(I pray)... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him... (Ef 1,17)

If a person follows God, he changes inside. There is no one who becomes harder and more insensitive in the heart on His way. If that were possible, then it is safe to say that such a person is not really on the right path. Inner sensitivity means that we can discern, i.e., see, without having to engage the intellect, and is therefore in some ways a litmus test (not the only one) of the authenticity of our following. This is what Jesus meant when he said "unless you are like children...". The Pharisees were well-read on biblical issues, yet Jesus called them blind. Their knowledge was useless, they were inwardly out of tune with God and therefore could not see the right way.

There are some people who are more sensitive because of their disposition and others who are less sensitive. But spiritual sensitivity is not a natural quality of man. It grows as we come to know and follow God. In the above text, Paul prayed for the Ephesians, who had been believers for several years, that they might have "inner eyes enlightened." This was a purely spiritual, not a mental quality. It was not given to them once and for all, so they could conclude that they had already received everything, and there was nowhere to grow. Nor did Paul acquire it through his study of the Law, his zeal, asceticism, and devotion to the service of God. In fact, even as the "top pupil" among the Pharisees, he was spiritually totally blind, for he was persecuting the God in whom he believed and did not see it at all. It was not until he saw through that he acquired a spiritual sensitivity to the voice of God: it appeared when he encountered Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And it continued to grow as he followed Him, as we observe in what is recorded of the history of his ministry.

One of the spiritual laws is that spiritual sensitivity can be gained or lost, depending on whether we are moving closer to God or farther away. Abraham grew in it, and therefore knew more about Lot and all of Sodom than Lot himself. He knew where Sodom was spiritually, what fate awaited it, and he knew why he had no place there. Lot, however, lacked it, and therefore not only knew nothing of Abraham or the world around him, but was unable to view his own situation. Nor that he needed to get out of the city as soon as possible.

And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great. (Gen 19,11)
And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? (Gen 18,17)

We can have many objections to Abraham, noting his failures in his life, which are not few, but honestly, who among us would have thrown the first stone? Because through it all, we see in him a man who repeatedly raises his head to look up. He seeks contact with the invisible, he worships the God who has revealed himself to him. And he sought him even in the moments when he seemed distant, in his moments of inner emptiness and silence. It may seem surprising, but faith is inextricably linked to emptiness and silence, or rather to the ability to persevere precisely in the moments when we cannot see, touch, or hear. When we have nothing to rely on, when the experiences of the inner touch we have had have ceased, and we are left alone in a dark valley, crowded together as in a dark tunnel that leads us through events rushing at us from all sides, while what we had hoped for until now seems impossible - that is when what we call faith must manifest and grow. It is not always difficult to believe - however, the times when it is difficult simply occur in life! Moments of inner emptiness call for one to believe God against all odds. And as much as Abraham was just a fallible man, he gradually reached heights along the way.

Not so Lot. In terms of the outside world, he may have been more outwardly successful (in the Las Vegas of that time), with a house and status to show off. But he had lost his inner contact with God. He didn't trade him for idols, but he no longer had living contact with him. As a result, his inner vision became clouded and he ceased to see, to discern.

Notice the vast difference: Abraham does not live in Sodom, but he knows what awaits it. He knows this because of his deep communion with God. Lot lives in Sodom, is touched by it in a very personal and fatal way - and yet he does not know what is coming. Because he had lost living contact with God, he became blinded internally long before it happened to the men around his house.

But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great. (Gen 19,10-11)

It is said that whoever God wants to destroy, he will wound with blindness. But it is not physical blindness that is meant, with which the messengers struck the assembled rapists at Lot's house, but the inner one. That is, the loss of discernment, the loss of self-reflection, the loss of caution. These are the things that sooner or later bring about a fall without the need for any supernatural direction of events in the life of this or another one. It is enough to leave such a person to his fate - he will become similar to a car without brakes, which is speeding through a beautiful landscape for the time being, until one day, quite legitimately, there will come a heavy crash.

And it is this inner blindness, or if you like, loss of discernment or sensitivity, that is actually something that is most valuable to see in the whole story of Lot - if, of course, we want to avoid it at all costs. As we have seen, early on Lot breaks up with Abram without being able to perceive what this will lead to. For he had left the only community that was then seeking the living God in the whole area of Canaan. There was no other available, and he wasn't looking for it anyway. This was the first step, and it was one which had its legitimate consequences. Lot had already believed in God, but had not actively sought Him himself. He had no relationship of his own to the "heavenly things," and if he drew blessing from them, it was always given to him through Abram. Once Lot left him, his spiritual life began to stagnate, and he quietly drifted away from God. The seductive life of luxury in the world of that day, which Sodom represented, was more desirable to him than anything else. Lot did not want to be uprooted from this society, he wanted to belong to it, he cared about their opinion. As a result, their moral scale had a profound effect on Lot. He was trying to overcome, to defend and preserve what he once had, and although he still exceeded them in this, yes, he was better than them - he was no longer making any progress in terms of his inner growth. Rather, he was struggling not to succumb to the pressures of his environment and lose what was still left: a few good resolutions and moral principles.

“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!... And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” (Gen 19,7.9)

Even though Lot had seen what was happening in the city and where things were going for many years, he still wanted to stay in Sodom. There may have been simple inertia, an unwillingness to change, a piece of comfort, though let's not forget that God sent His messengers to Sodom because of the violence that had long before cried out to heaven, and thus it was no longer a pleasant place to live. There were rational reasons for the change. But Lot, by breaking with Abram, had decided on a certain lifestyle, and Sodom was fitting into it, even as the prestigious address of that lifestyle. People have a habit of defending their initial decisions in the face of uncertainty, of persuading themselves with selectively viewed arguments: perceiving only what they want and not perceiving what contradicts it.

Lot, meanwhile, managed to suppress his doubts and reconcile them with the reality he witnessed every day. Although he was inwardly becoming more and more distant from the surrounding inhabitants, he was still seeking agreement and consensus towards them. Perhaps it was this trait of character - the need for contact with people, the desire to be among them, not to be alone - that attracted him more than the socially somewhat impoverished life in Abram's camp.

The crowd gathered around his house, Lot went out to address them, calling them "brothers". It was certainly by purpose at the time, in an effort to find a positive response from them. But on the other hand, if he had done it now for the very first time, he would probably have suspected that it would not work. Rather, this was how he really saw himself and how he wanted to be seen - among his own, as among his "brothers". To be accepted, to be part of the group, not to remain out as an outsider.

But how do they answer him! - "Get lost!" And they threatened, "He is only here as a guest and will act as a judge!" Everything must have really collapsed for Lot in one moment. All the false image he had of his stay in Sodom, all the arguments he had used to delude himself that it was not so bad. It was bad; it was much worse. Now he saw clearly the whole truth: The people of Sodom literally hated him, and in fact had never accepted him into their midst. They hated him for being different. Although Lot had stood for their fellowship and had not acted as a prophet, a critic of their condition. Yet they see it differently - he is like their "judge". How is this possible? They were irritated that he did not engage in the same orgy with them: 'They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.' (1Pt 4:4). But at the same time, because their consciences accused them, they saw it as their condemnation.

The scales fell from Lot's eyes, and in one evening he understood what he had been unwilling to admit for years. It was a mistake. His life in Sodom was definitely over. 

“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” (Gen 19,7-8)

When a person wants to go in a certain direction in his life but has inner doubts about it, he looks for arguments to justify his choice. The most popular and best-sounding argument was, is and always will be "family". I don't want anything for myself, you know, but for my loved ones. (In my country, at the time of communism, the people used to say: I would never have joined the communist party myself, of course, but for the sake of my children... And he who does not rob the state, robs the family! And in all times, if a motor fan gets excited by an advertisement for a new car, then of course he doesn't need it for himself, but mainly for his family.)

Similarly, when Lot decided where to go after his breakup with Abram and chose Sodom, he certainly wasn't thinking only of himself. On the contrary, he also wanted to give the best to his loved ones, his wife and children. Logically, they would find it where the standard of living was highest. And the decision was made.

All the time until that evening Lot had been unable to perceive reality, and when he saw it, it was too late. In an instant, all previous preferences were overturned. Lot's moral imperative that the guest is under the protection of his host and he has to comply with it was so strong that he dared not give his guests over to the orgy. He understood that the excited crowd standing outside his house, stripped of inhibitions, fortified by every kind of intoxicating drink of the day, whatever it was, was definitely decided, and he must arrange the entertainment for the evening. A sacrifice must be made to him, or they are finished. There was no time for reflection. Lot offered them his own daughters.

With what a heart he must have stood there when he spoke those words! At that moment he was broken, he knew all was lost. His whole life had collapsed, the future had lost all gloss, there remained an unspeakable misery which they would have to endure permanently, even after they were gone from here forever. At that moment nothing was clearer to him than this. If only he could get away for once... 

If only, at whatever cost.

Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them..." (Gen 19,4-5)

Lot had been experiencing doubts about his place for several years as the bad situation in the city escalated. But he mostly pushed them away, thinking that things might not be much better elsewhere. He'd put the pros and cons on the scales, and it came out that there was simply no point in taking too radical steps. Somehow it was, somehow it will be; he always managed to reconcile conflicts, to come to an agreement, to get out of difficult situations without much loss. All Sodomites will surely never forget how his kinsman once saved them. Not only because of that, but also because of his wealth, Lot has a proper position here. Only a fool would start from zero again somewhere alse.

Steve McQueen tells the story of a certain fool in the iconic film The Magnificent Seven. The man who has just jumped off a skyscraper window is asked, "How's it going?" And he answers on every floor: "so far, so good".

A similar thing happened to Lot. For years he surrounded himself with promising-sounding arguments until he stopped being able to realistically assess the situation and perceive the danger. He failed to notice that the morals of Sodom had meanwhile changed so much that he was no longer of any value to them, certainly no more than the thrill of one evening of violent orgies. Yet only yesterday he had thought that all was "so far so good."

But then, in an instant, there came a blow that smashed his whole life to pieces.

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. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet... (Gen 19,1-2)

Tribal communities have their moral principles expressed in customs, which are the carrier of local culture and principles of conduct, and on which great emphasis is therefore placed. This is the source of many traditions, the strongest of which in Eastern cultures is hospitality. In many Islamic countries, it is still the case today that a guest who has been welcomed into a house is under the protection of his host, who is obliged to defend him at all costs against any danger.

However, when the morality of the community begins to decline, we see even the most basic rules not being observed. Sodom had certainly known the principle of hospitality and protection of guests before, as was common in the time of the Old Testament patriarchs. However, when God's messengers entered the city, they met Lot, who immediately invites them in and urges them not to remain in the open. Why does he do this? Did he sense a breeze of heaven and remember the atmosphere he once felt in the camp when Abram was visited by God? It is not entirely impossible, but the truth seems to be different, very simple: Lot was afraid of what might happen to them and wanted to protect them. He knew exactly why. Even the most basic rules of living together no longer applied in Sodom.

It is good to realize that if Lot had not at least kept these simple principles and left the guests to their fate, he would have perished. This cannot be understood to mean that he was saved by the reward of observing them. But they were the basis on which God could act. This made it manifest that Lot was different from others.

When the messengers came to Sodom, it was as if by chance they met Lot at the very first moment. But Lot originally wanted to watch the exciting Champions League semi-final that night! In fact, he didn't understand himself why he was heading towards the gates of Sodom instead... Strange are the ways of God, those seemingly random encounters that can completely reverse the course of a man's life. This is how God met Gideon, Manoah, Moses and many others, from Old Testament times to today, on their ordinary journey, wherever they were, at work or at rest. The messengers knew very well where Lot was - and so they came at the right time to the right place, so as not to miss him.

Just as God does not want to miss any of us.

 

 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. (Gen 19,1)
...and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds). (2 Pt 2,7-8)

Abraham was described as "very wealthy" before his separation from Lot, and the wealth of both was "so great that they could not dwell together." This means, then, that Lot, too, was already considerably wealthy before coming to Sodom, and it may be assumed that his fortune was increased in the fertile plains around the city - for he chose this area for its profitability.

As a man of wealth, an able businessman, he enjoyed the esteem of his community. Sodom was a wealthy city, and Lot excelled there as well. The messengers found him sitting in the gate, which is not mentioned by accident - the city gate was the place where the elders of the city met to settle communal affairs or adjudicate disputes. Lot was used to this place, it was not his first time here. Sometimes, at times like this, it ran through his mind that he could be content with his life. In fact, he had achieved everything he wanted, wealth, success and respectable status. And none of it was gained dishonestly, it was the result of his own work. His wife, his whole family can be justly proud of him!

It was the truth, of course, but the kind of truth that can blind one's eyes so that it is hard to see its reverse side. Lot never fit in with the people of Sodom. And it wasn't just a natural jealousy for those who had more than us and had come here from who knows where. The main reason was that Lot was different. He was unwilling to engage in their perversions that were increasing, and kept his distance. He had internal inhibitions, grounded in the remnants of his faith, his different background, and his years with Abraham.

Lot broke with him at that time to be able to independently realize himself. As he looked back on his last years, he enjoyed a sense of satisfaction: who else but he could consider himself a successful, happy man? But if he could have faced the truth, he would have had to admit that he had lived the whole of the SUCCESSFUL part of his life in great inner contradiction, constant tension and restlessness. He was trying to accommodate two sides and reconcile the irreconcilable: the insistence of his ego, namely the desire for wealth and success among the people of this world, and that of his conscience, the inner compass of heart, which was being trampled day after day by what he was experiencing among the Sodomites.

Since Lot was not actively seeking God, the first call was stronger, and he naturally complied to it. He had gained much outwardly to lose what was most precious within. He lived in constant tension, his conscience was beaten down, conflicts with those around him multiplied, and he was burdened with concern for the safety of his dearest. Unfortunately, their future here really didn't look promising. If he was able to admit the truth, he would have to wonder if all his success in Sodom had been worth it.

 

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me... (Ez 16,49-50)

Sodom clearly experienced an economic boom after the war, in which it was conquered by a coalition of four kings. The war must have caused it many losses, but it quickly recovered and within a few years it became once again a kind of "Las Vegas" of the ancient Middle East. To what can this be attributed? Civilizations flourish when certain moral values accompanied by discipline and work prevail. Such a society maintains a vision of the future with a consciousness of elemental justice, and the actions of its individuals then directly and indirectly benefit the whole. In a certain way, the lives of all are gradually improved. But if a society is immoral, injustice breeds, strife escalates, and decay comes. Only a few become significantly richer, but the right declines (this can be seen even today in dictatorships or oligarchic regimes). Almost every philosopher, looking at the history of the world, has not failed to point out that the reason for the collapse of previously developed cultures was primarily internal, with the loss of morality, of a common vision, followed by the decline of discipline and general decay. Which coincides exactly with what God kept saying to the Israelites throughout the Old Testament: seek me and keep law and justice, give shelter to the weak... then you will do well, then you will stand. If you lose your inner compass, the result will be injustice and decline.

Sodom, however, experienced development and prosperity that was not backed by a growth in morality, quite the opposite. It apparently prospered so well that it ended up in a form of gluttony, a search for pleasure of all kinds. Today we cannot assess what actually caused its initial success, but it was probably non-human influences, such as fertile soil, mineral resources, or perhaps also environmental slave labour. As always, property too easily acquired is not beneficial if it is not supported by the growth of the personality of the man; it is bound to cause degradation to its owner, though sometimes after a long time, perhaps as when a frivolous man wins the lottery or makes his fortune by speculation.

When Lot came to Sodom and surveyed it, the pros of the place outweighed the cons for him. The streets were not yet so dangerous, and there were no hordes roaming about ready to rape any stranger. He would hardly have chosen such an environment for his family otherwise. He liked what Sodom had to offer that was not available elsewhere: the wealth, the standard of living, the vibrant entertainment. But gradually, life here became more and more dangerous, and with each new instance of violence he had to convince himself that it still wasn't so bad after all. What happened to him was what the famous fable about how to boil a frog describes. When it is thrown into hot water, he knows it immediately and jumps out in shock. But when it is thrown into lukewarm water and the water is slowly heated, it doesn't realise until it's too late.