wed bible study- Genesis 18,19 and 20

(left off at 18:21)

VII. THE FAMILY HISTORY OF TERAH (11:27-25:11)

K. THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND THE RESCUE OF LOT (19:1-38)

SETTING THE STAGE: HOW LOT GOT TO SODOM

The Tragic Choice (Genesis 13:10-13):

When Abram and Lot's herdsmen quarreled over land, Abram magnanimously offered Lot first choice.

Lot made his choice based entirely on sight and greed, looking down at the well-watered Jordan Valley and taking the best share for himself.

He pitched his tent "as far as Sodom," despite the fact that the men of Sodom were already known to be "wicked, great sinners against the Lord."

The Ignored Warning (Genesis 14:11-16):

Lot's physical and spiritual descent was gradual: he first pitched his tent near Sodom (13:12), but was later dwelling in Sodom (14:12).

When a coalition of eastern kings sacked Sodom, Lot was taken captive.

Abram miraculously rescued him, yet tragically, Lot chose to return right back to the wicked city rather than to Abram's tents.

Abraham's Intercession (Genesis 18:22-33):

The day before chapter 19 begins, God told Abraham He was going to investigate the "outcry" against Sodom.

Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city if just 10 righteous people could be found, and God agreed.

This sets up the horrifying reality of chapter 19: there are not even 10 righteous people in Sodom.

Discussion Question:

How do we fall into the trap of making choices based purely on sight and material gain, just as Lot did when he chose the well-watered plain despite its spiritually dangerous reputation?

Genesis 19:1-3 - THE ARRIVAL OF THE ANGELS

Genesis 19:1–3 ESV

1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Commentary:

The arrival of the two angels at dusk provides a dark, foreboding contrast to the bright sunlight of Abraham's noontime encounter with the Lord in the previous chapter (Genesis 18:22) identifies these two angels as the men who had just accompanied the Lord in visiting Abraham at Mamre.

Lot sitting in the "gate of Sodom" indicates he had become a prominent, assimilated citizen and official of this wicked society.

While Lot's urgent hospitality shows his lingering righteousness compared to his neighbors, the true nature of Sodom is quickly exposed.

The Apostle Peter's later theological assessment of Lot in 2 Peter 2:7-8 describes him as a righteous man who was deeply distressed by the depraved conduct around him in Sodom.

Discussion Question: Lot was "sitting in the gate" as an established citizen, yet Peter calls him a "righteous man" who was distressed by the sin around him. In what ways do we act like Lot, trying to maintain a "righteous soul" while completely assimilating into the world's culture?

GENESIS 19:4-11: THE MOB AND THE DEPRAVITY OF SODOM

Genesis 19:4–11 ESV

4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” 9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

Commentary -

The Sin of Sodom: The city's depravity was much broader and deeper than homosexuality.

The sin of Sodom is characterized as a heinous moral and social corruption, displaying an arrogant disregard for basic human rights and a cynical insensitivity to the sufferings of others. Ezekiel 16:49 provides the most explicit biblical definition of Sodom's sin, confirming it went far beyond sexual depravity: they had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.

Violent Gang Rape vs. Consensual Relations:

The text describes the men of the city—"both young and old, all the people to the last man"—surrounding the house to demand the visitors.

This was an attempted homosexual gang rape.

In the ancient world, subjecting visiting men to this kind of assault was an ultimate expression of violence, power, dominance, and humiliation.

A chillingly parallel account occurs in Judges 19:22-25, where the men of Gibeah attempt a similar homosexual gang assault on visitors, using the same terminology for moral "folly."

The Meaning of the "Outcry":

God came down to investigate the "outcry" against Sodom (18:20).

In the Hebrew Bible, the word for outcry is the agonizing shriek of the oppressed, used elsewhere for the cry of abused widows, orphans, and slaves.

This indicates the victims within the city were crying out to heaven against their abusers, which parallels Genesis 4:10, where the blood of Abel cries out from the ground for justice.

Lot's Compromise:

In a desperate, cowardly attempt to protect his guests from this mob, Lot offers his two unmarried daughters—an inexcusable act that highlights how severely compromised his own moral judgment had become.

Discussion Question: When faced with the extreme wickedness of his culture, Lot's moral compass was so distorted that he offered his own daughters to the mob to "keep the peace." How does immersing ourselves in a compromised culture slowly distort our own sense of right and wrong without us even realizing it?

GENESIS 19:12-14: THE WARNING REJECTED

Genesis 19:12–14 ESV

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Commentary:

Lot's warning to his future sons-in-law is rejected because they think he is joking.

This demonstrates his complete lack of spiritual influence, credibility, and witness in his own city.

Discussion Question: Lot's sons-in-law thought he was joking because his life didn't reflect God's truth.

How does our compromise with the world affect our ability to be a spiritual witness to our own families and communities?

GENESIS 19:15-23: THE ESCAPE TO ZOAR

Genesis 19:15–23 ESV

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

Commentary:

This is the first explicit mention of Lot's wife in the narrative.

When the morning dawns, Lot still hesitates and "lingers" in the doomed city. The angels' use of physical force to seize his hand and drag Lot, his wife, and daughters out of the city was an act of pure, unmerited mercy.

Even in his rescue, Lot shows incredibly weak faith by pleading with God to let him flee to the nearby small city of Zoar rather than the hills, a request God graciously accommodates.

The imagery of salvation and deliverance arriving with the sunrise (verse 23) establishes a biblical motif seen later in Isaiah 9:2 and Malachi 4:1-3, and ultimately connects to the coming of Christ in Luke 1:78.

Discussion Questions:

When God is trying to lead you out of a spiritually harmful situation or a past sin, do you find yourself "lingering" like Lot?

Why is it so hard to leave our comfort zones even when we know they are toxic?

GENESIS 19:24-29: DIVINE JUDGMENT AND THE PILLAR OF SALT

Genesis 19:24–29 ESV

24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Commentary:

God rains sulfur and fire on the cities, serving as a lasting biblical paradigm for God's righteous wrath against sin and the certainty of final judgment.

This judgment prefigures the later complete destruction of the Canaanites when Israel enters the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).

It is also repeatedly cited to illustrate the severity of God's judgment and the necessity of God leaving a surviving remnant (Isaiah 1:9, Matthew 10:15; 11:23-24).

Furthermore, Sodom stands permanently as a prefiguration of eternal, fiery judgment for the wicked (2 Peter 2:6, 9-10, Jude 7, Revelation 14:10-11).

Lot's wife disobeys the angels' direct command and looks back, becoming a pillar of salt.

Jesus explicitly compares the days of Lot to the days of His second coming in Luke 17:26-32, warning disciples to "Remember Lot's wife" as a permanent warning against loving the world more than God's deliverance.

The ultimate theological takeaway is found in verse 29: God rescued Lot because He "remembered Abraham".

Just as God "remembered Noah" to save him from the global flood in Genesis 8:1, God "remembers Abraham" here to save Lot from the fire.

Lot was saved not on his own merits, but vicariously. It was the direct result of Abraham's persistent intercessory prayer for Sodom in Genesis 18:20-33.

Discussion Question:

Jesus warns us to "remember Lot's wife."

What "Sodoms" (comfortable lives, possessions, or past sins) are you tempted to look back at rather than fleeing toward God's deliverance?

GENESIS 19:30-38: THE TRAGIC AFTERMATH OF LOT AND HIS DAUGHTERS

Genesis 19:30–38 ESV

30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Commentary:

The story ends in a dark cave where a terrified Lot hides.

His daughters, fearing they will have no husbands in isolation, devise a plan to get their father drunk and commit incest.

This sordid cave episode directly mirrors the aftermath of the global flood in Genesis 9:20-27, where Noah's drunkenness led to the shameful actions of Ham.

This unseemly episode explains the origin of the Moabites and Ammonites, two nations that would become bitter enemies of Israel.

It highlights the deep moral corruption that living in Sodom had ingrained in the family; God may have taken Lot out of Sodom, but He could not take Sodom out of Lot's daughters.

Discussion Question:

The events of Genesis 19 are sad and sordid.

When reading passages like this, do you see yourself anywhere in these pages?

Are you tempted to believe you could never be that sinful?

Or on the other hand, are you tempted to believe God would never be that "harsh" toward sin?

L. ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH (20:1-18)

SETTING THE STAGE: ABRAHAM'S OLD SINS

The Egyptian Fiasco (Genesis 12:10-20):

Years earlier, when a famine drove Abram to Egypt, he acted out of fear rather than faith. Fearing the Egyptians would kill him to take his beautiful wife, he instructed Sarai to tell a half-truth: "Say you are my sister".

A Deeply Rooted Habit (Genesis 20:13):

Abraham's deception in Gerar was not a momentary lapse, but a deeply ingrained pattern of self-protection. He admits to Abimelech that when God first called him to leave his father's house, he made a cowardly pact with Sarah to use this "brother/sister" ruse "at every place to which we come".

Recidivism (Spiritual Relapse): This sets the stage for Chapter 20 by showing that even a great man of faith like Abraham—who had just successfully pleaded with God for Sodom (Ch. 18)—still had vulnerable spots in his spiritual armor and could fall back into old sins when he stopped trusting God's protection.

Discussion Question:

Abraham's deception was a deeply ingrained habit. What are the "default" defense mechanisms or old sins you fall back into when you stop trusting God's promises and protection?

GENESIS 20:1-7: ABRAHAM'S DECEPTION AND ABIMELECH'S DREAM

Genesis 20:1–7 ESV

1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Commentary:

Abraham moves to Gerar and inexplicably repeats a past sin: claiming Sarah is his sister to protect himself.

This mirrors Genesis 12:10-20, Abraham's identical previous deception in Egypt, showing his lie to Abimelech was a deeply ingrained pattern.

This act also sets up generational patterns of sin, as Isaac will later repeat his father's exact same wife-sister deception in the exact same region of Gerar in Genesis 26:1-11.

Abimelech taking Sarah into his harem puts God's promise—that Sarah will bear Abraham a son within the year—at severe risk.

God miraculously intervenes in a dream, actively protecting the purity of the holy offspring leading to Christ by ensuring Abimelech never touches her.

This episode establishes dreams as a primary medium for divine revelation to both covenant insiders (Jacob, Joseph) and outsiders (Pharaoh, Abimelech), as seen throughout Genesis 28:12; 31:10-11; 37:5-9; 40:5-8; 41:1.

This passage marks the first time the word "prophet" is used in the Bible, emphasizing a key characteristic of a true prophet: the ability to intercede for others. Jeremiah 15:1 highlights intercession as the hallmark of a true prophet, explaining why God calls Abraham a "prophet" when telling Abimelech to have Abraham pray for him.

Discussion Question:

When you face a sudden crisis or unknown situation, do you naturally turn to God in prayer, or do you immediately resort to your own self-protective "plans" and half-truths like Abraham did?

GENESIS 20:8-13: ABIMELECH CONFRONTS ABRAHAM

Genesis 20:8–13 ESV

8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

Commentary:

Abimelech rightly challenges Abraham for his deception, noting that it could have caused a "great sin" (a term often implying adultery).

Abraham's defense is a half-truth—that she is indeed his half-sister—but it does not excuse his cowardly behavior.

His claim that there is "no fear of God" in Gerar betrays a deep lack of faith and severely misjudges the people of the city, as the pagan king and his servants actually proved to be highly God-fearing and morally upright.

He attempts to justify his actions by admitting this was his settled pattern "at every place to which we come," which only reveals his default to self-reliance.

Discussion Question:

Abraham wrongly assumed there was "no fear of God" in Gerar.

How do our assumptions and prejudices about the culture or unbelievers around us sometimes cause us to act with less integrity than they do?

GENESIS 20:14-18: RESTORATION AND HEALING

Genesis 20:14–18 ESV

14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Commentary:

The narrative resolves with a sharp contrast: Abimelech's innocence and generosity stand against Abraham's deception.

The king's public gifts serve to publicly affirm that he acted appropriately toward Sarah, vindicating her honor.

The chapter ends with Abraham fulfilling his prophetic role by praying for Abimelech. Numbers 12:10-14 shows a parallel to Abimelech's situation, where healing from a divine affliction depends entirely on the intercessory prayer of the prophet involved.

God heals the infertility that had struck the king's household. This beautifully demonstrates how God's promise to bless the nations through Abraham (Genesis 12:3) is mediated through his prayers for King Abimelech, even when Abraham himself has stumbled.

Finally, demonstrating God's absolute power over the womb here perfectly sets the theological stage for the very next event: the miraculous birth of Isaac from Sarah's formerly closed womb in Genesis 21:1-3.

Discussion Question:

Even though Abraham stumbled and lied, God still used him as a prophet to pray for Abimelech's healing.

How does God's grace encourage you to continue interceding for others and serving God even after you have failed?

CONCLUSION: THE INFIRMITY OF MAN AND THE GRACE OF GOD

SUMMARY AND FINAL TAKEAWAYS

The High Cost of Compromise (Chapter 19): Lot's life serves as a permanent warning to believers.

What began as a simple choice based on sight and economic advantage (pitching his tent toward Sodom) ended in total devastation.

While God's unmerited mercy pulled him from the fire, his compromise cost him his home, his wife, and the moral compass of his daughters.

It challenges us to examine the "Sodoms" of our own culture that we tolerate or assimilate into.

The Vulnerability of the Faithful (Chapter 20):

Abraham's deception in Gerar reminds us that even the greatest heroes of the faith have vulnerable spots in their spiritual armor.

Abraham's relapse into an old, deeply ingrained habit of self-protection shows that when we stop actively trusting God's promises, our default is always fear and worldly scheming.

The Overruling Grace of God:

In Chapter 19, God rescues a hesitating Lot not because of Lot's stellar morality, but vicariously because God "remembered Abraham".

In Chapter 20, God protects Sarah and brings healing to Abimelech not because of Abraham's virtue, but in spite of his deception.

Abraham's preeminence and role as a prophet rested entirely on God's promise, not on his own moral perfection.

LOOKING AHEAD: SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE MIRACLE

The Power Over the Womb: The study ends with God graciously healing the infertility that had struck King Abimelech's household.

By demonstrating God's absolute, sovereign power over the womb at the very end of Chapter 20, the text perfectly sets the theological stage for the most anticipated event in Genesis.

We are heading in to see this same God do the impossible: miraculously opening the dead womb of Sarah to bring forth the child of promise, Isaac (Genesis 21).

CLOSING DISCUSSION / REFLECTION QUESTION:

As we close today, we see two flawed men:

Lot, whose compromise led to ruin, and Abraham, whose fear led to deception.

Yet, God's grace overruled their failures to preserve His covenant.

How does seeing the "infirmity of man and the grace of God" in these chapters change the way you view your own failures, and how does it deepen your trust in God's faithfulness to His promises?