seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
This is the easy English commentary.
Lot was sitting at the gate of the city. At the gate, elders met together to make judgements. (Elders were important citizens that the people respected.) Maybe the people respected Lot because he was honest. Or maybe he was sitting there to avoid the people in the city. Perhaps he wanted to avoid them because they were so wicked. Perhaps the citizens did not want him to be with them.
Lot gave a big welcome to the visitors and he respected them greatly. Lot knew how wicked the people in Sodom were. And so he did not want the visitors to be in the street at night. We do not know why the visitors did not want to stay with Lot. Maybe the visitors were just testing Lot. Maybe they were testing whether he wanted to do the right thing.
Lot gave a big welcome to the visitors and he respected them greatly. Lot knew how wicked the people in Sodom were. And so he did not want the visitors to be in the street at night. We do not know why the visitors did not want to stay with Lot. Maybe the visitors were just testing Lot. Maybe they were testing whether he wanted to do the right thing.
This commentary came from the bible.org site.
You do not get honored in Sodom unless you have decided to be quiet about your faith. If you are so well thought of by the world that you compromise your testimony, you have paid too much for your success. If everyone likes you, you’re probably a quiet Christian. You may be like the Artic River, frozen over at the mouth. But if you talk about Jesus Christ and are willing to lovingly call sin “SIN,” I can assure you that you’re not going to be popular with everyone. Always beware of a politician who is popular and well liked across the board—that usually means he or she stands for nothing. The same is true with a Christian.
I've been in places where I wasn't supposed to talk about my Lord. Sometimes it's just dangerous. I have to admit tho.... there have been a lot of times I talked about Jesus anyway.... and people listened...
This came from bible-commentaries.com.
When the angels arrive at Sodom, they find Lot sitting in the gate. The gate was the most important part of the city, where dignitaries would take their seat and where disputes were settled. It has been inferred that Lot had acquired the status of a magistrate. Some commentators draw this conclusion from the remark of the man of Sodom in vs.9 "He wants to play the judge!" The context in which the latter remark was made surely does not make the inference conclusive.
But we have to remember that Lot came to Sodom as a wealthy man, and it seems that he had not lost anything during the raid by the Babylonian kings since Abraham recovered all the loot that was taken. This would have given Lot a position of influence in the city. The men of Sodom may even have endured some of his criticism of their immoral behavior. Peter remarks that Lot remained a righteous man in the midst of the licentiousness of Sodom. II Peter 2:7-8 says about Lot: "And if he (God) rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--." So Lot's sitting in the gate may have more significance beyond the fact that he happened to sit there. It is also obvious that Lot had moved within the city walls.
Some commentators believe that Lot sat in the gate in order to intercept visitors and protect them from the violence of the inhabitants. But this is of course conjecture. We do not know. It is obvious that although Lot may not have participated in the sins of Sodom, he had compromised himself considerably by living there and accepting the position he had. The rest of the chapter shows the influence of Sodom upon his family. This point has important applications. We should always consider what the influence of the surrounding in which we choose to live and work will have upon our family. The atmosphere of a place will affect our children. Some people have no choice, and they have to pray that the Lord will protect them and their family from the world around them and from the devil. Lot choose the valley of Siddim and his move into the city was no doubt his free choice also.
There is a noticeable contrast between the stay of the angels with Abraham and with Lot. Lot receives them politely, like Abraham did; but Lot's offer of hospitality is refused off hand. The angels answer Lot that they intend to spend the night in the square. This throws Lot into a panic. Evidently, he knows what to expect. He may have witnessed scenes similar to the one that is to follow before. But this had not convinced him that he should move out of the city. Vs.3 tells us that he insisted strongly, and so the angels consent to spend the night indoors with him. We should remember that they are on a fact-finding mission. We learn this from the previous chapter, where God says to Abraham: "...I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
But we have to remember that Lot came to Sodom as a wealthy man, and it seems that he had not lost anything during the raid by the Babylonian kings since Abraham recovered all the loot that was taken. This would have given Lot a position of influence in the city. The men of Sodom may even have endured some of his criticism of their immoral behavior. Peter remarks that Lot remained a righteous man in the midst of the licentiousness of Sodom. II Peter 2:7-8 says about Lot: "And if he (God) rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (For that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--." So Lot's sitting in the gate may have more significance beyond the fact that he happened to sit there. It is also obvious that Lot had moved within the city walls.
Some commentators believe that Lot sat in the gate in order to intercept visitors and protect them from the violence of the inhabitants. But this is of course conjecture. We do not know. It is obvious that although Lot may not have participated in the sins of Sodom, he had compromised himself considerably by living there and accepting the position he had. The rest of the chapter shows the influence of Sodom upon his family. This point has important applications. We should always consider what the influence of the surrounding in which we choose to live and work will have upon our family. The atmosphere of a place will affect our children. Some people have no choice, and they have to pray that the Lord will protect them and their family from the world around them and from the devil. Lot choose the valley of Siddim and his move into the city was no doubt his free choice also.
There is a noticeable contrast between the stay of the angels with Abraham and with Lot. Lot receives them politely, like Abraham did; but Lot's offer of hospitality is refused off hand. The angels answer Lot that they intend to spend the night in the square. This throws Lot into a panic. Evidently, he knows what to expect. He may have witnessed scenes similar to the one that is to follow before. But this had not convinced him that he should move out of the city. Vs.3 tells us that he insisted strongly, and so the angels consent to spend the night indoors with him. We should remember that they are on a fact-finding mission. We learn this from the previous chapter, where God says to Abraham: "...I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
Quite frankly.... when I read these verses, I am reminded of the Baltimore Block.... Most cities have a "block" but I've been to the Baltimore Block... I met some good people in horrible circumstances and some horrible people who were very comfortable there.... To me... the Baltimore Block is a tame example of Sodom.
