Genesis 19:9-11

2007.Jul.26 21:25

Lot’s Place

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 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.
(Genesis 19:9-11, ESV)

As we return to action in the not-exactly-peaceful town of Sodom, negotiations between Lot and the leaders of the attempted gang rape are breaking down. The residents of Sodom refuse to back down in their demand to rape the guests, who–unbeknown to them–are probably angels. Lot’s counter of his two virgin daughters is not, they feel, good enough. And so negotiations have degraded into taunting. “Oh, yes, little Lot, thinks he’s a judge; couldn’t hack it with his uncle, so he joined us. But now, he thinks he’s better than us. We’ll show you, a–wipe.”

And as those closest to the door move to carry out their threat against Lot, let us pause and examine their accusations. The people of Sodom are basically attacking Lot for a holier-than-thou attitude. And, as soon as I typed that, this picture becomes so much more clear, so much more contemporary. The truth is is that Lot probably is significantly holier than anybody else around his doorstep, and he may well be the most qualified to administer justice of the men in Sodom, but that’s not really the point.

There’s a trap here. Comparing my “righteousness” to that of others is a sure path to deeper sin. I can always find somebody and some metric that shows me to be “better”. And that’s where taking on a holier-than-thou attitude can be so tempting: I can prove (to myself) that I am better and so whitewash (to myself) my own sins. A more useful perspective is my holiness versus Jehovah’s holiness. Okay, not feeling so hot about myself. However much more righteous I may act than any other given person, it is infinitesimal compared to how I have failed to live up to God’s standards. Realizing this and then that via Jesus’ sacrifice, God does consider me holy is humbling, and I realize that it’s not nearly as humbling as it ought to be, as it would be if I would force myself totally out of my pride and fully consider his holiness and my sin.

Lot seems to be fine with sticking to comparisons of himself to other humans. Sure, he’s not so bad. Not compared to the others in this place. But. He’s in the wrong place. Lot’s inability to handle this situation was apparent from the moment the others showed up at his home. How could he do anything to halt this determined crowd? The decision that lost Lot this battle came when he chose the cities of the plains, knowing their wickedness.

But Jehovah is a God of grace. What Lot cannot handle, the messengers of Jehovah deal with easily. It’s a non-event. Poof, y’all are blind and since you’re not used to being blind, the chances of getting in this house tonight are roughly nil. If only Lot had been aware of who was in his home. It begs the question of why he wasn’t aware. A question for which I have no immediate answer, but a lot of ideas. More importantly is the reminder to ask Jehovah for greater discernment and continually choose to be aware.

I suppose Lot was instead relying on his ability to reason out of the situation. Did it ever occur to him to rely on the God of Abraham and Sarah?

Genesis 19:4-8

2007.Jul.14 15:41

Sin

Read Genesis 19:4-8 | Full Chapter

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, that we may know them.”
(Genesis 19:4-5, ESV)

The sin of the people of Sodom is a grab bag. Lack of Inhospitality is noted in the Wikipedia article. Rape, at least attempted. Those are the two obvious. It strikes me as rather unnecessary to focus that for part of the group the rape they wish to commit is homosexual. But it’s in the grab bag too. And we can get caught up in any particular piece of their brutality, but that misses the point. A whole community bands together to rape travelers stopping for the night, a whole community which refuses to see its sin in such a vile action.

I find myself thinking of human slavery, particularly the enslavement of Africans brought to the Americas and of their descendants (Ha, beat that for PC!). How do we get to these points? At what point in our minds does any given war turn from reasons to just violence. How do we arrive at starting wars without reason? At some point, you find yourself banging on a pulpit saying, “These are the children of Ham and this is God’s punishment,” and you don’t even realize that you’ve embraced sin. Here’s a hint though: if you’re extrapolating from the curse of a recently drunk and rather pissed man to explain away your actions, you’re probably sinning.

How do you get there? It’s maybe not so much a slippery slope as the slow accumulation of excuses and apathy. Every sin that we say “just once more” or “not really so bad”, they add up. Or maybe there’s some other way. I am, after all, 25 and entitled to be completely wrong in my understanding of human nature. I am confident in what to do to keep from finding myself at that point: pray to Jehovah, study the Bible, keep myself around other believers so they are able to correct me, both through general association (church meeting, Bible studies, dinner, the like) and with defined accountability relationships (which I am not doing a good job of keeping up on).

Wow. That didn’t go where I was planning.

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.”
(Genesis 19:6-8, ESV)

The thing with Lot is he wasn’t always part of this community, so we can actually watch him sliding (hyuck, hyuck) into it. The thing that stands out to me like a green rhino playing banjo in a cornfield is that Lot calls the men at the entrance–those people closest to the house and likely the leaders–“brothers”.

Okay. Think about that.

Not the rhino; “Brothers”.

The next thing he does is far more vile. He offers the group his daughters to rape instead. And yet, because he’s named the leaders of a gang rape “brothers”, the element of surprise that he would do so is gone. Lot has accepted this community and its sin. He continues to live in it, and considers himself close enough to its leadership to call them brothers. Lot has already accepted this community and made himself a part of it.

Look even at his reasoning. He does not say, “Do not rape,” or even “Do not rape the guests of this town,” but only “Do not rape my guests”. Lot may be the most righteous among the people standing outside his home, but somewhere along the line, he lost the line. He’s already accreting the willingness to sin of his neighbors.

The people of Sodom have engaged a lifestyle of sin, and Lot, for his part, has not rejected it.

Genesis 19:1-3

2007.Jun.24 02:50

Hospitality II

Read Genesis 19:1-3 | Full Chapter

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.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 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.
(Genesis 19:1-3, ESV)

So, the two angels who had gone with Jehovah to meet Abraham arrive at the gate of Sodom. Jehovah, who, as I understand it, had appeared incarnate alongside with these angels, apparently doesn’t continue on to Sodom in such incarnate form. Anyway, the company recorded is now two. And who should they encounter, but the nephew of the very Abraham whom earlier had given them a meal at his tent. Lot’s biggest Biblical appearance up to this point is his parting of ways with Abraham, and the issues that preceded it.

Lot, I’ve noted, seems to have benefited greatly from the blessings on his uncle and aunt, but there’s no indication that he developed any kind of relationship with Jehovah, or strove for obedience and faith as his relatives have (generally) done. And when Abraham offered Lot his choice of the land, Lot chose the cities of the plain, despite their notoriety for sin, happy to stay there even after being pummeled in war. But he did seem to learn some hospitality. Although, perhaps because I know the end of this story, Lot’s hospitality strikes me as maybe less genuine.

Lot invites the angels to spend the night at his house. Honorable enough (well, maybe). They initially refused, but "he urged them greatly" (Genesis 19:3, ASV) and they relent. Like Abraham, Lot prepares and/or has prepared a meal for his guests. So, he does seek to do bless them, and to do the right thing. I can however think of two things that contribute to the unsavory taste Lot leaves me with:

My reading is that Lot pressed them against their plans until they gave in. Maybe that was the right thing to do, but had I been in their shoes, it would have greatly annoyed me. That might be a personal problem with me, though. Not sure. In either event, Lot does keep them from their intended business, which was to observe the city. Then again, the city does manage to make itself observable in the end.
Speaking in hindsight, Lot ought to anticipate what will come. He is a poor host in that he has lived in Sodom and is familiar with their acceptance of sin, and lack of hospitality. On the other hand, he has two daughters who at least haven’t been raped yet (Genesis 19:8), as one might expect they would have been, judging by the crowd later in this chapter. So, maybe he didn’t have full warning.

If anything, the passage is a reminder that hospitality and kindness are more than just a set of rules. Lot does all the right things, but somehow he misses the (possibly glaring) issue of protecting his guests. Hopefully without sounding too trite, one of the reasons we so need God’s wisdom is because it can be so easy, in the moment, to miss what in hindsight was so obvious.

Genesis 13:10-13

2007.Feb.04 17:34

Lot’s Choice

Read Genesis 13:10-13 | Full Chapter

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
(Genesis 13:10-13, NKJV)

For me Lotis one of the most intriguing characters in the Old Testament. I suppose that’s because he, and his family, strike me as regular folk. Lot does some stupid stuff. He doesn’t do anything particularly great. He is successful, but up until this point, that seems to be mostly because he’s been following around his blessed uncle Abram. Abram exhibits leadership at various time in his life, such as in addressing the quarreling between his and Lot’s herdsmen, which is the immediate precursor to Lot’s decision in this passage. Lot never really does. Two nations descend from him, the Moabites and the Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-28), but especially since everybody around Abram seems to have nations descending from them, this does not qualify as an impressive, um, feat, to me. So, basically, Lot strikes me as a uncharacteristically normal guy. Poor schmuck.

Alright, returning to the story at hand. We had a little tiff between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, and Abram recognizes it’s time for he and his nephew to split up. He offers Lot first choice of direction. Lot makes the ‘normal guy’ decision. The plain of the Jordan is fertile and has some nice cities. Never mind that these cities will soon have the fine distinction of getting blasted to smithereens by Jehovah for their persistence in sin, Lot probably reasons that he can live in a city, with lots of people to sell his his sheep to (or whatever he did for economic gain, if that idea even applies). Indeed, the immediate things look to be going very well for Lot.

But…

Here I’m going to guess (as an aside, I suppose I guess a lot in these entries). There’s no record that I can think of that has Lot seeking Jehovah or worshiping him in the ways that Abram does. Rather Lot has let Abram and Sarai be the ones with some relationship with God. He’s satisfied himself with growing his flock. Now, that guess may be wrong, but it’s clear that Lot does not let the sinful environment in which he will have to insert himself affect his decision. It is rather the ‘practical’ everyday influences–like money and ease-of-living–that inform his decision–and here is the key–at the expense of spiritual or moral considerations. And I have the feeling that decision sets Lot up for a series of bad decisions and failures. That’s certainly not all his life consists of, but I just wish he would have thought a little more about this decision.

Yeah, that’s what I want to say. Couldn’t have Lot thought through this a bit more. Especially as a father and husband.

Genesis 13:1-9

2007.Jan.27 17:29

We Are Brothers

Read Genenesis 13:1-9 | Full Chapter

There was fighting between those who cared for Abram’s animals and those who cared for Lot’s animals. The Canaanite and the Perizzite were living in the land at that time. So Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no fighting between you and me or between the men who take care of our animals, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land in front of you? Let each of us go a different way. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
(Genesis 13:7-9, NLV)

Heh. Thought I’d quote a version outside my regulars, and one with which I’m not familiar: the New Life Version. Choice quote from website: “This unique translation is gender-correct” (http://www.newlifebible.org). And no, I don’t know what that means.

As another note, I’ve gotten away from quoting Biblical verses outside of the passage in question (this will be no exception); that’s partly due to the story nature of what’s going on and partly due to laziness. I do want to encourage people who read this to keep digging deeper throughout the Bible as you study. It’s amazing how one passage can clarify another (if often in unexpected ways).

And, one more note, on the names of God. I’ve been using Jehovah a lot both to distinguish “God” from “some god” and because it feels more personal to me. I occassionally, as in this article, switch over to Yahweh, which to my understanding comes from the same Hebrew, but a different transliteration. Which I use is mostly based on my mood, so whether I write “God”, “Jehovah” or “Yahweh”, I am meaning the same being.

Anyway, Abram, Sarai, and the rest of their group leave Egypt after the Pharoah tells Abram that his deception was not appreciated. And back they all go to the vicinity of Bethel. Aside from a note that Abram "called on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 13:4) , this passage is focused on money. That is, Abram has a lot of it. Lot, also, has a lot (hyuck). More specifically, they have large sheep and cattle holdings. Jehovah is fulfilling his promise to bless Abram, but, as with many blessings, this blessing introduces a potential problem. And this one goes beyond potential: the people who care for the animals of Lot and Abram begin fighting.

Abram, having previously revealed that he is, in fact, a stupid human, now reveals the wisdom which God is building in him. Instead of fighting it out or hoping the problem will just go away–instead of, that is, giving into fight or flight (and I will argue flight is what Abram did in the sister-Sarai episode)–Abram addresses the problem: there is not enough land for both Abram’s and Lot’s animals. Neither does he hope his nephew will come to same conclusion. As head of his family (if I understand ancient Hebrew customs), it is his responsibility to address this problem before it creates a division within his family.

His solution is nicely elegant. They’ll split up. I don’t mean to say that dividing up is always the answer to problems. In fact, it often exacerbates discension (see: church splits). Rather, in this case, it is a useful solution. After all, this is more of a business split for the sake of family unity, as opposed to a family split for the sake of building aesthetics, e.g.. What I do take from this is the importance of addressing issues before they become terminally divisive. Had Abram said “Time will heal”, Lot might have never had the chance to prove just what an idiot he could be…wait, that didn’t come out right. I’ll look at Lot a bit more next week and thereafter–he has issues all his own. But a war between Abram and Lot–well, think about if you ended up fighting one of your family members because you chose to ignore a minor disagreement until it escalated? If Abram had entered into that, how could he have ever focused on Yahweh enough to develop the faith he showed later in life?

I’ve seen friends pulled apart within a church congregation and the church leadership say “Time will heal”. Those leaders failed, and I have watched people go through a lot of pain. I hope that I will have throughout my life the faith in Yahweh to be able to say this needs to be dealt with now. Lot might have become angry with Abram for the suggestion. But Abram had to make it anyway, for the sake of his family and both his servants and Lot’s.

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