Living in Sodom
Living in Sodom
Sodom and Gomorrah probably didn’t have high stone walls to protect them; when the invasion of their cities is described in Genesis 14, we see that their armies met the enemy out in the field rather than fighting from the safety of ramparts (see verse 8). Very often, a community without walls would build an arch to serve as the gate—the official entrance into the town.
In the ancient Near East, the gate served as a city hall. Elders gathered there to debate issues, conduct business deals, resolve disputes, and even advise the city ruler on civil matters.
5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.
Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection’
This last encounter with citizens of Sodom hints at the kind of life Lot led and the reputation he had made for himself. Sodom never embraced him as one of their own. Outside his home, his neighbors said, “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge!” (Genesis 19:9). He never took part in their sin, but he had never before opposed them. He lived among them with values taught to him by his uncle, but rather than living authentically and presenting himself openly as an example of a better way, he chose to minimize his different ethic, shrug off their wickedness, and blend into the scenery. Instead of representing God’s goodness, he settled on being less evil than his peers.
YEARS AGO, evangelist Billy Graham wrote, “It has always been a mark of decaying civilizations to become obsessed with sex.”[37] No one can pinpoint exactly when it happened, but we can say for certain that in this generation, our Western culture is obsessed with sex.
Dr. Carle Zimmerman, a Harvard sociologist who examined the rise and fall of empires through the centuries, paid close attention to the correlation between family life and national life. His book Family and Civilization concludes that deteriorating civilizations follow a reasonably definable pattern and that “atomistic families” dominate the social landscape in decaying cultures. When civilizations began to unravel, they had five characteristics in common.
1. Marriage lost its sacredness, divorce became commonplace, and alternative forms of marriage were accepted.
2. Feminist movements undermined complementary and cooperating roles as women lost interest in mothering and pursued personal power.
3. Parenting became increasingly difficult, public disrespect for parents and authority increased, and delinquency and promiscuity became more commonplace.
4. Adultery was celebrated, not punished; people who broke their marriage vow were admired.
5. There was increased tolerance for incestuous and homosexual sex, with an increase in sex-related crime.[40]
Zimmerman’s conclusions are so current, they’re frightening. He appears to have observed the United States in the twenty-first century and then summarized his findings. In fact, he wrote them in 1947, at the dawn of what many would consider the golden age of the nuclear family.
To the objective observer, Lot and his wife were downright foolish. They had built their home on an island in a cesspool, and when death loomed overhead, they didn’t want to leave. Who would do something so irrational, so strange, so . . . stupid? The story of Mr. and Mrs. Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah has become iconic. Their experience, as described and preserved in the Bible, is so extreme that it has taken on mythical qualities. Consequently, we might struggle to see these historical figures as real people just like us. If we’re not careful, we will lean back in the comfort of our living room sofa and judge Lot and his wife too harshly. The fact is, in many ways, we’re no different. Though we’re separated by 3,500 years, several thousand miles, and a language, we struggle with the same frailties and desires of human nature.
Lot—regarded in the New Testament as a righteous man (see 2 Peter 2:8)—could live comfortably in Sodom because his perception of reality had gradually become distorted over time. He made sense of his senseless choices with small excuses and minor rationalizations.
Perhaps you’re not as deluded as Lot and his wife, and you’re not in the grip of an addiction. Still, reflect on your current situation. Try to see your life objectively, the way you have observed Lot’s. What are you putting up with? Where are you compromising? It may be that you’re allowing pornography to pollute your home or your mind. It may be that you’re keeping the secrets of an abusive partner, who causes you or others continual harm. It may be that you’re fudging financial records where you work, which you have rationalized in your mind because this helps you provide for your family. Before we look down on Lot and his wife, thinking, How could they do that? just think.
According to the apostle Peter, Lot wrestled with his conscience the entire time he lived among the Sodomites. “God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (2 Peter 2:7-8). And he undoubtedly grieved over the effect it had on his daughters.
He probably watched his teenage girls become more like their peers, wearing what the other girls in Sodom wore. He no doubt overheard their chatter from another room and felt sorrow over their eroding values. He saw the young men they considered desirable and worried about their futures. He may have said to his wife, “You know, honey, I don’t think this city is good for our children; maybe we should move.”
I can hear Mrs. Lot’s response. I’ve heard it from many compromising parents. “Oh, Lot! Don’t be so serious. This is life in the busy city. They’re just teenagers going through a stage. They’ll turn out all right. Just wait. You’ll see.”
Lot wrestled with his conscience and eventually succeeded in silencing it. By the time of Sodom’s destruction, he no longer worried about his daughters. In fact, he was willing to hand them over to be gang-raped by his neighbors to save his houseguests. After so many years of compromise and rationalization, his conscience had become a distant whisper.
Don’t be fooled. If it’s wrong, it’s a big deal. If it’s a habitual wrong, it’s a bigger deal. It’s time for all of us to open our eyes and examine our homes, our neighborhoods, and our nations objectively. What sins do we tolerate? What evil have we rationalized?