Epic Destruction, Epic Loss
Epic - The Story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 45:16
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As we continue the EPIC series that has been covering the life of Abraham, we remember that last session we saw that Abraham suffered another epic fail. In chapters 16-17, both Sarah and Abraham failed to wait on God's timing to bring them a son, and in their impatience, Sarah offers her handmaid, Hagar, as a person with whom Abraham should have a baby. Abraham agrees to this and Hagar gets pregnant. But as soon as she realizes that she is carrying a baby, Hagar begins to treat Sarah with scorn.
Sarah has immediate regret and blames this issue on Abraham who refuses to do anything about it.
Sarah then begins to treat her handmaid harshly, so much that Hagar runs away.
The Lord appears to her and tells her to go back to Sarah, but also gives her and her child a blessing by telling her that her son, Ishmael, will become a strong nation.
You would think that God would be done with Abraham's foolishness and faithlessness, but God extends Abraham even more of His Epic Grace. God reveals to Abraham that within a year, he and Sarah would have a son of their own. This would be the son of the blessing, the son of the covenant. God would carry out his covenant to bless the world through this son that would be named Isaac.
Not too long after that encounter, God once again appears to Abraham in chapter 18 and reiterates this promise and this same timeline: within the year, Abraham and Sarah would have a son. Both Abraham and Sarah laugh at this, but the Lord asks Abraham, "Is anything too hard for God?"
Now in this instance, God is accompanied by two men which we will find out later are angels. Look at Genesis 18:1-3 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
One of the things to note is that they were traveling somewhere as they pass by Abraham's tent. When Abraham sees them, he has Sarah make some bread for them and a servant cook up a goat, and Abraham offers them his hospitality. After their conversation in which the Lord promises Abraham a son named Isaac, they get up to leave, and this is where we pick up today.
Genesis 18:16-19 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
As they are about to leave, God begins to think to Himself. "I need to tell Abraham what I am about to do." And he describes Abraham to Himself in a very significant manner that we will dive into a little more later on. Listen to how God thinks about Abraham: He says, "I know him;" he is going to raise his family right; he is going to teach them about God; he is going to raise his family to do justice.
Because of this, God turns toward Abraham and begins to speak. Genesis 18:20-22 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
God's plan revealed.
God tells Abraham, I am fixing to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin in very great. For years now, and very possible for many generations, Sodom and Gomorrah have had the notoriety that they are cities that are wholly given over to wickedness. We understand that a part of their wickedness was the sin of the open, blatant, and widespread practice of homosexuality. However, if we look at the book of Ezekiel, we find that there were other grievous sins as well.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
They were prideful, rich and lazy, and did not care to help the poor or needy. They were haughty and committed abominations before God. This typically refers to immoral acts to include idolatry.
So God tells Abraham that He is going to destroy them and these two angels depart as they head toward that region. Abraham, however approaches God with a question.
Genesis 18:23-33 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Abraham asks God if he will destroy righteous people along with the wicked. Who is he thinking about? Lot. Even though Abraham has rescued Lot and his family and got them out of the city of Sodom after the war we saw in chapter 14, Lot ends up going back to Sodom. So Abraham is thinking about his nephew Lot and his family. And this is where it is important to remember how God described Abraham: Abraham is a man that will teach his whole household to love and follow God and to keep God's commandments and to be righteous. Abraham has started to adopt this in his life, so as he begins to negotiate with God about the destruction of Sodom, this is where Abraham is coming from.
Abraham asks God, "If there were perhaps 50 righteous people in Sodom, would you still destroy the city?" And God answers, "No. If there were 50 righteous people, I would not destroy the city."
Abraham continues to ask the same question as he decreases the number from 50 - 45 - 40 - 30 - 20 - 10. It is very possible that Abraham stopped at ten because as we go on, we will find that Lot could have very easily had ten people in his family. God's answer is the same on each request all the way to ten: "If I find 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, I will not destroy them." At which point God leaves Abraham to himself.
In the mean time, the two men that had left early from Abraham have continued their journey toward Sodom and they arrive at the gates of the city.
Genesis 19:1-3 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.
Have you ever seen a movie or a show and something like this happens? Someone new arrives in a town and they are greeted by someone else, and as conversation goes on, the new folks in town saw something to the effect of, "We'll be staying at the such-and-such hotel." And the resident of that town says, "No, it's probably best if you stay at my house..." And that is what happens here. Lot invites them into his house, the angels respond with, "That's ok, we'll stay on the street tonight," and Lot is like, "No, really, you don't want to do that. Just come to my house and stay there."
And the next verse tells us the reason why Lot did not want to let the angels stay out in the city streets.
Genesis 19:4-7 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. 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.
The men of the city of Sodom ask demand that Lot bring the men out of his house so that they can "know them." This is not a friendly introduction that they want to have, this phrase refers to carnal knowledge, or sexual knowledge. The men in this city want to force themselves upon these two new visitors to their city. Now, where we left off just now, it seems that Lot is a good guy. He says to the men, "Don't do such a wicked thing." And we get the sense that Lot is a good guy, that is until we read the following verse.
Genesis 19:8 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.
In return for the men of the city leaving the angels, which have now become Lot's guests, alone, Lot offers up his virgin daughters to these men! He's not looking so great now, is he?! This is absolutely horrid, that a father would offer up his own daughters to be sexually assaulted and abused by so many men!
But look what happens next. Genesis 19:9-11 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. 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 men of the city are not happy about Lot's proposed trade. They begin to now threaten Lot and tell him they will be dealing with him worse than they planned to deal with the two angels. The angels grab Lot from outside the house and pull him in, and they cause the men outside to go blind. At this point, you would think they would give up and try to make their way back home, but observe the evil in these men. The blindness does not deter them from their goal, but they continue to search for Lot's door to break it down until they wear themselves out!
Genesis 19:12-15 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.
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.
So Lot is told to get his family together and be ready to leave the city in the morning. In his house, Lot has his wife and two of his daughters, but he goes out to talk to his sons-in-law (plural denotes at least 2). But as he tells his sons-in-law about the upcoming destruction and their need to pack up and be ready to leave in the morning, they think he is joking. Remember how God described Abraham? A man that would instruct his children in the Lord?
It seems Abraham believed that Lot would have done the same with his family. We know now of at least 8 people (Lot, his wife, his two daughters that live with him, at least 2 sons-in-law, and their wives/Lot's daughters) that had Lot been faithful in instructing them in righteousness, the city of Sodom could have been spared, especially if you take into account the amount of servants that Lot had that could have also been instructed in the ways of the Lord.
The morning comes and we see that the only people that are prepared to leave the city are Lot, his wife, and the two daughters that were still living at home with Lot. But Lot is not ready to go.
Genesis 19:16-23 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.
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.
Lot has to be physically dragged away from Sodom. When he is told to flee to the mountains, he begs to go to the city of Zoar. Zoar is among the city states that were allied with Sodom and Gomorrah. The other two allied cities were Admah and Zeboim. If you study the Deuteronomy chapter 29, you see that it was not just Sodom and Gomorrah that are destroyed, but also Admah and Zeboim as well. It seems by the way that the angels were speaking to Lot that Zoar was also on the list of cities to get destroyed, but is spared because of Lot's insistence on going there.
Genesis 19:24-29 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.
So we see that God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah and everything in that plain, but spares Lot and his family. Did you notice that what caused God to spare Lot was His conversation with Abraham? The relationship that Abraham had with God has begun to get deeper and deeper. Every time that Abraham trusts God, they get closer and closer. Their relationship becomes one of friends. James 2:23 tells us that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, and he was called the Friend of God.
So in this plea that Abraham makes to God, he asks God to not destroy the righteous with the wicked, and God saves Lot. And this is what surprises me: Everything that we know of Lot is that he is wicked. Lot has journeyed so far away from God that he is willing to allow his daughters to be used and abused by the men.
I will close with a quote that is rather well known. Perhaps you have heard it before. It says, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
And this is exactly what we see in the life of Lot.
Invitation:
Perhaps this morning God has brought to mind sin that you have been flirting with and playing around with. Perhaps the act hasn't been performed, but the thought has been entertained. It is in your focus, and as long as it is, that is the direction you will eventually travel.
Maybe this morning you are sitting here, and you know that you are caught and chained by sin. Maybe it is a habitual sin; maybe it is an addiction. Don't wait until the world comes crashing down around you for you to finally decide to give it up.
Lot lost lost everything. When the men came to his door that night, he realized that he had lost influence over them (Lot had been a judge, sitting at the gates of the city), he lost favor with the people of the city. When God destroyed Sodom, he lost all of his stuff; remember that Lot was a rich man. Lot not only lost possessions, but he also lost members of his family. He had at least two married daughters who did not leave Sodom, but whose husbands thought that Lot was just joking around as he desperately tried to warn them. Lot lost his wife. They had all been told to not look back at Sodom as they fled, but Lot's wife turned around to get one last look at the place that she had fallen in love with, and that was the last thing she saw in this life.
I imagine that as Lot is arriving in the city of Zoar with his only two daughters left and what little they were able to pack and take with them that all these decisions that have led to Lot's present condition are flashing in his mind. Decisions that go back to the very first time he acted selfishly and without considering God.
What about you this morning? Are you caught up in sin? Is it wrapping you up and holding you back? Is there anyone that would say, "Bro. Mike, I am caught up in sin and need forsake it before my world comes crashing down around me."
Maybe you're here this morning and that is not the case with you. Maybe you're on the brink of giving in to temptation. Maybe it is a situation at work where there is a chance to have some great financial gain or a promotion to be had, but it would mean that your integrity becomes compromised.
Maybe it is a relationship that is not right for you to pursue, but you've been entertaining the thought of what it would be like.
Maybe it is something else completely different.
Is there anyone here this morning that would say with an uplifted hand, "Bro. Mike, before me lies a temptation that I know I should not be following. Would you pray that I would turn away and seek what God wants for me?"
And maybe you are here this morning and you have a Lot of your own that is on your mind. Like Abraham, you know someone that is on their way or already is caught up in sin. Is there anyone like that this morning?
Whatever the case is for you, I would encourage you to come to the altar and talk with God this morning.
If there is someone you need to pray for, come this morning. If there is sin that needs confessing, come to the altar and deal with it in prayer with the Lord as the music plays during this invitation.
If you would like to talk to me about something and receive some counseling in any area, you can come this morning as well, I will be right up front if you would like to speak with me.
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Life Group: Genesis 18-19
"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
The progression toward evil started a long time ago with Lot. remember when Abraham and Lot part ways that Lot was drawn by the thoughts of Egypt. He was not able to go to Egypt, a fertile and fruitful land, because he had been kicked out of there along with Abraham, so he sought out the place that most resembled Egypt: the plains of Jordan, right around the city of Zoar.
He moves his family and all his household there and despite knowing that Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked cities, he pitches his tent toward Sodom. We have seen it over and over again, the direction you focus is the direction your travel. Every morning Lot would walk out of his tent and see Sodom. He dwelled first near Zoar, an allied city of Sodom. He heard of the things that were going on there; he understood their wickedness, but that was the direction he was facing.
Little by little, Lot moves closer and closer to Sodom. We understand in chapter 14 that at that point he is living in Sodom because he is one of the residents of Sodom that gets captured during the war. We studied that this event, Lot being captured by the enemy and then being freed by Abraham, is a very good opportunity to break free of the wicked influence of Sodom and leave that place, but he does not. We find Lot in chapter 19 once again a resident of the city.
But he is not just a resident there. He is sitting at the gates (19:1). This was a place where elders and leaders of the city would gather to discuss politics and judge matters that were brought to their consideration. Lot acted as a judge in the city (19:9). He wasn't just living there as a spectator, he was involved in the leadership of a wicked city.
But he is not only leading and involved in politicking, he has adopted the mentality and the philosophy of Sodom. We see this as he tries to give his virgin daughters up to be abused by the men of the city (19:8).
Lot's heart is fully given over to Sodom and to its lifestyle. We see this in two instances. 1) (19:15-16) He lingered, he had to be dragged out of Sodom, and it is something that the Bible points out as an act of mercy from the Lord.
2) When he is told to flee to the mountains, he begs to be allowed to go to Zoar, a city allied and deeply influenced by Sodom. It basically offers Lot to continue his lifestyle there without much change (19:17-22). His justification for this is that at least Zoar isn't as big as Sodom (19:20).
Do you think that Lot imagined that he would be offering up his two daughters back when he first left Abraham, or that he would lose all he had along with some of his children and his wife?
We can look at Lot, and all we see is that he was callous to all these this wickedness and even callous to the losses that he suffered. But we find in 2 Peter 2:6-8 that every day that he was in Sodom was torture for his soul. Despite his riches, power, and influence, Lot was not happy. He was vexed (tired out, exhausted, deeply troubled) because he knew that this was not the place where he was supposed to be.
In the very next verse (2 Peter 2:9) we see that though it may seem that he was caught up and chained to the wickedness of Sodom, had Lot asked, God would have delivered him from that place much earlier.
Saved or unsaved, no matter where you find yourself, God want to free you from sinful chains. He not only wants to, but has the ability to do so. You do not have to experience a joyless life being tied down to sin.