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Abraham's favorite nephew was Lot, the son of his brother, Haran, who had died at an early age, leaving Lot to be raised by his paternal grandparents. When his grandfather, Terah, died, Lot made his home with his Uncle Abraham and Aunt Sarah, who at the time were growing very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. They generously shared their wealth with Lot. Eventually, when a dispute arose between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot, the two men peacefully decided to go their separate ways, lest they quarrel and lose their friendship. It was on this occasion that Lot settled in the vicinity of the sin-infested city of Sodom, near the western border of the Dead Sea. There he lived, married, and raised his family.

One evening, he was sitting at the gates of Sodom City as two men came walking into town. Lot had never forgotten the excellent training in hospitality given him by Abraham and Sarah, so he stood up and bowed to the travelers and welcomed them to his home for dinner and lodging. They graciously thanked him for the offer but, since they carried a light tent with them, replied, "We'll sleep in the city square." Lot was genuinely fearful for them to stay outside, unprotected for the night, because of the evil-minded people in the city and the deplorable happenings that occurred after dark. He, therefore, again insisted they should spend the night indoors and not push their luck. They finally consented and went to his house where he prepared a fine dinner.

Sodom was saturated with those who invariably would scrutinize any visitors, especially those staying overnight. The news rapidly circulated that two finely dressed and good-looking young men were in town for the night. As a result, just before bedtime people gathered outside Lot's door, asking him to send out his two visitors so they could have sexual relations with them. Not only repelled by their action, Lot was concerned because of the Middle Eastern custom that obligated the host to be protective of and responsible for his guests.

"Open the door, Lot!" they cried out in unison. "Send out the two young men we know are in there." Their shouting soon turned into a barbaric chant that was disturbing the entire neighborhood and causing the dogs to bark with alarm. Obviously embarrassed, Lot tried to ignore this unseemly disturbance and explain to his guests the nature of the men of Sodom. "Send them out, send them out," their hideous chant continued, becoming increasingly louder and more threatening.

"I'll go out and tell them to leave," he said confidently to the guests, both of whom requested that he remain inside. Unknown to Lot at that time, they understood the evil nature of the crowd better than he did. "That's all right," Lot said with his hand on the door, "I know these men and I'll send them away." He closed the door behind him, hoping partially to shield the guests from the disturbance. They knew what was about to happen, however, and they remained near the threshold, ready to assist. "Please, I beg you, my brothers," he spoke pleadingly, "don't demand these innocent young men for your pleasure. Go away and leave us alone." When the crowd heard he was unbending to their requests, they again began to chant, "Send them out! Send them out!"

Lot, now frustrated, lifted both hands, motioning for silence. Their persistent voices finally died down as they waited to hear whether he had a new proposal. Surprisingly, he did.

"I have two daughters," shouted Lot. "Neither has ever made love to a man. I'll bring them out and you can do with them as you please." The men were shaking their heads negatively and laughing at Lot's proposal, while inside, the two girls who had heard their father's words could not believe he had said such a thing. Frightened, they ran to their mother, begging protection from the vicious mob. She put her arms around them, promising she would never permit them to go outside.

The two young men also reassured mother and daughters that if the situation became violent, they would deal with this unruly mob in their own way and that the girls would definitely not be sent out. Meanwhile, Lot continued to bargain with the Sodomites who were now chanting, "We want the guys, not the girls!"

At this point, the young guests revealed to Lot's wife and daughters that they were actually angels in disguise and that they possessed superior knowledge and magnificent powers. "We did not just wander into town," said one. "We are on a mission, sent by the Lord to destroy this evil place." Mrs. Lot and her daughters were even further bewildered, but they stopped crying.

The angels knew violence was about to erupt. One stood tensely with his outstretched hand on the latch as the girls, now more confident, dared to peek out the window.

"Stand aside, old man," the crowd shouted sneeringly at Lot, pushing closer. "You don't tell us what we can do." One man said, "We'll beat you into the ground and break the door down." Another yelled, "And we'll do what we please." One aggressive man swung his fist at Lot's face just as the angel opened the door, causing him to smash the hard wood with his clinched fist, leaving him wailing in pain. With the same motion, they each grabbed Lot by the shoulders and jerked him inside the house.

With the door momentarily opened, the group surged forward en masse, but were suddenly struck with a bright and blinding flash of unnatural light that sent them reeling backward in terror. Most fell with their hands protecting their dazzled eyes, while others cried in agony, having been burned by the vicious flash. Their sexual urges were temporarily forgotten as they rolled helplessly on the ground, trying desperately to get to their feet and dash from Lot's house as fast as possible. The mob fled in absolute panic. As laughter reigned inside the house, Mrs. Lot sobered quickly and confronted her husband about his attitude toward his daughters. He replied he would never have sent them out to the men; he was only trying to determine the correct intentions of the crowd.

The angels now calmly explained to him their true identity and the nature of their mission. What they told him disturbed Lot, but they reassured him of his innocence and again thanked him for the food and lodging. "I am only too happy to help you," Lot replied, "for my Uncle Abraham always told me to be hospitable and that perhaps someday you will entertain angels unaware."

The angels smiled, then added seriously, "You must immediately warn your older daughters and their husbands what is about to happen to this city -- and to Gomorrah as well."

Outside, all was now quiet as Lot exited the backdoor and hurried to the homes of his daughters and sons-in-law. "The Lord is about to destroy this place," he urgently warned, telling all they must be ready to depart in the morning. The sons-in-law, however, thought he was joking. They refused to believe Lot, nor would they allow their wives to leave.

Before dawn the next day, Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were leaving their homes as a strange and eerie stillness hung over the city. A few people were up early, wandering about aimlessly in the streets, as an occasional rooster crowed on the outskirts of the town. As the sky darkened and the wind became stronger, the family hesitated in fear of what was a coming omen, but the angels took them by the hands and quickly escorted them through the city to the road leading to Zoar. "Please do not delay," they commanded. "Flee for your lives and don't look back."

The four ran as fast as possible down the road to Zoar. When they reached the little town, they could hear a roaring behind them like a tornado and could see the flashing light reflected against the sky. They dared not look back, however, for God's fury was being unleashed against Sodom and Gomorrah. It was the same burning and destructive light that had been leveled against the crowd of men the night before but now it was a thousand times more powerful. They could hear the vicious wind behind them although the morning in Zoar was peaceful and quiet. Breathless and confused, they stopped in the town square of Zoar to rest.

Mrs. Lot had been lamenting most of the journey that her other daughters and sons-in-law had refused to leave. Now, thinking and hoping they were following at a distance, she turned to look for them. She gazed directly into the midst of the smoldering city of Sodom. The tremendously bright light was still radiating its devastating power. It blinded her on the spot, crystallizing her entire body in a standing position. The horrifying sight caused her husband and daughters to flee and seek refuge in the basement of an old abandoned house in Zoar.

They wished to remain in Zoar, but when the people recognized them, they asked them to leave. The citizens were afraid to harbor former residents of the condemned city, thinking they might bring bad luck and destruction to their town, also. Several days later, fearful the Zoar population would harm them if they refused to leave, Lot and his daughters fled deeper into the hills and found a place to live in a cave.

It was here in this small, desolate dwelling one evening the two sisters discussed their tormented past and hopeless future. "We've lost nearly everything," said the older girl. "Our sisters, mother, home, and all our friends are gone."

The younger silently nodded her agreement and added, "Yes, and Dad is aging so rapidly." Both had wanted to marry and raise a family but had never been popular with the boys and there were no men to be found. Neither had completely recovered from the night their father spoke of sending them outside to be toyed with by the mob, but they were even more upset by the fact that the men didn't want them.

"Life isn't fair," cried the younger, throwing her arms around her sister for support. They held each other for a few minutes.

Then the older replied, "I have a plan that can help us fulfill our lives."

The younger sister waited excitedly while her older sister studied the distant hills with her folded hands resting in her lap, completely lost in her scheming thoughts. "What is it? Tell me!"

"Tomorrow night," the older one replied, speaking slowly and still deep in concentration, "I'm going to give Dad extra wine for supper. Then, when he goes to sleep, I will go to his bed and arouse him to love me." A shocked look of disbelief registered on the younger sister's face and she, too, stared off into the distance, making no audible comment. "If it works," the older continued, "you should do the same thing the following night."

Their daring plot was consummated exactly as envisioned and both had relations with their father. Both times he was unaware of what was transpiring. Both became pregnant and gave birth to baby boys. The older sister bore Moab, who became father of the Moabites, while the younger gave birth one day later, to Ammon, the founder of the Ammonites.

Some yearn for "those wholesome and pure" Bible times
When folks were wise, honest, and smart;
When women were women and men were real men,
And people could tell them apart.

It might have been nice, had things been just that way.
However, in fact they were not.
And should you need to be convinced, my good friend,
Just read the strange story of Lot.

Read Genesis 19