Gensis 19 :8?

Question

Could anyone explain why Lot was deemed a moral man by the two angels after he tried to sacrifice his two vergen daughters to gang rape in order to save two men he knew were angels? Here's the modern tanslation of the passage:

"Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

Were his daughters not under the protection of his roof?

Please, I'm not trying to mock God, I'm just trying to understand His word.

Answer 1

Why Did Lot Offer His Daughters to an Angry Mob?

In Genesis chapter 19, we find the account of what happened when God sent two materialized angels to Sodom. Lot insisted that the visitors stay in his home. That night, however, a mob of men from the city surrounded the house and demanded that the visitors be brought out to them for immoral purposes. Lot tried to reason with the mob, but to no avail. Seeking to protect his guests, Lot said: “Please, my brothers, do not act badly. Please, here I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with a man. Please, let me bring them out to you. Then do to them as is good in your eyes. Only to these men do not do a thing, because that is why they have come under the shadow of my roof.” The mob would not listen and almost broke down the door. Finally, the angelic visitors struck that frenzied crowd with blindness.

Understandably, this account has raised questions in the mind of some. They wonder: ‘How could Lot seek to protect his guests by offering his daughters to a lustful mob? Did he not act improperly, even cowardly?’ In view of this account, why would God inspire Peter to call Lot a “righteous man”? Did Lot act with God’s approval? (2 Peter 2:7, 8) Let's reason on this matter so that we do not draw the wrong conclusion.

To begin with, it should be noted that rather than condoning or condemning Lot’s actions, the Bible simply reports what took place. The Bible also does not tell us what Lot was thinking or what motivated him to act as he did. When he comes back in the “resurrection of the righteous,” perhaps he will reveal the details.

Lot was hardly a coward. He was placed in a difficult situation. By saying that the visitors had “come under the shadow” of his roof, Lot indicated that he felt compelled to provide protection and refuge for them. But this would not be easy. Jewish historian Josephus reports that the Sodomites were “unjust towards men, and impious towards God, They hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices.” Yet, Lot did not shrink back from the hateful mob. On the contrary, he went out and reasoned with those angry men. He even “shut the door behind him.”

‘Still,’ some may ask, ‘why would Lot offer his daughters to the mob?’ Instead of assuming that his motives were bad, why not consider some possibilities? First of all, Lot may well have acted in faith. How so? No doubt Lot was aware of how Jehovah had protected Sarah, the wife of Abraham, Lot’s uncle. Recall that because Sarah was very beautiful, Abraham had asked her to identify him as her brother, lest others kill him in order to take her. Subsequently, Sarah was taken to the household of Pharaoh. Jehovah, however, intervened, preventing Pharaoh from violating Sarah. (Genesis 12:11-20) It is possible that Lot had faith that his daughters could be similarly protected. Significantly, Jehovah through his angels did intervene, and the young women were kept safe.

Consider another possibility. Lot may also have been trying to shock or confuse the men. He may have believed that his daughters would not be desired by the crowd because of the homosexual lust of the Sodomites. (Jude 7) In addition, the young women were engaged to men of the city, so relatives, friends, or business associates of his prospective sons-in-law might well have been in the crowd. (Genesis 19:14) Lot may have hoped that by reason of such ties, some men in that mob would speak up in defense of his daughters. A mob thus divided would not be nearly so dangerous.

Whatever Lot’s reasoning and motives, we can be sure of this: Since Jehovah always does what is right, he must have had good reason to view Lot as a “righteous man.” And judging from the actions of the crazed mob of Sodomites, can there be any doubt that God was fully justified in executing judgment upon the inhabitants of that wicked city?

Answer 2

This happened nearly 4000 years ago. The "law" did not come along for another 700 years. Lot had the authority to give his daughters away. That was a much different world then. There was no moral code. Maybe Lot could have known these two men were special angels. I would not hurt myself over this. Even if you could know the answer-how could that help you today?

Answer 3

Because, in biblical times, women were property. According to Old Testament law, Lot's offering up his daughters' virginity wasn't a sign of severe mental illness. It was a gesture of hospitality that he was willing to ruin a major investment. Note that Lot never asked the two girls THEIR opinions on the proposed deal.

Of course, two celestial beings with enough power to raze a city would probably not have had too much trouble defending themselves against a gang of prehistoric thugs... but hey, Lot was just that nice a guy.

Answer 4

No reasonable explanation exists. Lot refuses to give up his angels to the perverted mob, offering his two "virgin daughters" instead. He tells the bunch of angel rapers to "do unto them [his daughters] as is good in your eyes." This is the same man that is called "just" and "righteous" in 2 Peter 2:7-8. Huh?

Answer 5

Sometimes people say things they don't really mean under severe stress,like Peter did in Matthew 17,when he woke up and saw Mose and Elijah (who had been dead for centuries) talking with Jesus,Peter blurted out"Let us make three tabernacles(places of worship) one for you one for Moses and one for Elijah"
It was a dumb thing to say.Lot was so scared of what these homosexuals were going to do(as if they could anyway) to these angels,he just freaked out.Hey,his daughters weren't much better.Later they got him drunk and got pregnant by him because they thought everyone else on Earth was dead.They were good people just a little dopey.

Answer 6

Lot did what he could given the circumstances. He knew the angels were there to destroy Sodom and he had family and friends living in Sodom. The fact is the angels stepped in and blinded those to whom he offered his daughters. Being moral and being smart can be two different things.

Answer 7

I personally always thought this was simply a ploy to distract the crowd. Lot knew that the men were homosexuals and had no interest in his daughters. I think he was buying time.

Answer 8

Lot was no Abraham but He was a man of God but here he seems to have failed in the heat of the moment. Not to justify it but he may have been scared for his life as the entire city had surrounded them and had come to do bad things to them.

Answer 9

The traditional explanation for Lot's behavior is that once the guests had eaten in his house, he felt the need to defend them.

Even though Lot's decision seems crazy, it is the product of a different culture.

Answer 10

Ancient etiquette says that you are to take care of your guests with your very life to protect them if you must. If you buy a Bible Dictionary you can read up on the background of the Biblical books and customs of that time.