YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

In the past few years, it has become accepted for a man or woman to come Out of the Closet and declare he or she is gay or a lesbian. Only a few years ago this was totally unacceptable. Homosexuals kept their sexual preference to themselves. Gay men and lesbian women rarely made it obvious to the general public that they preferred a deviant lifestyle with a person of their own gender. Being homosexual was a deep dark secret leaving them open to blackmail. People living an alternative life style were whispered about in public. The average person found it distasteful to have a “gay" or "lesbian" label hung on them. Being a masculine man or a feminine woman was something to be proud of. Feelings about sexual orientation have changed drastically over the past few years. However, today isn't the only time in man's history that alternative lifestyles have become a part of the popular culture.

Lot had a visit from two angels who had manifested themselves as men. He invited them into his home to be overnight guests. The angels thought that Lot's offer for a room to spend the night was unnecessary - they would just stretch out on the street to sleep. But Lot knew this was risky business in his community. He was so urgent about the angels coming inside that they agreed to accept his hospitality. They had an evening meal of freshly baked unleavened bread. Then they got ready for bed. Before they knew it, a group of young and old gays surrounded Lot's house. They started shouting to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we can rape them."

Being the good host that Lot was, he stepped outside to talk to this group of gay men. “Please fellows,” he begged, “don't do such a wicked thing. Look I have two virgin daughters, and I'lI surrender them to you to do with as you wish. But leave these men alone, for they are under my protection.”

Obviously Lot was "straight" and had a different sexual orientation from this group of gays. “'Stand back,’ they yelled. ‘Who do you think you are? We let this fellow (Lot) settle among us and now he tries to tell us what to do! We'll deal with you far worse than with those other men.' And they lunged at Lot and began breaking down the door." The angels reached out the door, pulled Lot in, and bolted the door while temporarily blinding those gay men to prevent them from finding the door.

After doing that, the angels knew it was time to save Lot and his family from such a violent and corrupt city. They told Lot to get all of his relatives out of Sodom because they were going to completely destroy that city.

Lot rushed out to first tell his daughter's fiancés. But when Lot urged him to leave, he just looked at Lot like he had gone crazy. The sun was about to come up and the angels became more urgent. "Get your wife and daughters out of here just as fast as you can, or you'll be caught in the destruction of Sodom.”

Lot's home was in Sodom and he was in no hurry to leave it. So the angels grabbed Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and rushed them outside the city where it would be safe. The angels did this because of God's mercy. “'Flee for your lives,' the angels told him. 'And don't look back. Escape to the mountains. Don't stay down here on the plain or you will die.’"

Lot was afraid to go all the way to the mountains. So he pled with the angels to let him go to a little nearby village so his life could be saved. The angels accepted Lot's proposition with a warning to hurry! Lot reached the village about sunrise. Then God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed these cities, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, people, plants, and animals. But Lot’s wife didn't do as the angels told her to do. She looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt. God expects better of us than that. He doesn’t want us to look longingly back on this world and its sins.

Abraham was up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he stood before the Lord. He looked out across the plains to Sodom and Gomorrah and saw columns of smoke and fumes rising from the cities. God had heard Abraham's plea and protected Lot.

How many lessons can you learn from this historical event? Many! One of the first is that God is the Supreme Being who sets the standards of right and wrong. Crossing over the boundaries from what is right to what is wrong puts you at high risk. God may tolerate sin for a while, but things can get so raunchy that He may say again enough is enough. When that happens, you had better make sure you're on His side of the boundaries.

Another thing you can learn is that God is our Heavenly Father who planned from the beginning to have a family. We become His children through conversion and we will be born into His family at the resurrection. He created us male and female, with a purpose and a very distinct biological difference. As God is reproducing Himself with a spiritual family, He made us so that we can reproduce ourselves physically in marriage. It is physically impossible for two women or two men to reproduce themselves. So God made man and woman different to become "one flesh" and procreate. God ordained a loving, lasting relationship to provide children with a loving and secure home environment.

What were the men at Lot's house doing that was so wrong? Their sinful, gay lifestyles were totally denying God's plan of becoming a father as it is pictured in the physical family through procreation. Physical families on this earth are intended to be a type of God's family. People who come Out of the Closet into a gay or lesbian lifestyle turn this whole picture upside down. God intends for us to see Him as our Father and the church as the bride of Christ.