Background: judgement on Sodom
[Show pic of Dead Sea.] The ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah have been discovered southeast of the Dead Sea. Both places were destroyed at the same time by an enormous conflagration. The destruction debris was about three feet thick. Archaeologists found that buildings used to bury the dead were burned by a fire that started on the roof.
What would cause every structure in the cemetery to be destroyed in this way? The answer to the mystery is found in the Bible. "Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah -- from the Lord out of the heavens" (Genesis 19:24). The only conceivable explanation for this unique discovery in the annals of archaeology is that burning debris fell on the buildings from the air. But how could such a thing happen?
There is ample evidence of subterranean deposits of a petroleum-based substance called bitumen, similar to asphalt, in the region south of the Dead Sea. Such material normally contains a high percentage of sulphur. It has been postulated by geologist Frederick Clapp that pressure from an earthquake could have caused the bitumen deposits to be forced out of the earth through a fault line. As it gushed out of the earth it could have been ignited by a spark or surface fire. It would then fall to earth as a burning, fiery mass.
It was only after Clapp formulated this theory that Sodom and Gomorrah were found. It turns out that the sites are located exactly on a fault line along the eastern side of a plain south of the Dead Sea, so Clapp’s theory is entirely plausible. There is some evidence for this scenario from the Bible itself. Abraham viewed the destruction from a vantage point west of the Dead Sea. The Bible records what Abraham saw: "He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace" (Genesis 19:28). Dense smoke suggests smoke from a petroleum-based fire. Smoke rising like smoke from a furnace indicates a forced draft, such as would be expected from subterranean deposits being forced out of the ground under pressure.
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah became an example in the Bible of how God judges sin. "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before Me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen" (Ezekiel 16:49-50).
Foreground: Abraham vs Lot
At the front of this grim picture are Abraham and Lot, the two chief characters in this awful calamity. We are going to consider this evening some comparisons and contrasts between them, and see what God would have us learn from the examples they set us.
Comparisons- two godly men
Are you a godly person? If so, how is this reflected in your behaviour? Four areas: 1. Hospitality; 2.Humility; 3.Speaking against evil; 4. Choice of partner.
1. Their hospitality (18:1-8; 19:1-3)
a. Sitting in the gate, the place of judgement and rule (18:1; 19:1)- in Abraham’s case, while he could have been having a siesta; in Lot’s, while he could have been down the pub
b. Seeing the visitors (18:2; 19:1)- they both had an eye out for weary travellers
c. Excellent hospitality- foot-washing, freshly-made food, offer of bed for the night (18:1-8; 19:2-3)
d. No expectations of reciprocity- the very act of giving was enough for them both
Unstinting hospitality very good thing! Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Even though Jesus didn’t have a house, he still washed His disciples feet and made breakfast for them on the beach (John 21).
2. Their humility towards God and his angels
a. Rising to greet (18:2; 19:1)- “You shall rise before the hoary-headed…and fear your God: I am the LORD” (Lev.19:32)
b. Bowing to ground (18:2; 19:1)- you can’t get much more respectful than that
c. Courteous titles- ‘my lords’ (18:3; 19:2)
d. “Nothing but dust and ashes” (18:27); “you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life” (19:19)
1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” And in due time, later in the Bible, Abraham is described as friend of God (James 2:23) and even Lot is depicted as a righteous soul (2 Peter 2:8).
3. Their righteous speaking against evil (18:25; 19:7)
a. Abraham appeals to God not to destroy the righteous along with the wicked (18:25)
b. Lot appeals to the Sodomites not to “do [a] wicked thing” in assaulting his guests (19:7)
“[God] delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)” (2 Peter 2:7,8).
Do we speak against evil? 500 abortions a day. Looking to legalise euthanasia. Creating human embryos just to experiment on them. Raising sexual perversity up to the level of divinely-ordained marriage. What are we doing to warn people about these things and their consequences? How will we face God knowing that in our country, 6 million unborn children have been slaughtered in under 40 years?
4. Choice of partner: the wavering wives
a. Abraham’s Sarah doubts and lies (18:12-15)
b. Lot’s wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt (19:26)- [show picture]
Bible takes choice of partner very seriously. Amos 3:3 asks, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32,33). Lot didn’t look back: he realised that he had to lose his life in Sodom if he was to gain eternal life. Sadly, his wife went the opposite way and lost her life in both this world and the next.
Contrasts- a faithful man and a compromised man
Note: we aren’t contrasting a godly man with a godless man. Rather, Abraham and Lot were both men of God, but one was faithful where the other was compromised. The question for us this evening is: are we faithful Christians or compromised Christians? Do we seek God with all our hearts, or just part of us? Four ways of being faithful:
1. Not just practising hospitality, but actively thinking of others before oneself;
2. Not just being humble, but also being swift to obey
3. Not just speaking out against evil, but showing godly leadership
4. Not just seeking godly partners, but seeking God Himself.
1. Thinking of others first vs thinking of yourself first
a. Abraham is constantly putting Lot before himself, which leads to wise choices and great prosperity:
i. He makes peace and gives Lot first dibs over territory (13:8-13); of course, Lot picks the “well watered” plain, which is like Eden
ii. He rescues Lot by sword, showing great courage and ingenuity (14:14-16)- when he wins, he refuses to take the reward from the Sodomite king, but rather gives a tithe to the Christ-like Melchizedek!
iii. Here, he rescues Lot by prayer, interceding before the Lord, even on behalf of the most wicked city on earth (18:20-33).
Like Paul as we were hearing this morning, Abraham didn’t have a cosy Christian life. He got intensely and sacrificially involved with other people.
Result? God says he is going to give Abraham everything he can see (13:14-18).
b. Lot is constantly putting himself first, which leads to bad choices and ruin:
i. Lot chooses the plush land, but deliberately overlooks its evil occupants as a factor in his decision (13:13); Lot is a god-fearing man, but is inevitably compromised by spending so much time with very wicked men. He ends up calling them “brothers” (19:7, NKJV) though they have no love for him, calling him “this fellow” (19:9) and seeking to brutalise him. 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us: “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” and in 2 Chronicles 19:2 the good king Jehoshaphat is rebuked for his associations with Ahab: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you.”
ii. Lot hesitates. He seems reluctant to leave the ease and comfort of his world, even though he knows it is about to be destroyed (19:16). He has to be dragged away from the sinful city, even though he is tortured living there. When he seeks to go to Zoar, he gives the impression he is merely trying to save his life, but perhaps he still wants a little piece of Sodom in his life. Mobile phone sticker: all going up in the bonfire.
2. Swiftness to obedient sacrifice vs. procrastination, even in escape
a. Abraham is called to kill his child; gets up early to do so (22:2,3); he worships God, trusts Him in silence and doesn’t seek to negotiate (22:8). Amazing faith.
b. Lot is called to save his daughters from certain destruction; hesitates and has to be dragged out (19:16); quibbles with angels because as we’ve said he still wants to hold on to a little piece of the world he is being delivered from (19:18-20). Jungle Doctor: monkey-honey story
I wonder if there is anyone here today who is still putting off making themselves right with God. You’re not quite like the sons-in-law who thought Lot was joking: you know God is real, you know one day His Son is to return to judge the living and the dead, and you know that includes you. It’s just that you keep putting it off, you keep thinking you’ll get round to repentance when you have a spare moment or the pleasures of life have worn a little thin. But the moral of Sodom and Gomorrah is that if we linger or gaze too long, it will be too late for us. We really must remember Lot’s wife and escape while we can: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6); one day, the LORD will not be patient with those who reject Him, but “they will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
3. Godly leadership vs. ineffectual leadership
a. Abraham shows restraint and discipline over his household
i. Stops his men quarrelling needlessly (13:8)
ii. Trains his men to fight when necessary (14:14)
iii. Mobilises his household as a well-oiled hospitality machine (18:6-8)! Even though his wife could be a bit of a challenge, she is still commended in the NT as calling Abraham her master (1 Peter 3:5,6), and as having faith that God was able to do what He promised (Hebrews 11:11)
iv. Directs “his children and his household to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just” (18:19)
b. Lot is at the tail end when it came to headship
i. Doesn’t seem to be able to get his family involved with the hospitality (19:4)
ii. Can’t prevent the men of Sodom from attacking his house- they ridiculed him for trying to “play the judge” (19:9)
iii. Can’t persuade his sons-in-law to save themselves- they “thought he was joking” (19:14)
iv. Picked a wife who loved the world more than God (19:26)
v. Can’t stop his daughters getting him drunk and sleeping with him (19:30-38)
King Lear: 3 daughters; the one who loved him wanted him to lead her; the two who said they loved him despised him for giving away his kingdom to them
4. Seeking God vs inventing man-made solutions (18:23-33; 19:6-9)
a. Abraham “approaches [God]” (18:23) and prayed on behalf of Sodom. “It is the first solemn prayer we have upon record in the Bible; and it is the prayer for the sparing of Sodom” (Matthew Henry). Great blessing to Abraham is that as he sought intimacy with God, God sought it with him (18:17).
Could you be the kind of person that God would wish to confide in? Are you the kind of person who approaches God, intercedes for others and asks Him first of all for help rather than inventing your own solutions? Or do you try out every scheme you can until you finally, in desperation, seek God’s aid? Churchill said, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." Let’s not be American, let’s be like Abraham!
b. Lot tried to “went outside” (19:6) negotiate with the Sodomites on behalf of the angels, which led him to a horrible suggestion (prostituting his virgin daughters, v8) and only served to enrage them further (v9). The angels had to rescue him in the end (v10). Dismally, Lot’s disregard for his daughters’ chastity is to be realised only days later when the twisted sisters conspire to get themselves pregnant by him.
When Lot is rescued from Sodom, instead of trusting the LORD to lead him safely to the mountains (17) he tries to do another deal in seeking to flee to Zoar (20).
Do you trust God, or do you attempt to make selfish deals with Him? Every time we make alternative suggestions to God we are saying that really we know best and that His lovingkindness towards us is not genuine or sufficient.
Applications
Abraham & Lot- two godly men; one faithful, one compromised
1. Others. Will you be hospitable? But more than that, will you actively seek out the good of others, in prayer, word and deed?
2. Obedience. Will you show humility? But more than that, will you be swift to obey, even when it involves massive sacrifice?
3. Leadership. Will you speak out for the good and against evil? But more than that, will you show godly leadership to younger Christians or members of your family?
4. Seeking God. When choosing a partner in love or in business, will you seek for someone who will walk with the LORD and with you and not turn back? But more than that, will you seek God Himself, and not rely on your own solutions or plans at all?
What is the root of all this?
As we heard this morning, faith in a faithful God- 10 times in the NT, the words faith and Abraham are found in the same verse. “Consider Abraham: he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Galatians 3:6). Again like Paul, because of his great faith, Abraham did not have a limited Christian life. If we want to be true sons of Abraham, we need to believe God too, take Him at His word and fully trust in His promise to forgive and save us through the death of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. “So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:9). Let’s remember both Lot’s wife, a woman who doubted and loved this world, and shudder. Let us have faith like Abraham, the man of faith who believed and looked forward to a better hope, and we will be blessed along with him. Amen.
