Sodom's Sin and Ours

This is that sermon you may not want your child to sit through. I’m not going to go into detail, there will be nothing explicit, but there are two or three horrible topics in our text for today. Genesis 19 is dark. It’s a sensitive and touchy chapter.

I believe our children need to hear every bit of God’s Word (so does every adult), but our children may not need to hear or read every part of God’s Word at this point in their young lives.

On the other hand, I believe there is benefit from reading portions of the Bible we might otherwise skip over. I believe there’s benefit in preaching these portions of the Bible. I believe the people of God will be equipped, trained, corrected, and taught—even by the parts of the Bible that are difficult to read and preach and discuss.

Please use your discretion where your kids are concerned; you are sensible people and you know what your children are mature enough to hear/read.

Genesis 19 begins where Genesis 18 left off. 4 years at Bible college prepared me to share with you that stunning insight.

Of course Genesis 19 begins where Genesis 18 left off, but what I’m saying is that there was no real passage of time between the two chapters.

After the LORD told Abraham what He was going to do to Sodom, after Abraham pleaded with the LORD to have mercy upon Sodom for the sake of the righteous there, Genesis 19 happens.

There isn’t any real lapse of time. There aren’t years between the chapters.

This is all one account. The LORD and His two angels came and visited with Abraham and Sarah. Then the two angels headed off toward Sodom while the LORD Yahweh and Abraham had their conversation. At the end of their conversation, we read this: Genesis 18:33 “When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He left, and Abraham returned home.”

Genesis 19 begins when the two angels arrive in Sodom:

Genesis 19:1–3 NIV

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

The scene is set for us. The angels arrive at Sodom and find Lot sitting in the gateway of the city. What might seem to be an ordinary detail actually tells us something about Lot.

In the time that Lot had been near Sodom, he had risen through the ranks, so to speak. He had been an outsider, initially just setting up his tents near Sodom (Gen 13:12).

Soon, though, we read that Lot was living in Sodom (Gen 14:12). Lot was no longer living near Sodom; he’s living in Sodom.

Now, though, in Genesis 19, some 15-20 years down the road (that’s my estimation), Lot’s not just living in the city. Lot’s kind of a big deal in the city. He’s an important person.

Genesis 19:1 says that Lot is sitting in the gateway of the city. What might sound like us today to be a lower-level position, like a toll-booth operator, is actually the exact opposite. In that day, the dignitaries and elders of the city would gather at the gate of most cities.

Lot is now one of those high-ranking people in Sodom. He’s no longer an outsider; he’s kind of a big deal. People know him. He’s very important. He has many leather-bound books and his house smells of rich mahogany.

You see, this is part of the allure of Sodom. This is what drew Lot to this place and kept him there.

The Lure

You remember when Lot made his choice to head toward Sodom, don’t you? It was when he and his uncle, Abraham, determined they had too many flocks and herds between them, more than they land they were sharing could support.

So Lot looked and saw the well-watered plain of the Jordan and decided to settle there. He took his family and his animals to a “better place.” It was, in his eye, the best of the land.

Lot’s was seeking what he thought was best for him and his family. I mean, you’ve got to feed and water your animals, right? But at what cost?

The cities of the plain had a well-known, evil reputation. But it sure looked good to him. Life in the fast lane. A good career move. There was more culture there in Sodom than there was in the sticks around Canaan. There was certainly more financial security there.

You can understand the draw of Sodom for Lot. Lot was lured there by the dream of “the good life.”

From all appearances, Lot made it. He had arrived. He was prosperous to begin with, and now he had some power and position to go along with it.

Lot has been lured to Sodom and intrigued by its offerings.

Even at that, Lot knew that these two unknown visitors shouldn’t stay the night in the city square. Lot insisted so strongly that the two men/angels went with him and stayed at his house.

Lot’s living in Sodom, lured there by what it gave him, but he knows these men wouldn’t be safe there. They wouldn’t be safe there. Safe in the city Lot has made his home.

It makes me wonder why Lot has kept his family there. Why hasn’t Lot left? If Lot knew what the residents of Sodom would do to these two visitors (and he did, as we’ll see), why wouldn’t he take himself and his family away from Sodom?

The lure of Sodom was so strong Lot remained there, in spite of how Sodom behaved.

Genesis 19:4–11 NIV

4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 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.” 6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” 9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. 10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

It’s almost unbelievable. It’s horrible and horrifying, we know that.

In stark contrast to the hospitality given by Lot, the men of Sodom—young and old—want to have sex with the visitors. They come to Lot’s house for that very reason, surrounding the house.

Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. That’s the translation of the NIV, the HCSB, and a few other modern translations.

It’s the right translation; it’s not mincing any words or using a euphemism for the act. Your Bible might say something like, Bring them out so we can know them, know them carnally, or have relations with them.

What the men of Sodom are after is nothing friendly. It’s not, “We’d like to meet these fellas and get to know them.” It’s, “We’re here to do something truly despicable to them because that’s our thing.”

It’s why Lot begged these visiting men not to stay in the town square. He knew what would happen to them if they did. This is what Sodom was known for; this is Sodom’s sin (not their only sin, but their most blatant).

There’s no way to spin this into something positive or normal (though many people try). Lot pleads with them: “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing.” It’s a wicked, evil thing.

The lure of this city for Lot is, frankly, indefensible. It doesn’t make any sense.

Dale Ralph Davis writes, “I suppose there’s nothing sinful in itself about [having] a Sodom address, but it is stupid, and what’s stupid can sometimes become tragic…I suppose it’s possible for a man like Lot to live in Sodom—but it’s not very smart.”

That’s a word for us, friends. For you and me. Today. Here and now.

The lure of Sodom is strong. Lot has put down roots in Sodom of all places. And it shows:

Genesis 19:12–22 NIV

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. 15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” 16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” 18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” 21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

Lot, for whatever reason, is in no hurry. He hesitates. He doesn’t want to leave Sodom, in spite of what Sodom is about.

The Linger

Destruction was announced by the two men, the angels who had accompanied the LORD Yahweh. They were going to destroy Sodom. They were sent by the LORD to do just that.

The two men/angels are making their case to Lot that he hurry out of the city. But Lot’s not in too big of a hurry. In fact, he lingers. He hesitates.

Verse 16 states it plain. When [Lot] hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city...

Lot is slow to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The angels of the LORD have to drag Lot and his wife and daughters out of Sodom

Lot and his family were used to Sodom. They had to be dragged away. They didn’t want to leave. Lot and his family lack the will to escape.

In verses 17-22, the word “flee” or “escape” five times. But there’s no urgency with Lot.

Sodom had drawn Lot in and now it’s holding onto him and his family. This is what happens. Not just with Lot and Sodom, but with just about anything. This is sin’s affect.

What lies ahead is destruction:

Genesis 19:23–29 NIV

23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 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. 29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

The destruction extends beyond just Sodom. The entire valley will be destroyed, except the town of Zoar where Lot is.

It’s emphasized for us that this destruction is from the LORD. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.

The emphasis is on the divine nature of the punishment, God’s righteous wrath against sin.

The Loss

The loss is severe, far beyond the loss of the cities and all the people who lived there.

This last week while in San Francisco, I heard snippets of the song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” about a dozen different times. That was true for Tony Bennett.

The title of Lot’s wife’s #1 single would be “I Left My Heart in Sodom.” Her affections had settled in Sodom; it’s where she longed to be. She looked back, and that was it for her.

Luke 17:32 NIV

32 Remember Lot’s wife!

This is Jesus’ urging His hearers to consider what they love, what they’re following, who they’re obeying.

We can tally Lot’s losses:

Lot lost his moral discernment and his backbone. True, he stood up for the two men visiting his house, but he offers his daughters to a mob of men (this doesn’t make sense at all, unless you’ve lost all sense of morality and courage).

Lot lost any sense of reverence and fear he might have had. He lingers, dawdles in a place set for destruction. It’s clear the LORD is going to destroy the cities, and still he hesitates to leave.

Lot lost his family. His wife is turned to a pillar of salt, a warning that stood there for Lot and his daughters. Lot’s wife was a monument to the foolishness of desiring Sodom.

Lot still has his daughters with him, technically, but in a very real way, he lost them to Sodom.

The story of Lot and his daughters is sad. It’s shocking. It’s hard to read. But, ultimately, it’s not surprising. It’s the natural progression; the slippery slope of sin. Lot’s daughters demonstrate that they had sucked up the morality of Sodom.

“If you lay down with dogs, you’re gonna get up with flees.”

“Bad company corrupts good character.”

Genesis 19:30–38 NIV

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” 33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Lot’s living in Sodom has cost him dearly.

Lot lost himself in Sodom. What drew him there, what he loved and lingered over, resulted in unspeakable loss.

This is a true story. It happened. But it also serves as a parable of sin.

Sin lures and draws us in. Over time, we’ll linger there. Instead of fleeing sin, we’ll make our home there. And we’ll find out: the sin that lures us will cost us dearly.

We have to see Lot’s foolishness and understand the devastating effect of Sodom’s sin. We can’t miss or dismiss that.

What’s often missed in the story of Sodom is the mercy the LORD shows Lot.

Lot fit right in with the people of Sodom. He should have been numbered with them. But the LORD was merciful.

Genesis 19:16 NIV

16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.

The LORD was merciful to Lot, because the LORD remembered Abraham and Abraham’s pleading intercession for Lot:

Genesis 19:29 NIV

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

The LORD has more mercy than you have sin. This is the good, gospel news. There’s mercy there. Even for people like those in Sodom.

The apostle Paul writes to the really jacked-up church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NIV

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

That’s pretty clear. It’s cut and dry. But that’s not the end of the story. Paul continues:

1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV

11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

There is judgment, terrible judgment for sin. Unrepentant sin will be punished. Guaranteed. Unrepentant sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But those who repent, those who run to Jesus find forgiveness in Him, justification in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus has done for you, you have, by faith, been made right with the LORD.

Isn’t that line in verse 11 marvelous?!? And that is what some of you WERE! No longer! You WERE that; now you’re not that. You’ve been made new.

I love to talk about the wonderful, matchless, perfect mercy of the LORD. But Jesus won’t allow us to lose sight of the terrible judgment of God. Jesus won’t allow it. In fact, Jesus had something to say to those who may have been too smug about Sodom:

Matthew 11:23–24 NIV

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Sodom, Jesus says, still faces judgment. But there is something worse than Sodom’s sin.

The “something worse” is being engulfed with the privileges of the presence and power of Jesus, and being unmoved by it all.

That was Capernaum’s issue. And it might just be ours.

We have the gospel—the Good News that Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, that He rose again and ascended into heaven—we have the gospel and hear of its power, but there are many people who sit and listen who have never confessed Jesus as Lord or submitted their lives to Him.

Jesus said if Sodom had our advantages it would have repented. Jesus said so.

Don’t be like Sodom. Don’t let sin lure you and hold onto you until you lose everything. Don’t be like Sodom, but don’t be smug about Sodom either.

We need to fall on our faces before the LORD, repent of our sin and smugness, and surrender to Him.

It’s not, “Look at how terrible their sin is!”

It’s, “Look at how terrible our sin is. Look at how terrible my sin is.”

Our sin is great. Our Savior is greater still.

Friends, brothers and sisters: see your sin and see your Savior.