"Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, 'Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.' And they said, 'No, but we will spend the night in the open square.' But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate" (Gen. 19:1-3). We had learned previously that one of Abraham's visitors was God Himself in the form of a man. Here we are told that the two "men" who left Abraham (while God spoke with him further) who headed toward Sodom and arrived there in the evening, were actually "angels" (also in the form of men, of course). Lot perceived them as nothing more than travelers, and he, being a righteous man, desired to protect them from the evil of the city. These two visitors know a lot more than Lot realizes, and he insisted that they spend the night in the safety of his home, as opposed to the open square. Lot knew what would happen if they spent the night out in the open, and he intended to prevent it at any cost (as the following verses show). Lot welcomes the angels into his home and feeds them well. These angels, though they certainly had no need for physical sustenance as spiritual beings, had been treated to two fine meals that day (due to the gracious hospitality of both Abraham and Lot)!

"Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 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'" (Gen. 19:4,5). Here we see where our term sodomy comes from--the perverted nature of the men of the city of Sodom! They were aware of the arrival of these visitors and they desire to violate them sexually. Such is deplorable on multiple levels (cf. Isa. 3:9). It would be bad enough if they engaged in homosexuality activity with a consensual partner, but they increase their wickedness by looking for victims to rape! Furthermore, this is not just a few isolated perverts being described here; rather, it is men from all over the city, both young and old! How tragic! No wonder Lot would not allow these "men" to resist his hospitality!

"So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, '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, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.' And they said, 'Stand back!' Then they said, 'This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.' So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door" (Gen. 19:6-11).

Lot knew something had to be done or all of their lives would be in jeopardy. So, he suggested what would be unthinkable to us today. He offered his two virgin daughters to these perverts for them to satisfy their desires. I suspect Lot viewed this as the best possible outcome in these circumstances. He was willing to make a personal sacrifice (i.e., his daughters) for his guests. Few would do such today for perfect strangers, but Lot likely believed he was choosing the lesser of two evils. To resist completely may have resulted in Lot, his family, and the visitors being raped or killed. Of course, the men of Sodom rejected his offer and started attacking Lot himself (verbally and physically), though the angels saved him. Lot had done well to rebuke their wicked behaviors before, but now they are tired of it. It would seem that Lot's mistake here is in failing to rely upon God. He should not have offered up his daughters to these vile men. When we are faced with a situation with seemingly no good outcome, we still must do what is right regardless of the cost. In this case, the angels miraculously prevent any loss to Lot or his family. The blindness they inflicted upon those nearest to the door eventually stopped the attack, though the men of Sodom were so committed to their wicked plan that they didn't give up immediately!