for more slowly blinded his moral judgment, and though he still fought for justice, even his own future sons-in-laws didn't take his word seriously in Genesis 19, verse 14. Lot's wife was so attached to Sodom and Gomorrah that she was not willing to leave, along with his two future son-in-laws. The three of them became casualties of God's wrath. Although Lot and his two daughters fled the wicked cities, they still carried the influence of those cities in their hearts. Not long after settling in the hills outside of Zor, the two daughters plotted to get their father drunk so that they could bear children. Their detestable actions were a direct result of the life that Lot and his wife chose to raise their daughters in. Now it's important to understand as we look at the Greek word for righteous now and the context of Peter, this will make further sense. The Greek word is de kaios. It means being upright, justified, whole. So we know according to Scripture that Lot was indeed considered just because of his faith in God, and also his moral stance against wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude in fact comments that the people in those cities indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desires. Those were things that Lot abhorred. And 2 Peter 2.8, when Peter mentions that Lot lived among the lawless deeds of Sodom and it tormented him, that is in reference to his righteousness. He knew those deeds were wrong and did not want to condone them. So what Peter is pointing out is that Lot didn't participate in the evil, he detested it. It grieved him. So when you look at the account of Lot in the Old Testament, we encounter a troubled and sinful man. But now in the New Testament, we learn that Lot, despite his treacherous sin, was a justified man in the eyes of God. We can't miss the full tapestry of the Bible. One, it puts the story in there, but also two, it's a point of redemption. That's the message. Now what's also important to understand is the difference between Lot and his uncle, Abraham. In Genesis 18, when the three angels appeared and manifested in human form, they came to Abraham, and he knew right away that they were sent by God and he offered a prayer. However, as we read in Genesis 19, Lot didn't even know the two men were angels, nor did he understand why they had come. So on the one hand, Abraham knew the angels had come to minister to him and bring good news and response to his prayers to God, but we can't say the same was true for Lot. That contrast tells us everything. Lot had a conscience to be disturbed by wickedness, but not enough clarity to respond with holy courage and sound judgment, which is why he attempts to solve one evil with another evil action. He had become desensitized by years of exposure to Sodom's sin and had lost the discernment to know how to combat it. So the way that I interpret Lot's actions the night in which his neighbors came banging on his door is that he took his responsibility as a host a bit too far. On one hand, he was upholding his duty to care for his guests, which, if neglected, could bring him shame or even expulsion. But when his townspeople arrived bent on sin, you can sense the unbearable pressure Lot was under, trying to accommodate them according to their customs, and herein lies the tension pulling him in either direction, which of course doesn't work. Jesus taught in Matthew 6 24, no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God in money. Lot was trying to serve two masters. He was trying to appease two different people groups. He knew God's truth from Abraham, who was a living example of obedience, but after years of living in Sodom, Lot became tainted by their sinful ways. It would be a mistake if we didn't bring in the overwhelming centerpiece that resolves not only our disgust, but also answers the question of how Lot can be so wicked and yet still be justified in the sight of God. My friends, it's called the mercy of God. I believe Warren Wearsby captures the main lesson of Lot's spiritual journey beautifully through how Peter describes him. Quote, Peter was not pointing to Lot as an example of separated living, but rather as an example of one whom God rescued from pollution and condemnation. In a sense, Lot was even rescued against his will, because the angels had to grasp him by the hand and pull him out of the city. Genesis 19, verse 16. Lot had entered Sodom, and then Sodom had entered Lot, and he found it difficult to leave. Peter's point is clear and should not be misunderstood. He is not elevating Lot as the ideal of moral living. What he is pointing out is that God, the Almighty One, is able to deliver his people from destructive behavior and judge those who deliberately live in rebellion. Moses doesn't portray Lot as a triumphant saint. In fact, it's his uncle who intercedes for Lot, his family, in his city. Lot, on the other hand, appears as a dejected believer who is deeply compromised, which makes Peter's statement about him even more meaningful. Lot suffered loss because of his sin, but he was also saved by God's mercy in the process. Just because the Bible tells of the story doesn't mean it endorses the actions it reports. So what are some of the takeaways from Lot's life and his failed ending? First, Lot is a flawed man of God who, although he escaped the wrath of God on Sodom and Gomorrah, did not fully flee from the influence those cities had on him. Second, the accounts of Lot's life are disturbing, but if you and I are honest, they reveal our own sin and the potential to compromise at any moment. Lot believed in God, but did not consistently walk with him. Third, you and I can be grieved by sin and still commit it, even when we know it's wrong and it makes us feel unholy. When we compromise and stay close to sin, it will distort our judgment and eventually bring us down. Lot was a compromised man who knew what God required of him, but gave too much stock in what people thought of him. He thought he could influence a culture bent on immorality, which cost him his family and gave rise to future generations of the Moabites and the Ammonites who would go on to become enemies of Israel. Well, my friends, I hope this episode has been helpful and maybe even encouraging as you try and make sense of the disturbing passages about Lot and the sin of his family. Next time on Curious Verses, we will explore why the Ark of the Covenant mysteriously disappeared from history. One moment's essential part of Israel's worship helps them defeat their enemies and instills fear in surrounding nations. Then it's gone. We will get into all the theories about what happened to the Ark of the Covenant next time, so be sure to look for that episode when it comes out. If this episode helped you, please share it on social media and leave me a review so that together we can reach more Christians and help them make sense of confusing Bible passages. See you next time on Curious Verses, where confusing passages finally make sense.