Christian Family Services Ministry

3-7-2017 – A Word to the Wise: Genesis 19 presents us with the situation of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot has made his home in the most immoral center of its time, Sodom. The Lord sends two angels to investigate the situation, and here is what they find. No sooner do they arrive in the city than Lot himself meets them at the city gates and begs them to come home and spend the evening with him. They at first refuse but finally relent at his urging. After eating, but just before retiring, some of the outstanding citizens of the town start beating on the door, demanding that the visitors come out and play sex games with them. Well, it gets worse. The whole town seems to eventually get in on the fun surrounding the house and demanding the visitors be sent out for their sexual pleasure. Lot, a leading citizen goes out, and begs them to go away and leave his visitors alone. He even offers to send his virgin daughters out for their pleasure, just to have them leave these men alone. This intervention on Lot’s part merely serves to infuriate the city further, and they start to break down the door. Nothing stops their demands to fill their sexual appetite. Notice the obsessions of these people, the possessive demands and eventual death threats. As one reads the passage, the naked violence of the situation reveals itself. The air is filled with criminal intent, and nothing will deter them. The very next chapter reveals another situation involving Abraham. Here Abraham goes on a journey into the Negev or southern part of Palestine. Upon reaching Gerar, Abraham realizes the violent potential of the inhabitants of this city, and he decides it is best to protect his wife and himself (mainly himself) by referring to his wife as his sister. Subsequently, the King of the place decides to take Sarah to be his wife.The text says that God appears to the king of that town, Abimelech, and tells him that he is a dead man for taking Sarah, for she is Abraham’s wife. Abimelech is frightened and begs, then demands, that Abraham take her back and get her out of his house. Note the recurring element of potential violence over sexual possession, abandonment on Abraham’s part, and threat of death. By the way, this is the second time Abraham has pulled this stunt. The results were the same both times. An episode with Joseph puts a little different spin on the story in Genesis 39, when Joseph is approached by a sex-crazed woman (whose husband was the state executioner of Egypt). She will not leave Joseph alone. Eventually, she traps Joseph in the house, and he barely escapes half-naked. The husband finds out and throws Joseph in prison. Again, we see the elements of obsessiveness, rejection, possessiveness, and threat of death. These are just a few examples revealing the same patterns in sexual behavior existing for four millennia. In each of these circumstances, we find conflict and violence. Let’s now look at another biblical passage, which reveals the base emotion of obsessiveness and its subsequent outcome.A