Letter to Lot (Gen 19)

Dear Lot,

Your story is such a sad one. You were a good man who offered hospitality and faced the hostility of your neighbours.

I wonder if you faced a lot of racism from them, I get the feeling you did.

Sadly, we have not come that far today, there are still groups of people who refuse to welcome the foreigner and rather want to commit violence. Sex is still a weapon that is used by some to show power over others.

I find it sad that this chapter of Gen 19 has become associated with condemning the gay community, rather than being seen as talking about racism and the way that foreigners and strangers are treated by some being wrong.

I worry that you were ready to send out your daughters to the crowd to be abused and raped. I know women were viewed differently in your culture but I can’t get my head around it. I am so glad the angels stopped that abuse occurring.

What was it that made you linger in verse 16? Was it that you thought that worse would occur elsewhere.

I feel sorry for your wife turning to salt just because she turned round. What was that about? I can’t imagine the grief you must have felt about it all.

Then there were your daughters getting you drunk to preserve their offspring. Was that based up on some messed up idea of racial purity?

What did you think when both became pregnant? Did they let you know what had happened? It’s among the many things in the bible I find messed up and can’t get my head around….

Then I wonder if incest had been one of the reasons, as well as racism and violence that God felt he needed to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Were the people there really messed up? Was that why your daughters even thought this might be ok?

There is so much in this chapter that I find screwed up I wish I had skipped over it to be honest, but I know I can’t. Like in my own society it is when we try and pretend this stuff doesn’t happen or take the view it is too vile to acknowledge that problems like abuse and racism increase.