Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Lot went out to them through the door, and shut the door after himself. He said, “Please, my brothers, don’t act so wickedly. See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.””
(Genesis 19:6-8)

Lot’s heart was in the right place: defend his hospitality. Lot’s actions were not in the right place: you can’t use an ungodly act to protect a godly act – never choose between two sins.

It’s so easy to focus on the sexual content of the story, but that would be just scratching the surface. This situation is ungodly people closing ranks against outsiders. This is ungodly people unified in wanting to punish outsiders. A godly person is standing between them, but standing in a way that accepts a level of ungodly behaviour (either because Lot saw it as the lesser of two evils, or because Lot hoped this daughter’s fiances would intervene to prevent it, or because a violation of his family was better than violating the covenant of hospitality). It is futile for a godly person to change an ungodly situation or person. Only GOD can change a heart (Ezekiel 36:26, Proverbs 21:1, Psalm 51:10). Our role is being a good example and introducing people to the one true loving God. God takes it from there.

Since all the men of the town (young and old) were unified in their desire to be anti-hospitable, it is amazing that Lot had lasted this long without being a target himself. Perhaps his great wealth and the willingness of his family to integrate with the people of Sodom went a long way to the people choosing not to do the same to them. They must have allowed him the privilege of integration for a reason, and it is reasonable to suppose it was because of the benefits he brought to Sodom – for example, because of his relationship with Abraham the people had been saved from slavery or worse (Genesis 14:13-16).

The sage Radak writes: ‘ויצא….סגר אחריו, either the person within the house locked the door from the inside, or Lot locked the door from the outside. ויאמר אל נא, “please guard the welfare of these men for you are my brothers and neighbours; do it for my sake and leave them alone!” הנה נא, the words mean “now!” Now restrain your urge to kill these people. I will now hand over to you my two daughters and you can satisfy your urges with them. You can rape them, seeing that they are still virgins. Alternatively, you may even kill them. This is what he meant when he added the words כטוב בעיניכם. אל תעשו דבר, “do not do something evil.!” כי על כן באו, seeing they have come to spend the night under my roof, leave them be, in my honour, I would rather have you abuse my daughters or even kill them, than to do any harm to these men.”’

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘אשר לא ידעו איש, “who have not had carnal relations with any man.” According to proper grammar, Lot should have said: אשר לא ידען איש, “with whom no man had had carnal relations;” seeing that it is usually the male who seduces the female; however the daughters of Lot were not chaste and did not shy away from engaging in seducing men, as we know from later when they initiated carnal relations with their own father. (20,33) Their descendants, the daughters of Midian, kept up the tradition when they seduced the Israelite males in the desert (Numbers 31,17) As a result all the female Midianite prisoners who had lost their virginity were not allowed to live. כי על כן, “for on account of” (their not wishing to be disturbed, they came to my house for shelter).’