Jacob Chanikuzhy

The ultimate destruction of a perverted culture – this is what most Christians think when they read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29). However, some scholars indicate another way to approach this story. As the bible itself attests, Sodom was a fertile land and was like the garden of Eden. This fertile and prosperous land was also the object of several military adventures. Before invading a country the enemies would send spies and would collect maximum details regarding the geography, military might and security measures of that country. So, in the ancient periode, people of every nation and especially vulnerable nations were suspecious of strangers. They were not hostile to strangers like traders and immigrants but they would make sure that the strangers were not spies from a hostile country.

As the bible story goes, the people of Sodom see all of a sudden two foreigners in their city. Normally foreigners would submit their credentials to the ruling authorities. But these two men did not seem to have submitted any credentials to anybody. Adding to their doubts these two strangers stayed in the house of another foreigner – Lot. So the people gathered around the house of Lot presumably to know the details of the strangers. Lot also did not seem to reveal much about his visitors. This must have infuriated the crowd and confirmed their doubts that the visitors were spies. In the Ancient Near East, it was the practice of the winning army to punish and humilate the defeated soldiers by raping them. Now, the crowd in Lot’s house wants to punish the “spies“ by subjecting them to gang rape. So, the incident does not, in the view of these scholars, indicate a perverted sex orientation of a nation, but a sort of military retaliation. After all who would think that all the men of a city were homosexuals? We should notice that all the men of the city, young and old, and not just the perverted, had gathered around the house of Lot.

Lot was considered a righteous man. But how righteous was he? He even offered his virgin daughters for the sexual gratification of the crowd. But, it seems that no one in the crowd even tried to abuse those innocent girls. Again, it appears that it was not a sexually perverted crowd. In fact, what Lot did was also understandable. In the ANE culture, a man has to give priority to the security of his guest than that of his family. After all, women did not enjoy high social standing in the said culture at that time. However, the demand of the crowd to get the men for rape and the offer of Lot to give his daughters for the carnal pleasures of the mob were equally abominable and sure violation of the teachings of the bible.

Now the two angels blinded the crowd. Their physical blindness was just the manifestation of their inner blindness. They were blind with fear and suspicion, jealousy and hatred, rage and revenge, selfishness and cruelty which led them to humiliate the strange but innocent people in a most brutal and perverted manner. It is when one is blind to the dignity and divinity, rights and beliefs, hopes and dreams of others that one forces oneself upon others.

The angels then revealed to Lot the divine plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and asked him to persuade his relatives to escape. That night itself Lot went to his in-laws and advised them to leave their home and land. But they did not listen to him. In the morning, the angels asked Lot and his family to leave the doomed city. The response of Lot was unbelievable. The same Lot who advised his in-laws to leave the city, now himself hesitates to leave his home! Even in the face of danger and destruction he lingers around. Though Lot was a righteous man, he was not willing to leave a doomed city.

God was so merciful to Lot that the angels forced Lot to run away from the city. Generally God does not force us to do anything. But when He does, we can be sure that God treats us with mercy. It was because of God’s mercy that Lot was saved and so is every single one who is saved.