The Judgment of Sodom (Genesis part 34)
Text: Genesis 19:1-29
By: Ken McKinley
Well we’ve had a nice break from our study in Genesis, and any time you’re doing a study like we’ve been doing in Genesis, it’s good to step away from it for a while so that you don’t get burnt out or bored with it; but… it’s time to get back into it, and hit it hard for the next few weeks. So if you’ll take your Bible’s and turn with me to Genesis chapter 19; we’ll be reading verses 1 through 29.
Now before we begin, I have to warn you; this is one of the most disturbing chapters in the entire Bible. It shows the depths of man’s depravity, and the severity of God’s wrath. And I was tempted to just skip over this chapter, but as I was reading it throughout the week the Lord showed me that there’s just too much in this chapter that I would be doing an injustice to skip over it. And besides I’m called to preach the WHOLE COUNSEL of God’s Word. So let’s begin… Genesis 19:1-29 (Read Text).
Now if you remember last time we were in Genesis, God and two angels had visited Abraham, and God had told Abraham that He was going to go to Sodom and judge that city. Abraham asked God if He would spare the city if there were only 10 righteous people there, and God said that He would in-fact spare the city if 10 righteous people could be found there. Then God sent the two angels on ahead, and that brings us to our text this morning. And what we see in this passage is the complete and utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now the problem that people seem to have with this passage is that it seem so different than the Jesus we see in the New Testament. But the problem with thinking that way is that Jesus Himself affirmed the destructions of Sodom and Gomorrah. We see Him do that in Matthew 10:14-15, Matthew 11:23-24, and also in Luke 17. And some people say, “Well I don’t like the fire and brimstone type of sermon.” But it’s in the Bible. It’s here in Genesis, the 1st book, and it’s in Revelation, the last book. And since “All Scripture is given by inspiration from God, and it’s profitable…” Then we need to look at this passage, learn from it, and see how it applies to our lives.
So our text begins by telling us that the 2 angels come to Sodom and it’s in the evening when they arrive, and Lot was sitting at the gate. Now if you remember; a few chapters back, Abraham and Lot went their separate ways. The Bible tells us that Lot pitched his tent near Sodom. But now we see that he’s gone from living in his tent outside of Sodom to living in the city itself. And not only that; he’s earned himself a place of prominence there. To be sitting in the gate, meant that Lot had gained prominence and influence among the people of Sodom.
And these angels show up, and Lot shows them respect. Now probably he didn’t realize that they were angles. The Book of Hebrews tells us that we can entertain angels unaware. They appeared as men. But Lot knew that they were special in some way. He bows down to them and shows them respect, and he invites them to his house where they can wash their feet and eat supper with him. Now it’s interesting; because Lot doesn’t go all out like Abraham did. He doesn’t slaughter the fatted calf, and make a big deal, but in essence, he’s kind of doing the same thing as his uncle Abraham did. So… he invites them to his house, but the angel’s first say, “Nah’ we’ll just sleep out in the square, out here in the open. Right smack dab in the middle of town.”
Now in Sodom, that would kind of be like you or me, going to Las Vegas and sleeping out on a bench on the strip. And Lot’s like, “Uh… no… that wouldn’t be a good idea.” And so he talks them into coming to his house. And after a bit of protest, they agree.
Now look at verse 4 (Read).
So Lot had just fed them dinner and just before bed time… just before they laid down for the night, the men of the city, both young and old, and from every quarter of the city, came to the house and surrounded it. And this is where it gets… disgusting.
Archaeologists estimate that the population of Sodom was probably around 1200 to 1500 people. So it may have been a little larger than Shattuck, or Laverne, and we’re told that the men of this city have surrounded Lot’s house, and they call out and say, “Hey Lot, bring those men you have in your house outside so that we can sleep with them… so that we can know them ‘carnally.’” Now what kind of people do this? Sick people, that’s what kind of people do that. I mean… they’re not ashamed, they’re not trying to hide it or be subtle about it in any way. And it says, “Old and young.” That means boys, men, the elderly. What a disgusting scene this is.
The entire town was depraved; the whole place. It’s corrupted through and through. This is just multiple generations of immorality and perversion. The whole society of Sodom is broken, from one generation to the next. They are completely immoral, and corrupt, and depraved. And they’ve surrounded Lot’s house and are making immoral demands.
Verse six – Lot steps outside and shuts the door behind him. That’s either courage or stupidity… I’m not sure which. And look what he says. If you have a NKJV verse 7 reads like this, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly.” If you have an NIV it says “friends” instead of “brethren” or, “brothers.” Now the point here is that Lot had gotten so close to these people that he had developed a friendship, and maybe even a kinship with them. These were his friends! And what’s really interesting about this is that in the NT, Peter says that Lot was righteous. Let’s look at that; 2nd Peter 2:4-8 (Read). So Peter explains it to us. Lot was righteous, but he was dwelling among these wicked people. His soul was oppressed by their evil and wickedness. Now I don’t know about you all, but I’ve been there. Maybe at a job, or in a certain situation, when there’s wickedness going on around you, and it hurts your heart… it grieves your spirit. But here’s the problem. Lot doesn’t get away from it. Peter says he’s righteous, but he’s a fence walker. Lot’s caught between two worlds. His soul is oppressed, but his flesh… his flesh loves it. But here in verses 6, 7, and 8, he’s had enough, and he says, “Don’t do this wicked thing!” So Lot stands on the high ground, but only for a split second, because immediately he falls. He says’ “Don’t do anything to these men… but you can do whatever you want to my daughters.” Now how twisted and messed up is that? You know, I have two daughters, and I can’t even imagine what Lot’s thinking here. A lot of the commentaries I’ve read simply say that Lot did this because he had lived in Sodom, but I think a better way to say it would be to say that Sodom lived in Lot. But still, the idea of a father doing this is mind boggling. I can explain it to you theologically, I can tell you, that the reason Lot does this is because he’s been corrupted by the wickedness of Sodom, that his mind and thinking have been darkened by sin. I mean; that’s exactly what’s happened here. Romans chapter 1 lays that out for us… it tells us how this sort of thing happens to a person. I can tell you how Lot has been so conformed to the pattern of this world, that he thinks his alternative answer is ok.
But to see it played out in such detail. It literally turns my stomach.
So Lot comes outside to be the hero, at least in his own mind... But the offer he makes is just as revolting as what the men are wanting to do.
Now look at verse 9 (Read).
Basically what’s happened here is that Lot comes out and says, “You homosexuals are wicked!” And the crowd says, “Who are you to judge us? You live here with us. You might not be a homosexual, but you’re just as bad as we are.” And isn’t that the problem that the Church has today? Don’t we have a credibility problem? Not every church, but the Church as a whole. I mean… look at who the world sees as our representatives. These mega-church pastors who are getting busted all the time for fraud, or tax evasion, or for messing around with prostitutes… the list goes on and on.
And this is what’s happened here with Lot. “Oh Lot, you’re going to go all preachy on us. You’re going to throw Bible verses and morality at us. We’ll weren’t you down at the bar with Billy Bob the other night? Weren’t you the one who was gossiping about so and so the other day? You’re a funny guy Lot! Why draw the line now?”
The fact of the matter is that LOT SHOULD NOT BE IN SODOM! Or let me put it this way. He shouldn’t be there in the way he was. He shouldn’t have been taking the position of prominence at the gate. No… instead he should’ve been preaching the Gospel to every single person in town and telling them to get right with God! And if that didn’t work then he should’ve wiped the dust off his feet and got the heck out of there!
Now the bright side of this, is that Lot had finally stood up. He had finally had enough. Yeah; his alternative wasn’t any better, but that’s because he’s not where he should be in his walk with the Lord. But he stands up, and he ends up in trouble. And this is a truth that’s told to us, over and over again in the Bible. When you stand up for the oppressed, be prepared to take on the oppressor. The Bible says it this way. “Any man who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER persecution!”
So Lot finds himself in a bad situation, the crowd begins to press against him and they say, “We’re going to do to you what we wanted to do to your guests…” Sick stuff!
The story goes on. The angles pull him inside the house and strike the men outside with blindness. And they tell Lot, get your family and get out of here! And you notice, that Lot goes and talks to his two son-in-laws. But again he has no credibility with them, and they laugh at him. And this is the amazing part… Lot sticks around until morning. And even then he still lingers, until the angels physically remove him and his family from Sodom.
But even then Lot doesn’t fully obey. He goes to Zoar instead of the mountains. The cities are destroyed, his wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt, and we are left with this story for a lesson in our own lives.
So what’s the lesson? God is saying, “Run from you sin! Get away from those things that cause you to sin! You are in danger! Go and sin no more!” You see; our problem is that we want to gradually move away from our sin. “Well I was lying and stealing three times a week, but now I’m down to once a week!” NO! RUN FROM YOUR SIN! There is nothing in it for you except for death!
Now there’s one other thing I want you to see here and then we’ll close. We like to look at passages like this one and say, “Justice was done. God punished these perverts and wicked people. The good guys won and the bad guys lost.” But that’s not how we should look at it at all. Because the Bible isn’t a story of good guys and bad guys. It’s a story of bad guys and a good God. Lot was not a good guy. Abraham was not a good guy. Moses, Noah, David, Peter and Paul… they were not good guys. They were sinners saved by the grace and mercy of God. Yes; justice was done, and yes some of the bad guys were punished. But one of them… Lot, obtained undeserved mercy. And if you’re here today and you’re a Christian, then you can relate. But if you are here today and you are not a Christian. God is saying, “Run to Me! Turn away from your sin and run to Me, and be saved!”
LET’S PRAY
