Lot Was Righteous But Wasn’t Able to Change a Thing About Sodom

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

The push for many Christians today in America is to “take America back!” I realize that America is a very unique nation, having been created based on many biblical principles. Even our bankruptcy laws are based on Old Testament laws. There is much that has been crafted into the fiber of this nation that reaches back and connects to the Bible. I won’t go so far as to say this is a Christian nation because it really isn’t anymore, even if that may have been true at some point in the past, but the truth is that much ground has been lost because of the unrelenting push by dark spiritual forces to refocus society’s direction under a new, evil agenda. That this has been and continues to happen should not surprise any Christian at all.

However, many Christians appear to be shocked and I suppose there is a difference between being shocked because you are taken by surprise and shocked because you see just exactly how evil something is when it finds its way to fruition in society. Much of what is happening in America today is shocking. It’s one thing to read the Bible and realize that as Jesus, Paul, Peter, and others tell us, things are going to seriously worsen as the end of the age approaches, and quite another thing to see it happening right in front of you. That can literally cause a Christian to gasp for breath.

In spite of these changes that have been foretold long ago and have been happening in America, there are many Christians who believe that if we simply pray hard enough, work hard enough, and witness hard enough, change will come. I realize these folks will point to Nineveh as an example of how repentance and change came to an entire “nation” or area, but in reality, Nineveh was controlled by a king (Jonah 3). It was a monarchy and if the king said there shall be repentance, there was going to be repentance, at least an outward show of it. Fifty years later, Nineveh was destroyed even though the entire area had “repented” under orders of the king. Their sin eventually caught up with them.

Let me state again that I believe Christians should vote. We should do what we can to at least try to shore up the corruption and evil in society and in America, these opportunities are guaranteed under the Constitution. But, we also know that evil men will wax worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13). It seems at best then, Christians will be able to push back slightly against the encroaching evil and keep it at bay for a bit longer. However, eventually, evil will have its day. It is foreordained.

I think one of the best examples of this, aside from the Flood during Noah’s day, is found in the example of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day (Genesis 18-19). Here, we see an example of a guy by the name of Lot (of whom Peter called “righteous,” 2 Peter 2:7), who took up residence in a city that was known for its evil sexual proclivities. Lot went there because the land near it looked beautiful (Genesis 13:10-12). Though Lot was considered righteous, he had little if any impact on the immediate society in which he lived.

You’ll recall Abraham gave Lot first choice of where to go with his herds because they both had too many animals for the one area, so Lot chose to move toward Sodom. Soon, he was living in Sodom. Then he got involved in Sodom’s politics and became a politician. This is why Lot was sitting at the gate in Genesis 19:1. It’s what politicians did, not only to welcome visitors to the city but to help deal with societal issues that cropped up during the day.

When the two angels came to Sodom to take Lot to safety before the city was destroyed, the crowd of men (and boys) wanted to “know” the two men. Clearly, in spite of what gay activists and apologists would have us believe, the term “know” is distinctly used in a sexual way. In essence, they wanted to have homosexual relations with the angels; they wanted to rape them. Though the Mosaic Law had not yet been given, this was clearly verboten. Lot certainly understood what the men of the town wanted and offered his own two virgin daughters instead (an asinine move that proved Lot wasn’t thinking clearly). That offer was not only clearly rejected out of hand but leaders of the homosexual group had this to say to Lot:

“Out of our way!” they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, and now he dares to judge us! We’ll do more harm to you than to them!” They kept pressing in on Lot until they were close enough to break down the door (Genesis 19:9).

In spite of the fact that Lot lived among these individuals and was actually a leader in the town, he was treated with complete contempt and disdain when he stood in their way. In other words, they put up with Lot as long as he did not do anything that kept them from their particular lifestyle. Once they deemed him a threat to their freedoms, they came down on him hard. Had not the angels pulled Lot inside his own house, it is likely the men of the town would have brought great harm to Lot. It is the way of Satan’s world and it is difficult for Christians – people who are sold out to God and want only to see His plans and purposes come to fruition – to be in harmony with the world and still be in harmony with God’s will.

Rather than moving away from Abraham in a different direction from Sodom, Lot like the plain near Sodom and it beckoned to him. It compelled him. He thought it would be a great place to graze his flocks and to simply farm in order to provide for his family. Yet eventually, Lot was actually living in town and there is no further mention of his flocks. He may have given that up completely in favor of living in the city. Ironic, isn’t it? Lot leaves Abraham’s side to move to a place that offers more area for his flocks to live and graze without fear of the land being overgrazed. Eventually, it seems as though he no longer has the animals and has gone from living on the plain near Sodom to living inside Sodom and nearly being destroyed with it when God’s judgment rained down. Maybe he traded it all in for being a politician in the city, who knows?

In any case, whatever his original plans were, it’s clear that the bustling activity of Sodom beckoned to him. He got hooked. It’s also very clear Lot had absolutely no good effect on the people of Sodom whatsoever. The evil in that city was too great for God to ignore and He dealt with it…harshly and with finality. Those cities with all its inhabitants perished and became buried in a pile of brimstone. Had God called Lot to go to that city to minister, that would have been different. There likely would have been some sort of change, if not for the whole city, at least for a few individuals. The end result might have been the same anyway only with Lot and a few others leaving just prior to God’s judgment.

Christians should take note. If we’re not careful, we will wind up either being drawn into an environment’s lifestyle or will simply end up being continually vexed every day because of what we see and hear. While it’s certainly permissible to vote, to take a stand, and to do what we can within the confines of the law to change society, hopefully improving it along the way, we cannot count on the fact that anything we do will amount to much as far as society is concerned. Rather than become so preoccupied with that, we need to be focused on evangelizing the lost, ensuring that they know that they have the opportunity to receive salvation, which is offered from the nail-scarred hands of Jesus Himself.

Even if America is “taken back,” it will still end as a country eventually. America is not eternal and neither is this planet. It’s days are numbered with a new one on the way (Isaiah 65:7; Revelation 21:1). The only thing that is eternal is salvation and for those who reject it until they die, they will experience the exact opposite of salvation. I think when we stand before God, He is going to be far more interested in what we did to introduce others to Him, as opposed to what we did to turn America “back.”

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective