A life of compromise (Gen 19:1-22)

I used to know a Christian couple who were pillars in my church. Newly married at the time, they were leading Bible studies and demonstrated a thoughtful Christian commitment. Over time, our lives moved in different directions and I lost touch with them. Twenty years later, I bumped into the husband. As I was organising an event and wanted to invite them, I asked him what their current address was. He sounded a bit cagey about where he was living, and I heard from another friend later that his marriage had broken up. He moved out and lived in a different city with another woman. If someone had said to me earlier that this would happen, I would not have believed it. I was shocked and saddened that the original commitment to God (as well as to each other) that seemed so strong had become compromised – for the husband at least. I suspect that we all know Christians who did not stay the course. Lot is another whose life started well but ended badly when he chose a place to live that looked lush and fertile but proved to be morally corrupt (Gen 13:10, 13).

Lot’s positive side

Lot was not all bad, however. For one thing, he moved from Haran with Abraham and so experienced God’s blessings. When we meet him in this episode, he is sitting in the city gate (Gen 19:1), the place where in ancient cities the court of law met and official legal business was conducted. Biblical narrative is typically economical, so details such as this contribute to our understanding of someone’s character. Lot then may have been an elder or a judge in the city. Like Abraham, he also showed hospitality to the angels (offer of overnight stay and feast; Gen 19:2-3). Further, he courageously faced the mob outside and closed the door behind him to protect his guests while putting himself at the mercy of the crowd (Gen 19:5-7). Additionally, he tried to warn his sons-in-law of the coming disaster, though to no avail (Gen 19:14).

Question marks over Lot

At the same time, his story is disconcerting. How could he bear to live in such a thoroughly evil place? Gang rape, especially against those who as guests were entitled to traditional hospitality would have shocked ancient audiences. Commercial inns did not exist in most places at this time and so travellers were reliant on the locals’ hospitality. Was Lot willing to compromise on morality and stay in Sodom because it was materially advantageous to live in a prosperous area? It is also alarming how he offered his own virgin daughters for the mob’s amusement, even if it was a misguided attempt to protect his guests. Perhaps, his own sense of right and wrong had become twisted by living in such a corrupt environment.

Most striking is the way he hesitates when the angels urge him to leave with his family (Gen 19:15-16) and how he tries to bargain with them for only going to a nearby town (Gen 19:17-20). In fact, his argument is rather odd. He is afraid that disaster will overtake him fleeing to the mountains (which were presumably further away), but he is not worried about going to a small place close by. Perhaps he is apprehensive that he will not be able to endure a long journey, but could he not trust that God’s judgment was under God’s control?[1] Or was it too hard to give up his ties to these cluster of cities and make a clean break? We are left to ponder over his motivation.

Saved but as through fire

God, however, is compassionate and brings him out of the city, as well as makes a concession about Lot’s destination and even spares Zoar from judgment for Lot’s sake (Gen 19:16, 21). Yet, he barely escapes with his life and all the things that he acquired while living in Sodom are burnt up in judgment. It reminds me of Paul’s comment about the man who builds with wood, hay and straw on the foundation (that is Christ). While he himself will be saved, his work will be burnt up (1 Cor 3:10-15).[2] Lot’s story challenges us to ask, what do we build on the foundation of a relationship with God through Christ? Will we leave a lasting legacy with our lives or will it be burnt up in the judgment? May our lives have an enduring impact.

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[1] Gordon Wenham, Genesis 16-50, WBC 2 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 58.

[2] Paul’s context is about the building up of the church as God’s people. He, Paul laid the foundation, which is Christ, but other church workers build now and impact the life of God’s people. In other words, the perspective is a communal rather than an individual one, but I believe that the principle holds in an individual setting as well.

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