Genesis 19.23-26-Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Thursday February 9, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 19:23-26-Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Lesson # 97
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 19:23.
This evening we will study the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain that is recorded in Genesis 19:23-26.
This passage teaches that although, the Lord is long-suffering, He is not everlasting suffering meaning that there is an end to His patience in regards to the unbeliever.
The Lord is patient and slow to execute judgment upon the unbeliever because His will is that all men be saved as manifested by the fact that Christ died for all men (Jn. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 Jn. 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:10).
Genesis 19:23, “The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.”
Genesis 19:24, “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.”
Genesis 19:25, “and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
A comparison of Genesis 19:15-22 and Genesis 19:23-24 indicates that it took Lot all day and all night and the following morning to arrive in Zoar.
Genesis 19:15-22 indicates that the morning after the attempted gang rape by the Sodomites, the angels commanded Lot to leave the city of Sodom immediately and flee to the mountains.
Lot pleaded with the angels to let him stay in Zoar rather than heading into the mountains and they obliged him and so all of this took place in the morning.
So Lot sets out for Zoar sometime in the morning and arrives the following day approximately at midday since according to Genesis 19:23, “the sun had risen over the earth” and was not just coming up.
Therefore, around midday, with Lot safely out of Sodom, the Lord executed judgment upon the cities of plain, Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, and Admah.
“Lord” is the proper noun Yahweh (hw *hy+) emphasizes the “immanency” of God meaning that God Himself intervenes in the affairs of Sodom and Gomorrah by executing judgment upon them for their unrepentant, wicked attitude and resultant conduct.
“Rained” is the verb matar (rf^m*) (maw-tar), which is in the hiphil (causative) stem indicating that the Lord as the subject “caused” burning sulfur “to rain” down upon the cities of the plain; therefore, the destruction was supernatural and not a natural disaster.
The hiphil (causative) stem indicates that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was directly from the Lord, which rules out an earthquake or electrical storm, or a combination of both as the cause of the destruction.
Some have suggested that these cities were destroyed by a volcanic eruption, but there is no evidence of any volcanic activity in the area and the Bible does not mention a volcano as the cause or the instrument used by the Lord to destroy the cities.
It is also been suggested that lightning ignited the natural gases of the Jordan valley released by an earthquake but there is no biblical support for this either.
It is clear that the passage is a literal reference to an act of God’s judgment, in which He caused burning sulfur from heaven to rain down upon the cities of the plain in order to destroy them.
The two elect angels that removed Lot from Sodom revealed that they were the agents used by the Lord to execute this judgment.
“Brimstone” is the noun gapharith (jyr!p+G*) (gof-reeth), which means, “sulfur” but is used of any inflammable substance since the word comes from the noun gopher, which would refer to pitch and then later came to represent other combustibles such as sulfur.
“Fire” is the noun `esh (va@) (aysh), which appears here in the Bible for the first time and is of course associated with divine judgment and was a supernatural fire sent down from heaven by the Lord.
Hebrews 12:29, “for our God is a consuming fire.”
The Hebrew expression gapherith wa’esh (tyr!p+GVa@w) translated “brimstone and fire” by the New American Standard contains the figure of “hendiadys,” which takes place when two nouns are used to express one idea or concept.
The figure of “hendiadys” indicates that the noun `esh, intensifies the meaning of the noun gapherith and changes it to an adjective of the superlative degree and so the expression gapherith wa’esh should be translated, “burning sulfur.”
To this day, the Dead Sea area reeks of sulphurous fumes and asphalt deposits are found.
“Sodom” and “Gomorrah” are on the east at the south end of the Dead Sea and helped to form a confederation of cities, which included Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar according to Genesis 14:2, 8 and are called by theologians “the cities of the plain.”
“Sodom” and “Gomorrah” are the only cities of the plain mentioned here because they were the chief or largest among the cities.
Genesis 19:25, “and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”
“Overthrew” is the verb haphakh (Ip^h*) (haw-vak), which is used in reference to the overthrow of the cities that were once standing and denotes the idea of the evil, unrepentant, arrogant men and institutions that have been brought low by the Lord.
A comparison of Genesis 13:10, 14:8, Deuteronomy 29:23 and Hosea 11:8 indicate that “the cities of the (Jordan) valley” that the Lord destroyed were “Admah,” “Zeboiim,” “Sodom,” “Gomorrah” and “Zoar,” which was spared.
“The valley” refers to the “valley of the Jordan” according to a comparison with Genesis 13:10 and was a tropical area between Jericho and Zoar, 800 to 1200 feel below sea level, where crops could grow all year-round.
Today, the valley of the Jordan is no longer a green, well-watered land because of the Lord’s judgment upon brought a drastic change to the entire area.
According to Genesis 13:10, prior to the destruction of the cities of the plain, the Jordan valley was “like the garden of the Lord” and “like the land of Egypt.”
Henry M. Morris commenting on the geography of the Dead Sea region, which the Lord destroyed, writes, “The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on the earth’s surface since it is 1,286 feet below sea level. The Jordan River empties into it and it has no outlet. The intense heat evaporates great quantities of water, so that the salinity of the sea continues to increase. It is about 40 miles long by 10 miles wide and is divided into two parts, which are connected by a narrow strait. The southern segment, about 10 miles long, is only about 10 to 20 feet deep, whereas the northern segment is very deep, up to 1,040 feet in places” (The Genesis Record, page 352, Baker Book House).
It was the southern segment that was the fertile plain that is described in Genesis 13:10 that was so attractive to Lot.
It has since been submerged in water because of the silting up of the bed of the sea in the northern segment, causing the water level to rise.
Genesis 14:3, 8 and 10 calls this region the “valley of Siddim” and archaeological explorations have shown that there were five large cities on the eastern side of this southern portion of the Dead Sea and in many respects, answer the descriptions of the five cities of the plain.
If these are the cities in the days of Lot, then Sodom was the southernmost, and then heading northward, there was Gomorrah, followed by Zoar, Admah and Zeboiim.
There were fresh water streams coming down from the eastern hills into the “valley of Siddim” and on into the sea.
The “valley of Siddim” was at the southern end of the Dead Sea since Genesis 14:3 relates it to the Salt Sea, insinuating their proximity to each other or even that the Dead Sea was once the valley of Siddim.
Henry M. Morris, writes, “The heat and fertile soil, combined with reliable irrigation, made the whole region one of tremendous agricultural productivity. It was this that so attracted Lot that he chose to live there instead of on the western uplands with Abraham” (The Genesis Record, Baker Book House, page 352).
The Dead Sea is called the Salt Sea because its average 32 percent saline content is about ten times more than the 3 percent average of the oceans.
There was a fresh water stream along each one of these cities.
These cities were very prosperous and had large populations.
Morris states that “the tombs that have been uncovered indicate probably over a million individuals had been buried in them” (The Genesis Record, page 352, Baker Book House).
Genesis 19:25 records that the Lord destroyed “all the inhabitants of the cities (Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, and Admah)” but we must remember that it was the Lord’s desire to save all the inhabitants of these cities since He desires none to perish but to be saved.
Yet, the inhabitants of these cities were unrepentant meaning that they would not “change their attitudes” and trust in the God of Abraham as their Savior and Sovereign.
Furthermore, as we noted in our study of Abraham’s intercession for the cities of the plain, the Lord would have spared the wicked Sodomites for the sake of the righteous meaning believers so that the unbelievers in Sodom might have every opportunity to be saved.
Yet, none of the Sodomites were spared because of the poor witness of Lot.
Although, Abraham’s intercession for the wicked Sodomites was answered and the Lord would have spared the wicked Sodomites for the sake of Lot who was a believer, the Sodomites themselves had determined for themselves their fate by rejecting the Lord as their Savior-Sovereign.
Genesis 19:25 records that not only were all the inhabitants of the cities of the plain destroyed but also each and every thing that grew on the ground so that no vegetation could grow.
This fact reveals a spiritual principle that we noted in our study of the fall of Adam recorded in Genesis 3:17-19 that the land is cursed by association with its inhabitants.
Israel was taught this principle by the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 24:5, “The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.”
Isaiah 24:6, “Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.”
Genesis 19:26, “But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Lot’s wife disobeys the divine prohibition of the angel to not look back at Sodom, thus manifesting she is an unbeliever.
Her disobedience to the divine instruction resulted in her forfeiting the salvation that the Lord offered to her.
In looking back at Sodom, which is a type of the cosmic system of Satan, Lot’s wife identified herself with Sodom.
Lot’s wife demonstrated her lack of faith in the Lord as demonstrated by her disobedience to the prohibition to not look back at Sodom.
The death of Lot’s wife due to her disobedience to the divine prohibition to not look back at Sodom is a warning and a picture of what happens to those who have their love and affection upon the world, the cosmic system of Satan.
It is also teaches a lesson that the Lord taught His disciples in Luke 17:32-33:
Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot's wife.”
Luke 17:33, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”
The implication is that Lot’s wife was seeking to hang on to her life in Sodom and that, consequently, she lost her life in its destruction.
The unbeliever who clings to the cosmic system and rejects Christ as Savior will burn in the Lake of Fire forever according to Revelation 20:11-15.
Whereas, the believer who loves the cosmic system will lose rewards at the Bema Seat Evaluation and will be saved as yet through fire according to 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
“Looked back” is the verb navat (fb^n*), which is in the hiphil stem means, “to look at intently” thus expressing that Lot’s wife had her affections set upon Sodom, which led to her disobedience to the divine prohibition, which led to her destruction.
As she looked back intently at Sodom, she thought about her beautiful home, preparing for the wedding of her daughters and her friends and thus all of these things were more important than obeying the Lord.
Genesis 19:26 records that Lot’s wife became a “pillar of salt” meaning that she was encrusted with salt, as she was also enveloped with the burning sulfur so that nothing but a pillar of salt remained.
It is interesting that today in the Dead Sea region there are many pillars of salt.
A number of these have from time to time been called “Lot’s wife” by the Arabs.
Josephus claims to have seen the pillar of salt, which was once Lot’s wife (Antiquities, book one, chapter eleven).
Bruce K. Waltke, “In the biblical world, a site was strewn with salt to condemn it to perpetual barrenness and desolation (e.g., Deut. 29:23; Judg. 9:45; Ps. 107:34; Jer. 17:6) (Genesis, A Commentary, Zondervan, page 279).
The historicity of this event is emphasized throughout Scripture (Deut. 29:23; Isa. 13:19; 49:18; Jer. 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Lk. 17:28-29; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7).
The Lord Jesus Christ confirms its historicity in Luke 17 comparing the attitude of people prior to the sudden destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the attitude of the human race prior to His Second Advent.
Luke 17:26, “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.”
Luke 17:27, “they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:28, “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building.”
Luke 17:29, “but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:30, “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
Luke 17:31, “On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back.”
Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot's wife.”
Luke 17:33, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”