We read in Genesis 19:27-28, “Early the next morning Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood in the presence of the LORD. He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley and saw rising from the land, like smoke from a huge furnace.” (GNB)
God had revealed to Abraham that He was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. This was because of their overwhelming sin and wickedness, which the Lord could no longer tolerate. When God disclosed this to Abraham, he pleaded with God to not destroy the cities. There were two reasons why Abraham begged God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. Firstly the cities had numerous people, and Abraham cared that all of them would perish. Secondly, Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom, which was also a major personal concern for him.
We believe in a God who is long suffering, but that does not in any way mean that He will tolerate sin to leave it unpunished. Often people continue in sin, taking the grace of God for granted, not realizing that God is just, and hence will not tolerate wrongdoing.
Sometimes we may ponder as to why a God of grace chooses to cut off or destroy. Let me explain this with something that many of us are aware of. When a patient is diabetic and gets hurt, sometimes that injury does not heal and gangrene sets in. In order to prevent this from spreading all over the body, the doctor may decide to amputate the infected part. By doing so, they protect the person from losing their life.
When God reveals certain things to us, like He did to Abraham, He expects us to stand in the gap to pray. We as human being are upset when we see injustice and unrighteousness in the world. How much more will a just and holy God be stricken, when He beholds the wickedness that is prevalent in the world He created?
Pray and rest
After Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, he was assured that the Lord had heard his prayer. After he did so, Abraham had a peaceful night’s sleep.
Many people are overwhelmed with the challenges that they encounter. They pray to the Lord to intervene, but are unable to commit the situations to Him entirely. What happens as a result is that they spend sleepless nights, and are always anxious. On the other hand, when we commit our circumstances to the Lord and restfully sleep, the Lord take over to do His part. Let me explain this with another example from the field of medicine. A patient who has to undergo a surgery is administered anesthesia so that the surgeon can perform the operation without any sort of disturbance from the patient. If the patient were to be awake, he may be well aware that the surgery is for his well-being, but will find it hard to co-operate.
For those of us who are wearied, here are the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (ESV)
1. The night that changed Lot’s destiny
We read in Genesis 19:24-25, “Suddenly the LORD rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them and the whole valley, along with all the people there and everything that grew on the land.” (GNB)
We also Genesis 19:29 “But when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot was living, he kept Abraham in mind and allowed Lot to escape to safety.” (GNB)
Abraham had appealed to God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were a few righteous people. Sadly, however the Lord found none except Lot and his family. The Lord therefore decided to totally destroy the cities which were brimming with sinfulness. As the Lord devastated these cities, He remembered Abraham’s plea, and decided to spare Lot and his family. God is a God of justice, and therefore will punish sin, but, He spared Lot only because of His promise to Abraham.
The people of Sodom thought that night would be like any other night, and therefore continued in their sinful ways. They were oblivious to what God was about to do. Lot on the other hand, though he lived in that sin-filled city, he was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by all the wickedness that surrounded him. It was Lot’s righteousness, combined with Abraham’s prayers that brought him, and his children safely out of Sodom. The Lord waited till Lot and his family left, before He rained down burning Sulphur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. While it was a night of destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was a night of protection for Lot and his family.
Let us never grow weary in praying. After we have prayed, let us commit our difficult situations to the Lord and simply rest in Him. We can be assured that the Lord hears our prayers, and is most certainly working on our behalf. If our nation that is filled with sin and wickedness is not destroyed by the Lord, it is because there are those of us who are His children who are living the righteous life that God has called us to live. We must be thankful to the Lord that our country and the places we live in is protected only because of His grace extended to us, who are His children.
2. The night that the angel of the Lord fought for King Hezekiah
We read in 2 Kings 19:16, “Now, LORD, look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.” (GNB)
King Hezekiah was the King of Judah. He was challenged by Sennacherib, King of Assyria that he would utterly destroy Hezekiah and his people. Hezekiah took that message he received and committed it to the Lord. Hezekiah knew that Sennacherib was a powerful king, but Hezekiah put his trust in God who is much mightier than Sennacherib.
That night, I believe that King Hezekiah must have slept peacefully. Sennacherib on the other hand, might have been fuming in his bed, scheming of all that he would do to Hezekiah the next day.
We read in 2 Kings 19:35, “That night an angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!” (GNB)
That night an angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp, and wiped out the entire army of 185,000 soldiers. That was the end of Sennacherib’s challenge to King Hezekiah.
As long as we want to live a righteous life, we will be constantly challenged by those who are wicked and desire to do us harm. Whatever be the problems that we encounter, like Hezekiah we too must learn to place it at the feet of the Lord, and choose to be still. There is no place for panic in the life of a believer for our trust is in the Almighty God. We must be reminded that the enemy who comes against us might be strong, but the Lord who is on our side is far more powerful.
People will rise against us, but the word of the Lord assures us from Deuteronomy 28:7, “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways." (ESV) The Lord will certainly make a distinction between those who are righteous, and those who are not.
3. A dream at night that protected Jacob from Laban
We read in Genesis 31:22-23, “Three days later Laban was told that Jacob had fled. He took his men with him and pursued Jacob for seven days until he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.” (GNT)
Jacob was oppressed by Laban, though he was his own father-in-law. Jacob worked hard but Laban took all the profit. The injustice was unbearable to Jacob, who finally decided to flee from Laban. Laban took his men to catch up with Jacob to bring him back to be under his control. Jacob committed his predicament to God. He confided in God that though he fled alone to take refuge with Laban, he now returned with a huge entourage.
We read in Genesis 31:24, That night God came to Laban in a dream and said, "Be careful! Be careful of every word you say to Jacob." (ERV)
We read in Genesis 31:29, “I have the power to really hurt you. But last night the God of your father came to me in a dream. He warned me not to hurt you in any way.” (ERV)
As Laban proceeded furiously to capture Jacob, the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The Lord cautioned Laban that he should be circumspect as to the kind of words he would speak to Jacob. God admonished Laban that he was not to say anything unkind to Jacob. Laban thought he had the power to harm Jacob, but the Lord intervened to strip him of his authority to harm Jacob.
When Laban met Jacob the next day, he spoke amicably, and later departed peaceably from him. It took just one night, and a dream for the Lord to completely change Jacob’s perilous situation.
Oftentimes the hardships we face are from our own families, and those closest to us. In those moments when we find we are all alone, let us be encouraged to know that the Lord will raise us up, and exalt us in the midst of our enemies. We are assured in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.” (NLT) The feast that the Lord prepares for us will be such that it will fill those around us with awe and wonder.
There are those who think that because of their financial standing and physical strength they can subdue the children of God. If there are such who rise up against us, the Lord is able to warn such people so that they will be fearful, and refrain from carrying out their evil plans. Every night before we go to sleep, we should submit everything to the Lord. The Lord will work in ways that are way beyond our understanding, to bring us relief from those seemingly impossible situations.
There is a huge difference between power and authority. For instance a ten wheeled truck has much power, and can be coming with full force. However, when a traffic cop in uniform, (irrespective of how small he may seem), puts out his hand, the driver of that enormous truck will stop immediately. What the truck has is power, but what the traffic police is endowed with is authority. God has given us that authority over the powers of the evil one, and we must be willing to exercise the same.
4. The night when the blood saved the Israelites
We read in Exodus 2:23, “Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,” (GNB)
Also in Exodus 12:28, “Then they went and did what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.” (GNB)
God sent Joseph to Egypt, and used him as a channel to save his entire family from severe famine. Joseph’s wisdom and advice he gave to Pharaoh that saved Egypt from total ruin. It was Joseph who collected enough grain during the seven years of plenty to help tide over the next seven years of severe famine that struck Egypt. However, when that Pharaoh died there arose another Pharaoh who did not remember Joseph, and all that he did. The people of Israel who were the descendants of Joseph were crying out the Lord in the midst of their untold misery and slavery. This bondage carried on for more than four hundred years.
There may be situations we encounter like the descendants of Joseph did, where we are reduced to a place of insignificance, from a position of prominence. Irrespective of the kind of bondages that we are in, the Lord is willing to deliver us, when we call out to Him. For every authority that is placed over us, we must remember that we have a God who is far above that authority.
God gave the people of Israel a simple instruction. They were to sacrifice a year old lamb without blemish, and smear its blood on the door posts and lentils.
We read in Exodus 12:29, “At midnight the LORD killed all the first-born sons in Egypt, from the king's son, who was heir to the throne, to the son of the prisoner in the dungeon; all the first-born of the animals were also killed.” (GNB)
Pharaoh thought no one could prevail against him and win. That night the angel of death brought the death of the first born in every Egyptian house starting from the palace of Pharaoh.
Also in Exodus 12:31, “That same night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, "Get out, you and your Israelites! Leave my country; go and worship the LORD, as you asked.” (GNB)
When the Israelites escaped death that night, they were freed from the cruel clutches of Pharaoh and the Egyptians task masters. That was the salvation that God wrought for them. The passing through the Red Sea signified baptism. Their journey through the wilderness indicated the spiritual journey that we all undertake. Though salvation was free and unmerited, after they received it, whenever they sinned or rebelled against God in the wilderness, the Lord punished them. The reason for this was that God called Israel to be His son, and therefore expected them to walk in uprightness.
We should understand the salvation that we have received from this incident of the Passover. All that was required of the Israelites was that they sacrifice a lamb, and smear the blood on the door posts and lintels. As the angel of death passed over he did not look to see if the person inside the house was worthy, but only looked for the blood on the outside. Salvation is totally believing in what the Lord Jesus has done for us on the cross of Calvary. When we do so, the Lord does not look at our past sins, but he forgives us, and sets us free from all the sins that bind us.
We too are admonished that after we have received the gift of salvation, and are baptized, that we walk in obedience to the Lord as His children. God expects us to maintain a certain standard as a son and daughter of God, and walk as His worthy children. We are chosen by God to be those who will bring glory to His name.
5. The night that disturbed the King to change Mordecai’s future
We read in Esther 5:14, “So his wife and all his friends suggested, "Why don't you have a gallows built, seventy-five feet tall? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go to the banquet happy." Haman thought this was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.” (GNB)
Haman out of his hatred for Mordecai had prepared the gallows, seventy five feet tall. It would have been a spectacle to behold, and most certainly been the talk of the town. Haman forgot the fact that Mordecai was the child of God.
We read in Esther 6:1, “That same night the king could not get to sleep, so he had the official records of the empire brought and read to him.” (GNB)
That specific night the gallows were made the king couldn’t sleep, so that he called for his official records to be brought out and read to him. He realized that Mordecai had saved his life in the past, and was not duly acknowledged or rewarded. What happened consequently was that the gallows were passed on to Haman, and Mordecai was greatly honored by the king.
As Haman plotted and schemed evil, he would have lost sleep, imagining Mordecai on the gallows. However, the Lord turned things around that night, resulting in Haman’s destruction and Mordecai’s glory.
For those who are employed in a government or organized set up, one may be familiar with receiving memos. Generally, when this message is leaked out, it causes a lot of unrest and panic. If we can trust in the Lord, He can turn those threats that challenge us to put us down, to become the stepping stones to lift us up. Let us never lose sleep over unrighteous people. As long as we are the children of God, no harm will come near us. Moreover, in His time the Lord will raise us up in the presence of our enemies.
We have studied the lives of Lot, King Hezekiah, Jacob, the Israelites and Mordecai, all of whose situations were reversed by God’s mighty and miraculous intervention in just one night. Irrespective of the hardships or complex circumstances we might be in, let us be reminded that they are nothing in the presence of our Almighty God. As long as we live as the children of God, the Lord will assuredly fight our battles, and we will never be put to shame.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
