The Days of Lot- The Heart of The Law Revealed

Luke 17:26

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man."

Luke 17:28

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building."

I understand that Jesus expands on each comparison of the end times to the days of Noah and Lot here, but the lines "Just as it was in the days of Noah" and "It was the same in the days of Lot" makes me consider alternate interpretations available in these parallels, found in the details of the records regarding each of these days.

Genesis 6:1 

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them

This verse begins the chapter on the days of Noah. Because this verse is in this chapter, one could say that the end times being like the days of Noah could be referencing that daughters are born. Now, since we see human girls born naturally all the time and this logically seems the way it must have been all the way back, why is it referenced in Genesis 6? Why point out such a thing after chapter 5 which references traditional lineages of sons and daughters, if this later designation in chapter 6 does not have some special significance? It feels as though there might be something more happening here than the natural flesh birth of baby human girls, as this same chapter references "The sons of God," and Jesus makes references to both being born again and being born of the Spirit, in addition to being born of the flesh.

John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

Could this reference to "daughters" be a reference to this birth by Spirit? In this way will the end times see such "daughters" being born again, as they were in the days of Noah leading up to the flood? Personally when I consider the days of Noah, while I recall the ever increasing evil referenced that seems to be manifesting itself again here and now, my mind focuses and rests on the concept of such a daughter.

I have considered these things before though, but what just came to mind clearly in these last few days is that in the days of Lot a conversation between Abraham and The Lord regarding Sodom, where Lot lived, revealed something amazing and complex, perhaps even mysterious, regarding the heart of The Law, and The love of God.

Genesis 18:22-33

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Now while God's decisions may not always be clear to mankind, this conversation does reveal something in the cadence of God's decisions. A core assumption of mine is that God is good, and will do only do the good thing in any given situation. Additionally, though at this point in scripture The Law has not yet been communicated to mankind, it feels as though The Law existed for God before Moses transcribed it, as a way for God's thought process to be revealed to mankind. So the key questions are "Would God have agreed to spare Sodom for the sake of 50 righteous people if this decision were not good and adherent to The Law?" and "Would God have agreed to spare Sodom for the sake of 10 righteous people if this decision were not good and adherent to The Law?" If both 50 and 10 were each self contained good and Law adhering options, then the way that The Law manifests is meant to be variable, and interpretation is key, yet in this flexibility The Law remains structurally sound. I feel this conversation between God and Abraham illustrates that there is intentionally more than one way to validly interpret each verse and commandment, and it appears that God focuses on and tests one's heart in their interpretation, rather than aligning with the human tendency to equate strictness to faithfulness or righteousness. Essentially "What is it one fights for when interpreting The Law? For that is where one's heart is, and where their treasures lie." 

God also seems to seek out interpretations of a particular type. While it is unclear if saying God personally has a particular interpretation would be accurate, as it feels like each valid interpretation would have its place with God, through Jesus it is indicated that God has a preference regarding The Law's interpretation. God values love and mercy and freedom and kindness over overly applied strictness and punishment or put another way "human rules." There is much to examine within The Law, but I feel that its primary function is to bridge the gap in communication between God and mankind, and this bridge is built through each party's emphasis.

So with my mind on this cadence and bridge I consider: while the days of Lot possessed many dark things in the same way the world of today does, could this "days of Lot" comparison also be a reference to the days when The Lord spoke with Abraham, and appeared to be swayed by him? Once more there are so many parallels to be drawn between the features of those days and these days, but can the focus of one's interpretation provide focus and rest even in times of great trouble? If this lesson I have recently gleaned from the days of Lot can be applied to the days of Lot themselves, then yes, a legal and good interpretation is key. While God likely often sees multiple good interpretations within the context of The Law (the threshold valid at both 50 righteous and 10 righteous), perhaps what makes an interpretation "very good" is that it is one that best fits these parameters of good and legally valid, where the hearts and emphasis in interpretation for both God and a man are aligned, an interpretation upon which two agree.