Genesis
Genesis 19:1-29
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Abraham has successfully bartered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with God... There only needs to be found ten righteous, and all will be spared![1]
Evil At the Door: God Rescues Lot
As the Lord’s angels entered Sodom’s city gate, they were met by Lot, who, likely regarding them as ordinary men, invited them to stay with his family, a level of hospitality not uncommon in that era. While settling in for the night, there was a raucous pounding on the door, at which assembled were the men of Sodom, young and old, from every quarter. This speaks to the breadth of depravity and immorality that men representing all walks of life in the city urged to participate in this violent, carnal self-indulgence; the only thing on the minds of this populous was to abuse and rape these two visiting men. The word sodomy, as we know it today, was breathed from this very city and its penchant for homosexual sin. While all facets of homosexual activity are a sin, we must be collectivistic in our understanding of scripture. We must be inquisitive and not take every verse as an independent be-all, end-all. The city of Sodom was clearly diverse in its sinful nature. This example of immorality, while grotesque, was just one of many sins that angered God. In Ezekiel, God laments to Jerusalem that “Sodom was never as wicked as you, that her sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I have wiped her out.”[2] The point here is that Sodom’s sins, listed in Ezekiel, were at the root of the depravity displayed in this Genesis scripture. Do not be fooled into thinking that God hates sexual sin so much that he will overlook our other "less important" sins. Scripture clearly states that "the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.” [3]
Sin Has No Boundaries
To honor and protect his guests, Lot offers his virgin daughters to the angry mob, the same daughters Lot would later impregnate. Is it just me, or are you as shocked and appalled at this offer as you are at the mob’s intentions? Instead of righteous anger and chastisement, Lot calls them his brothers and tries to appease them. As the mob rejects his offer, the angels blind the crowd, eroding the calamity outside the door. If I am focusing on sin and wrath here, I might ask, "why is Lot considered righteous and spared after offering his own offspring to be raped and brutalized?" After all, sin is sin. We cannot attempt to explain away the motives of God, but I can confirm that I was morally depraved and well-rounded in my sin, yet he spared me and now uses me for his purpose, so who am I to judge others in their sin? If we search the bible front to back, we will find but one sinless man.
Obedience Matters: A Mini Exodus
How many times do we hesitate at the Holy Spirit’s prompting? As the angels warn Lot to leave the city, he hesitates, perhaps settling too comfortably among the sin in his midst. Once taken outside the city, the angels relent and allow Lot to escape to Zoar, promising his family’s safety there with one stipulation: not to look back. Lot’s wife (who curiously is not identified by name in the bible) disobeyed by looking back at Sodom as it was in the throes of God’s destructive wrath, turning her into a pillar of salt. Dissecting this act of hers, we can assume this looking back was done with intent, or even making an attempt to return, likely investing more than a simple glance. Lot would eventually leave Zoar and the promise of safety, taking refuge in a cave where he would impregnate both daughters, bearing two sons who would later become enemies of Israel.
How often will God rescue us, and we still try to control things and disobey his will for our lives? God uses sinners; he uses me, and he will use you. Lot was lured into Sodom from the lush lands he inhabited, lured by sin, whose pleasures are fleeting[4], but cannot endure. Yet even through Lot's bad decisions and disobedience, God kept him. Sound familiar? Look at biblical figures, both prominent and ordinary; the unique characteristic found in all of them is sin, except one. In Recovery Alive, we consciously decide to embrace God's will for our lives over our own. What is your fear of asking God what his will is for your life? Is it that he won’t respond? Or perhaps you fear that he will!
Every word whispers the name of Jesus. This is the Bible.
By Rich Cederman, Director of Recovery Alive
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