Gen 19:1-29
Book of Genesis • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 20 viewsNotes
Transcript
God has been working in Abrahams family for decades now. God just informed Abraham of his intention to inspect Sodom and Gomorrah, proclaim their sin to them and enact judgement. We now move forward to the travelers (angels from God) reaching the gate of Sodom.
1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
The men arrive at the gate of Sodom. In those days, the city gate was where much business was conducted. Many times these gates would have had hundreds of people gathering to sell, make business deals and have disputes heard by the city elders.
Lot hanging out at the city gate would not have been abnormal as he was a prominent man in the city after his family rescued the city just a few chapters before.
It is also likely that the security at the gate was higher than normal to try and keep enemy spies out.
Likely, Lot offering to bring the men into his home had multiple purposes. He knew that these men, as outsiders would have been in danger and needed protection, especially since foreigners would not have been trusted.
Also, bringing them into his house would have allowed him to keep an eye on them in case they were spies. We don’t see anything to indicate that Lot knew these men were from God.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
We see here the men from the entire city surround the house of Lot. They are restless and want these visitors turned over to them. I’m gonna challenge a typical teaching of this verse. They say bring them out so they can “know” them.
The Hebrew word of Know is “YADA” which means “know, notice, hear of, learn; reveal, be or become known; realize.”
The typical situation here would have been an interrogation of the visitors. They would have been very skeptical of the intentions of the visitors to the point of fear. remember not long ago they were invaded and many people were killed and taken as prisoner.
The typical interrogation would have been very brutal and may have resulted in death of these men.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
This was a hard verse to really dig through. Was Lot giving his daughters over to be abused by the city? In context of what I have been studying it seems more likely that Lot was offering them as hostages to guarantee that he has the situation under control. This fits both the biblical account and cultural practices of the day.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
The men are reminded that Lot too, was a traveler and is judging their city. This spurred their anger to a great extent, now the crowd became uncontrolled.
10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
The angels pull lot back in and make all the men in the city go blind. The chaos was now at its peak. the rage and anger now mixed with fear and confusion.
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
God is allowing not only Lot but anyone in his family escape. Notice at the beginning God said all the men surrounded the house of Lot. This included his son-in-laws. Lot had to go out to inform his son-in-laws and try to convince them to leave the city. It says the son-in-laws thought Lot was mocking them. They were part of the evilness in the city and did not believe the warnings.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
by morning, Lot was still at home. The angels tell Lot to take his wife and daughters and leave or they will die as well. Notice, the Son-in-laws are no longer a thought to be spared.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
So Lot is hesitating, I can’t imagine why, maybe he was not fully convinced this would really happen. The angels grab the hand of his wife and daughters to get him moving. The Lord is showing him Mercy… Meaning God is not giving the judgement to Lot that he deserves. Lot knew God and to some extent followed God but that does not mean that Lot was innocent and not deserving judgement.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
To finish this weeks passage we see Lot told to run to the wilderness but lot requested to head to the small village of Zoar. He was afraid robbers or even wild animals may kill them in the wilderness.
As they are running to Zoar, Lot’s wife is not fully convinced in God’s word and she looks back, against the word of the Lord. This lack of belief results in here destruction.
I want us to notice a couple things about these events.
God kept his promise to preserve the city if He could find just 10 righteous, the sad fact is he really only found 1.
God showed mercy on Abraham, Lot and his wife and daughters by bringing them out before destruction hit.
Lot and his family hesitated, but if they would have refused, the city would have been destroyed with them in it. God did not force them to be saved, although he did urge them by taking them by the hand and leading them out.
God’s mercy offers us salvation as well, God urges us with his word and by using situations in our life to show us our need for Him, but he still allows us to reject.
I urge anyone here who is not fully convinced, to look into who God is and follow Him as he leads us by His Mercy! Do not be like Lots wife, half convinced and looking back, that will have the same result for you, destruction.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Romans, Paul is talking about Abraham and says Abraham was given righteousness - a right standing with God - not because he partially believed, but because he was fully persuaded that God was able to perform and would perform exactly what He said.
To many people want to live on the line between God and the world. They are trying to have both, but God says you can not serve God and the things of this world. The Bible says, choose this day whom you will serve. Turning to God and serving Him requires letting go of the things of this world. God is urging us all to let go of those sins that easily distract us and hold onto His promises as He blazes a new path for us!
