One of the passages that was discussed in Delusion was the following from the book of Genesis. Yes, there is a 'proper' way to interpret the bible, there are bible scholars out there who are best equipped to interpret, and not all messages in that book should be taken literally. Then it becomes - how does one decide? Whose authority will it be to adjudicate such contests? What do you say to the fundamentalists who proclaim that the bible is the literal word of god, and there can be no interpretation? Why choose one interpretation over another? Simply because it sounds better or paints the religion in better light? Its just... complicated.
So, here is the passage. In reading it, think about the people who claim that the bible should be the authoritative source of all moral judgment in this world. What a strange world it would be:
Genesis 19 (King James Version)
1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;2And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:
19Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
30And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
2 comments:
The events described in Genesis chapter 19 are indeed difficult to stomach. I felt horrified at Lot’s offer of his two daughters; which self-respecting father would do such a thing? Neither could I understand what drove his daughters to commit incest at Zoar. The chapter describes the sad end that came upon Lot’s family.
Sodom was described as a wicked city, and yet Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom, and later on to stay there, as he owned sizeable flocks and herds and saw that the land was well-watered (Genesis chapter 13). The beginning of chapter 19 described Lot as sitting in the gate of Sodom. Apparently, the gates of ancient cities were the centres of public activity where markets were situated, business was conducted and also where court was held. King David often appeared at the gate to greet the people; that Lot was sitting at the gate and greeting the two strangers suggested that Lot had come to be quite the figure in Sodom. Lot’s family probably enjoyed wealth and fame, yet Lot was described in Apostle Peter’s commentary (2 Peter 2:8) to be greatly vexed during his stay in Sodom as he saw and heard the unlawful deeds of the people in Sodom. Lot knew that what was going on in Sodom was “unlawful” and he felt greatly “vexed” and yet he chose to stay on all this while before the appearance of the two angels. I think that Lot compromised his beliefs long ago and with this compromise, everything else he owned and loved came to be built on precarious, unstable, shifting foundations; Lot and his family could not even tell right from wrong when faced with trying situations. They found it so hard to leave the city they had come to love and all the riches they had come to idolize, that the angels had to physically drag them out before the city was destroyed.
This chapter, like a number of others records the foibles of humans. Seeing how it is often the case that the victorious write history, if given a choice, King David might not have wanted his misdeeds to be recorded for all and sundry to read - how he chanced upon Bathsheba, lusted after her, sent her husband Uriah to the “forefront of the hottest battle” to be killed in order to clear the path for him as king to take her as wife. Yet, the Bible unflinchingly recorded what King David did (2 Samuel). To tell us how desperately wicked we can get and that in spite of that, God forgives and saves us sinners.
Despite all that Lot did, he was described in a way that I found most surprising and unexpected. He was described as “just” in Peter’s commentary in 2 Peter 2:7. He was considered justified, forgiven. So was the woman caught in adultery; the scribes and Pharisees wanted to stone her but Jesus did not condemn her and commanded her not to return to her former sin (John 8). So was the thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus at Calvary, the thief who said “we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” – the same thief whom Jesus forgave and promised would be in paradise (Luke 23).
With regards to interpretation, the Bible tells us “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). As such, we should not rely on our own opinion or own explanations but on what God has revealed to us, to let scripture interpret scripture, for there is no higher authority than His Word we can appeal to.
Just wish to share my take on this. Thanks.
How did Lot get his fame and fortune? Did Lot profit from the sins of Sodom? If so, why did not God smite him down with fire and brimstone too?
Why was it that Lot was spared? Was it because of his race? His religion? How can we read an episode like this and not consider it effectively as an approval of 'ethnic cleansing'? Or was it because of his lack of participation in the sins of Sodom? But then, he must have had business with the people of Sodom, which, in other words, he did support the sins which were going on. Back to the question again - why was he spared?
The point I am trying to make is that many people hold the bible to be their source of moral wisdom and authority, as some theists would often claim in hyperbole - "godless, immoral atheists". Yet, look at the kinds of stories that are being told here. Sure, you may say that these stories are to 'paint the negative', telling us what not to do. So, if Lot is a moral person, and one who is held up in respect (remind me, for what reason?) then are we saying that it is ok to offer up one's daughters to a crowd wanting to rape one's guests, or that, incest is ok?
Post a Comment