God’s traveling companions from chapter 18, two angels, continued to Sodom to meet Lot. Like Abraham, Lot recognizes them as something more than human. But apparently so did some of the residents of the city, who bear down on Lot’s home. Was it an act of intended dominance? Intrigue? Regardless, that sealed the fate of the city. After Lot offered his daughters to the crowd of men (they were rejected) the angels struck the offending men blind and told Lot to pack his bags.
The angels gave Lot a few hours and he tried to rescue his daughters’ fiancées. Why in the world did they treat his pleas as a joke? Then again, I think most Americans would take it as a joke if we heard destruction was imminent. In fact, often when we hear about impending natural disasters we do disregard it, so perhaps the fiancées are very much like us.
I understand Lot’s wife turning into salt for her disobedience. Harsh perhaps, but a time to disregard God’s clear instruction is not in the middle of a time when he’s doling out punishment elsewhere. But I have so many questions about Lot’s daughter’s incest. I wonder if he ever found out: I don’t know the timeline, but I wonder if he chalked up the babies to final flings between his daughters and their fiancées on the eve of Sodom’s destructive. I wonder if Abraham knew, and whether when Lot’s descendants plagued the Israelites they saw their forefather’s failures in their enemies’ spears. But really, I wonder what those girls were thinking. Didn’t God just destroy your city for its wickedness? Didn’t lava just consume everyone you knew? Why would sleeping with your drunk dad seem like a particularly good idea?

Surely Abraham didn’t always respond to visitors as he did to God’s visit, with 2 others. So was this an instance where God’s manifest presence was so obviously extra-human, like in The Man Who Was Thursday, that Abraham knew something was up? Did he know he was God or just someone worth respect?
Any questions of their guest’s divinity must have been settled when Sarah’s internal laughter was called out. It’s interesting that she was rebuked for her doubt, given it was internal. The sin that lives in my mind often gets a free pass, but here Sarah’s nailed for the attitude that she doesn’t even give word to.
Where’s Sarah’s doubt was so silent that only God could have known, Abraham’s opposition to Sodom’s planned destruction could not have been more clear. He physically blocked God from leaving, challenged his reasoning then had the tenacity (or audacity?) to bargain with him for the fate of a city. Given his previously displayed affection for Lot, chasing after his rescue at the expense of foreign armies, I’m not surprised. But then again, he must recognize how fully dependant on God he is for everything he has and open resistance had to have been uncomfortable for the pragmatic wanderer.
He must have walked away sure he’d saved the city when God agreed to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake on only ten faithful. Sadly, even our lowest expectations are often too high.