Lot the Looney | Evangelical Baptist Church

Lot the Loony

Pastor Don Carpenter

Bible Boneheads / Evangelism / Genesis 19:1–14

Lot’s unwillingness to at least reach his own family… or some within his family caused there to not be enough saved folks to stop the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Sometimes the cup of iniquity is full and the people are ripe for judgment. In such a case it may happen as it did in the flourishing and extraordinarily beautiful city of Messina, Italy. In the early morning of December 28, 1908, an earthquake struck, and 84,000 human beings died. Only a few hours before that devastating earthquake, which laid Messina and the surrounding districts in ruins, the unspeakably wicked and irreligious condition of some of the inhabitants was expressed in a series of violent resolutions that were passed against all objections.

The journal Il Telefono, printed in Messina, actually published in its Christmas issue an abominable parody, daring the Almighty to make himself known by sending an earthquake! And in three days the earthquake came! (Cited by John Lawrence, Down to Earth [Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale, 1983], p. 51.)7281

1 Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (pp. 207–208). Baker Books.

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Our passage this evening tells us of the Angel’s visit to Sodom and the drama that ensued. Tonight’s narrative ends with a warning to Lot to get his family out of there because judgement is coming. When Lot comes to his family with an urgent warning about the judgement of God that was about to fall, they thought he was kidding… or that he had become Lot the Loony.

Genesis 18:20 KJV

And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Genesis 19:14 KJV

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

Tonight we are going to see what specifically about Lot’s behavior discredited his urgent God talk. May God convict and warn us to live consistently as to avoid becoming like Lot the Loony.

Lot Was Comfortable to be a Businessman and Judge in Sodom.

Genesis 19:1 KJV

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Their arrival in Sodom finds Lot sitting by the gate of Sodom. The gate is a common place for meeting in the East, either for conversation, for business, or for the administration of justice. It is normally a place where the town leaders (Deut. 21:19; Josh. 20:4) and kings (1 K. 22:10) assemble to adjudicate the business at hand. Yet Lot is among them, even though he is a “transient” (v. 9, gûr).1

1 Hamilton, V. P. (1995). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50 (p. 32). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Sitting at the gate. In ancient cities the gate area functioned as a public square. Its constant flow of people made it the ideal place for businessmen to set up their booths and for judges to hear cases. The fact that Lot is sitting in the gate suggests he was doing business there and had been accepted in the community of Sodom.1

1 Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., Ge 19:2–3). InterVarsity Press.

Lot Knew The Danger of the Streets, Yet Was Comfortable to Judge and Do Business There

Genesis 19:2–3 KJV

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

Lot Calls These Wicked, Violent Sex Offenders “Brothers”

Genesis 19:4–7 KJV

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

It was about sex and rape.

Genesis 19:5 KJV

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

Genesis 4:17 KJV

And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Genesis 4:25 KJV

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

It Was About Homosexual Wickedness.

Leviticus 20:13 KJV

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Among those who agree that the issue is sexual, the question arises whether the issue is homosexual relations per se or homosexual rape. The answer depends on how one chooses to translate y??a?. For instance, compare Speiser’s “bring them out to us that we may get familiar with them” with JB’s “hand them over to us so that we may abuse them.”

We see at least four problems with the view that the prohibition here is only on homosexual rape. First, nowhere in the OT does the verb y??a? have the nuance of “abuse” or “violate.” Second, the OT uses unmistakable language to relate rape incidents. Thus the Shechemites “seized” and “lay with” and “humbled” Dinah (Gen. 34:2). Amnon “forced” and “lay with” his half-sister Tamar (2 Sam. 13:14). Similarly, the biblical laws about rape also use these terms: “seize,” “lie with” (Deut. 22:25–27). Third, this interpretation forces one meaning on “know” in v. 5 (i.e., “abuse”) but a different meaning on “know” three verses later (i.e., “have intercourse with”), for it is unlikely that Lot is saying: “I have two daughters who have never been abused.” Fourth, such an interpretation forces these incredible words in Lot’s mouth: “Do not rape my visitors. Here are my daughters, both virgins—rape them!” Clearly, then, the incident frowns on homosexual relations for whatever reason. Note that in the often-cited parallel to Gen. 19, viz., Judg. 19, the host offers both his own virgin daughter and his guest’s concubine to Gibeah’s city dwellers with the statement “and sexually mistreat them” (we?annû ?ô??m, v. 24). By contrast, Lot avoids using any verb that has clear-cut indications of sexual aggression. Still, the reader of this narrative cannot avoid puzzlement over Lot’s willingness to make his daughters available to the people of Sodom for their sexual pleasure, even if he acts out of a desire for hospitality for his guests. In any case, his action is unsuccessful, unheroic, and it “may even make the audience of the story relieved not to be among the daughters of Lot1

1 Hamilton, V. P. (1995). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50 (pp. 34–35). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Lot Offered His Two Virgin Daughters as Substitutes for his Guests

Genesis 19:8–9 KJV

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

Lot Was Seemingly Unmoved When God’s Was Displayed.

Genesis 19:10–11 KJV

But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Lot’s pompous attitude in overstepping his bounds aggravates the Sodomites. Their words We will deal worse with you than with them suggest that they are prepared to have coitus with Lot. They will take Lot himself as a substitute sex partner rather than his daughters.

10 The townsmen put forth their hands against Lot (v. 9). But now the men extend their hands, pull Lot back inside the house, and slam the door. The concept of a divine door shutter is familiar from Gen. 7:16b, “and Yahweh shut him in” (again the verb s??ar). In the end he who attempts to save his guests is saved by his guests. Has it dawned on Lot yet who his visitors really are?1

1 Hamilton, V. P. (1995). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50 (p. 37). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Lot Could Have Saved Sodom and Gomorrah If He Had Just Reached His Immediate Family.

Genesis 18:32 KJV

And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

Genesis 19:12–14 KJV

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

Lot -1

Lot’s Wife -1

Lot’s Son’s in Law -2

(Lot’s married Daughters) -2

Lot’s Sons – 2

Lots unmarried daughters -2

AT LEAST 10 In Lot’s household!

Lot did not seem like he had Godly values, so to claim that he did was loony.

Genesis 19:14 KJV

Amos 5:15 KJV

Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

2 Peter 2:9 KJV

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

We are being watched more than we are being listened to. Are you comfortable in the gates of the enemy? Do you know the dangers, but hang there anyway? Do you view the unsaved in your life to be close like brothers? Are you willing to sacrifice your family so you can stay close to the world? Have you been able to reach those closest to you? Perhaps it is a struggle because what you do speaks so much louder than your infrequent pleas for repentance. Let us learn from Lot the Loony.

In the choir of life, it’s easy to fake the words—but someday each of us will have to sing solo before God.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 7:24 PM March 29, 2022.