So Come Out!
Genesis 19:9
New International Version
“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
For Meditation
We pick where to live and work hard to fit in there, joining groups and hoping to belong. But sometimes we still don’t truly fit or need to be there. No matter how long we stay or how much we try, we can feel out of place. Others may always see us as outsiders or imposters. Even if we become successful and well-integrated, when things get tough, some people will still judge us by where we came from.
You can see a hint of this in how the men of Sodom reacted when Lot tried to stop them from breaking into his house to harm his guests, who were actually angels sent by God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1-9).
“Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.”
Lot and his family had lived in the twin cities for about twenty years [Simon Purpin, 2021]. When the angels arrived, Lot was sitting at the city gate, showing he was involved in the community’s decisions, as was the custom then (v.1). He and his family had even been prisoners of war before (14:12). He had arranged for his two daughters to marry local young men. By all appearances, he was a Sodomite. So why did the people continue to see him as different, and why did they threaten to treat him worse than the angels?
Because Lot didn’t truly belong there, he was “a righteous man” living among such corrupt people (2 Pt. 2:7). Everything that happened to him resulted from his choice—he chose the wealth and comfort of Sodom (Gen. 13:10-13) instead of the safety he had under God with Abraham, his uncle. This warns Christians today. Many believers choose the world’s comfort over the security found in a life of faith (2 Cor. 5:7).
Christian, the truth is you are an outsider in this world, and that will not change. When the time comes, people may turn against you and act as if they never knew you. Lot may have believed he was one of them or that the people had accepted him as their own. But that wasn’t the case. Their words showed they had always seen him as a foreigner.
This is what happens when a Christian tries to settle in a hostile environment surrounded by unbelievers and feels comfortable. You are deceiving yourself. You don’t belong there. So come out from them and be separate (2 Cor. 6:17).
Peter also tried to hide who he was in the high priest’s courtyard while Jesus was on trial but couldn’t. The servant girl and others by the fire recognized him by his accent (Matt. 26:73). The same goes for you.
People in that group know who you are and are surprised you are among them. So do not force yourself to blong. Leave before their judgment sweeps you away too.
Let’s Pray Together
Precious Lord, You are my habitation. I am prone to wander and walk away from You, my love. When I stray into unfriendly and hostile places, please deliver me from their allurements and influences. Give me wisdom to live in this world but not of it. Dull my eyes and appetite to the things of this world and strengthen my desire for your kingdom and its righteousness above all things. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
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