Genesis 19

Evil men do evil deeds. We expected it of them. It would be nice if every man could be recognized as good or evil by appearance. This is not the case. Many evil men remain unrecognized until their acts reveal their hearts.

Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities filled with evil men. Their evil acts were known to God and he was set to destroy the cities. God sent two angels to lead Lot and his family to safety. The two angels appeared as men. The men of Sodom wanted to rape the two visitors. This was proof of their wickedness, and an illustration of why God was destroying their cities. We’re not surprised that the acts of evil men result in death and destruction.

The surprise in this story is found in the life of Lot. Lot did not appear to be an evil man, but he was not a righteous man. He had forsaken his relationship with God in order to pursue the things of this world. He liked the prestige of setting at the gate with the Elders of the city. He liked the luxury of having a roof over his head. He cared more about what people thought of him than about doing what was right. Some might say Lot was a good man, but not a religious man.

The two angels were under his roof and under his protection. Custom required him to lay down his life to protect them. The actions of Lot in this crisis revealed the truth of his heart condition. Rather than lay down his life to save the two men he offered up his daughters to be raped. We may not think of Lot as being an evil man, but his actions were evil.

If we do not have the courage to do what is right when everything is on the line, death and destruction will be the result. The courage we need in a crisis comes from the practice of doing the right things every day. Those who live righteous when the going is easy, discover that God gives them courage to do what is right when the going gets hard.