“But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”” (Genesis 19:4–8, ESV)
Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. The Bible records life as it happened. Lies, failures, foolishness, disaster – it’s all recorded for us to see. And, what we come to realize as we read the pages of Scripture is that these people were broken, just like we are (perhaps more so at times).
In this bizarre turn of events, the small town of Sodom was filled with some of the most aggressive sexually perverted men. And while Lot had chosen to live there from afar since it looked like it was a blessing because of its fertile lands, in reality, it was everything but a blessing. “That righteous man lived among them day after day, [and] he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” (2 Peter 2:8, ESV)
When the deviants came to take the two angels out for their sensual pleasures, the weak faith of Lot actually offered his two virgin daughters as replacements! To us, this may seem to be beyond comprehension, and it should be. However, Lot’s faith was drained of all it’s vitality by the “the error of lawless people and [he lost his] own stability.” (2 Peter 3:17, ESV)
Today, the focus is upon us. We live in decadent times. Sensuality and permissiveness are awash in our culture, and unfortunately our churches. It is so easy to lose the strength and vitality of our faith simply by “going with the flow” and having to deal with the latest downward spiral (See Romans 1:18-32).
So, will you fortify your faith by renewing your time alone with God is His words and prayer, thus reenergizing your heart of faith?
Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.
