Now begins the list of things I have problems with in Genesis 19, for there are many. Prepare yourselves.
Every man in the village surrounded Lot's house and begged him to send out the angels so that they could have sex with them. I mean, seriously.
The part that disturbs me about this isn't the whole "homosexuality" part at all. The part that messes me up is how freaking desperate these men were. I never understood how completely despicable and hopeless Sodom and Gomorrah were until I read this today. If you're having trouble grasping this, let me spell it out for you.
You're chilling in your eno outside your hut when you see some friendly-looking men walk past. You urge them to come in and eat with you and your family, and after much pleading, they reluctantly agree to share a meal with you. You prepare and eat the food, making friends with these angels, and begin to hear a pounding outside your house. Embarrassed, you get up and open the door, expecting to perhaps shoo some obnoxious kids away to play somewhere else. However, it is instead a massive group of males. In fact, it's your friends and people you recognize from town. All of them. As if the noise isn't disruptive enough, they start screaming at you to release your guests to them to have their way with. They're not asking quietly, but their voices grow continually louder until there's no doubt in your mind that the men inside can hear every word.
That sucks for Lot. I mean, that's seriously embarrassing. A gorgeous dinner, wrecked by lust.
His response bothers me even more than this whole situation though.
He offers his daughters. Seriously? We as people look with respect at this man that did something I find totally unforgivable. He tells the men of the village that they can just take his daughters. I have never in my life heard something that disgusts me more than that. Parents are supposed to protect and defend their babies, not offer their virgin daughters as playthings for a village of men.
God has so much more mercy than I do. He's seriously incredible.
The angels at this point have seen enough. They step in, grab Lot, strike the desperate men blind, and save the day.
The Message phrases a part of this beautifully. "The outcries of victims here to God are deafening; we’ve been sent to blast this place into oblivion.” (Genesis 19:13 MSG)
I love the use of the word "victim" in this translation. God didn't hate the people of Sodom and Gomorrah; he simply took pity on them. He saw that they weren't getting it, and that their lives were not fulfilling. He was saving them from Hell on earth.
Lot is saved, and his wife and daughters. Well, his wife is turned to salt, which I suppose is at least a little better than what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot ends up where the angels told him to go in the first place: a cave. I'm reminded of the song "The Truth is a Cave" by the Oh Hellos, as well as the song "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons. Miracles happen in caves.
But in this cave, the horror that is Genesis 19 continues when not one but both daughters sleep with their dad and become pregnant through him.
I really can't imagine what's worse: would it be getting gang-raped earlier in the chapter, or turning to your father to impregnate yourself?
I can't imagine.
Genesis 20
I still fail to understand how Abraham using his wife for safety and loot is a righteous thing to do, but God didn't seem to have an issue with it, and he does know best.
I like the ending of this story better than the one that occurs earlier in Genesis: The Lord comes to the king guy and stops him from sinning with Sarah. Then, he gives Abraham a ton of stuff, as well as his wife back.
God provided for Abraham like crazy. I mean, He had men giving Abraham so much stuff that he didn't have to worry about anything. I'm certain that He wants to do the same for us. He knows what we need, and has ways to take care of our every concern. We just have to let Him infiltrate our lives, and they will be better than ever.
This chapter, I also received the significant shock that Sarah actually is Abraham's half-sister. That's something.
Lastly, I think the way God healed the king and his family is awesome. Getting their ability to have babies back must have been more exciting than I can fathom. I love the way that God works miracles in the lives of those who let Him.
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