We now come to what I believe is the great highlight of Lot’s life, and perhaps one of the most overlooked and misunderstood moments of his life – Lot becomes an intercessor. Let’s enter into the text:
Gen 19:17 And 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.
Let’s quickly recap the timeline: the angels arrive at Sodom in the evening, a mob soon surrounds the house, the angels intervene, Lot goes out to try and warn people of the impending judgement. All this has happened inside of Sodom. Now, as morning is breaking, the angels have led Lot, his wife, and his daughters out of the city of Sodom – they are now on the outskirts of the city with whatever they had managed to pack and could carry in the darkness the sun is beginning to break.
Here the angel directs them to flee to the mountains. Back in Genesis 14:10, when the armies of Sodom and her cities were defeated in the war, the survivors would flee to the mountains. If you check any bible atlas, such as this one which maps the battle as well as approximate locations of the cities, you’ll notice that mountains run parallel to all the cities. You’ll also notice that Sodom is the northern most city, with Zoar generally being located as the southern most. This will all become important in a moment. Needless to say, what the angels were instructing Lot to do was not something unheard of, nor uncommon. The mountains were a natural place of refuge.
Gen 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
And right here in this verse, do so many condemn Lot without a second thought. Here’s a sampling:
– Barnes’ commentary “Lot begs for a small town to which he may retreat, as he shrinks from the perils of a mountain dwelling . . .”
– Poole’s commentary “Thus he showeth an unworthy and unreasonable distrust of God’s power and goodness:” (from Poole’s commentary on verse 19)
– Clarke’s commentary “He did not consider that God could give no command to his creatures that it would be impossible for them to fulfil;”
Remember what we covered in the previous verse? The mountains were already established as a natural place of refuge. The idea that Lot would shrink from fleeing to the mountains and instead stay amongst the cities of the plain when he genuinely believed judgement was coming is ludicrous. We know Lot genuinely believed judgement was coming, for why else would he act the way he did, in trying to get others out, appearing mad to his own family, and finally, actually leaving? The idea that Lot’s objection is a result of cowardice/lack of faith is absurd.
What is the alternative? In the previous chapter, Genesis 18, we read that Abraham greets the angels as strangers, making them a feast. In Genesis 19, the same thing happens, but it’s Lot now showing hospitality. In Genesis 18, Abraham becomes aware of the true identity of his guests after a miraculous sign (knowing what Sara did/said), likeso does Lot in Genesis 19. And just as Abraham intercedes on behalf of Sodom, I believe the text indicates quite clearly here (clear if you’re not blinded by a prejudice against Lot) that Lot is interceding for the city of Zoar. In a moment we will see his request in full, but right here is the opening: “Not so, my lord.”
Let’s compare the opening of Lot’s intercession with other intercessions in Scripture:
Abraham: Will you consume righteous with wicked? (and a bit further on, ‘Far be it from you. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?)
Moses: Why does your wrath wax hot against thy people?
Moses and Aaron: O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and wilt thou be wroth with the whole congregation?
Notice something? If we wanted to, we could read what is said by these individuals in a more cynical light, but we don’t. Why? Because we have the whole lot in context. So to with Lot’s opening: is he saying ‘Not so my lord’ in a defiant spirit? Or is it in an intercessory tone? The Scripture provides the answer at the end when the angel responds by saying: See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also – that I will not overthrow this city for the which thou has spoken. We are running ahead so we shall speak more on that when we get there.
Gen 19:19 Behold 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:
Lot saying that he cannot escape to the mountain is the exact same thing as Abraham implying that the Just Judge of all the earth would destroy the righteous and wicked together. It’s the same thing as Moses and Aaron asking God why one man’s sin should bring anger upon all, when it clearly was more than one man involved. The objective of the statement is not in the phrase itself, but rather, implicit.
Don’t forget that the mountains were a natural place of refuge for the people of the plain in trouble that had only recently been used to escape, as well as the fact that the distance from Sodom to the mountains was far less than Sodom to Zoar. In fact, if Zoar is located at the bottom (which is most probable), then Lot would have had to pass through the other cities slated for destruction to get there. Which means sounds quicker and safer? The nearby mountains of refuge, or a small city in the very plain which Lot believed was about suffer a major cataclysm?
Gen 19:20 Behold 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.
Right here do we see the ultimate goal of Lot’s request: it’s only a little city. I believe Lot had recognized something by this stage: he realized judgement would not fall as long as he was present. The coming destruction was being held at bay by his presence. This was not him being proud, for in the previous verse he recognizes God’s favor and mercy to him. Who knows, perhaps Lot had relatives/family/friends living in Zoar? Perhaps Lot was simply determined to save people (don’t forget that Lot is compared to Noah, who preached for over a hundred years to save people) We know from 1 Peter that Lot was vexed with the evil around him. If no one was saved from the destruction, then in many senses, evil had been victorious. Lot, being a righteous man, would have rejoiced to overcome the evil. Is it not in some sense, a victory of evil that the people of Zoar had yet more time to repent before God? I’m simply throwing the ideas out there, but I think a solid case can and is made that Lot was interceding for Zoar just as Abraham had interceded for Sodom. Lest we forget, the Bible declares Lot a righteous man. To intercede on behalf of others is one of the hallmarks of the righteous men of the Bible, from Job to Abraham to David to Daniel and finally to Jesus. If Lot was righteous, it fits with his described character that he would be an intercessor.
Gen 19:21 And 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.
The answer of the angel should remove any doubt as to Lot’s intentions with his request. “I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.” In other words, Lot has stepped into the gap in Zoar. Where there was no righteous man in Zoar previously to stop the impending judgement, now there was a man in the gap.
Gen 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
One of Lot’s great legacies is that for hundreds of years after he died, there would be a small city called Zoar on the edge of the Dead Sea, a testament to that fateful morning then a desperate preacher of righteousness declined the opportunity to retire, and instead, volunteered to continue standing in the gap in an effort to save people.
This is Lot’s finest moment. After all that he’s been through – the persecution and vexation. He’s still trying to save people even as judgement is quite literally on his heels. Now in a final display of his faith in God’s word, contrary to what many would say, he now begins the walk from the outskirts of Sodom, southward to the little city of Zoar, knowing full well that the only reason destruction hasn’t fallen yet is because he’s still in the area. How many times did he look to the mountains looming nearby that he could have so easily retreated to, if it were not for all the people in Zoar that would perish if not for him?
May we find the heart of the intercessor that Lot and Abraham and Moses had.
Talking Bible 
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