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; then you may rise early and go on your way."
And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square."
3 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.
4 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. 5 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 carnally."
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 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."
9 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." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
(Genesis 19:1-11)
Meanwhile, back in Sodom, Lot is about to discover that his life is about to change forever because of his infatuation with worldliness and popularity. Indeed it is catching up with him very quickly. It is interesting that as the heavenly travelers approach Sodom, they find that Lot is not only an occupant, but a political and commercial leader of the city. The city gates were the places where the prominent city "fathers" hung out to discuss matters of their community. It was kind of a city council and a chamber of commerce all rolled into one. It was also where judicial matters were decided. It is interesting how Lot became so prominent so quickly. Lot was the first to recognize these heavenly visitors and acknowledged them by his offer to provide them hospitality, but they refused his offer at first. This shows us that while Lot was living in compromise in a very sinful city, he had not forgotten his godly heritage. In fact, his conscience probably cried out against him at this point. Lot also knew that groups of marauding and raping homosexuals roamed the streets at night, and he certainly did not want these visitors to experience such an encounter. Apparently this lifestyle was so open and widespread that there were men of all ages practicing this "alternative lifestyle." These people not only wished to practice this openly and without prejudice, but sought to impose their brutal and obscene preference upon Lot and the visitors in his home. When Lot made the suggestion of offering his daughters to them, they bitterly denounced Lot as a "homophobe" and threatened Lot with the same fate.
It is easy to see that Lot was caught up into this darkness just as we are in this day. Compromise is the thing that brings such a situation to pass. Had Lot's own life had been the testimony it should have been, (though doubtful Lot would be living there), Lot's lifestyle, instead of the other, would have been what the men there would have admired and modeled. Even though Lot was a leader in the city, he feared to speak out about the sin going on around him because he knew he possessed little if any moral authority in his own life to challenge it. He decried the vicious gang that confronted him, yet thought nothing of offering his innocent daughters- who were already married- to them. This crisis of compromise exposed Lot for the man that he was.
Compromise is good so long as it helps people to work together toward a common goal, or when it brings greater light or understanding on a given situation. But we should never allow compromise to detract or distract us from our faith and from our Christian principles. One thing I have observed about this subject is that we can only sit on the fence so long before we will wear a hole in the seat of our pants. Those who are pushed into a corner will eventually be forced to chose where they will stand. Straddling the line is the most dangerous place to be because no one will be able to trust you. Better to be labeled on one side or the other than to have both sides shooting at you!
Prayer: Dear God, I've observed a lot about compromise, especially this weekend. I saw people claim to give away parts of themselves and what they believe in just to get what they want, and I am distrustful of that. Father I know that not everyone may not agree with me, but help me so live my life that while they may not agree with me, at least they can respect me but also the faith that I have in You. In Christ's name, Amen.
Have a blessed day!
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