Bargaining with Sin

“And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally’” (Genesis 19:5, NKJV).

Lot’s day of reckoning finally came. A wild mob of Sodomite men surrounded his house, pounding on the door and shouting obscenities. They demanded that Lot send out the two angels who were staying there so they could rape them. 

What a horrifying scene! However, Lot’s reaction was to try to strike a deal with the men. It appears that Lot was a judge in Sodom because he sat at the city gates. He had a reputation to protect, so he tried to reason with the mob. He even went as far as calling them “brethren,” proving he had taken Sodom’s sin too lightly. 

“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men”(Genesis 19:7-8).

Perhaps Lot reasoned to himself, “These men are partying sodomizers, looking to fulfill their perverted lusts. They’re no threat to women. If I send my daughters out, they’ll come home tomorrow morning unharmed.” 

How foolish! Even if that were true, Lot would have tried to replace one sin with another. It is impossible to bargain with lust. Lot, an example of what hidden sin can do to a righteous man, clearly was deluded. His sin had produced in him such a dangerous condition that he would give up everything, including his beloved family, to save face. This man was not ready to face reality. He was dragging out his moment of reckoning, still wheeling and dealing, trying to delay God’s deliverance in his life. 

Beloved, that is the attitude of many Christians today. They convince themselves, “My God is a God of mercy. He delivered me from my sin before and will do it again.”

No! God is saying to you through this passage, “No more bargaining. No more trading a lighter sin for a heavier one. It all has to go!”