Part 8 Book of Genesis

 

 

Destruction of Sodom

 

19.1-3
Meanwhile the two angels arrive in Sodom that evening where they find Lot sitting at the gate to the city. When Lot sees them he rises and bows low with his face to the ground. He invites them to his house to spend the night and bathe their feet. They decline the offer, but Lot urges strongly that they come with him. They agree and enter Lot’s house where he prepares unleavened bread for them.

There is a contrast between Lot and Abraham. Lot is only visited by the angels, not the Lord Himself. Lot rises and bows whereas Abraham ran to meet them. Abraham offered a feast, Lot offers unleavened bread. Unleavened bread symbolizes a life free from sin. Perhaps Lot wanted to justify himself for living in such a sinful place.

19.4-11...After the angels are in Lot’s home the men of Sodom gather outside his door, both young and old, and demand that Lot bring the visitors out to them so they can have sex with them. Lot goes out and quietly begs them as “brethren” not to do this. He even offers his daughters to them in exchange. They tell Lot he came here as a stranger and now he wants to be their ruler. As they are about to break into the house the angels pull Lot back in and cause blindness to strike all those outside so they cannot find the entrance.

We see the sin of homosexuality in this section (Lev 18.22) and a lack of hospitality! Lot’s offer of his daughters is strange, and ironic when see in the light of their actions with their father which are still to happen. Why would Lot want to live in such a place? The Lord is going to save Lot not because of his own character, but because of His commitment to Abraham (Gen 19.29).

19.12-14...The angels tell Lot to get his sons, sons in law, daughters and anyone else he has in this city and bring them out of the place as they are about to destroy it. Lot goes to his sons in law and tells them the Lord is about to destroy the city, but they think he is joking.

Be ready for the Lord comes as a thief in the night! Abraham took the impending destruction seriously--Lot’s family looks on him as a buffoon. In our personal lives we need to yield to the dealings of the Lord or we may be found lacking.

19.15-22...As dawn breaks the angels urge Lot to flee with his wife and two unmarried daughters. They seize him by the hand and take them outside the city. They tell Lot to flee to the hills and not to even look back. Lot begs them not to make him flee to the hills or he will die, “please let me go to that small town over there!” They agree and tell him to hurry--they can’t do anything till Lot is safe. Lot goes to Zoar which means “little place.”

Lot does not want to flee to the hills--he refuses to allow the Lord to take him through a “wilderness” experience. He would rather have things comfortable in the city then to yield to the spirit. How often have we resisted the Lord’s dealing in our lives? Rather than allow God to enlarge us through His dealings, we choose to live in a “small place.”

19.23-29...Lot and family flee to Zoar and the Lord rains down sulfurous fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt. The next morning Abraham hurries to the place where he pleaded with the Lord for the two cities and sees the smoke of destruction rising. Then the scripture says that God saved Lot and family because of Abraham’s intercession.

Lot’s wife looked back--she longed for the sinful ways of the past. In our flesh is no good thing. We need to look up at the Lord and not back to our own way of doing things. It is a difficult lesson to learn. Abraham pleaded, but sometimes the sin is so great and men refuse to repent. We should have a heart of mercy and plead with the Lord--but sometimes judgment must come.

19.30-36...Lot then leaves Zoar in fear and goes and lives in a cave with his two daughters! While in the cave the daughters see their father is old and they have no children. They conceive a plot to get their father drunk on two successive nights and go in to him and get pregnant. They each bear a son. The oldest daughter names her son Moab which means, “from my father” and the youngest calls hers Ben-ammi, which means “son of my kindred.” They are the fathers of both the Moabites and Ammonites, two of Israel’s traditional enemies.

Lot didn’t want to obey God and go to the hills. He goes to the city and regrets it and runs to the hills! He missed his calling. We need to learn to respond to God when He calls. Instead of repenting and asking God for up to date instructions, Lot did it his way. We need to be tuned into God and seek his direction.

As for the two incestuous sons becoming Israel’s enemies, we also see God’s redemption in this squalid event. David and Yeshua are from the line which includes the Moabite Ruth (Ruth 4.13-22) and the Ammonite wife of King Solomon, Naamah, was the mother of Rehoboam, Solomon’s successor and son (1 Kings 14.21). Our God is merciful toward all!

 
Abraham and Sarah in Abimelech’s court
20.1-7
Abraham journeys from where he was to the region of the Negev. He tells Sarah to say she is his sister because he is again worried about being killed. King Abimelech takes Sarah with plans to marry her. In a dream, the Lord tells Abimelech that Sarah is Abraham’s wife and that he die for taking her. Abimelech protest’s God’s action, saying he is innocent and was told by Abraham that Sarah was his sister. God tells Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham and that Abraham the prophet will pray to save his life. If Abimelech refuses he is told he and all his household will die.

Again, Abraham shows weakness and a lack of trust in God’s protection of him.

20.8-13...Abimelech tells his servants about his dream and they are all afraid. Abimelech summons Abraham and scolds him for lying to him. Abraham replies he was afraid there was no “fear of God” in this place and was seeking to preserve his life. Then he says that Sarah is in truth his sister or half sister through his father’s daughter and a different mother.

Abraham’s lack of faith at this point is perplexing but how often have we felt God lead us in a certain direction and then begin to have doubts? It is a human failing we all have or will probably experience at some point in our walk. Biblically there is no evidence of Sarah being Abraham’s half sister. Was he lying? We don’t know for sure.

20.14-17...Abimelech gives sheep, oxen, a thousand pieces of silver, and Sarah to Abraham as vindication before everyone. Abraham prays for Abimelech and his wife because every womb in his family had been closed. They are healed. Abimelech tells Abraham to settle anywhere in the land he wants to.

Abraham is the first person in the bible called a prophet and he intercedes for Abimelech.

Next: Part 9