So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. (Gen 19,14)

We have said that Lot believed in the right God, but he had no living contact with Him and therefore lacked spiritual sensitivity. He had no idea how God felt about what was going on around him, what the state of the world was like; he knew, of course, that it was very bad, he sensed the growing violence in the streets of the city, but all because it was affecting him personally, not because of any sensitivity to what God was thinking. Abraham, on the other hand, knew this without being personally involved. Because of his living contact with God and through revelation from God, he knew things that remained hidden from Lot.

The reaction of Lot's family to the arrival of the messengers is an apt illustration of how man perceives God. At the very least, the believing Lot was aware of the moral ruin of Sodom and, humanly speaking, was not comfortable in it (cf. 2 Pet. 2:7-8). It did not move him to action, but he at least honored God's messengers and was inclined to do what they said. That, after all, was his problem. He was permanently inclined to do something without doing it: inclined to reconcile with Abraham, inclined to obey God wholeheartedly, inclined to break definitively with Sodom. He was not able to do something about it himself, and was unable even to make up his mind to leave. But at least he listened to what the messengers were telling him and, as the classic would say, he seriously considered it.

But his sons-in-law, apparently native Sodomites with no faith in his God, took seriously nothing; when Lot recounted to them his appalling situation and the words of the messengers, they were unaware of any danger. They were completely deaf to their warning and laughed at it.

It sometimes happens to a man that he does not understand his situation and the times. He commits various mistakes, arising from a wrong estimate of things; all our lives we learn a certain caution about our own judgment. But as far as the ability to perceive heavenly things is concerned, this obviously corresponds to the deep communion one cultivates with God. If he lacks it, he will also be deaf and blind to the message from above. And he will often find it quite ridiculous.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! (Gen 19,12)

Abraham prayed for at least ten righteous men to save Sodom from destruction. It was certain that there were not even that many members of Lot's extended family, or Sodom would have been saved. No, that will not happen, and yet - how remarkable that the messengers have in mind not only Lot himself, but also his relatives, precisely and only because they are his relatives.

It is clear from the history of Scripture that God does indeed want to save not only the individual, but also his family, his tribe, his nation. After all, from the descendants of Abraham a tribe will later be formed and then the promised nation. In ancient times, God also saved not only Noah, but also his family, although one of his sons eventually brought a curse upon himself. And yet to him, as now to Lot's children and future sons-in-law, a hand was extended in the moment of crisis to save them. This is the meaning of the offer that comes through the individual to his family: Lot alone could not save his children and sons-in-law without their will. They could still choose for good or evil, to stay or go. But through one member of the family the hand of grace was extended to the others. Lot thus became the instrument of God's offer, and his loved ones were reached with a message that was enough to receive. What the daughters did, but the sons-in-law did not.

"Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." (Mk 5,19)

...and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. (1 Ki 19,12-13)

When we read the strong, forceful words delivered to God's people by prophets in past ages, we are tempted to think that they were men who had no trouble speaking harshly to others. As if we could see their face of stone, their nerves of steel, their raised, threatening fist, and their words of warning, fire and brimstone. And around the crowd of those who would bow to their words or be crushed by them.

But this is only man's idea of the men and women of God. In reality, these were people who, in order to be able to perceive the voice of God, were taught inner meekness and sensitivity. How can we be sure of this? It is because the Holy Spirit is sensitive by nature and can easily be chased away, and those who wish to maintain fellowship with Him must adapt themselves to Him. Of course, first of all, they must choose the way of holiness and a willingness to walk in the way of the Lamb. But something more is needed for a living communion with the Holy Spirit, if he is not to be just somewhere in a corner of our lives. "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit" (Eph. 4:30) says the Scripture, to the Ephesian believers who at that moment had already been walking the path of discipleship for several years. Do not grieve Him - how? "Let all hardness, wrath, anger, clamor be put away from you..." (Eph 4:31) 

The coexistence of two people implies a willingness to adapt to how the other perceives and experiences things. If the Holy Spirit is grieved, he withdraws and does not speak. Those who want to experience His work must be prepared to conform to His nature. He will therefore call our attention to every hard, unplowed fallow of our hearts.

(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.