Why Lot was willing to throw away his daughters

For those of you familiar with the life of Lot, you well know his was a life that could have been, but was not. He could have done great things for the Lord, but in the end he meets with bitter defeat from which he, personally, never seems to recover.

His warning, however, is to Christianity, for Peter says of him that he was a righteous man. In Old Testament terminology, being a righteous man is synonymous with New Testament salvation. In fact, Paul affirms for us in Hebrews 11 that the saints before the cross had to wait for the cross, and could not enter God’s presence without the blood of Christ, the same prerequisite as New Testament Christianity.

Thus we see that despite Lot’s lackluster life, he never lost his salvation because salvation is not determined by works, which we do to procure or maintain.

Yet, what brought Lot to the point of being able of offer his own daughters in the place of two strangers for whom the angry mob clamored?

Let us briefly consider a couple of scenarios before finding our answer in the New Testament. The first scenario could be one offered by the liberals of our own day and age, and that is what could be called the “Societal Theory.” That is, Lot did what he did because he had a low opinion of the female gender, and thus even his daughters meant little, if anything, to him.

While it is true that women have suffered much throughout human history, and it is also true that many have suffered from male relatives as well as from strangers, what you do not find here is that there is any evidence of this from Lot. Without evidence this incident stands alone and calls for a much greater provocation.

Remember that Lot was a wealthy man, and as wealthy men go, his children were probably afforded every convenience and luxury available in his day. Even if Lot harbored a demeaning opinion of women, this opinion would have only extended to those outside his family at best, but probably only to those of the servant/slave class.

Without evidence, therefore, we must set aside our biases and search on.

The second theory is what could be called the “Sodomite Theory.” That is, the intent of that mob was not only understood by Lot, but was also so detestable to him so as to make him willing to do anything to restrain them from their sin, even if it were a lesser sin (in his eyes).

While this might perhaps be a little more plausible, yet in the words of another, it is never right to do wrong to do right. Though Lot’s offering of his daughters in place of his two guests reveals the nature of the intentions of the mob, I would still have to assert that there was still too little provocation for such an offering. To give up one’s children to satiate the appetites of an enemy is not righteous indignation; rather, it’s betrayal of the highest magnitude.

What then caused Lot to betray his own flesh and blood?

The key, I believe, is found in Peter’s second epistle, where he speaks of Lot “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.” Constant exposure and interaction with wickedness had a profound effect upon him. Though Lot retained a semblance of right and wrong, he had also grown accustomed to justifying compromises in his own life for his own benefit. Thus, in time of duress, he valued self over others.

Lot should have said, “Over my dead body.”

The lesson for Christianity is not an easy one. Look around you at the Christians you know and ask how many make the decisions they do for personal gain. Christians used to be people known for the word “sacrifice.” We used to be people who had scruples when it came to things that even looked shady. But do we now?

As Solomon once said, “The little foxes spoil the vines.” Even so, it is the little compromises that spoil lives. And over time, in addition to spoiling the life of the perpetrator, they may even lead to the betrayal of those who should be valued most.

The truth is, before we condemn Lot, we need to examine ourselves. Just because we are not offering our daughters to immoral mobs does not mean the decisions we make are unselfish and will not lead to the betrayal of those we should cherish most.

Ron Hamman is pastor of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla. Contact him at 357-4229 or ron.hamman@gci.net.

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