Lot had given up protesting. Over the years his wife had developed the habit of listening only to her own voice. When she got an idea in her mind, nothing could change it, and she was firmly and unalterably convinced that the key to their happiness lay in Sodom. She had learned to close her eyes to the sins that went on all around her. It was a source of constant amazement to Lot that a human being could live in a world of her own and ignore the real world on the outside.
And his daughters were no better. His two older daughters had married years ago, but their husbands had not pleased Lot. They came from prominent families but had been part of the gangs that roamed the streets of Sodom almost every night, looking for young male victims. Lot had pleaded with his daughters not to marry them, but Meri had overruled him. Lot still had some hope for his two younger daughters. They were women now, but they were still young enough to change, and as Lot stood before his herdsman Mal, he tried to scrape up some hope that they could be redeemed.
Finally Mal ended his list and shook his head. “I’m sorry, master, I have not done a good job.”
“You’ve done a fine job, Mal,” Lot said quickly. He trusted the herdsman completely, for he was faithful and honest, a rare enough thing these days!
“Will you stay long? We could go hunting tomorrow if you’d like.”
“I’d love to,” Lot said quickly, “but I promised my wife I would be back. There’s some kind of a celebration tonight I must attend.”
Lot stayed out with the flocks for only another hour and then mounted his donkey and rode slowly back to the city. Not anxious to return home, he made no effort to urge the animal forward. Whenever he approached Sodom, it felt as though he were entering under a huge dark cloud. Looking overhead, he saw the skies were clear, and yet in his own mind and heart there was an oppressive darkness over the land, which always intensified as he approached the city.
He entered the city gates, greeted the guards, then wound his way through the labyrinthine streets until he came to his own house. A servant emerged, spoke to him, and took his animal away. Lot went inside, aware that he would have to put on a better face than this. Meri had reproved him often enough for wearing a long, sad face at festive events.
“About time you got back!” Meri appeared in a belligerent mood and shook his arm. “You’ve got to hurry and get cleaned up.”
“All right,” he muttered like a man defeated. He waited for her to ask about the state of the flocks and herds, but she had no interest in such things. She saw Lot’s work merely as a means of bringing in more money for clothes, jewelry, and perfumes.
“Hurry up, now,” she snapped, irritation in her tone. She was wearing a dress that had cost enough to pay a herdsman for six months, and he had to admit that she looked good. She carefully watched her figure, spent a fortune on perfumes, oils, and ointments, and kept three maidservants in the house to work on her appearance and that of her daughters.
Lot hurried along to his room, and as one of the female servants furnished water and towels, he cleansed himself from the dust of the desert. Meri had often insisted that he hire a man to take care of him, but he had steadfastly refused. “I’m able to take care of myself!” he had asserted, firmly standing on this principle, despite her displeasure.
When he was ready, he stepped out of his room and stood listening to his two younger daughters chatter and giggle about the party that evening. Shaking his head, Lot moved outside, murmuring, “It’ll be just like all the rest of the festivals.” Outside the house he saw that the streets were already beginning to fill up. His house was away from the center of town, as far away as he could get, almost next to the city wall. He had built it with a large open area filled with plants and gardens in the back, which was where he spent most of his free time.
Now, however, he sat outside and fought off the depression that almost overwhelmed him. He thought suddenly of Abraham, and his mind went back to the early days with his uncle when they had hunted together, tended the animals, moved to new territory. It had been hard work and there had been difficulties, but those were the happiest days of Lot’s life.
As Lot looked down the street, he was startled to see two men suddenly appear who were strangers to him. His eyes narrowed, and when he saw that they were headed toward his own house, he stood up. They were both unusually tall men. One of them had a face that would have commanded attention and respect anywhere. The other had a dignity about him also, but secondary to the one who was obviously the leader.
Lot came forward and bowed. “Good day, sirs.”
“Lot, we have come to speak with you.”
Lot was instantly wary. Were these new members of the council coming to try his virtue? “I’m glad to see you,” he said quickly.
“You will not be when you find out why we have come.”
Lot stared with astonishment at the speaker. There was a depth to the man’s steady gray eyes that seemed to have no bottom, as though they could see right into his heart, and a cold fear touched him. Who were these men and what did they want?
“I don’t understand you, sir.”
The two men stood silently, both of them examining Lot. He felt like a prisoner in front of a judge who had the power to condemn or to free him. “What is it you’ve come to speak with me about?”
“You are a good man, Lot—weak in many ways, yet you have found favor in the eyes of God Most High.”
The weakness Lot was feeling grew even more acute. His knees had turned to water, and something about these two frightened him terribly. “I thank you for your words, but what is it you have to tell me?”
“We are the messengers of God Most High,” the taller of the two men said. “The stench of this place has gone up to the nostrils of the Eternal One. This city is going to be destroyed. We have come to warn you.”
“Destroyed,” Lot whispered. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what we say.”
Then the other messenger spoke. His eyes were so dark they seemed to have no pupils. His beard was short and clipped, and he exuded a strength that was more than bodily. “Get your family and leave this place at once or you will all die.”
Lot’s hands were trembling. He clasped them together in a futile attempt to conceal the shaking. “Surely the Eternal One will have mercy! He would not destroy everyone here.”
“He is a just God, and this city has turned itself over completely to evil.”
Lot pleaded with the two. They listened, but there was firmness in their countenance, dreadful judgment in their eyes, and Lot knew that all was lost. Nonetheless he appealed to them again. “Let me fix you something to eat, and perhaps you can pray to the Lord, and He will spare the city.”
But even as he spoke these words, he saw a crowd coming down the street. It was one of the gangs of perverts that roamed the city, and he saw the chief magistrate in front of them—he who should have protected the people was leading this group of evil men!
“Come inside,” Lot said hurriedly, practically dragging the two men inside. He shut the door and shoved the bolt into place, but it was too late. He heard the shouts outside, men calling his name.
“Lot! Lot, open the door! We’ve seen these men!” The voice was that of the chief magistrate.
Lot’s fear increased until he was filled with terror. “These are my guests,” he shouted through the door.
“Open the door or we’ll break it down! Bring them out that we may know them!”
In a panic Lot put his hands on the door as if to hold it in place. He could feel the vibrations as fists struck it, and the words grew vile and more demanding.
“Run out the back way, quickly!” he urged the messengers. “You can get over the city wall there.”
“They cannot harm us.”
“But you don’t know how awful these men are and the vile things they do.”
“We do know,” the leader said calmly. “Let us go out and talk to them.”
“No,” Lot cried out, “you must not!” H
e called out through the door to the angry crowd. “Listen, you must not harm these men. It would bring terrible things on our city. I have two young daughters here. I will give them to you to do with as you will.” He could not believe that he had said such a thing; he was horrified to think of the depths he had reached living in this city.
Outside, the voices grew more shrill. “Come out here, Lot! You came here as a stranger among us, and you would tell us how to live! Now we’ll treat you worse than we were going to treat them.”
Suddenly one of the visitors stepped forward and pushed Lot aside. The other unbolted the door and swung it open. Both men went outside, and Lot stood watching them in astonishment.
“You mustn’t!” he cried, and he dashed outside with them. He found himself surrounded by a swirling crowd, faces burning with lust and rage. He knew these men loved to torture people and that their sexual appetites knew no bounds. He shouted, trying to get their attention, but one of the crowd leaned forward and struck him in the face, and Lot felt blood running down beside his mouth.
What happened next Lot could never explain. He saw the chief magistrate reach out for one of the guests—but then he stopped and shook his head. He put out his arms, his hands outstretched, and cried out, “What’s happening to the light?”
Lot stared at him with astonishment as the magistrate rubbed his eyes and looked around. “I’m blind!” he screamed. “I can’t see anything!”
All the others were shouting the same thing.
“Quickly, come inside.” Lot’s arm was seized by a steely hand, and he was drawn back inside the house. He could not understand what was happening, and then one of the visitors ordered, “Go get your family—your daughters and their husbands, your wife and younger daughters—and get them out of this place, or you will all die.”
Lot straightened up. “Yes,” he whispered huskily, “yes, I will.”
“Do not tarry. You do not have much time.”
****
When Lot delivered this message to his wife, she just stared at him. “Are you crazy?” she shouted.
“Didn’t you hear that wild mob out there?” Lot pleaded.
Meri was allowing one of the maids to fix her hair. “They do that a lot. They don’t mean any harm by it.”
“They were going to kill those two men who came to warn us.”
“What two men? I didn’t see anyone. What do you mean warn us? Of what?”
“The city’s going to be destroyed,” Lot said. “Quickly! Come. We’ve got to get away. You get the girls. I’ll go get Tamar and Camoni and their husbands.”
Lot wheeled and left the room. He heard Meri protesting, screaming after him that she had no intention of doing any such thing.
“I’ve got to get them all out of here,” he whispered to himself. “We’ve got to leave this place or we’ll all die.”
****
When Lot reentered his house completely defeated, he shook his head. “They wouldn’t come. None of them would come. They say I’m crazy.”
“I think you’ve lost your mind!” Meri screamed.
Lot began desperately pleading, telling her what he had seen, then saying, “Everyone in this city is going to die. I’m leaving, and you’re going with me.”
For the next hour Lot acted in a way Meri and their daughters had never seen. He actually slapped Meri and shouted at her, “You’re leaving, and that’s all I want to hear about it! You girls get what you can carry. We’re getting out of here!”
It was a frantic scene, and Meri finally gave in but started ordering the servants to pack their things.
“There’s no time to pack!” Lot shouted. “Did you hear me? The city’s going to be burned up!”
“But I can’t leave all of our things here.”
“You can bring only what you can carry. Now come on!”
Meri protested, weeping, but Lot was adamant. They left the house, the girls frightened and crying but nothing like their mother, who was hysterical. “I can’t leave all of my beautiful things!”
“We’re going out to the desert, and that’s where we’re going to stay!” Lot shouted. “Now come on!”
Lot hurried his family out, and when they were outside the gates after amazing the guards with their distraught words, Lot said, “Come on. We don’t even have time to get our animals.”
The darkness was profound, but Lot moved ahead, leading the way. They had gone only a short distance when, short of breath, he turned and saw only two figures in the gloom. He hurried back, “Where’s your mother?” he demanded.
The older of the girls was weeping. “She went back to get her jewelry. She forgot it.”
“She went back! No!” He took two steps and then suddenly looked overhead. The air was filled with an ominous roar. “That’s not thunder,” he whispered as he stared up into the heavens. An eerie light began to sweep across the sky, growing brighter and brighter. He cast one agonizing look toward the city and knew it was too late. “Come on,” he said to his daughters. “We’ll have to run.”
The three ran awkwardly away as the sky grew brighter and a terrible roar filled the earth.
****
Meri reached the house out of breath. She started to run inside, but the light above stopped her. She looked up and saw that the darkness of the sky was turning to an eerie white. “It’s night,” she whispered. “That can’t be the sun!”
And then she heard the sound. It was a keening wail, as of a woman moaning and screaming in pain. She had never heard anything like it, and she turned in terror, knowing she had made a terrible mistake. “Lot!” she cried, starting toward the gate. “Lot, I’m coming!”
But it was too late. A flashing brilliance struck the earth and exploded. Meri saw a fountain of white-hot sparks fly upward and she threw up her hands. Other missiles were striking the earth all around, and the intense heat engulfed her.
“Lot,” she gasped, “don’t leave me!”
But as the fire from heaven fell upon the city, Meri, the wife of Lot, knew she was doomed.
****
Morning came, and Sarah crept out of the tent to stand beside Abraham. All night long they had watched in terror as the night sky glowed intensely in the east. Abraham had told her of the visitors’ prophecies, and all night long they had prayed. But both knew their prayers were useless now.
Abraham stood absolutely still, then, his voice choked with emotion, said, “He’s gone, Sarah. Lot is gone.”
“And those cities are both gone,” Sarah uttered in disbelief.
The two stood silently, letting the truth sink in, truth they found almost impossible to accept. Finally Abraham whispered, “I did not know that God was so hard. But we do know that He is just and will judge evil when He must, and He is strong and must be obeyed.”
****
Sarah and Abraham could no longer stay in the place where they had witnessed the terrible wrath of God poured out on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The smoke continued to rise from the remains of the cities for days, and every time they looked toward the horizon, they saw the haze hanging over the hills—a painful, daily reminder of the tragedy. They prayed fervently that Lot and his family had managed to escape, but when days passed and they heard nothing, they grievously assumed that Lot’s family had not been spared.
“I cannot bear it any longer,” Abraham said to Sarah one morning after returning from a solitary time of prayer. He had stood on a high hill looking out over the Jordan Valley—now scarred and blackened where the city of Sodom had once teemed with life, weeping for the thousands of lost souls who had met such sudden judgment there. “We must move on to a place where we can find some peace,” he told her.
Abraham gave orders to the herdsmen to move the flocks and herds as far south as they could still find water, and the tribe packed up their tents and moved on. The scouts returned each evening to tell Abraham of what lay ahead, and he pushed them ever onward, until they reached the desert region of the Negev. They located a town
named Gerar, near a large oasis, and settled on the outskirts, near enough so that they could water their animals.
The king of Gerar went out to greet the newcomers, and when he saw Sarah, he was greatly impressed by her beauty, even though she was by this time very old. The look in the king’s eyes brought an icy fear to Abraham, and without thinking, he found himself telling the king that Sarah was his sister.
Sarah shot him a glance of disbelief, but she quickly recovered her composure and went along with the ruse.
When two of the king’s guards rode out to their camp early one morning, Abraham watched their arrival with trepidation. “Sarah,” he said, his voice trembling, “get to Zara and Eliezer’s tent as fast as you can and don’t come out. I am terribly afraid that the king is sending for you!”
“Don’t worry, husband,” Sarah said. “Didn’t God protect us in Egypt when Pharaoh tried to make me his wife? You have told the king a foolish thing, but I have no reason to believe that He wants harm to come to us now.” Then she obeyed Abraham and quickly made her way to Zara’s tent.
It was as Abraham had feared. The guards of King Abimelech demanded that Abraham bring out his sister. “The king wishes her for a wife,” they said.
The guards were armed with heavy swords, and Abraham knew he had no choice but to obey. With heavy heart, he fetched Sarah, whispering to her desperately, “We will find a way to rescue you.”
“Don’t worry, my husband. I am trusting God himself to rescue me.”
And with that Sarah walked calmly to the waiting guards.
****
Abraham stayed on his knees all night, praying out to the Eternal One to have mercy on Sarah and begging God’s forgiveness for his own sin in not being truthful with the king.
When the light of dawn touched the horizon, he lifted his head and could not believe his eyes. Approaching the camp was Sarah riding on a donkey, flanked by two guards on either side of her. Behind the riders walked a half dozen servant girls, and following them were several dozen head of cattle and sheep, being kept together by herdsmen on either side.
No Woman So Fair Page 31