“and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6 ESV).
So God dispatched two angelic investigators to conduct a reconnaissance mission into the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was then that Abraham began to mediate on behalf of any righteous individuals who may have lived within that area. Since God assured Abraham that He would not bring destruction upon the righteous along with the wicked, Abraham turned his attention to negotiating the numbers.
Those negotiations culminated in the following promise from God: “’For the sake of 10 good people,’ the Lord told him, ‘I still won’t destroy the city’” (Genesis 18:32 CEV). The following chapter reveals whether those residents fulfilled that minimum threshold…
“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’
And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’ But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate” (Genesis 19:1-3).
So God’s celestial operatives, disguised as ordinary human beings, entered the city where they encountered Abram’s nephew Lot. Evidently, there were no lodgings available, so these visitors arranged to stay outside in the public square. But Lot apparently had strong reservations about that idea- and we’ll soon discover why…
“Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 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’” (Genesis 19:4-5 NIV).
As it turned out, these angels didn’t need to spend the night outside in order to complete their assessment. Instead, these citizens took it upon themselves to demonstrate their character. From the youngest to the oldest, these men sought to engage in a homosexual assault against these angelic beings. That brought an immediate response from Lot…
“Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, ‘No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing'” (Genesis 19:6-7 NIV).
Lot first tried to adopt a neighborly approach in referring to these individuals as “my friends.” He also appealed to their moral consciences by saying, “…don’t do such a wicked thing!” (GNB). Lot then made a counter-proposal that is almost beyond belief. We’ll look at that proposal next.