Topical Bible: Adultery: Lot

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Adultery, as defined in the Bible, is the act of engaging in sexual relations with someone who is not one's spouse. It is considered a grave sin and a violation of the covenant of marriage. The account of Lot, while not directly involving adultery, provides a backdrop of sexual immorality and the consequences of living in a society where such acts are prevalent.

Lot's Background

Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites. He traveled with Abraham from Ur to Canaan and eventually settled in the city of Sodom. The city of Sodom, along with Gomorrah, was notorious for its wickedness and sexual immorality, which included acts of adultery and other sexual sins.

Sodom and Gomorrah

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are often cited as examples of extreme moral decay and sexual immorality. Genesis 13:13 (BSB) states, "But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD." The sins of these cities were so grievous that God decided to destroy them. In Genesis 18:20-21 (BSB), the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Their sin is so grievous that I will go down and see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will find out."

Lot's Experience in Sodom

Lot's choice to live in Sodom exposed him and his family to the city's rampant immorality. In Genesis 19, two angels visited Lot in Sodom to warn him of the impending destruction. The men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, demanding to have sexual relations with the visitors, highlighting the city's depravity. Lot's response was to offer his daughters instead, a decision that reflects the moral confusion and compromise that can arise from living in a corrupt environment.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of unchecked sin, including adultery. Genesis 19:24-25 (BSB) recounts, "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground."

Lot's Legacy

Lot's account is a cautionary tale about the dangers of compromising one's values and the impact of living in a sinful environment. While Lot himself is not directly associated with adultery, his life in Sodom places him amidst a culture where such sins were rampant. The New Testament references Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of divine judgment against immorality. In 2 Peter 2:6-8 (BSB), Lot is described as a "righteous man" who was "distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless."

Conclusion

The narrative of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah underscores the seriousness with which God views sexual immorality, including adultery. It serves as a warning to remain steadfast in righteousness and to avoid the influence of a sinful society.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 19:31-38
And the firstborn said to the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Examples of Such Offences under the Old Dispensation no Pattern ...
... and David, by confession, purged Uriah's slaughter, together with its cause"adultery.
[765] That done, you will condone incests, too, for Lot's sake; [766 ...
/.../tertullian/on modesty/chapter vi examples of such offences.htm

Letter ii.
... Exemption from wounds is the lot of non-combatants; but those who advance with much ...
a strange woman, nor did he stop there but he committed adultery on account ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chrysostom/on the priesthood/letter ii.htm

The Heinous Sin of Profane Cursing and Swearing
... as he had done in the verses immediately forgoing, concerning adultery, and tells
the ... aggravated the disobedience of our first parents, and of Lot's wife, was ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the heinous sin of profane.htm

Ephesians i. 14-Nov
... For just as though one were to make those who should fall to his lot manifest, so
also did God separate them for believing, and sealed ... Again, what is adultery? ...
/.../homily ii ephesians i 14-nov.htm

Version ii.
... enquire concerning his journey, he said to me, I go to preserve Lot thy brother ... and
Abraham, looking down upon the earth, saw a man committing adultery with a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the testament of abraham/version ii.htm

The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
... ancient times all cases of dispute were thus laid before God and decided by the
lot or by ... First Pentad: Adultery, Deuteronomy 22:13-19, 20-21, 22, 23-24, 25-27 ...
/.../viii the development of the.htm

A New Age and New Standards
... The old law forbade adultery, the infringement of family life, and stopped there ...
So they developed a joyful lot of casuistical distinctions as to which kind of ...
/.../rauschenbusch/the social principles of jesus/chapter vi a new age.htm

Life at Herrnhut.
... man got drunk, or cursed, or stole, or used his fists, or committed adultery or
fornication ... It was this that led them to make such use of the "Lot." As soon as ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter iv life at herrnhut.htm

Letter cxxii. To Rusticus.
... or the little City; so-called because the little faith that Lot possessed, though ...
hath put away thy sin." [3167] He had added murder to adultery; yet bursting ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxii to rusticus.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... Adam, the parent stock of mankind, [6]143. Adultery, an instance of the willfulness
of sin, [7]57. ... Inheritance, by lot, according to a purpose, [343]55. ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm