January 25th, 2013
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Facing Down Bullies

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Opening Prayer

Loving Lord, I know that, through Christ, I need not fear You, and You can drive all my fears away.

Read Genesis 19:1-14

[1] The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. [2] “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” [3] But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. [4] Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom-both young and old-surrounded the house. [5] They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” [6] Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him [7] and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. [8] Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” [9] “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. [10] But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. [11] Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. [12] 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, [13] 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.” [14] So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry 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.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

The risen Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me … surely I am with you always” (Matt. 28:18,20).

Think Further

Janacek’s opera, In the House of the Dead, gives a chilling portrayal of life in a Siberian prison, where bullying and sexual humiliation are endemic. Instant hostility to a newcomer who is different brings out the worst in staff and prisoners alike. It was that toxic mixture that made Sodom a watchword for an evil society in many later references in Scripture (Amos 4:11; 2 Pet. 2:6).

Clearly, much of the time, life went on peacefully. Lot is sitting in the city gateway (1) where the men of influence would be conducting business. Like Abraham, he was swift to welcome the angels. The description of his hospitality is similar to that in 18:2-8, though briefer, but as night approaches he is edgy and his fears are justified. Faced with a mob at his door, Lot tries to hang on to his moral duty to protect his guests. He makes the appalling offer of his daughters as sex objects. Many desert cultures do place an extremely high value on hospitality as a sacred duty, but we should not too easily excuse Lot. There is a warning here about too glibly solving a moral dilemma by choosing the so-called “lesser of two evils.” There is usually a better way, trusting God and finding Spirit-inspired words that carry moral authority and defuse the situation. Jesus demonstrated this when hostile interrogators backed him into dangerous corners (see Luke 20:26).

Here the angels act with authority and confound the crowd. Lot himself lacks authority at the door and later in his attempt to persuade his sons-in-law to escape. They treat him as a joker (14). Lot has enough faith to welcome God’s messengers but he is not an impressive example of a “righteous man” when he faces outwards. He has underestimated the challenge of living in Sodom.

Apply

Are you facing any choices that pose a moral dilemma? If so, ask God for discernment to recognize and choose the righteous way.

Closing prayer

Lord, I ask You to raise up people who can work effectively and with authority for the cause of the right.

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