Why Did God Punish Sodom And Gomorrah?

For sure, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a difficult one. It is very difficult to preach in these days of political correctness. If one preaches from this particular portion of Scriptures he or she runs the risk of being labeled a prude or at best a narrow-minded Christian. However, I will stand on the words spoken by the Apostle Paul long ago, “Woe unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (I Cor. 9: 16) because there are some similarities and parallels between America today and the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Note, I am not saying that America is just like Sodom and Gomorrah; I am saying there are some similarities we have with Sodom and Gomorrah today that we really need to address.

In Genesis 13: 13 we read, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord, exceedingly so." What was the sin of Sodom that was so great and outrageous in the eyes of God, the sin that so angered him, so outraged him, that he annihilated the city with fire and brimstone? Homosexuality. Sodom is mentioned many times in both Old and New Testaments. Its name is synonymous with great and outrageous wickedness, the very height of wickedness. Today, we are taking the issue of same sex marriage to the Supreme Court in order to supposedly end this debate once and for all. If the Supreme Court Justices should ever give their approval, the prevailing thought is, same sex marriage will become the law of the land.

Question is, why won’t the proponents for same sex marriage just go to the Bible and save those learned Justices the bother? And the answer is, The Holy Bible is not a broad-minded, tolerant book. In fact, it is, in a sense, a very narrow-minded, intolerant book. God is

a God of righteousness who is patient but not infinitely patient. God is a God who will not tolerate mass disobedience. If you could, just ask the people during Noah’s day. Or just ask the people who were defiling the temple when Jesus passed by and they would (if they could) tell you that He could be very severe with the unrepentant and those who do not love, honor and serve Him. In the 18th chapter of Genesis, the Lord informed Abraham that "the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous." And Abraham responded by pleading with the Lord to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah because Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family lived in Sodom. (Genesis 18: 16-33)

Here the 19th chapter of Genesis, records the two angels, disguised as human men, visiting Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot met the angels in the city square and urged them to stay at his house. The angels agreed. The Bible then informs us, "Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” This is how the city of Sodom got its name, the term "sodomy" came to be used to refer to anal sex between two men, whether consensual or forced. Can you see why I say that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a difficult story to preach?