Genesis 19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.
The two angels. – These are the two men who left Abraham standing before the Lord Genesis 18:22. “Lot sat in the gate,” the place of public resort for news and for business. He courteously rises to meet them, does obeisance to them, and invites them to spend the night in his house. He pressed upon them greatly.—This he did as knowing the licentiousness of the people. Being himself sincerely desirous to extend to them hospitality, and knowing well the danger to which they would be exposed from the violence and licentiousness of the townsmen. The wicked violence of the citizens displays itself. They compass the house, and demand the men for the vilest ends. “bring them out unto us, that we may know them; not who they were, and from whence they came, and what their business was; nor did they pretend anything of this kind to hide and cover their design from Lot, but they were open and impudent, and declared their sin without shame and blushing, which is their character, Isaiah 3:9; their meaning was, that they might commit that unnatural sin with them, they were addicted to, and in common used”
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great. The word for “blindness” is only used here and in 2 Kings 6:18, and denotes a peculiar sort of blindness; not an entire blindness with respect to every object, but only with regard to that they were intent upon; for otherwise they would not have continued about Lot’s house, or fatigued themselves with searching for the door of it, but would rather have been glad to have groped to their own houses as well as they could: and thus it was with the Syrians, when they were smitten at the prayer of Elisha, it was not total, for they could follow the prophet in the way he went and led them, but they could not see their way to the place where they intended to go; and so these men of Sodom could see other objects, but not the door of Lot’s house, their heads were so confused, and their imaginations so disturbed as in drunken men.
A person firmly committed to lusts of the flesh and eyes finds no way to turn back from their sinfulness. It has been seared on their hearts and firmly embedded within their souls. A person who disregards, denies, and rejects God will soon not be able to see, hear, or know the moral truths of God. Once they have given over to these lusts they are consumed by them with an over-powering conviction and purpose that will not go away. What is it that keeps man from following these lusts of the flesh if it is not God? How is a person to know right from wrong if the whole town is doing that which is wrong and calling it right? Every single person has been given a glimpse of God within their mind and soul. God did this so that the foundation of their being has something to mature upon through free will toward their Creator. When this foundation is cast aside and discarded the only thing that replaces that which should honor and glorify God is sin and its lusts that satisfy self, self-pleasure, self-worth, and self-reliance.
The more we seek to know God the more we will understand and grow in the wisdom of His grace, mercy, and love that has delivered us from the very lusts of the flesh that flourished in Sodom and Gomorrah to their judgment and demise.