The laws and customs of Sodom might have been intended to discourage immigration, whether because they didn't want witnesses to their wickedness or competition for the fertile lands around their cities. We can't say for certain what where the motives for their horrific behavior, but clearly their entire culture was long diseased and full of hatred for God and mankind. They probably weren't this bad yet when Lot first moved there or he would not have become one of the city elders. He was an immigrant himself, after all. Maybe he thought he could influence the Sodomites for good. Unfortunately, even the most righteous man can do nothing if the prevailing culture has degraded enough. Sometimes justice, balance, and the very survival of good people require the destruction of bad people.
#genesis 18-19 #vayeira #sodom