John Calvin Commentary Genesis 19:12

"And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place:" — Genesis 19:12 (ASV)

Do you have anyone else here? Finally, the angels declare why they came and what they were about to do. For so great was the indignity of the last act of these people, that Lot must now see how impossible it was for God to bear with them any longer.

And, first, they declare that they have come to destroy the city, because its cry had grown great. By these words they mean that God was provoked, not by one act of wickedness only, but that, after He had long spared them, He was now, at last, almost compelled by their immense mass of crimes to come down to inflict punishment.

For we must maintain that the more sins men heap together, the higher their wickedness will rise, and the nearer it will approach to God, to cry aloud for vengeance. Therefore, as the angels testify that God had been until now longsuffering and of great forbearance, so they declare, on the other hand, what outcome awaits all those who, having gathered together mountains of guilt, exalt themselves with daily increasing audacity, as if, like the giants, they were about to assail heaven.

They, however, explain the cause of this destruction, not only that Lot may ascribe praise to the divine righteousness and equity, but also that he, being impressed with fear, may more quickly hasten his departure. For such is the indolence of our flesh, that we slowly and coldly set ourselves to escape the judgment of God, unless we are deeply stirred by the dread of it: thus Noah, alarmed by the terror of the deluge, applied his diligence to building the ark.

Meanwhile, the angels inspire the mind of the holy man with hope, so that he would not tremble, or be so possessed by fear and so despairing about his deliverance, as to be too slow to depart. For they not only promise that he will be safe but also grant, unasked, the life of his family.

And truly, he ought not to have doubted about his own life when he saw others freely given to him, as by a superabundance of favor. It is, however, asked, ‘Why was God willing to offer His kindness to ungrateful men, by whom He knew it would be rejected?’ The same question may be asked regarding the preaching of the gospel, for God was not ignorant that few would become partakers of that salvation, which He nevertheless commands to be offered indiscriminately to all.

In this way, unbelievers are made more inexcusable when they reject the message of salvation. The chief reason, however, why Lot is commanded to set before his own family the hope of deliverance is that he may embrace, with greater confidence, the offered favor of God, and may strenuously and quickly prepare himself to depart, not doubting his own preservation.

It is, with probability, inferred from this passage that he then had no sons in that city; for, in consequence of the exhortation of the angels, he would immediately have attempted to draw them out of it. We have previously seen that he had an ample and numerous band of servants, but no mention is made of them, since only the freemen are counted here.

It is, nevertheless, probable that some servants went out with him to carry provisions and some portion of furniture. For, from where did his daughters obtain the wine in the desert mountain, which they gave their father, unless some things, which Moses does not mention, had been conveyed by donkeys, or camels, or wagons?

It was, however, possible that, in so great a number, many chose rather to perish with the men of Sodom than to become associates and companions of their lord in seeking safety. But it is better to leave as we find them those things which the Spirit of God has not revealed.