If I Could Ask One Question of Lot, I would ask “What Were You Thinking?”

 “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed down with his face to the ground. He said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the square.” But he urged 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. But before they lay 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, so that we may know them.” Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a 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 replied, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down. But the men inside reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door.” Genesis 19:1-11

The story of Sodom – more specifically the people of Sodom is one of the more troubling stories in the Old Testament. The stories about the sins of the people of Sodom have reached all the way to heaven, and the Lord has determined to do something about it. Abraham has tried to get the messengers to reconsider their course of action, and they have determined that if they find ten righteous people in the city, the Lord will not destroy the city. And so the two messengers of the Lord arrive in the city, and Lot asks them to stay with him. And while they are with Lot, the men of the city come and demand of Lot to give the visitors to them, so “they man know them”. This is a particularly terrible sin, the sin of “non-consensual” sexual relations. So Lot determines to keep the men of the city away from the visitors – after all, hospitality to strangers is of the utmost importance for the people of Israel. And in a strange turn of events, Lot says “Look, I have two daughters who have not known a 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.” His response seems as bad as the demands of the men of the city.

We may find ourselves questioning the culture of that day, but protecting one’s guests required great sacrifice. Was Lot right to offer his own daughters in place of the men – the messengers of the Lord? No. But we see something greater happening, because in the story, the Lord’s messengers protected Lot and his daughters in spite of Lot’s choice of hospitality over protecting his own daughters.

But, if I had the opportunity to ask Lot a question, I would ask him “What were you thinking?” That is my question for Lot. What question would you ask him?

Pastor Dave